Days 5 thru 7: 6.20 - 6.22

We had quite the weekend down here in Birchwood. Sarah and Duke arrived Thursday night from Chicago. We had a relaxed evening and got up for some beach time in the morning. Katherine and Keely got there mid-morning on Friday and came right to the beach. My parents (Gami and Bumpa) stopped by and picked up Bails so the adults could play. Next to arrive was my friend Rachel from grad school and finally Wes and Spencer arrived just in time for dinner.

And play we did: poker (I was the big winner), golf at Pebblewood Country Club(I was the big loser) for the guys and the girls got into a game called Loaded Questions.

As tradition we grilled on Friday night and went to dinner on Saturday night, Brewster's in New Buffalo was the spot. It was really quite nice.

We had a bit of rain and a bit of aging, as a result we never made it down for a beach fire. Nonetheless, good times was had by all. A perfect end to the first week. Let's get going on week 2!

Day 3 - 6.18

Robin was back today. The weather was supposed to be a bit chilly and rainy in the afternoon. It wasn't. It was sunny and nice all day. No pics today (I had some challenges with the camera charging). We went for a 2-hour bike ride through the country roads of Harbert and Sawyer. We saw some miniature ponies and Bailey loved them. We got some good beach time in the afternoon and went out to dinner. A nice day for all.

We are looking forward to friends coming in tomorrow and Friday for the weekend. The weather does not look like its going to be cooperating but we have our fingers crossed.

Quick thoughts:

- Our friends Jenny and John just started their blog... add it to your list these guys are awesome.

- My favorite line so far from the book I am reading, Earth: The Sequel. A proponent of capturing carbon dioxide from power plants and reuse it to produce biofuels was describing his thoughts on carbon capture and underground storage:
"We spend enormous amounts of money to dig holes to get carbon out of the ground, and the best fix we can come up with is to dig more holes and put it back in? That's something your dog might think to do."
- Ray Hobbs, APS Future Fuels Program

Day 2 - 6.17

Today was a Bailey and Mike day at the cottage. Robin headed back to Ann Arbor to check in on work and give a presentation as part of the Dawn Farm Ed Series. She gave a great talk on eating disorders and recovery. This was her second presentation to the Ed Series in a month.

While we missed Robin, Bails and I tried our best to enjoy the cottage. We played a little basketball, had lunch down on the beach, Bailey slept, I read my book, all in all a good day. We are glad Robin is coming back tonight.

Back at the Blog and the Cottage

Well its been ten months since the last post but I thought I would get crackin again. We are currently on vacation at the lake house on Lake Michigan... "The Cottage". Yes, the same place from the last post. So while I am updating you on current events from this year's trip I am going to also post the happenings since the last cottage trip. I hope you enjoy.

Here are a couple intro shots of the Orchard Glen and the beach. Its great to be back here!



Here are pics from Day 0.5 - Sunday 6/15 - Father's Day. Happy Father's Day to all the dads. We packed up Jack (should have taken pics of that... he was tested) and made it to Orchard Glen by about 12:45. We did a bit of unpacking, had a quick visit with my grandparents and headed to the beach. That's where the fun was at!