Saturday, March 19, 2011

Spring Fever







Only one more day...

And it will be...

SPRING!

Unfortunately nobody gave mother nature the memo.

At least not here in the northern mitten.

It was a balmy 31 degrees today!

I was super bummed because it was supposed to be 37 degrees...

And sunny.

But it was cloudy, as was my mood.

I have been couped up in the house with a sick little girl for three whole days.

And that same little girl has been sleeping in our bed for THREE whole nights.

Which means that mommy hasn't slept for three nights.


Soooo...

I got a brilliant idea.

We were gonna go to the beach!

Well, sort of.

We live in an absolutely gorgeous area of the state, surrounded by Lake Michigan.

And even though it was cloudy and yucky and cold...

I dragged my family to the one place that always makes me feel better.




 

Lake Michigan is peeking out behind the trees.

I was taking pics out the window of my car.

Please excuse any dog nose prints or drool marks that may make an appearance in these photos ☺







The white is ice, but the dark blue is open water!
(I know, I know, not that exciting, but it was all frozen not too long ago.)



We're getting closer...



Shhh...Don't tell anyone ;)





This is a scary, narrow road that drops off on the right side into a steep cliff. 
(Perhaps there is a reason for the DO NOT ENTER sign. But we are total rebels. Real lawbreakers.)






On the way to my favorite place, we pass this Native American cemetery, or burial ground.  I'm not sure what it is technically called.

I've been worried since I took this picture.

Isn't there some sort of superstition about taking pictures of burial grounds?

Or is that me being a paranoid freak?

Here is a pretty little church on the other side.





FINALLY...

We made it!

Time to unload.




 



Picture it...

Fire in the pit...

Wine glasses on the picnic table...

Hooded sweatshirts and bathing suits on kiddos roasting marshmallows...

Fiery sunset on the lake...

Paradise.
(Cristopher Cross' Sailing should be playing in your head right now. Just thought I'd let ya know ♫)



 


That, my friends, is ice.

I don't know what I was thinking.



 

This is a really cool pic.




The little girl thought that it was pretty cool to walk on all the rocks that would be covered by water in the summer.





Can you imagine it in the summer?





Me being cold, but a bit happier.


Headed back to the car.




It was cold, and icy...

But you can't stay down for too long when you're exposed to so much beauty.



Our son spotted this doe and her fawn on the ride home.



When we got home I decided to continue our warm weather themed day...





Nothin' says summer like brats and macaroni salad!



And for dessert...


 


Peanut butter pie!
(I've linked to the recipe I based mine on. If you want the specifics of my variation, let me know.)



This little boy's favorite ♥


Hope you are having a springalicious weekend!




Jessie


4 comments:

  1. even cloudy and cold your picnic area was beautiful! Great pictures!

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  2. I am so sorry your little one has been sick. I hope everyone is feeling better and sleeping again. Lake Michigan is the best place to go anytime and cheers me up when I am feeling down! Northern Michigan has some of the greatest secret spots that lead to the lake!!! It has been raining down here all day but melting the snow, so that is good! Hopefully it will get warmer soon so we can enjoy our lake thawed out! ;)
    Thank you so much for your wonderful comment about my daughters bday and what she is going through. It is does hurt to see our little ones feel scared and sad.

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  3. Wow, it all looks so good! We love Lake Michigan, too. Looking forward to camping there this summer (Warren Dunes). It's pouring rain here (Chicago). Hurry up, spring:)

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  4. How fun. Reminds of when we lived in Seattle and would go to the rainy, gray beaches in the "spring" when it was f-reez-ing.

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