Cape Cod FUN

We had a terrific trip to Cape Cod.  We left Grand Rapids on Thursday morning, drove through Canada, spent the night in Albany and arrived at the cape in time to have lunch.  We were a little early since Sara and Leo both had to work so we found this fun little 'tea shop' for lunch.  Bud was glad to see at least one other guy was in the room when we went in. 

 It was a nice little place to enjoy an early tea. 

 We also stopped at a local grocery store to pick up dinner for the family.  Ribs, coleslaw and roasted potatoes were on the menu.  Erik and Lara came over for dinner too.  It was a great meal and wonderful company.

 I took along some treats for the kids.  I had these wonderful binoculars that were a real hit with Sofi and Isak.

 I also took along some wonderful 'jingle bell' noise makers.  They are at such a cute age and so full of fun and energy. 

 Saturday morning we were up early for breakfast.  Isak was so intent on pealing his egg. 

We went out to check out the Wellfleet area.  The binoculars were a good thing to have while exploring. 

 This picture is a little out of order as this is part of our Sunday hike.  Aren't they a great looking group though???

 We had a great time 'spying' things on our walk around Wellfleet. 

I LOVE that Isak was helping me find some jewelry for myself and YES, I did manage to buy a few things for myself.  Sofi helped me pick out a ring. 

The flowers were just beginning to bloom

We did have to rest now and then and enjoy the sunshine.

Even the adults spent some time soaking up the sunshine. 

In the afternoon Leo stayed home with the kidos while they napped and Bud went out with the girls to check out some of the quaint towns on the cape. 

Gram bought the kidso new P.J.s and they loved them

Sunday we went on another walk.  It was nice to get out in the sunshine even though it was a little chilly. 

The rocks were warm and a great place to climb and pose for pictures. 

And maybe even a pretend nap. 

Isak loved climbing on this BIG rock with the help of Uncle Bud. 

Sunday brought Erik and Lara back in town and they came over for dinner and to help cook. 

These two did most of the cooking.  Tacos were on the menu.

The whole Cape Cod tribe were there for dinner which also included Sara's mom, Tina, Anthony, Jessica and their three children.  It was a great evening and nice to see everyone.  It is a wonderful tribe and I am thankful to be a part of the group a few times a year. 

Monday morning was time to leave already.  Sara has Monday's off and the kids have preschool in the morning so we followed them to school and had a chance to see their school. 

It is hard to say good by after such a wonderful weekend but we gave hugs and were thankful for the great weekend together.
We were back home by Tuesday night, our hearts filled with memories and love. 

We took a quick trip to Grand Rapids to see family

Tuesday morning we were up early and on the road heading to Grand Rapids because Matt and Diana were in town AND to see all the GR family too. 

 We arrived in time to have lunch and headed out to Meijer Gardens.  We spent quite a bit of time in the butterfly exhibit and then headed out to check out the gardens.  I took quite a few family pictures of those nieces and nephew AND of course the great-grand nieces and nephew.  They are a cute bunch.

 You may wonder why I am taking a picture of Matt and Diana posed like this but behind them there is a sculpture of a very similar pose and they are REALLY  trying hard to embarrass their children. 

 I took this picture of B before I saw the sign that you were suppose to stay off the sculptures.  I am sure I'm not the first one that has NOT seen the sign or just ignored it.  I really don't know why they have such inviting sculptures and won't let you take pictures of people on them. 

 These butterfly sculptures were seats AND you were allowed to sit on them  Gram had her picture taken with her grandchildren except for the littlest one because he was sleeping in his stroller. 

 This little sweetie had a great time and was a wonderful little girl as we walked and walked and walked around the gardens AND her brother was able to sleep the whole time. 

 We did wake him up so that he could be in this picture.  This big horse sculpture is quite spectacular. 

 After a long day at work, Daddy came home and had a little floor time with his littlest one. 

 Eva fixed a fantastic dinner for everyone.  I was surprised by the arrival of Leo.  He drove over to have dinner with us. 

 He also had a little baby time.  They look pretty comfortable together. 

 We did celebrate Jessica's birthday with 'Death by Chocolate"  I'm not sure that this little girl knew what all those candles were for. 

She did try to help Momma with the tradition of blowing them out. Maybe she will be better as she is almost 2 and will have a chance to try it on her own. 
So, there you go.....Our trip to see family was fantastic.  We drove back the same night but it was well worth the time driving to see everyone. 

Our Florida trip

Well,  I haven't posted on the blog in a LONG time but I usually have little short postings and have been using FB instead.  This is a long one so if you really don't want to hear about our recent trip to Florida, just leave this page.  We flew out on a Tuesday, March 15th and arrived in Tampa late in the evening so we checked in to a hotel and waited until morning to explore.  We did a little research and decided the Dali museum would be a good start on our exploring

 

 Of course we took the audio tour. 

 There were VERY interesting paintings from a very good artist. 

 The museum itself was an interesting building.

 In the event that you can't tell, this is a mustache.  Dali was famous for this image. 

 This is the outside of the museum.

 After that museum we checked out a glass blowing demonstration.  I have always been fascinated by glass blowing and this young man made a beautiful bowl.

 Later in the day we headed south to Sarasota to visit the Angoves.  They rented a condo for 2 months and this is the second year they have invited us to come down and visit them  We did a little exploring at an artist community there in Sarasota.  I am always interested in galleries. 

 One evening we had a terrific dinner with a friend from TC that is staying in the same area.  It was a delicious salad night. 

 Bud and I decided to check out a museum and planetarium that was in a nearby town.  We watched 3 different shows at the planetarium and checked out all the displays at the museum.

 We did have a rainy day so how about a game of Mexican Train.   I was winning for a while but Larry ended up with the fewest points.  They play by some of our rules but they also keep score at the end of each game so the one with the fewest points wins. 

 OH YES, a rainy day is also good for a trip to Gem, bead and rock show that was in Sarasota.  I noticed the sign as we drove in and it was a MUST on my agenda.  AND, of course, I had to buy a few things.  I found a Laramore ring and a string of black spinel stones.  It was a good day for me. 

 We also had some great meals out.  This was a wonderful nearby place where we meet Tam, a TC friend for dinner.

 We had to have drinks out one afternoon, at the harbor of course.  The sunshine was terrific.

One other evening we also met some other former TC friends who live in Sarasota for dinner.

So there you have it, our Florida brief vacation.  We left on a Tuesday and flew back on the following Monday.  Unfortunately, I picked up a cold germ somewhere and have been a little 'under the weather' since  we returned.  AND we received a BIG winter storm yesterday so my relaxing time in the warmth of Florida was punished by a cold and a snowstorm. 
The sun is out today and I understand the snow is suppose to melt rather quickly.  The sun on the snow does look beautiful today but it is a disappointment now that we are expecting spring to arrive soon. 
Thanks for making it clear to the end.  I hope it was at least a little interesting. 

My weekend of birthdays, movies, snow and football games

This was a busy weekend for us.  Saturday we hit the road to travel to Coleman.  Leo did call me and warn us that there was a 'winter storm warning' but being true N. Michigan travelers, we ignored his warning and went anyway.  My baby brother only turns 60 once in his life and I wanted to help him celebrate.  The actual date is this Wednesday, the 13th if anyone wants to wish him Happy Birthday. 

 We arrived before any storm and relaxed a little bit before heading to Midland to meet with Branden and Denise  for dinner and then headed to the movies.  We settled on the movie JOY which was kind of a 'chick flick' but the 'guy' movies were a bit to violent for the women and the men were just happy to be in the company of such wonderful women.  It was a good movie., a 'feel good' true story. 

 After the movie we went back to Leo's house for dessert.  I had made apple crisp and Leo had some ice cream on hand.  The weather wasn't too threatening and we sat around and talked while the football game was on mute.  It was a great evening. 

 Bud and I spent the night and Leo fixed us a great breakfast in the morning.  The snow did come in the night but it wasn't that bad.  We headed out about 11.  I thought I would include this picture of Leo's little house in the woods.  It is a beautiful little setting.  In the morning he took me to a corner of the house and showed me 2 deer that had spent the night in the woods right outside his window.  I am so thankful that he has this home in the woods.  I consider it one of my greatest accomplishments, helping him make the arrangements for this house. 

 It was a snowy drive home (Bud drove home because I drove down knowing that the snow would probably come and the drive home would be a bit more difficult)  When we arrived home the house looked pretty snowy. 

 The view from the inside down toward Grand Traverse bay was pretty snowy.  The snow came a bit stronger all afternoon and of course it was quite cold.  You can't even see the bay in this picture and you couldn't even see to the bottom of the hill during some squalls.  I understand a 'clipper is coming in tonight so we will probably be getting some more snow. 

We arrived home in plenty of time for me to do a little laundry before going over to Sue and Walt's house to watch the Green Bay Packers and have dinner.  The game was off to a poor start for the Packers but they made up for it later in the game.  Bud and I took dinner over and it was a fun evening.  We are thankful to have family living so close so we can share an occasional evening together watching football and enjoying good food. 

There you have it, my weekend.  It was a great time for family.  I am thankful that my baby brother is around to celebrate his 60th birthday.