Friday's migration to Port Huron



You've really planted roots in your campsite
when your decorations include bales of hay,
pumpkins, mums and gourds



We left the Addison Oaks Campground where some of the "permanent" campers have decorated for the fall.



After a meeting with Dave Clark to discuss Linda's retirement savings, we signed in to the Port Huron KOA where we used to have Family Camps with Celtic Cross friends.  It's been expanded and there are many, many people here this weekend because they're having a Halloween celebration.  There are kids everywhere, some in costumes. 

Shirley, Linda and Bob at the Atrium restaurant
(Gary in mirror taking picture)

Gary and Shirley Rhody took us to dinner and then invited lots of friends from the Port Huron church to visit at their house afterward.  We had fun visiting with "old" friends.

We decided to spend some time Saturday afternoon revisiting favorite haunts in Port Huron: The Raven Coffeehouse, the Maritime Visitor's Center on the St Clair River. a parking lot under the Blue Water Bridge (both for Great Lakes Freighter watching) and then a new place to us, the Thomas Edison Museum in the old railroad station. (Lots of walking, Holly.)  A beautiful fall day.

The shipping in the St Clair River is great entertainment.

A great lakes freighter passing a ship from Greece right in front

of the Maritime Visitors Center.

A down-bound ship under the Blue Water Bridge

Bob, outside the Thomas Edison Museum

A Visit to Linda and Jeff's

We went for dinner at Linda Cochran and Jeff Zurkan's house this evening (Wednesday).  The Browns were there also.  Catching up with all the news in both families, meeting Grace Brown for the first time, and seeing what three years' growth will do for kids (we saw them all three years ago when we came to Michigan for Michell's ordination.) A great meal and a great evening! Somehow we missed getting any pictures of Michelle, Jim, Andrew and Grace.


Linda, Madison, and Chloe



Madison, Sophia. Linda, Chloe and Bob

On Thursday evening, we had a wonderful dinner at Bob and Irene Lawence's, Celtic Cross friends.  Other Celtric Cross people were there. We had a great time visiting and the food was first class!

A beautiful fall day

It was really a great. fall day today.  We stayed in the campground, walked around the three separate areas, found a laundry in area A, we're in area C.  Planning to take the laundry to do on our way out tomorrow.

The evening was spectacular and the fire was warm without a blanket.

I call these red leaves over our table - Overachievers.
If the whole tree is this beautiful color eventually, it will be a knock-out.

Addison Oaks

Three heat sources: fire, blanket, wine :)

Sunday included church in Warren and lots of conversations and catching-up with people there.  Many new faces, which is good, and many old friends.  We had lunch with Maryann Mounts and then a fire when we got back to the campsite.  Fall is really here, cooooool evenings and nights.  A quick rain storm with winds sent us into the RV, but then a calm evening with a setting sun meant we ate supper on the picnic table and enjoyed the fire and the wine.

Southeast Michigan

We looked and looked for campgrounds close enough to Warren and the other people in the Detroit area that we want to visit.  Again, a county park came to the rescue.  Oakland County has some beautiful parks and a couple include campgrounds.  Addison Oaks is in Leonard.  In case you never knew there was a Leonard, MI, it's on Rochester Rd, near Romeo Rd, the campground is on Romeo Rd and you can see by the pictures that it is a beautiful campground.  There is a lake here with miles of trails and lots of activities (none of which we will be doing.) We're having dinner with Kingsley and Lurline tonight, church at Celtic Cross tomorrow.

Grassy sites with cement pads - Nice, (or Sweet as Anneliese would say)

Linda working hard to relax

Marshall, Day 2

We stayed another day, walked down to the lake by our campsite, walked the river-walk along the Kalamazoo River in Marshall, and had dinner at the Dark House Tavern with Paula and Steve.

We picked the campsite we're in because it has some shade and was flat.  We soon learned that we were under a tree that was pelting us with berries.  Do you know a large, deciduous tree that has blue berries?  These berries have a high sugar content and are sticky on the bottoms of your shoes.  A little internet search identified the tree as a hack berry tree.  Who knew? We've gone from acorns to hack berries.  These are previously unknown hazzards to camping in September.

Shady and level, perfect choice spot

The hack berries are pretty dry, do to this year's drought conditions

A long and delightful walk along the Kalamazoo River

Paula and Linda on a perfect pre-dinner walk

A Visit in Marshall

We took a morning walk to the beach at the campground in Muskegon, enjoyed the views of Lake Michigan and the phenomenal trees on the way.


Bob at the campground beach



Linda under an old oak at the Pioneer County Campground



Linda at the campground beach - Lake Michigan

 An easy drive to Marshall included a stop at the Fenn Valley winery, a winery we visited about 12 years ago when Linda was doing CCC training at a local school and Bob was along for the ride.  It has a new tasting and sales room, but still a small operation. Good wine prompted a sale to us.

We had a great dinner with Paula and Steve at their house just south of Marshall.  On the same little lake where they live is our current campgournd address  Quality Camping at Nottawa Lake.

Bob, Linda and Paula

Another Day in Muskegon Area

We did a little sight seeing and a lot of laundry, today.  It was a nice combination, and then we had another delightful evening with Natalie when she got home from work. We visited her four legged crew and saw her house, which is a wonderful retreat among old oak and maple trees.

White River Light Station and Museum

Linda looking out the light house windows at the top

"Our Digs" - Oh yes, not the beautiful condos on White Lake
but the Phoenix Cruiser in the parking lot.

A brisk and windy walk on the Muskegon pier as the sun was setting reminded us that it is really fall, and more catching up over pizza and beer.

Linda and Bob on the Muskegon Pier

Sunset off the Muskegon Pier

Another Pioneer County Park

Escanaba's park had the same name. We're becoming fans of county parks. This one is in North Muskegon and sits right on Lake Michigan.  Another beautiful facility.  There is a state park right down the road, about the same environment, but more expensive.

This week we're seeing the lake from the other side.  We'll get sun sets instead of sun rises over the lake.

We're sitting under tall oak trees. A neighboring camper warned us about the acorns.  We did experience them falling last night.  When an acorn falls from 30 feet up, it makes quite a clunk on the top of the RV.

We had a little driving tour with Natalie before we went to dinner at the BLT (Beaver Lake Tavern). More "touring" today, more pictures tomorrow.

Looking out to LakeMichigan where Muskegon Lake empties
(For Holly, we walked almost to the end.) 

Linda, Bob and Natalie

Weekend Family Camp

That's right.  Jen and Greg and Sam and Emma and Grace all came to Cliffside Campground to camp with Grandma and Grandpa.  The "boys" tent and the "girls" tent were set up next to the RV site.  We had perfect weather (even if a little cold at night.) Sam is showing off their campsite.



Grandma and Grandpa's weekend neighbors


Mornings started out as usual, with coffee in the RV.  This time a couple of granddaughters were added. (Note the sunshine coming through the window.  Wisconsin put on her prettiest weather.)

Grandpa titled this G & G & E

Grace tried a nap in the RV.  She measured it "Soooo Big."


"This is huge with the slide out."



On Sunday, before the Perdue/Mitchells went back to Milwaukee, we walked to the neighboring "Eco Justice Center," a farm demonstration site,  {http://www.racinedominicans.org/eco-j.cfm } "run" by some Dominicans, emphasizing green, sustainable living. Sam and Emma had been there before, visiting the alpacas who live there.  Today they were having their Fall Festival.  All the buildings were open, and the animals were in pens where they could be petted. We had an ice cream treat and visited the alpacas, close up. It was a really nice, fall celebration.

Everybody's ready for a fun festival

Jen holds the hen

Grandma and Grandpa and the alpacas



Rabbit



Geese

Catch-up 2

Grandpa, Sam and Emma on one of the bridges

Tuesday started with an early hike in Grant Park, where Sam and Emma have often "gone to the lake" and played in the sand.  Jennifer's "day off" included this nine o'clock hike with Grandma and Grandpa, playing on the playground, and a picnic lunch before going home for a nap.  That's what Grandma did, too. The hike and playing were really good incentives for a nap. We had a snack in a picnic shelter complete with sculptured heads decorating the support posts.  Greg says the park was a WPA project and it has some unique details like the carved heads, great trails, and a terrific seven bridges trail out to the lake.



Grandma, Jen and Grace starting hike (strangers in background)



Grandpa and Grace

Emma on beach

Sam on beach

more art

Picnic shelter art



Grandma playing



Great playground



Catch-up

Well, we're in the real 21st century now.  We had Holly upgrade our data plan for Bob's phone last night so we can use it as a HotSpot.  We had used Jane's when we were in Ohio and thought it really "cool."  And so now we have one, or are one, or whatever the correct terminology is.  No waiting until we get to a campground with wifi, or a wifi cafe. We are rolling with our own wifi.

On Sunday, we went to church with the Mitchell/Perdue clan and then had "hot rolls and ham" (a favorite Milwaukee treat that I learned about when I was here helping at the time of the twins' birth). Later, they all came to the campground for a picnic supper.

Monday was a quiet day, returning the rental car from the weekend, lunch at a Penera's, a little shopping and quiet evening in what has been some of the most beautiful mid-west weather, imaginable.  Bob and Linda walked from our campsite to the lake access in the park.  It was quite a hike, and while Jennifer said to check for tics when she heard where we had hiked, we had none.  The trail had been recently mowed (not the case when Jen and Greg had done the same hike).  Bob still itched all over, just at the suggestion.

Our walk to the lake from campground

Lake Michigan from Cliffside Park

Party in Sterling

Greg and Jennifer and kids went with us to Cousin Sue's house in Sterling, IL, where we celebrated several birthdays in the Bill Olson families, but especially Aunt Carol's, who turns 85 today.  We visited with many cousins and cousins removed. Sam and Emma expended their energy in the hotel pool before we went to the picnic/party.  It was a really beautiful day and a great time for catching up and visiting.

Greg, Sam and Emma

Aunt Carol among her birthday well-wishers

Smiling Grace was a hit at the party