The View from Mackinac (I)

We're HOME! The Wild Wilcox Midwest Tour 2014 has concluded. We made it back to our little house last night around 11:00 pm, taking a total of 15 hours for the trip. This means that we shaved a full three hours off of Dave's liberally allotted 18-our estimate! Woo-hoo! Road trip warriors! And more than that... ok, much more than that... God's traveling mercies.

So in case you couldn't tell, in my last several posts I've been attempting to make up for my lack of picture-taking at The Ponds during previous visits. There is so much to do and see, especially when the weather is gorgeous, as it was last week--very un-August-like. This year our kids really came into their own there. They were finally able to enjoy the freedom and all the activities that the property and the super-wonderful grandparents provide, and that was such fun to see. I really wanted to get pictures of everything so that the kids' memories will be well preserved.

But there's another reason we all love The Ponds, and that is its proximity to Mackinac Island. Last year I wrote a looooong post about our family's first trip there. Of course, I left my camera in the car and was unable to include a single picture. So this year I tried to make up for that too.

Our day at the island was much windier and cooler than on our first visit. The scenery, while less serene than last year, was equally stunning--possibly even more so, with the scudding clouds and the colors changing dramatically in the light and shade. We had a grand time biking and made many stops to climb, wade, and throw rocks. I'll let the pictures do the talking now...

(Yeesh, camera strap. Sorry.)

More to come...

What Else is to Love at The Ponds?

How about ample bikes and trikes for everyone?

And taking long rides with my two bigs, singing silly songs all the way?

And a big ol' playground and sandbox with lots of digging tools?

And a Grandma to push you on the swing?

And board game time inside?

And cooking your own hot dogs for lunch?

And eating your own hot dogs al fresco?

And wood trails to follow at will?

This is the life, people!

What's to Love at The Ponds?

How about the basketball hoop and the flat pavement where you can play endless games of H-O-R-S-E?

How about Grandpa's pick-up truck, big enough to take all four kids for a rainy-day drive? They're going...

Going...

Gone!

How about a golf-cart in which to zip around the property?

And Daddy having time to read books on a weekday afternoon?

And wildlife to watch? (Not only deer, but baby raccoons, tiny frogs, dragonflies, dead snakes and feisty hummingbirds!)

Is it any wonder we have smiles like this?

The Ponds

That last drive I mentioned brought us to Mom and Tom's place, "The Ponds" in Merritt, Michigan. We're spending a whole week here, and it is a very good place to rest and recover from the whirlwind first-half of our trip. In fact every time I come here, I am more convinced that this is one of my favorite spots on Earth. I'll elucidate that statement more in future posts, but for now, here's a sampling of the beauty of early morning at The Ponds...