I Went To Lake Michigan With 'That Guy'

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We drove a couple hours from a racetrack in Milan, Michigan to a beach house in Stevensville, Michigan.

Chalet by the Lake in Stevensville, Michigan. Our destination: Chalet on the Lake, where our friends own one of the little chalets on Lake Michigan.

This was relaxed, beachy, summertime FUN at its finest!


In fact, Jim got SO relaxed on that first night, that he was embarrassed when he realized he'd actually become... "that guy"! (...and to think, he's always commented how he never wants to be 'that guy'!)

No lie. You see, Jim RARELY drinks. Or should I say, when he drinks, he sips, and never really consumes much in the end.

But as soon as we arrived at the beach house, we were both eager to start our vacation with an ice-cold adult beverage. Especially Jim... he'd worked SO hard all weekend tearing down and building up that racecar, that his body finally hit a wall the moment we hit sand. He was BEAT! (...and dehydrated!)

...that Wild Turkey & Coke was doing down REALLY smooth. (gobble, gobble)

Believe it or not, the first people we met on the beach in Michigan were from Nashville!... just on vacation like us. First, we took in a decent sunset over Lake Michigan (it had just rained, so the skies weren't the clearest), but no matter... especially to Jim who seemed to be enjoying the Turkey MUCH more than the sunset anyway.

The party crowd from Nashville enjoying a brief sunset over Lake Michigan... Abby, Alison, Steve, little Evan, Jim, Lynnette, Neil.

After taking a couple photos from the shoreline...

Evan unsure of his footing on this rocky beach on Lake Michigan. Don't spill your drink, Abby! Throwing rocks into Lake Michigan.

...we headed back to the chalet where THIS became the highlight of the night:

Jim fast asleep... snug as a bug in a rug... on a STEP! ...Jim passed out cold!

Poor guy. I've been married to him for almost 6 years now, and I've NEVER seen him drunk. Not once. I guess he'd been saving it all up for this one night...

Jim likes to think back on this night as a testament to the fact that he's one heck of a party animal! (...when he's conscious, that is)


Day Two At The Summer Rental
Fortunately, Day Two was much less intoxicating...

This is Evan. He's three. And he was the life of the party this weekend! We used this as an opportunity to get to know our new friends better: Abby's sister Alison, her husband Steve, and their little one, Evan.

Jim, Abby and Alison on the beach. Jim showing Steve and Neil some of the video he recently shot with his new Canon ZR200 video camera.


Just Add Water
We also spent a good deal of time at the pool. It was quite entertaining to watch little 3-year-old Evan counting down while practicing his diving:

Evan's 'thing' was to count down the seconds until he jumped. Sometimes 5 came after 3, sometimes 2 after 4. No matter... the result was the same! You can tell... this little guy has watched a lot of Greg Luganis diving videos! H2oooooh!... the best part of the whole dive experience -- especially when mom's there to catch you!

It wasn't at all fun busting my a#s when I slipped off the top step and straight into the shallow end of the pool. That "cheek" had a bruise the size of a grapefruit for a week!

Evan and Steve. Evan and Alison.


In A League Of His Own
Later, this little leaguer taught us the proper technique and form for throwing a baseball. That was good for a few laughs...

A baseball will continue to daze and amaze a 3-year-old. Evan perplexed by the fact that the baseball refuses to stay in his mitt! Evan learning about the physics of baseball.


It's all about the form! What balance... and skill! Future big-leager, that's for sure!


Cornhole Games
Lynnette trying her hand at the Cornhole game. Finally, my "friends" all wrestled me to the ground and MADE me agree to play a game of Cornhole. While I wasn't overly excited for this moment to arrive, I indulged the group with my stellar lack of skill, power, and aim and completed one full game of backyard bean toss! (...I mean Cornhole)

The highlights:

  • I think I let everyone down with my lack of enthusiasm.

  • And I'm not sure I even scored a point.

    Fortunately we quickly found something to take the attention OFF of me: Food! Neil, Abby and Alison worked hard cooking up some VERY tasty dishes this weekend... Thanks, guys.

    Abby and Evan walking to the beach to watch the sunset.


    Red & Orange, Green and Blue...
    Shiny Yellow... Purple Too

    This night was topped off with one of the most beautiful sunsets I've ever seen:

    Sunset over Lake Michigan. Alison and Evan putting their toes in the water. Lynnette and Jim enjoying a bright orange sunset over Lake Michiagan.
    Sun down in Michigan. A bright orange sunset.

    Lynnette at sundown on Lake Michigan. In summary, how I spent my summer vacation:
    Good friends. Good food. Good beach. Good sunsets.

    ...A good time was had by all!

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    8 Comments

    Catherine said:

    I love your site!

    The "Babe" said:

    P.S. I am also Alison's favorite father!!

    Abby said:

    This is great. Something I'll never forget. It's almost time to plan for next year.....

    jim & lynnette said:

    Hey thanks Allison (and Evan!)... and "Abby's Favorite Father"... :o)

    Aren't ya glad we've all got pictures to remember the FUN times like these?!

    If nothing else, this is a reminder to keep a camera handy at all times, and remember the "little moments".

    Here's to plenty more...

    Evan said:

    Lynnette and Jim rock!

    Evan's mom said:

    Thanks Lynnette! That made my day, I LOVE all the pictures and you write the coolest stuff. I've been telling people to log on and check it out. They write back and tell me which picture is their favorite. Thanks so much for including us in your awesome website!

    The "Babe" said:

    The "Babe" says:-

    That is a great article on the Summer Vacation at the Chalet on the Lake. I love that place too!! Your writing style and desciptiveness are fantastic. Hope you write more about the "Chalets" at another time soon. I don't even know you and I think you are wonderful.

    Abby's Favorite Father

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