Cider Mill Photo Shoot

Mackinac Island

Bill's parents watched the kids for a few days while we took a trip to Mackinac Island. It is an island in Northern Michigan that doesn't allow cars--people get around with bikes and horse carriages. It is a huge tourist destination. There are lots of hotels, restaurants, and fudge shops (Mackinac is known for fudge.) We stayed at a bed and breakfast for two nights on the island. We had our trip planned in advance and were just praying that the weather would hold out. It was cold and rainy on the way there, and on and off our first day. Luckily we were fine with warm raincoats, umbrellas and covered carriages with blankets The rain died off early the next morning and we were able to have a warm and sunny day on our bikes. The cold and rain came back that evening and stayed until we got home. We really lucked out that our big biking day was the only 10 hours of the whole trip that was warm and sunny.

 On the first day, we drove to Mackinac City and took a ferry over to the island. We checked in to our bed and breakfast and spent the afternoon exploring the main downtown area.

For dinner the first night, we took a horse drawn carriage ride to a restaurant on the other side of the island, called The Woods. The food was AMAZING and there was even an old fashioned bowling alley to play while we were waiting.

The next day we rented bikes and spent the whole day biking the island. We biked the whole perimeter and did many of the roads and trails within the island too. The morning started off really foggy and buggy. There were giant swarms of knats everywhere on the biking paths. Luckily they didn't bit, but our bikes and clothes were covered in them by the end of the day. We had to keep our glasses on and mouths closed while biking.

  View of Mackinac Bridge from the island.

We biked up the middle of the island to Arch Rock, one of the highlight points on the island.

 More towards the main downtown area there is a fort and a neighborhood we biked through. It was a crazy steep hill!

In 1980 a movie was made on Mackinac Island based in the Grand Hotel - Somewhere in Time. We had never seen it, so we watched it before our trip. Here is a spot that was in the movie, I think its where the main characters meet....We are acting out the scene. :)

 

 This is in front of The Grand Hotel. They have beautiful grounds and tulip gardens.

After dinner we dressed up and went to The Grand Hotel. We looked around and had some sodas. T here was supposed to be music and dancing, but we went on the wrong night.

As we were leaving to head back home, we crossed the Mackinac bridge to the Upper Peninsula (UP). We pulled over on the highway, and took a picture and headed back home. Now we can say we have been to the U.P. :)

We love our romantic get-away weekends. Can't wait for the next!

May 2015

 Russell has such cute baby curls. We kept it long and wavy as long as we could. We cut it once last year, then let it grow out again.

Aliyah's Spring Piano Recital

Warm days are back! We can play outside and go get DQ ice cream cones!

Bill and Aftin went and had dinner at The Whitney, an old downtown Detroit mansion, turned into a fancy restaurant.

"Science Experiments"

Chuck E Cheese again, with our friends The Ridgways

 And movie night with our friends!

He REALLY loves hats!

Bill's parents came out to visit us for a week. We went to a Tiger's baseball game, visited the Renaissance Center, did the People Mover, the Riverwalk, went to Pizza Popolis, Ford Museum, Belle Isle's boat museum, aquarium, and botanical gardens, and to Rochester's Heritage Days Festival (where Aliyah showed her adventurous spirit climbing up the rock wall). This was the first time Bill's parents were able to come and visit us in Michigan. 

Tiger's Game

 The carousel at Detroit River Walk

The Ford Museum

Rochester Heritage Days

Belle Isle Museums

Pizza Popolis