Mackinac Island 2016

I flew to Houston and brought Samantha and Emily back to Michigan to spend a last week with us. We had such a great time! It was a trip down memory lane for Roger and I - seemed like Heather and Megan were back with us! The girls finally got used to us calling them by the wrong names!

Jay and Kim were so nice to let us stay in their condo when we went up to Mackinac Island - there is a pool in the complex so the girls loved it! We had to get "tech'd up" before the drive up north!

Roger and I took our bikes and we rented ones for the girls and rode around the island. Emily was so proud because she "didn't complain even once and it was 8 miles!" They were excited to see where I fell and broke my pelvis - wanted to know if there was a plaque there!

We built a small carin

Right where the accident happened!

Pointing to the arch that I was looking at when I fell!

We played miniature golf, took a carriage ride, went shopping and of course bought fudge!

We had planned on canoeing down the Au Sable River but the weather didn't cooperate. We spent Saturday with the Eddy family on Lake Le Anne and had a nice reunion with the Hewlett family on Sunday. We finished the week with "soccer golf" at a par 3 course near us - Roger and I played real golf and the girls kicked soccer balls to the green. They had a blast driving the golf carts! And of course, no visit is complete without a trip to the Cascades!

I flew them back to Houston yesterday and Roger and I are "vegging" today!

Tall Ships

We went to Bay City with Judy and Marilou to see the tall ships last week-end. Beautiful weather and a fun time. The long lines prevented us from boarding and touring any of them - we went to Hooters for lunch instead!

Of course, we had to visit Frankenmuth and eat a chicken dinner at Zenders. Music in the park - a Neil Diamond tribute - ended a pleasant evening! The flowers in the town are gorgeous!

We stayed at Algonac State Park, on the St. Claire River, on the way home and watched the freighters go by while we played cards and Querkle! We did go for a nice bike ride one morning but otherwise it was a lazy time!

Mt. Rushmore

I'm seriously behind in my blog posts! We stopped at Mt. Rushmore on our way home from the wedding in Montana. An awesome site!

Ray and Roger met Miss South Dakota!

Congratulations, Kirt and Nicole!

Kirt and Nicole's rehearsal dinner and wedding were lovely outdoor gatherings. The wedding ceremony and reception were at a beautiful venue and the weather was wonderful. A great time was had by all! They are now enjoying a honeymoon in Italy!

The rehearsal dinner on Thursday night was a good time for the families to meet.

Kirt and Nicole

Nicole with Mom and sisters

Samantha, Emily, Charlotte, Nicole and Liam

Megan and Carlos

Kyle and Rachel

                          The wedding was on Friday night.

Mel and Ray

Kyle, Kirt and Joel

Kyle, Samantha, Heather and Emily

The Lasich Family

Charlotte and Samantha

Charlotte and Nicole

Rachel, Emily, Samantha, Megan and Charlotte

Red Lodge, Montana

Red Lodge is a cute, little ski resort town on the east side of Yellowstone NP - about an hour away from where Nicole lives. Many of the guests came early or plan to stay longer and enjoy a vacation along with the wedding so we have had a good time with friends and relatives - hiking, sightseeing, shopping, getting massages, playing cards and of course, eating and drinking! The highlight (besides the wedding!) was Saturday night at a local steakhouse with pig races! Charlotte kept saying "go red piggy!" and "my piggy won! But actually, Judy and Jim were the big winners!

Judy, Roger and I played golf on Thursday - several bubbling streams with rapid currents ran across the fairways and I'm sure some of my golf balls are in the Yellowstone River on their way to New Orleans! Some of us went hiking on Friday morning. We saw two elk in the woods and ended up at a lovely waterfalls.

The weather has been beautiful for the rehearsal dinner and the wedding which were both outside - the hills and mountains are a perfect backdrop for pictures.

Yellowstone National Park

We spent 4 days at Grizzly Park in West Yellowstone where Carlos, Megan, Kyle, Heather, Samantha, Emily, Joel, Rachel and Charlotte joined us - more family fun!

Samantha and Emily did a rope course with zip lines - little monkeys! The Grizzly and Wolf Refuge Center has a program where kids learn about the animals and then hide food for when the bears are let into the enclosure to find it. Us girls went to a small, local theatre to see "Singing In The Rain" and it was really fun.

Of course we toured the park! A big loop tour took us to Old Faithful in time for happy hour and dinner at the big lodge on Monday night. Roger says traveling with 15 people and several cars is like "herding cats!"

Yellowstone Falls

All the "kids" drove the Bear Tooth Highway to Red Lodge - rated as one of the most picturesque roads in the US.

Ray and Mel decided to take the highway because of the length of their trailer. So just Judy and Marilou and Roger and I drove through the northeast section of the park - some of the most magnificent scenery we've ever seen! I can't think of enough adjectives to describe it. There were some areas I would re-name "white knuckle curve" but it was spectacular!



The whole family met in Red Lodge last night for dinner where we got exciting news - Joel and Rachel are having another little girl in November and Kyle and Rachel are having a little girl in December! Kyle and Rachel brought a pinata filled with candy for the kids to break - pink candy meant a girl and blue candy a boy - when it finally broke lots of pink came tumbling out!

Let the wedding celebrations begin!

Moose on the Loose in the Grand Tetons!

Look who joined us for breakfast at Gros Ventre (pronounced "grow von") National Park!

We are having a great time traveling with Judy, Marilou, Ray and Mel - on our way to Kirt and Nicole's wedding in Montana. The long drive out here was better with companions! Ray and Mel are enjoying their new trailer and we are so glad they could join us retired folks!

The Grand Tetons are my favorite mountain range! We did a "circle tour" around the Jackson Hole area on Thursday and rode the ski resort tram to the top of Rendezvous Mountain for spectacular views.

Friday morning we took a ferry ride across beautiful Jenny Lake and then hiked to Hidden Falls. We finished the day with a stagecoach ride and dinner at the Bar-T5 Ranch.

On our way to Yellowstone National Park to meet up with Kyle, Heather, Carlos, Megan and Samantha and Emily on Saturday! Joel, Rachel and Charlotte join us on Sunday! Fun family times!