Mackinaw Island Part 2

After riding around the island, we ate lunch and then decided to go see the Grand Hotel and ride along the roads in the middle of the island.

This sign was on the corner were the church was.  I thought it was neat.

The road on your way to the Grand Hotel

This is the closest we got, but here it is!

This telephone booth was across the street from the Hotel.

Here are some of the beautiful houses above the Grand Hotel

(and their flowers)

It was strange to see a sign that said we had to go through the woods to get to the airport.

The trail to the airport :)

When we got back from riding around the "country" part of the Island, it was time to hop on the ferry and head back.  While waiting for the ferry to start I couldn't help but notice ALL the bikes! :)

A little boy on the ferry, who we saw two days later at Burger King. :)

Heading over the Mackinaw Bridge.  This starts the  second leg of our trip up in the Upper Peninsula. 

Mackinaw Island

The trip went very well.  We arrived at Mackinaw Island on Sunday afternoon and stayed until the next evening.  I really enjoyed it there.   I love how peaceful it was, all the horses and bikes (especially those with baskets) and beautiful houses.  But one of the best things was the water.  It was such a beautiful deep blue all the time.  So here are some of the pictures.  I decided I would have to do this in parts though, we took so many pictures!

This is the ferry that took us to and from Mackinaw Island

On both trips we sat on the top floor.  The wind was a little strong, especially when you stood, but it was so much fun.

Took this on the ferry

The view of the beautiful church from out on the ferry.

Downtown

 

Grand Hotel carriages -

  The drivers wore top hats, and I just loved them!

The next morning after we arrived, we rode around the whole island.  Actually it wasn't hard because it was pretty flat...and we took several stops to look for rocks and take pictures.

These "towers" were all over the place!  Some big, some small, but definitely a lot.

Dad, while stopping at the side of the road to wait for mom (she was taking pictures somewhere behind us)

Isn't he fun? I also love the clear/green water...it's just so pretty

Rocky beach...no such thing as sand here (as in this part of the island)

On the rode around the island - with the pine trees in the back :)

Dad and Mom

Having fun :)

That's Dad, Mom and Heather on the road. 

Took this while riding my bike...a somewhat difficult thing to do.

Of course, Mackinaw Isalnd is famous for their fudge...so it's all over the place

One of the workers was "flipping" the fudge

The first evening we were there it started raining.  We went back to our room and waited it out.  When the sun came out (but it was still drizzling) we hopped on our bikes and rode down to the beach for pictures.

The beach/sunset

After taking pictures we rode around until is got dark and then went back to our room for the night.

 That's all for now.  I'll probably post the second half of Mackinaw tomorrow.

We Are Back

Earlier this week we were gone a trip to Mackinaw Island and the upper peninsula.  We got back last night in time to unpack and settle down before going to bed at a decent hour.  :)

I'm working on a post right now.  So stay tuned! 

Purple

I took this picture with the same time I took the one in the post below. It's not the best quality, but I really liked it anyway.


I love these flowers...and I love daisy's and these are very similar.

::What is your favorite flower?::

Psalm 112:1

"Praise ye the LORD, Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments."


While having devotions this week I read this verse. I stopped after "Praise ye the Lord" and thought, How often do I praise the Lord? I knew it wasn't nearly as much as He deserved. I was convicted of asking again and again for all the things I want ("need") and not spending much time at all to praise my God and King!

I just wanted to share that with you, and encourage you to also wholeheartedly praise your Heavenly Father!

I've A Question

How often do you take God's creation for granted?

For me, I know I do not appreciate the beautiful colors, designs and sounds of creation nearly as much as I ought to. Sometimes, I think/treat it as a brick wall--nothing exciting, nor beautiful.

But, as I sit here today, I can hear the rain falling down the leaves and roof tops. It is so peaceful, so beautiful!

I realize how many times I take this wonderful pleasure for granted. How I seem to think everywhere, everyone is able to hear the soft pitter-patter of the rain hitting the ground, and that it is nothing all that wonderful.

This time, I'm thanking God, from the bottom of my heart, for his generous gift of flowers, of trees, of rain.

God is so good!

The Moon :)

Please don't mind my continuous posting all of a sudden. It seems I just discovered how Lightroom makes you want to take and fix pictures continuously. Once I fix them, I feel like showing them to everyone.

(If you double click you'll be able to see it better)
A couple years ago I knelt outside, in the snow, in my pajamas, with the camera and the tripod...trying my hardest to get a good picture of the moon. My persistence payed off when I finally snapped THE picture. Actually I hadn't known that it was that picture that I would like. But a trip into Lightroom and now you can see it's features just fine.

It just so happened that I was studying the moon in science that year, so I was able to label it the best I could.

Bean and Corn Salad

Now, what was the first word that came to your mind when you saw this picture? Yum? or Yuck? For me, well I would have thought yuck, because I really don't care for peppers and onions. But after a quick taste, I would regret what I had said, and change it to a "Yum". I made this today, so we could have it for supper. It was the first time I made it myself, and while getting all the ingredients out I thought, "This looks really disgusting! But it tastes soo good!" I really think you should try it, if you've not already!

You'll need:
2 cans whole kernel corn
(actually I just used a bag of frozen corn)
2 cans black beans
1 small chopped onion
1 red pepper and 1 green pepper, chopped
(we didn't have any red, just green)

Dressing:
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup vinegar
1/3 cup oil
1 tsp. salt
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. cumin

Heat the dressing thoroughly and pour over vegetables.
It is best to make the day before, and it can keep for several days.

Remember...it's REALLY good!!!