Every summer when I was a kid, on a lovely evening, my mom and dad, her two sisters and
their husbands, and my three cousins would pile into the old station
wagon and go "elking" in Michigan's north. This activity found the six adults on
the bench seats in the front and back and the four of us kids in the
rear end of the car. It was close.
We arrived at the farm and checked in at the gift shop to book our inexpensive golf cart tour. Within a few minutes, our guide, Emily (an elementary education student at Michigan State) drove up in a golf cart and off we went.
It has been a month of house guests and the most recent has been Rick's mom, Kitty, who is visiting from Texas. She picked a good time to leave that hot state in the south for our much cooler Michigan summer.
It seems to be feast or famine for spotting birds here this summer. Most of the songbirds are high in the trees and the water birds, while my favorites to view and rarely tire of, do get redundant!
Everything this summer has been more than a little topsy turvy with a few big monkey wrenches thrown into the mix. Would my birthday be the same? Nope! It was terrific!
When we last left our family and friends, Rick had set off from friends Anne and Clayton's home to attend a memorial for a cycling mentor. He would ride the fifty or so miles and after the event, return to their home for another overnight and then take off on a bike hike. I, on the other hand, would skip the memorial, enjoy time with our hosts and then head home to enjoy two days of just-me time before the next round of activity.
Oh, the things we think we are going to do.
Summer is a time for friends and family and we've had both to enjoy this year.
Through no specific plan, it seems as though the books of July focused on three topics: Paris, New York and England (specifically, London and Penzance). They include a guide book, three mysteries, a novel of historical fiction, a chick-lit novel and a non-fiction history of a renowned hotel. It's summer -- and the reading is fun and easy!
