A Perfect Day in Michigan

People who live in Michigan talk about the weather. A lot. Of course, we have good reason to. Our winters are long and cold and snowy and icy and grey. Did I mention long? I'm convinced that many of us suffer from seasonal mood disorder and vitamin D deficiency. We get crabby. And moody. We yell at the dog.

Our summers are not that much better. They are short, generally hot and humid. Not a little humid. The kind of humid that makes you feel as if you are wrapped in a wet blanket. A hot wet blanket. Your hair gets frizzy or, as in my case, stringy straight. We get crabby and moody and we continue to yell at the dog.

However, despite all that, Michigan has a great deal going for it. We have two peninsulas, one of which is shaped like a mitten. We have the Great Lakes--and in my mind these five great bodies of water rival either coast. We have waterfalls, rivers and white pine forests. And every so often the universe aligns to give us a perfect day--not too hot--not too humid. The sun shines. A gentle breeze blows. And you tell the dog to get in the car because you are going for a road trip.

That's exactly what we did the other day. It was a perfect day after a long period of rainy, cool weather. So we went traveling to Manistee.

After dropping Rog off at the casino (because there is nothing he likes better than the free senior breakfast buffet!), I took off to visit a new quilt store in Bear Lake called Two Sisters. What a great shop! The ladies that work in the store were so friendly and nice. And the fabric; I could have taken one of everything! I did see this quilt done up in the Legacy fabric from Moda:


I am making a quilt for my son's wedding in September. I thought they might like this fabric, but no go. Not modern enough for their taste. Oh well.
Afterwards we walked through downtown Manistee and had lunch. We picked the restaurant solely on the fact that it had a deck overlooking the river. The food was so-so; the view was beautiful.
I have had days where I have brushed my hair, put on make-up and looked thinner (Okay, I am lying about the thinner part.). Obviously this was not one of them. However, I do have to tell you why I am the luckiest women in the world. I am not making this up. As we sat there, my husband grabbed the camera and said he wanted a picture because I looked so nice with the wind in my hair and the river in the background. This is why I am not pushing for him to get his cataracts operated on!

Next we went to the shore and just sat, talked and watched the water for a while.

It was a day for the memory books!