Oh Snap! Summer Vacation Photo Fun

It's mid-July, and our summer vacations have come and gone. Me, T, and the kids recently took a trip to the northwoods of Wisconsin, about two hours north of Green Bay (that's right ~ Packer country, sorry Bears fans!) At the start of summer, Brian spent his vaca cruisin' in the Caribbean. A cabin in the woods vs. a cabin on the sea. Here are some highlights for your viewing pleasure:


Sue

2. Fish tales: You should have seen the next fish I caught. It was yay big! Actually, it was about the same size as this one which was much, much bigger in real life than in this photo. I think I might have hooked the same fish three times!

3. Just Beachy: If you give my kids a body of water and a sandy beach, they can play for hours.

1. Happy Trails, Happy Campers: T took the kids on their very first horseback ride . . .

and we enjoyed family time around the campfire.




Brian

2012 is the year of "free" vacations for me. I used points to book a cruise, and I'm getting ready to visit my family in Gulfport next month using airline miles. Not everything was free, but I'm getting rid of those points! So, let me bring you up to speed.

2) I put my feet up.



3) And put my feet up... on a cruise, and went to the highland games at a Celtic festival.

1) I went to a Cubs game in NY.

And ate a wonderful pastrami ruben.






Tada!




* Hey, now it's your turn! Please send us a GOOD vacation photo, and we will post it here on this very blog. Please tell us a little bit about the photo, in other words, write your own photo caption and we'll take care it from there. You can email your photo as an attachment to threegoodthings@att.net. and include you name, city, state or country, Please remember this is a family-friendly blog, so keep your Vegas vaca shots to yourself. Thanks!

Life's a Beach!

If I had a gazillion dollars, I would live in a nice comfy place on the beach. It doesn't even have to be a huge, fancy beach house like you see in the movies. A small cottage in a pleasant pastel color will do as long as it is steps away from the sand, sun, and sky.

Wanting to squeeze a little bit more summer out of summer before the kids head back to school later this week, we loaded up the Subaru and headed out to what Brian calls the other west coast last Friday - the western shores of Michigan, in our case Warren Dunes State Park in Sawyer. The sun was shining and the temps were just right with a gentle breeze blowing in the air. And despite my frustration with not being able to do much on the beach 'cept plop my bum down and relax, I love the beach. Here's three good reasons why:


1. Beach reads: Magazines, newspapers, and books. I brought a book and the Chicago Trib along for my afternoon entertainment, second only to eating salty snacks and people-watching. Taking a gander at my neighboring beach-goers, reading is a popular beach activity especially among the 20 and over set.


2. Beach toys: Like most families, we had to drag a bunch of stuff along to keep the kids busy at the beach such as buckets, shovels, sand-castle building molds, Frisbees, kickboards, small off-road trucks, and one of T's favorites -the sand digging claws. Funny, I didn't spot a beach ball on the beach, but I did note a group of volleyball players, and one couple playing a paddleball game of sorts.



3. Beach features: The aforementioned sand, sun, sky, and of course water. Sand is not always good when it gets all into everything, but it's fun for kids (and kids at heart). I like burying my toes into the sand, and rumor has it that the sand will soften the skin on your feet, and make them all pretty-like. The sun shining brightly on the beach is good for warmth and for tan-seekers, too, but I prefer the shade of a big beach umbrella.


You couldn't very well have a beach without water. The kids and T enjoyed a few dips and frolics in Lake Michigan, which was pretty calm on Friday. I enjoy listening to the sound of the waves roll in and out at the beach as I'm not much of a swimmer these days.

Oh, and the bright blue gorgeous sky! Bonus: We were lucky to be around late enough to enjoy a beautiful sunset. A perfect pink and orange ball of fire fading from the sky into the lake. A good sight from God indeed!