Making More Memories in Michigan

It takes a long time to grow an old friend…John Leonard

There are five of us that have been friends since high school…3 of us since 1st grade! That’s a LOOOONG time! We reconnected at our 30th high school reunion and have been getting together almost yearly ever since. Four of us live in California and one, Nicole, lives just outside of Chicago. Most of our get-togethers take place in California, when Nicole is visiting her mom or other family member. For years she’s been telling us about her “cottage” in Michigan and that we should travel to her some time. We did just that a couple of weekends ago.

I lived in Illinois for five years back in the 80’s, where my children were born, but never really spent much time on the shores of Lake Michigan…now I wish I had!!

We coordinated our arrival times at Midway airport from various parts of California so we could hop in Nick’s car and be on our way for the short 2.5 hour drive from the airport . There wasn’t a moment of silence as we caught up on each other’s , lives, families and just about everything.

The first sunset as we drove to the cottage was spectacular….

Her “cottage” is a 4 bedroom home on Lake Michigan with a beautiful fireplace, a cozy living area & kitchen, and a large deck. So warm and inviting….and much more than a cottage. It was the perfect setting for our reunion weekend. We stayed up until after 1:00 that first night talking & laughing, as only long-time friends can do…and, hey, it was only 10:00 our time so we had plenty of energy.

Nicky had three full days of activities planned for us and it was so much fun!

Day one was the adorable town of South Haven, right on the water with the bonus of a beautiful lighthouse…

Day two we went apple picking at Crane Orchards, over 175 acres,…such a Fall activity, even if it was a little warm. I really loved the home town feeling of walking the orchard with friends…and so many other families enjoying a Fall day. There’s also a huge corn maze that we didn’t have time to explore, but just another fun thing to add to your itinerary should you find yourself in Michigan in the Fall. It felt very Americana! We made our way back to her home and took a leisurely stroll on the lake-beach (that’s what we called it all weekend because there were waves, sandy beaches and it looked like the ocean…. but it was Lake Michigan after all) looking for sea glass and driftwood. We finished the day with an amazing dinner from our daily bounty….fresh picked apple with goat cheese salad, grilled salmon, fresh corn from the stand and fresh apple pie…. (eating is an important part of any trip!)…..followed by another late night of laughing and reminiscing!