Yesterday (Lennon/McCartney)

From top right: brothers Wendell & Rick; cousins R.J. & Ethan;

girl cousins Taylor, Alex & Riley; Me & Chloe; Benjamin!;

Gramma Genny, Ethan, Grandpa Wendell, Alex; Ethan, Fox, Ben;

Fox, the reading machine.

Everybody’s a Parton.

Weather was a bummer for camping this year, the entire week was cold and rainy. The only day they got to the beach was Sunday when they first arrived. As Alex and I made our way up to Port Austin yesterday to pick the boys up the sun decided to make a long awaited appearance. It was the warmest it had been all week and we were still in hoodies! Usually when I head to collect them we spend the day on the beach, not so this year, instead we made a trip into Caseville. Oddly enough that was my first visit in all the years the kids had camped up there with Gramma and Grandpa. Not much there, the whole strip is maybe three blocks, in the five-and-dime Alex found a sign I just had to take a pix of – Anti Stress Therapy: Bang Head Here, and I also captured a serenely charming door among all the holiday weekend hubbub. I took it specifically for a friend who developed a fascination (Shout out to Penny!). Back at the campsite we grabbed some chow and I went for a walk with the boys. The red flag was up at the beach and you could hardly walk without getting your shoes wet. I wasn’t going barefoot like those other crazy people. Instead we stuck to the road around the campground. Chatted with the family, kanoodled with baby, Chloe Lynn (2 mo.), had cake in honor of Ethan’s 8th birthday, and then rounded up the troops to head back to the homestead. On the way I snapped a couple pictures from the car of what looked to me like a rip in the sky. In Bad Axe we checked out a second hand store called ‘The Jungle’ that had lots of video games, books, music, costumes, and some awesome sunglasses. Ethan had birthday money so I let him buy a Gameboy game. Fox had money so he bought a game. Ben sold a game. Alex talked Fox into buying a game for her. I got a Rippingtons CD. Overwhelmed by whimsy I made one more stop at a church on M-53 I always thought was picturesque for one last photo session. I’m sure you’ll be seeing the result in future postings. Good day, nice break.