The Beach...Finally! - Week of May 21st

Thumper: "Eating greens is a special treat, It makes long ears and great big feet. But it sure is awful stuff to eat." I made that last part up myself. ~ Bambi movie, 1942

The unusually warm May weather took us all off guard this week.  80 degree days aren't normally on the Michigan radar until late June.  Every day seemed to be reaching or breaking a record.  To start off the holiday weekend, we left Saturday morning for the cottage.  Chris, with his trusty supervisor, Cam, finished building a custom cabinet and hanging shelves for the bathroom.  It was quite a bit cooler at the lake, which was a welcome change.
We heard many foghorns during the day, but by late afternoon, the fog cleared and the sun shone bright.  After dinner, Cam and his dad exercised together and then we headed to the beach.  The water temps hovered in the low 50's so swimming was not in our game plan.  The infamous Cam-mobile had its first official run on a northward walk.

We stayed overnight at the cottage and fell asleep listening to the Lake Michigan waves lap against the shore.

Sunday was a perfectly beautiful day day and windy enough for Cam's kite to set sail.  One of Cameron's bath seats has been officially turned into a beach chair so he can hang out right in the sand.  The kite string was taut and Cam kept grabbing it and said "look, I am playing the guitar!"
Oma and her grandson created some sand cupcakes and we played in the warm breeze.  The beach time couldn't have been better, but we needed to start back to Grand Rapids in the late afternoon.  As we all settled into the truck a short rain shower made our departure a bit easier.

Getting home on time was a must to celebrate a birthday. Cam's best buddy, Emma, was turning 13 and we were invited to share dinner and dessert!

Cam thought up his own idea for a present- he wanted to create a photo book of all of he and Emma's memories together.  It may be hard to believe we have more than enough photos of these two in our archives!  Henry David Thoreau's quote sums up the true meaning of having a best buddy,  "The most I can do for my friend is simply be his friend."

{Blog extension by 1 day} 
Memorial Day is an American holiday, observed on the last Monday of May, honoring the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971.


This day was also the high school graduation open house for Sarah Raisch, Emma's sister.  Even though the temperature reached 95 degrees, the backyard shade and gentle breeze was welcoming.  A delicious homemade feast awaited guests as well as the super fun adventure of 9-square which Cam was game to play, even in the heat.

As Sarah begins her college career at Michigan State in the fall, we will miss seeing her every week, but know that our lifelong family friendship will keep us all together.

Camology Quotes:

When we were packing up our things at the cottage, Cam said he wished we didn't have to leave.  Chris responded by telling Cam we could just have him stay at Oma and Opa's one more night, to which his thoughtful response was...
"But, I have things to do and places to go!"