LONG MEMORIAL WEEK-END, MAY 26-JUNE 2, 2010

 

We had the motorhome all packed and left for up north late Wednesday afternoon after Deanna, Karen and I finished playing canasta.  Hank thought we would never be done.  We arrived up at Dave J’s cottage on the Manistee River just before nightfall and settled into the spot he has created for us there. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dave J. and Deanna and Dave R. arrived on Thursday and we shared a sunny and warm week-end in a spot we all love.   We missed Sandi’s presence so much and  knew how happy she would have been to hear some of the cottage stories we told about her. 

We, of course, did lots of cooking and eating and Hank found time for some fly-fishing on the river.  Everyone, but Hank, enjoyed learning to play Phase 10.  And on Monday Dave R. stayed behind to watch the Indy 500 while Deanna, Dave J. and Hank and I canoed and kayaked the river.  Thank you, Dave J., for including Hank and I in your holiday week-end.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While everyone else headed home, Hank and I went up to Holiday Park in Traverse City.  This Airstream park on Silver Lake is one of our favorite places.  Tuesday we visited with our former neighbor, June, who used to live across the hall from us in our condo.  We had a great lunch—homemade pasties—at Jenny’s downtown.  June looks great and we both were happy to see her settled in her new home up north.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Afterwards we spend some time exploring—there’s a surprise.  Stopped in Empire and took some photos of the beach and Lake Michigan.  It was a beautiful week-end and felt more like 4th of July than Memorial Day with the warmer temperatures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DURAND TRAIN DAY, MAY 16, 2010

 

Hank and I spent a delightful Sunday at the annual celebration of trains in Durand, Michigan.  We first visited the beautiful train station there.  It’s a huge building and houses an actual train station, a museum and a giant model railroad exhibit.  The model railroaders have built a duplicate of the station and also a model of the giant roundhouse that used to be there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They even had a photo of the old train station in our hometown, Royal Oak, Michigan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outside the station, the live steam model railroaders had an exhibit of their garden-size models. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next, we drove over to the junior high school where all the vendors had set up exhibits and were selling everything an avid model railroader might need. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nice to see that this town still honors their railroading heritage and it was fun to see that there are lots of other “railroad nuts” besides us!