vacation

The place we vacation most summers is a house that's been in my husband's family for generations, on a lake in northern Michigan. It's part of a beach club like you see in the movies- where you can get meals at the clubhouse and play bingo at the beach house on Wednesday nights.

For years I've had a love/hate relationship with the place. It's undeniably beautiful and relaxing, and we could never afford a vacation like this if it wasn't a family home. But the beauty and peaceful surroundings come with so much historical and family baggage: the first person up this year didn't put the rugs in the right spots; the person before you didn't leave any gas in the boat; you drank all of someone else's special bottle of gin; and it's the spot where everyone brings their old kitchen utensils to die.

And then there's the social aspects of the "club" that are so awkward to me, even after all these years. All these families know one another, so you can't take a walk to the dock without stopping to introduce yourself and explain whose wife you are. As a borderline anti-social person, all of the small talk is exhausting to me. I think a perfect vacation would be one where I didn't have to talk to ANYONE :-)

As I was taking photos this year, I thought about how many photo albums we have full of pictures on the boat. They always turn out so well- the lighting and scenery is always picture-perfect, and the subjects are always relaxed and happy. So I took many more of those again this year, but also tried to take some of my other favorite vacation things:

These gladiolas are my personal tradition. I believe on my second-ever visit to the cottage my mother-in-law had glads in this vase on this table on the porch. I have no idea whether this was something she usually did, or the first time ever. But it struck me as lovely and I have placed the same flowers in the same vase on the same table ever since. This year I tried them on a different table, but it just wasn't right and I had to move them.

(We also tried sleeping in a different one of the bedrooms this year and I ended up moving us to our traditional bedroom. I guess I may be just as hooked on the tradition here as the rest of the truebloods.)

Here I was trying to capture the beer bottle on the arm of my adirondack chair with the kids swimming with their dad in the background. As Henry said when we waded out to the raft and sat down for a spell, "this is the life."

Not sure why I took this picture- maybe just to capture the space and comfort of the screened-in porch. You can just see the lake in the background to the left.

Another favorite thing about "Michigan" (we always refer to it with just the state name. Probably confusing to the kids) is these rooster dishes.

I can take a glass half-empty/glass half-full approach to describing vacation:

-The weather was cool and cloudy 2 of the first 3 days. We wore the same warm clothes for 48 hours straight./But the boys helped daddy build fires in the fireplace and really loved that.

-Once the weather got nice, but still windy, Bill took both boys out on the sailboat./The boat tipped over at the beginning of Thomas' ride, and although he persevered through the ride, he was quite scared by it and didn't want to try again the rest of the week.

-On Wednesday, I think, the wind even calmed down- perfect for swimming, I thought. I was so proud of how well both boys did in the water. Especially Thomas- diving in and splashing around in the shallow beach water./Until, after a couple hours, he started wailing inconsolably about ITCHING. Turns out you get swimmer's itch from hanging out in the shallow, still water where duck mites can burrow into your skin. Nice.

___

There wasn't a tv in the cottage for years and years, and when one was finally introduced, it caused quite an uproar. The bizarre compromise that our family has reached is that the tv sits, unused and ignored, all week. I guess the kids must think it doesn't work- they never ask to watch it.

Henry was working his guilt mojo on me, though. I think it was the first day there that he said in a mournful voice "I've been taken away from my home." As if we'd kidnapped him or something, rather than taken him on a vacation.

I tried to get him to explain his feelings a little more, and he eventually said he missed his dvds. I wanted to let him watch one right away, but Bill thought Henry was playing me for a softie, and I think he was right.

Wednesday I took Henry with me to the grocery store (mistake #1). I gave in to his repeated requests for the Sword in the Stone dvd (mistake #2). I was even naive enough to say "I'll buy this for you, but you understand that you won't be able to watch it until we are driving back home, on Friday?" (mistake #3)

"I understand mommy. (Sucker!)"

Needless to say, we let him watch the dvd that night. But aside from the one viewing, electronic visual entertainment was not an issue.

We came home Friday night so as not to miss the Miracle League trophy ceremony Saturday morning. We'll definitely be signing up again next year. Tomorrow it's back to work after 2 weeks off :-( I'll try to post after our interview at the private school Tuesday. Thanks for all the thoughtful comments and good thoughts.