Beaver Island, Michigan: 2019

It's been quite a long while since I took real photos of any family activities. Partly because I've been photographing a bunch for work stuff so photos for fun just also seemed like work, partly because I just haven't had much interest or time to blog (obviously), and partly just because I upgraded to a new camera a few years ago and wasn't super happy with the switch (right before our California trip, which photos I never finished editing for that very reason).

But we just took a big family trip to one of my favorite childhood vacation spots and I decided to give it another try. I didn't spend as much time taking photos as I normally do on vacation, but I thought easing back in would work better. And part of the reason I used to love to blog was that it encouraged me to spend time working on photos to share them, so here I am again!

You might remember our family trip to Beaver Island, Michigan five years ago. It was such a special trip because it was the first visit for our kids. This year, we did a trip with a lot of my family -- 16 people in all, 8 of them kids! We rented a big former B&B and had a blast.

It's not an easy place to get to, which I think is part of the charm. This time we flew DC --> Newark --> Traverse City. Then drove to Charlevoix. Then took the ferry to Beaver Island. It was a long day of travel made more anxious by a delay in our connecting flight -- you have to book the ferry (if you're bringing a car) on the day ferry reservations open in December and so there is not really any room for error. But we made it to Charlevoix on time and found a great brewery at the ferry terminal that will can any beer you want to carry on the trip.

There was lots of time once we arrived communicating among the cousins via walkie talkie.

 

 

My mom built a frame to make a seed quilt and all the kids gathered nature materials and spent time over the week "weaving." It turned out beautifully and we left it at the Island's historical center.

The house was right on the most perfect beach to kayak, paddle board, and generally cousin shenanigan.

 

I spotted the cutest Hand-Painted Fish Softies on the Art Camp blog and asked my mom to bring the supplies with her. They turned out so awesome -- we're going to make more at home soon and I'll share our steps.

 

We took Kane, Cami, and my dad out for an early morning of fishing with Captain Bob Turner of Kelly Day Charters. Caught nothing for the first three hours and then both kids reeled in some big Lake Trout! I cooked it two ways for dinner: grilled with butter and herbs and Captain's suggested "Poor Man's Lobster" -- I should have "lobstered" it all, it was a delicious way to cook it (bring 3 quarters, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup salt to a rolling boil. Cut fish from skin and into 1" chunks. Add fish, cover, and boil for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with Old Bay and broil for just a few minutes).

No trip to the island is ever complete without a hike down to our childhood cabin -- she still looks 100%!

And so much of the week was spent letting the kids roam about, creating games and getting allllllll the fresh air they could handle. The adults spent a lot of time catching up, cooking, and imbibing. Until next time, Emerald Isle!