A Celebration and Goodbyes

Last week I made a quick and unexpected trip back to Michigan for the funeral of a beloved cousin.  She loved to have rootbeer floats on camping trips and here is a photo of one of the most creative flower arrangements I have seen. 

After we celebrated Stacey's life, I used the remaining days of the trip to say a few goodbyes to our northern friends and family.  My parents are closing on their house at the end of the month and I'm not sure when I will make the trip again.

 

Here's our yearly family photo.

 

We snuck in a horseback ride at Ft. Custer state park, my first summer job and a frequent trail riding location.  Mom is on Doni (they brought him with them to MI because he is difficult for other people to care for), I am riding a friend's horse named Merlin, and Ken, in the middle, sold me Rabi 16 years ago.

I also had lunch with friends and my mom and I visited some of her family in Indiana but I forgot to take any photos of those visits.  The morning before my flight back to Georgia Mom and I drug the canoe out onto their lake and went for a paddle through a couple of nearby lakes.  This is the channel that leads to their lake.

 

Among the cattails we found a red-winged blackbird's nest.

 

And the mute swans had six eggs in their nest.  I still can't believe the size of their eggs!

 

Here's mom in front of their house, which they designed and helped build.  I'm sure that they will greatly miss the house and all of the nearby family/friends but not the long, cold winters or the buggy summers!

 

Finally, a view from the deck that you can see in the photo above.