Vacations are pretty much over for the summer.
Mary went back to school this week. The Little Nippers showed up on Tuesday. Such joy! Katie goes back next week. And Kiefer’s off to college!
Chris goes back—or not—whenever the heck she feels like.
So here’s a quick look back:
Saugatuck Day One
Most of us got to Saugatuck from Danville without too much trouble. There was lots of corn in Western Indiana and big windmills. And there was that sign for “realistic taxidermy” in Lowell. Not sure I’d want to see “Impressionist taxidermy.”
The first “event” was the big room jumble.
Mary and Lou were supposed to have what appeared to be the presidential suite of the Beachway Resort on the third floor with views in two directions and Terry and Carol would have a downstairs room that opened up on the pool area.
Mary, who is honest as the day is long (and they are longer the further north you go), let the Beachway Resort folks know that Anna and Erik would be there over the weekend.
Well, the Beachway does NOT allow extra people in that special room. No matter how responsible the people are.
So the Reiks switched with Terry and Carol—though the Reiks did keep some of T&C’s drinks—Diet Pepsi and water—in their refrigerator. Turned out it was small fridge.
That night everyone who had arrived—about 20—went to downtown Saugatuck to find a place for dinner. Susie and I missed the chain ferry trip that took everyone else across. That gave the rest of the party time to scope the restaurants and choose a place.
By the time we got across, everyone had settled into Wick’s. We got off the ferry, walked in and sat down.
There were at least three tables full of Koebrichs and kin. The food was pretty good—I think. I can’t be sure since I never had lunch—other than a pretzel or two from Sharon’s bottomless baggie of pretzels—and had gone up and down Old Baldy once.
Sue and I got a ride back to the other side of the channel from Jeff and Teresa. Jeff, the host of the trip, pointed out the root beer stand shaped like a root beer barrel. It stood forlornly in the corner of an abandoned lot, surrounded by weeds growing in the cracks.
Apparently, the root beer stand shaped like a root beer barrel did not get word that the teeming masses that had descended on it 40 years ago had returned and it did not re-open.
The last activity of the night was a late walk up Old Baldy. Since the Michigan day was as long as Mary is honest, we had plenty of time to hike up and back before the sun sat on our first night in Saugatuck.
Let me know via e-mail or comments if there’s something you want to add!!!!
