CSI: Henrydale

For those of you with pets or small children, you'll fully understand the concept of "discovered surprises." Having three cats and one dog, I've come home to my fair share of 'presents.' That woolly caterpillar on the floor is not inching its way along toward metamorphosis -- it's a nasty hairball coughed up by my Persian cat. The bits of white confetti all over the living room floor are not the aftermath of a celebration -- it's the remnants of the bathroom garbage contents, shredded by Odie and strewn all about the house. The powder coating all over the kitchen floor is not the result of a furious french-toast baking contest -- it's bits of drywall, chewed off of the main load-bearing wall in the house.

I must say, I open the back door each day at 5:15pm with baited breath, wondering what I'm going to discover next. Usually I can tell from inside the laundry room, and before I have even opened the kitchen door, what the true origins of the treasures are, however today took the cake.

I opened the back door and saw "it" immediately. I instantly thought to myself --"Well, that's an odd color! I've never seen bright blue before!:"



I thought to myself -- the one on the left looks like a moon rock, or what I'd imagine a moon rock would look like. The one on the right looked a bit cotton-candy-like.

Upon closer inspection:



I was soon joined by Detective Sammy Cindy-Crawford McWheezer, but she could make neither nose nor tails of the evidence. She did catch a whiff of something fragrant:



Upon closer inspection --> is it foaming??



My detective and I located the main suspect, but he wasn't talking:



So, esteemed blog readers, I open the floor to your detective skills! Any guesses as to what this mystery gift actually was? The winner will get something special, plus plentiful calls from myself and my detective for assistance with future investigations!

ROVFD

This past weekend, Dan and I went up north to the Royal Oak Volunteer Fire Department's cottage near Long Lake, MI. This was our second trip up this summer; our last being in July when Dan's cousins from Florida, Aunt from Texas, and other local cousins, siblings, and parents all went up. Dan's maternal grandfather Norman Mason was a volunteer firefighter for the city of Royal Oak. At some point in the past, the firefighters bought property on North Dease Lake, and built a cottage. Today, anyone with lineage to those firefighters are able to use the cottage. We feel very lucky to have such a neat place to visit, where memories are etched in every square inch.

One of the requirements in visiting the cottage is that you must sign The Book, which is a living diary of the families' experiences each time they visit. Dan and I read entries in the book made by his Grandfather in the 1970's, and marvelled at all of the amazing collections of tales found within the pages. Dan reminisced after reading about trips logged by his mom, grandfather, aunt, uncle, and cousins, and I got some neat insight into what it must have been like 'back in the day.'

For the most part, this trip's purpose was heavy on the R & R -- and rest and relax WE DID. We went fishing as much as we could, ate out at local restaurants, swam in the lake with Odie, and went into town for ice cream. We also played several board games including Connect Four, Uno, Battleship, Monopoly, and a strange game Dan invented called "Let's See How Close We Can Get Without Touching."

I have to say, the final game threw me for a loop, and the start buzzer went off in Dan's head before I could really process the game's concept. There was Dan, out of his chair and on his feet, hovering over me with his face practically right up against my face, breathing on me as I realized that a.) he was entirely serious about playing this game because when I looked in his eyes I saw intense concentration not 'to touch' me, and b.) he intended to win. Well, I burst out laughing, which pitched my head toward Dan, resulting in contact -- to which Dan announced in a calm voice all while breathing on me 'You touched me.' My laughing fit continued, and a kept grazing Dan's nose, cheek, chin, etc., all while trying to lean away from him because I could tell he was keeping some kind of score in his head (You see, I beat him at Connect Four, Uno, and Battleship). I think it occurred to Dan just then, how RIDICULOUS this game was, because he then started laughing, but also commented that I touched him more than he touched me.

Again, I DON'T make this stuff up, folks! This newly invented game will have to be an entry in the Big Idea Book! I will say that it was very very funny -- I haven't laughed that hard in a while.

Traffic on the drive home was HORRIBLE -- the 2.5 hour trip took nearly twice that due to I-75 being closed southbound over the Zilwaukee. Nevertheless, we had a fantastic time!

Friday Night's sunset -- simply amazing, and instant relaxation:


The curious beaver who circled our boat Saturday morning and drove Odie crazy!


My first fish! A 16" bass:


Dan, Odie, and I on the pontoon:


A loon and its young. If you've ever heard the loon's unique call, you'd probably agree that it's the most Up-North-sounding sound!


Dan's monster bass -- over 17":


Family portrait! :-)

Table-top Cookin'

For Dan's birthday, our friends Heidi and Ciera took us to dinner at Miyako, a Japanese steakhouse where they cook right at your table (much like Benihana). Our chef was pretty talented -- flipping eggs into his pocket and hat, bouncing raw egg yolks on his spatula, and making the famed 'steaming volcano,' which he transformed into a locomotive, complete with repeated "choooo chooo's." After dinner, and some ice cream trickery on the part of Ciera, Dan declared that she was just like me, a comment we both took as a significant compliment. Our evening rounded out with a trip to Bass Pro, where Dan lead the three gals all over tarnation, and somehow looped Ciera into making him a lanyard. Talk about trickery!!

DBWE 2008

This past weekend we headed out to gorgeous Holland, Michigan for Dan's Birthday Weekend Extravaganza. This is the yearly birthday celebration held in Dan's honor, and it was a year ago at DBWE that we got engaged! The normal group enjoyed Dennis' hospitality and each others' company, all in the gorgeous sand and sun of western Michigan.

We headed out Friday 08/08/08 and enjoyed the evening at the Dark Room Bar. This establishment boasts some pretty funny props, and we got a lot of laughs at ourselves and each other in the process.

Saturday we headed to the beach, where we welcomed the blue skies, warm sand, and FREEZING cold Lake Michigan Water. After a day in the sun, we headed over to Jon's house for a BBQ, and then rounded out the evening back at the Dark Room.

Normally this isn't a weekend that we capture in pictures, but there were way too many photo ops to pass up!

'Til next year, Holland and DBWE 2009!!!!

Our host, The Dennis:


I can totally pull this look off!


Dan and I chill-axin' in the Dark Room:


The sibs -- Dan, Dave, Darlene, & Dennis:


Beach Day!


Dan's "cake:"


Happy 31st Birthday, Dan!

Row, row, row your CANOE!

This past weekend we travelled to Sterling, MI and went camping and canoeing with our friends Ricky and Paula and their three kids. I was thrilled to pieces to get to stay in their new camper, and their generosity and kindness made for a very enjoyable and memorable weekend. Along with camping, we also took at four hour trip down the Rifle river in a set of canoes, which were bungeed together most of the time. This was a first canoeing for me, and I must say my nerves about tipping were a little hard to overcome, but we did have a great time and weather couldn't have been nicer. Many thanks guys -- we cannot wait until our next adventure!

The glorious Rifle River, as viewed from our launching point:


The whole gang, afloat on the river -- Haley, Brenden, Sydney, Myself, Ricky, Paula and Dan:


Dan and I on the river -- do I look a little nervous?


Sydney, our photographer, and her 'self-portrait:'


Dan having fun with a water cannon (a GREAT shot captured by Sydney)!


Dan and Brenden, oaring the canoe (Sydney shot):


Haley and the pretty flowers she picked (and she almost got eaten by a frog in the process!)


Dan with his long-time friends, Ricky & Paula (and Brenden down in the corner):

Memorial Day

For Memorial Day, we were lucky enough go to the Eshelman's beautiful home in Houghton Lake, MI. The long weekend was filled with local entertainment including a craft fair, Cindy Lou's Zoo, and gelato on the Ranger and Dan and Kirk were able to go for a ride on their dirt bikes. Another great weekend at "OUR" cottage!

The cottage:


Andrea, Caden, and me by the lake:


Dan, myself, and his other 'baby:'


Beautiful Houghton Lake sunset:


Logan enjoying the bonfire: