Tag: travel

ET phone home

On Saturday morning, we decided to go to Lake Michigan. Really close to where we were staying was the Saugatuck Dune State Park. The directions on my Google Map lead us to a convenience store, so we ended up driving around in circles. Luckily our GPS unit lead us to the correct spot.

When we got to the parking lot, Hubby still thought we were in the wrong spot because there was no beach there. All we could see were trees.

In order to get to the beach, we needed to hike through the woods.

Some of the woods reminded me of the scene where Elliot flew his bike with ET in the front basket. It was totally worth hiking through the woods to get to the beach because of the views.

Once we saw the outhouse, there was an opening in the trees. We finally made it to the beach.

Even though it was in the 40s, I had to take my shoes and socks off. I wanted to dip my toes in that cold lake water.

Hubby wouldn’t let me roll down the dunes. He told me that he didn’t want to take me to the hospital. Spoilsport.

But first coffee – A drive through Biggby

The beach – Absolutely breathtaking . . . I wanted to feel the sand between my toes. There is nothing like that feeling. It feels like Heaven and freedom all rolled into one.

Oh, and the shoes I was wearing are Sketchers. I highly recommend them. I walked over 18,000 steps on Saturday. My feet never hurt.

Once we got to the wooded area, I went down the other path to the beach. I found this bench on top of a dune. The view was breathtaking. If you look closely, there is a photo of a shadow of me sitting on that bench.

Then there was the walk back to the car. It was a little more difficult because of the hills. Finally, we made it back to the car. Then it was on to our next adventure.

Stay kind!

Have a magical day,
Traci

The Coolest Public Restrooms

When we were in Saugatuck, Michigan, Hubby had the brilliant idea that we should do a sunset cruise that evening. So, we drove to a local business to see if they had any cruises that evening and if there were any openings. That idea was a no go but as we were driving up to the business, I noticed a mural on a building.

You see I am a sucker for photographing murals. I love the artistic ability of people. When I’m drawing/ painting/ anything artistic, I get upset when my art is not perfect.

When he stopped, we were about a block or so from the mural so I hoofed it over to the mural. It ended up being on the wall of the public bathroom in a park.

I hope you see why I liked this mural.


Then it was time to take some selfies.

Here are some photos of the park and surrounding area.

Stay kind!

Have a magical day,
Traci

Our weekend to Holland, Michigan

I seriously need to get back to blogging about our Columbus trip last August. However, I think I need to share photos from our trip this weekend.

In 2016, we traveled to Holland, Michigan after we dropped my son off at camp. Even though I was there for less than 24 hours, I fell in love with the area. The downtown area is 1/3 parking, 1/3 green space, & 1/3 buildings. Every May, they have Tulip Time during the second week. Lots of people flock to the area to see the tulips blooming.

I made the decision we were going back when my birthday and Mother’s Day collided for Tulip Time. This year was our chance. Even though I’m exhausted, it was so worth it.

We drove up Friday night through the rain and then a beautiful sunset.

On Saturday, we visited Saugatuck Dune State Park which reminded me of the movie ET at points. I felt as though Elliot was going to zoom past me on his bike. Then the forest opens up to the beach and Lake Michigan. I wish we spent more than an hour there but we had things to do. Then it was time to go visit downtown Saugatuck, a charming town with artisan shops and fisherman delights. Then it was onto Holland to see the tulips. We lucked out with our parking, so we hoofed it throughout the town.

While we were in Holland, we visited the library, walked down the Yellow Brick Road, saw many tulips, went back in time to 1812, visited the first mayor’s house and a house that survived the 1871 fire, and drank some lemonade from a girl who was selling lemonade outside her house.

Then we went back to Saugatuck for dinner and to find a perfect beach for sunset. On our way back to the Air BnB, we found a restaurant that served food from a huge root beer barrel. I needed to get the souvenir mug with a root beer float from that restaurant.

We had some downtime at the Air Bnb because it was not time for the sunset just yet. Closer to the sunset, we drove back to the beach in order for me to watch the sunset over Lake Michigan. So magical.

Sunday was my birthday. I started the day with a relaxing bubble bath. Then it was time to start the day. The first stop of the day was the tulip immersion garden. Imagine 50,000 tulips right where you can easily get photos. You also learned about the history of the tulip in this garden.

Then we tried to find parking. There was traffic everywhere because of Tulip Time, Mother’s Day, AND Hope College’s graduation. We lucked out because we found the last parking spot in the parking lot. They closed the lot after we drove up the ramp.

We took a walking tour around the city to learn about its history. Our tour guide even wore a traditional Dutch outfit along with wooden shoes.

Finally, it was time to meet up with a high school classmate: 200 plus miles from where we graduated from school 29 years ago. Can it be that long ago?

We ate pickle pizza and just talked for over an hour. Realizing the time, we walked them back to the car before going to get our last drink from a local coffee shop. I needed to go to the restroom, ok.

Next, we started the drive home. Stopping at rest stops along the way. We discovered a cool rest stop with a little museum just outside of Angola, Indiana. Finally, at 9:57 pm on a school night, we pulled into our driveway. All we could do was get ready for bed and crash because work beckoned us.

Stay tuned for photos from our trip.

Have a blessed day,
Traci

Columbus trip | August 2021 | Saturday morning walk

Join me on a walk around the Historic Italian Village.

Hubby decided to sleep in on Saturday. I was anxious to do some exploring, so I left the Air BnB and walked to get breakfast.

The first group of photos is where our Air BnB is located and the murals across the street.

Some of the flowers and the chicken on the building. It was a deli or a small convenience store if I am remembering correctly.

The reason I went for the walk was to go to this coffee shop called Fox in the Snow. Boy, it did not disappoint. When I got there, there were a lot of people waiting for it to open. It is a popular place and for a good reason.

Check out the pastries. People were lining up to not only get coffee but also get the pastries.

The coffee I got is the New Orleans coffee. It’s made with chicory instead of coffee. So good.

Some photos of my walk back to the Air BNB.

Here is my gluten-free breakfast sandwich from the Fox in the Snow:

So delicious!

Join me next time for our visit to the North Market.

Have a magical day,
Traci

Columbus Trip – August 2021 – Part 3 of MANY

After we got done eating, we walked back to our Air B’nB and went to bed. This are the photos I took on our walk back to the where we were staying.

My next post is going to be my Saturday morning walk.

This is a real dog. There is a salon there. This dog is the owner’s pet and will sit in the window to people watch.
Chocolate marshmallow with M & M’s. Yum!

Stay kind!

Have a magical day,
Traci

Columbus Trip – August 2021 – Part 2 of MANY – Dinner time!

We were on the hunt for food. I had worked a whole day before we drove to Columbus, so I was starving. They had interactive signs on High Street which helped us decide on where we were going to eat. However, we never made it there. Instead we ended up at SeeSaw. Someone had told me about this place, so we ate there.
I love the fact they have gluten-free on the menu. It made it so easy to pick what I wanted to order.

The stairs – We were seated next to these stairs.
My espresso martini
My dinner – So GOOD!
Brussel Sprouts
Hubby’s burger

Columbus Trip – August 2021 – Part 1 of MANY

I’ve been editing photos from my adventures in 2021. I needed to make a decision about what I was going to start sharing with you. After much thought, I decided I needed to start in Columbus.

On the 5th anniversary of my sister’s death, we went to Columbus, Ohio. We stayed near the Short North Shore area which is an eclectic area of Columbus. Located down from Ohio State, it’s a place that college students party. Behind the main street, there are neighborhoods with gardens.

Across from where we were staying
The building with the birds – We loved this building.
I’m only sharing one photo of me sitting on the butterfly. When I hand Hubby the camera, he will take ten or more photos of me. He doesn’t focus on me, so they are always very interesting. Sometimes he will get a great photo of me.

Join me next time for our dinner at See Saw, a bar and restaurant, with the coolest stairs.

Stay kind!

Have a magical day,
Traci

Road tripping with me

I love to go road tripping. I’ll find somewhere to visit with an idea of what I want to see. It may be one or two sites but then the most fun thing for me is to go off course. I enjoy exploring towns or areas safely.

It’s when I go off course that I find the most interesting places and make the best memories. Case in point: I decided to go down to Ripley, Ohio & Maysville, Kentucky Friday into Saturday. I wanted to see the Rankin House and go to the Kentucky Gateway Museum. Those were my main plans.

  1. We found the gorgeous murals in town. I love taking photos of murals.
  2. We ate a local restaurant. The chef had lived in Charleston, SC. Some of the food on the menu were rooted in Charleston cuisine.
  3. While we were at the museum, we found out they were playing a movie at the local theater they are trying to restore. Rosemary Clooney premiered the Stars are Singing in that theater. (1953) So we ended up there. They even gave us a free book.
  4. On Saturday, we had a great family style breakfast at the bed and breakfast where we stayed. An hour and a half of conversation with people we didn’t know.
  5. Afterwards we ended up in the Old Washington area of Maysville where Harriet Beecher Stowe came up with the idea for Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
  6. While there, we stopped at a local coffee shop which is one of my favorite things to do while visiting a new place.
  7. Then we went to find the oldest covered bridge in Kentucky which is now condemned. I did get a photo of it.
  8. We ended up at the Rankin House but then also decided to check out the John Parker House. Both were instrumental in the Underground Railroad.
  9. The last stop was going to Ulysses S. Grant’s Birthplace. Not in the plans but a good detour.

If you ever go road tripping with me, know I’ll have the main plans but we’ll find something unplanned to do. You never know the unplanned may be your best memory of the trip.

May you be blessed,
Traci

Epic Trip #7 – June 14 – 18, 2021 – Harpers Ferry

Our first outing of our Epic Trip was to Harpers Ferry, a place that is underrated in my opinion. It’s an absolute beautiful place where the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers converge. Three trails cross through the town. One of which is the Appalachian trail. History oozes out of the buildings: George Washington, Meriwether Lewis, John Brown, Fredrick Douglas, and Stonewall Jackson are a few men who once walked on the land within the borders of Harpers Ferry.

Continue reading “Epic Trip #7 – June 14 – 18, 2021 – Harpers Ferry”
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