Here's the rest of the fun Cheri and I had this weekend!
We went to the Botanical Gardens in Traverse City. You may remember Bob and I were here last year as well. This property was the farm that was used to feed the patients at the Asylum in the early 1900's. Now it has been made into gardens and is beautiful!
This is one of the barns that has been renovated and is now an event space.
They built this labyrinth since the last time we were there.
This is our favorite part of the gardens. This was the horse barn, it was too far gone to be saved, but they saved the foundation and planted inside.
I don't know what these are, but they are so pretty!
There is a Japanese Garden here , and there are 2 Foo dogs at the entrance. They were donated by China to someone in the military. When he passed away, the family donated them to the Gardens.
Cheri in the Japanese Gardens.
As we left the gardens, the sky was looking pretty dark! We stopped at a Craft show and then had supper. When we were driving back to our rental, we were poured on, but it didn't last long.
The next day it was time to head back home.
On the way home, we stopped at a Sunflower farm. There were 18 acres of sunflowers. They were almost done and most of the heads were hanging down, but it was still fun to see.
Look at the intricate arrangement of the sunflower seeds on the head. God's work is so visible in nature!
Look at this cute sunflower Cheri found!
We continued driving and found the cute town on Montegue.
Isn't this beautiful? The wharf and the church spire in the background - such a pretty spot!
We stopped here for lunch! I haven't seen a drive in for years.
It was busy, and there were lots of fun cars here. It was kind of like stepping back in time - and the burgers were good!
Here's another pretty scene from the area.
Our last stop was the White River Lighthouse.
The lake was a busy place on this beautiful day!
It was a nice ending to a great weekend - good company, good weather and lots of fun!
What a wonderful getaway!
ReplyDeleteWOW, what a trip! That little town is gorgeous, looking like a storybook town. Or something from a fairy tale. And the Botanical Garden is such a treat. I love the sweet little barn, then the lighthouse and beautiful water. So much variety, like the best the country has to offer.
ReplyDeleteThe pink flowers you said you didn’t recognize have me puzzled as well, though from the long stems and leaves I will bet they are wood anemones. I have seen the plant with white flowers and have heard they can also have pinkish petals as well.
ReplyDeleteI would love a vacation to this area as it has so much beauty and variety. I was amazed to see the beach and the wonderful sand. I shouldn't be so amazed because we have similar beaches here in Canada off the great lakes especially north of Winnipeg, Manitoba which is northwest of where you are and of course along other lakes too but I haven't visited many.
ReplyDeletep.s. I forgot to mention we had a Dog n Suds in the town where I grew up and it looked exactly like the one in your photo.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you had this weekend with your sister, Mari. I know you have been working hard and a break was much deserved.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great trip. How fun to be able to spend time with your sister. I live in MI, too, and love our beautiful state. The Lake Michigan coast is my favorite. So many wonderful small towns and spectacular views. We are blessed to live on small lake near Ann Arbor.
ReplyDeleteAgain, enjoyed your pictures on your sister weekend. Such pretty scenery - love the village with the church in the background.
ReplyDeleteI wanna be a sister! Can ya adopt me, pretty please? {{{grin and laughing}}}. What a wonderful getaway, smiles.
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice trip with great sight seeing and good company. That picture with the church in the background could be framed:)
ReplyDeleteWhat a cool place! Now I want a labyrinth in our yard. (I think my husband just fainted mentioning another project.) *lol* I think the Foo Dogs would give me nightmare's though. I'll stick with the fairies and angels in the yard. Not so scary. *grin* xx
ReplyDeleteYou always find the sweetest get-aways! Lovely pictures and so many great memories made with your sister, Cheri! Thanks for sharing your sisters trip with us!!
ReplyDeleteLooks like you had lots of fun. These are beautiful photos.x
ReplyDeleteThe weather looks just fantastic. I would love to wander around that old asylum! That's a great idea, to use those magical old buildings. xoxo
ReplyDeleteWhat wonderful photos! I like each one. The sunflowers, the water, the drive-in diner...I like it all. Thanks for taking me along with you through your photos.
ReplyDeleteI have SO enjoyed this trip you girls took!! Too bad your other sister had to miss it. Northern Michigan is so beautiful and interesting.
ReplyDeletefirst page (getting lost & GPS destination...not there! funny) Loved the photo of your sister on the bridge & "your" kichen...Hubby can redesign yours probably ...as good at carpentry as he is.
ReplyDeleteNow this post...LOVE the sunflower face & the beautiful sailboats. Botanical gardens are always great places to visit. But Dog n Suds...we stopped there once & had grilled ham sandwiches...the best I've ever had.
What fun you both had! Great memories. We call those flowers Japanese anemones here Mari.
ReplyDeleteI am glad that I stopped by your blog today. I have been following you two on Facebook but you have some more beautiful pictures here on your blog. Thanks for sharing them.
ReplyDeleteOh, Mari! Y'all had a great time, I can tell. How nice that you get together with your sister. I love all the photo's! Sunflowers; I love them but have never been able to grow. The sand in the last photo makes me want the beach! :)
ReplyDeletexoxo
Loved catching up on the rest of your trip! It looked SO beautiful and so fun!!
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