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Sunday, June 21, 2020

What a weekend!

We've been away on a long weekend.  Our daughter Laura and her husband Aaron gave us a Christmas gift of a weekend at a lodge near Petoskey Michigan. Even better that a weekend away, was that it was a weekend with them and the girls.  We were originally scheduled to do this in May - but then Covid struck.  We rescheduled to the end of May, but things were still not open.  So, we tried again for this past weekend and it worked!  It was a little different, some things were still closed and there was the whole mask wearing situation, but we were able to go and had so much fun.
I'm afraid you're going to see a few posts on our outings, because I go everywhere with a camera in hand and I took 500 photos this weekend.   :)   I've pared it way, way back, but still - we did a lot!
So, here's the beginning of our trip.

We rented a van so we could all ride together.  Here we are on Friday morning, on the road!



We drove for several hours and made a stop in Charlevoix, to see Castle Farms.  It was built in 1918 by Albert Loeb, the acting president of Sear and Roebuck as a model dairy farm and was modeled after the stone barns and castles found in Normandy, France.   It was very successful and produced prize winning cattle.  However, at some time it fell into disrepair and was purchased in 2001, needing extensive renovation.  It has now been fully restored, gardens have been added and it's now a wedding and even destination, as well as a tourist attraction.



Here's a view of it from the back.  It doesn't look like any farm I've seen before!





 This is Sid, the sea monster, with Alaina and Ruby sitting on him.




This castle also has a dragon!


















 Every turn you make, has another beautiful view.




 This courtyard had an opening for teams of horses or cars to drive into.  The girls liked the fountain.



 This is a small section inside.  This is a small sandwich shop and wine tasting venue.



 Alaina and Ruby had to try out the thrones.







 Wouldn't this be a great place for a wedding reception?








 One section of the gardens was set up with miniature trains that buzzed all over.  There was even a gazebo where the trains went up to the ceiling.



 They had a children's garden, with flowers to go with every letter in the alphabet.  The girls found their letters.



One last view of the castle!  If you're even in the Charlevoix area, stop and visit Castle Farms.

14 comments:

Joyful said...

Just lovely. I especially like the gardens. Am glad you got away with family. I know it meant a lot.

Terri D said...

What a beautiful place and how wonderful it has been restored and used as an event venue. It would, indeed, make a lovely setting for a wedding and reception! Looking forward to seeing more from your weekend away!

Mary said...

How nice, it sounds like a lovely trip, even more so family. I look forward to seeing more of your photos

Hootin Anni said...

Omgoodness...this is gonna be an adventure for us all! Thanks for the fun....looking forward to more coming soon! Right away I fell in love with Sid.

Ramblings of a Retired Lady said...

WOW beautiful place and beautiful pictures; thanks for sharing with us.

Arlene G said...

What a lovely gift and a wonderful weekend to remember.

Linda said...

Oh how wonderful, Mari!!!! I can't believe how much Alaina and Ruby have grown, smiles.

LL Cool Joe said...

How cool that you were allowed to have a weekend away with your family. That it self is a blessing. The place looks very interesting. Loved the dragon and sea monster. And the weather was good too! Glad you had a lovely time.

We are still in lockdown, with slight easing of some restrictions.

Doris said...

What a fun farm to visit. Thanks for taking us along ☺

Henny Penny said...

Looks like such a fun trip together. The girls sure are growing up, aren't they.

Jean said...

What a unique place! And such an interesting history! Wow, a trip with the girls - delightful!

Laurel Wood said...

These are beautiful photos, Mari. I would love to visit here or at least attend a wedding here! The girls look like they had fun in the Alphabet Garden. I also love the wisteria growing on the trellis.

Laura said...

It was definitely a beautiful place!

Jenny the Pirate said...

I'd love to visit Castle Farms. That giant chess set! I'm normally not the touristy type as such but this is awesome. TG is very into model trains right now (no; he doesn't have any because we have no room for such things) and I've sent him a link to an article about the trains. That in itself would be such fun to see. xoxo