Well, last week we were on family vacation in Pentwater, Michigan; a tradition in our family. In fact, this year represents the 61st year that members of my Dad's family have been going to Pentwater during the summer. As such, the trip always consists of certain things - lots of swimming at the pool located at the campground my parents stay at; trips to the Lake Michigan beach, either in Pentwater or in Ludington; dinners with familly; latenight campfires with s'mores; and so on [It's actually the second year in a row we happened to run into one of my cousins on the beach, also with her family for the week.]. It continues to be a trip I look forward to every year, and one I feel grateful that I can share with family; and especially that Maia gets some extra time with seeing my sister's familiy and my parents.
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The channel from Pentwater Lake to Lake Michigan
upon our arrival. We pretty much had blue skies all week. |
Obviously the week was filled with lots of enjoyable moments, as the photos in this post suggest. Along with the usual activities, Jackie, Maia, and I also spent a morning walking (well, us walking, Maia riding her bike) on the paved trail at Ludington State Park. The trail is very well maintained, and the scenery, which includes a dam, a peaceful river, and old woods, is both beautiful and serene. But I always look for moments, sometimes small moments rather than big ones, that speak to a trip. For me, the following is the story that will likely stick with me from this year's trip.
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| Leaving her parents in the dust. |
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| View from the top of the dam. |
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Jackie and Mai flexing after climbing the tremendously
huge sandy dune. |
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| Beautiful, peaceful... |
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| ... and serene. |
So, my Dad has had a Koala puppet for several years that he always kept in their travel trailer or motorhome. When the grandkids were around, he would pull it out and convince (or attempt to convince as the kids got older) that it was a real Koala. He's done it ever since my sister's first kid, Gavin, entered the picture 9 years ago, and has introduced it to Maia over the last several years.
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| Happy girl in the pool. |
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| Only problem is trying to get her out of the pool. |
Well, on the last night my parents we there, Jackie, Maia, and I were sitting around the campfire with my Mom and Dad. Maia's sitting on Jackie's lap, and my Dad, somewhat out of the blue, states that he needs to find a "good home" for his Koala, someone to take care of it. Maia was immediately out of Jackie's lap, raising her hand and walking towards her Papa, telling him, very demonstratively, "Pick me! I'll take really good care of it! I'm going to be a zookeeper!"
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| The view from our spot on the beach, the last day in Pentwater. |
It was one of those moments that will stick with me - seeing the connection between Maia and my Dad, and Maia's unbridled enthusiasm once again bubbling over in such a sincere and authenthic act and expression.
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Perhaps my favorite picture - Jackie doing her best to get a good
family picture; Maia and I doing our best to frustrate her purposes. |
I wished we had had a movie of this. If I'd known Papa was going to do this, I would have at least had the phone ready to record. It was a special time.
ReplyDeleteI do too, though I'm pretty sure I won't forget it. It was such a moment!
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