Tuesday, September 30, 2014

BEST of Summer Home Visit 2014

Every June we sail Exit Strategy well out of the hurricane belt imposed by our boat insurance and nestle into a bay with like minded cruisers that hopefully has some marine services and an airport near by.  We visited Bonaire first and then continued west to settle in Spanish Waters, Curacao. (Our Curacao experience is the topic of the next bog.)  Being out of the hurricane belt does NOT guarantee that Mother nature won’t mess with you and your vessel, but it does offer a good degree of peace of mind that you probably will be safe.

Never the less-  I always see the season as the perfect opportunity to fly back to the states to spend a couple of months with our family and, if time allows, friends. My time in the Midwest usually is a span of two months from mid-July to mid-September. Dan is keen on staying with the boat busying himself with small maintenance projects and has been joining me in the states for about two weeks.  That will hopefully change in the future, though, as this year our youngest grandchild, four-year-old Genna, wanted to know why I “get to come for two months and Grandpa only comes for two weeks?”

These are the highlights of our visit-
DSCN2022
Maya, Genna, & Becky at Lake Michigan's shore
DSCN2005
Genna & Maya with one of their many fairy houses 
  
DSCN1991
Uncle Joe played "Grandpa" at the Van Buren Fair.
DSCN2104
Watergun fight in Grandma Glista's garden
  
DSCN2150
Tie-dyeing at Becky's with Julie and baby Chandler
DSCN2065
Kalamazoo County Fair
 
DSCN2195
Surrounded by three toothless kids and Genna
DSCN2155
Playing Scrabble with Grandma at Lee's
 
DSCN2093
Fishing & CATCHING with Grandpa
DSCN2120
Aslan was thrilled with Uncle Joe's heavy duty equipment. 
       
DSCN2201
Maya, Lyla, Aslan, & Genna lovin' on Bob & Joy at the dunes