I've been talking about our unseasonably warm weather for some time now—I cannot remember a year when things have been so green so early, or when I have already had to mow the lawn a handful of times even before the arrival of May. We have really delighted in the early spring, but there are pros and cons to any deviation from the norm and Tulip Time had not the visual delights it usually holds for us each May because most of the tulips had already absconded with their aesthetic charms by the time we arrived on the first of the month. Thankfully Holland has many other charms to offer, most notably the beautiful lake, but the dining and shopping in their quaint downtown are enjoyable as well. We took in some Klompen Dancing around Centennial Park, enjoyed two meals at New Holland Brewing Company (I'd say these were enhanced by the new smoking ban, but I don't remember the place being smoke-filled in previous visits), walked the beach, played frisbee, played tennis, cooked a great Cinco de Mayo meal with family, and had an all around relaxing and enjoyable time.
Shopping found us a literal rainbow of KitchenAid stand mixers. Ahhhhh.
Lake Michigan sunsets are a real Michigander's greatest joy. Well, that and the sandy beaches and dunes.
New Holland beer samplers—with three people ordering one each you can just about cover every beer, or at least every beer we deemed worth trying.
Who knew Cookie Monster was a fan of Tulip Time?
The pictures are up in the May 2010 photo folder.