Into many vacations a little rain must fall, but windmill touring and another stop in downtown for New Holland snacks and beer don't require sunshine anyhow, and the weather cleared for a beautiful sunset and another wonderful evening with family (this time we watched Clue).
family, photography, traditions, travel Lunch at New Holland, a must do tradition.
Watching Dutch dancing in the streets...an unavoidable tradition.
The carnival...a new tradition? Ugh.
Back on the beach.
And after bedtime for the little one, we watched an old favorite: Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Iris, Ollie, family, photography, traditions, travel Vero Beach holds a very special place in my heart. My grandparents lived here later in years and visiting my Grammie was always a time of great joy, comfort, and renewal for me. We relaxed, we talked, we basked in the sun, we visited the town, the beach, the manatees. Going back then was a bit of a mixed event. There is always sadness when a loved one is gone, and yet there is joy in revisiting the places that bring the memories to life.
We didn't do exactly the same things in Vero that we did when my grandparents were there, but we did similar things. Although we didn't stop, we did drive through the little town. And though we didn't stop to walk along the beach in Vero, we did walk along the beach back at our resort, collecting shells, looking for crabs, and counting birds. We didn't find any manatees at the power plant where we used to stop at least once a day to view them, but we did go to the manatee education center in Fort Pierce and saw them (wild ones, too) drinking fresh water from a drain. And we had a great seafood dinner at the Lobster Shanty (where Jon had his first taste of seafood ten years ago). One thing completely new was the afternoon spent at the resort pool, swimming and sliding to the tunes the DJ was spinning. Thankfully he left before we did.
We had a bright beautiful sun right up until evening, and unseasonably warm weather to make the outdoor play more fun. The wind was even calm right up until the clouds blew in around dinner time, which is when we were done with the water play anyhow. It was a beautiful last day—almost as though we planned it that way—and today we drove north up the coast and then west to the airport, boarded a plane, and landed back at home where a light dusting of snow awaited us. Perfection. Final thoughts on a Disney vacation to follow.
Manatee Education Center
Manatees in the wild
Back at the resort
family, traditions, travel It's that time of year again so today we picked up our dads and headed into Detroit for the NAIAS. New this year—some of the show's grandeur has returned. I remember shows when I was in college that were peppered with loud acts and bright lights. Over the past few years, for obvious reasons, the show has been more subdued. I don't think this was necessarily a bad thing, mind you—they are merely trying to sell cars, after all, and I can't imagine how acrobats hanging from the ceiling help with that—but it was fun to see some of the excitement return this year in the form of large screens, bright lights, loud music, and a handful of acts or rides.
We had a great time. There were some beautiful historic cars, some interesting concept cars, and even a few cars that we have added to our considerations list for the year, some way down the road, when it's time to replace our Vibe. We're thinking Hybrid. Wouldn't that be great.
A quick rundown of events:
I'm not sure the fake Supremes (who were just dancing, not singing) count as Motown entertainment...
1952 The original Mercedes 300 SL (race car)
Safety display fail—that kid in the back seat should at least be in a booster...
Learning about brakes
Designing a Mustang
Honda plane model (but does anyone else see Spy vs. Spy?)
To the Detroit Beer Company for a late lunch. The beer was great, the food was okay, the service was terrible (one out of three isn't bad, if you like really great beer).
Many buildings are sad but pretty in Detroit.
events, traditions We always head to northern lower Michigan to celebrate a late Christmas and an on-time New Years with my Godmother. It's a trip we look forward to immensely for the silliness, serenity, and snow. Weather is weird this year, and we thought we were out of luck on that last bullet point, but nature delivered just as we were looking to head home, and we got an extra day out of that timing. As for the other two wish list items—silliness is no problem, but serenity is always at an arm's length with a five-year-old. Still, two out of three isn't bad.
More Christmas? Such a lucky boy. Look at those wonderful penguins.
Blue (the dog, not the Christmas)
Sleepy-heads
A cherry-berry pie from Jesperson's in Petoskey, photo taken five—literally five—minutes after we got home with it, still warm from their heavenly ovens.
The bushes were masquerading as dog/bear/snow/burlap people so Jack Frost (and possibly the deer) wouldn't recognize them. I was thoroughly fooled.
Jon and I got some of that serenity we were looking for by heading out the store for some last-minute necessities on New Year's Eve. To extend it a bit we walked, and we also added a few things to list of "necessities" that took us not only to the grocery store, but also into our favorite quaint little town, Harbor Springs. Whose to say that we wouldn't find "necessities" at their little book store?
Bot Bie is a family food tradition. It fits the definition of comfort food to tee—warm, filling, and not so very good for you. 
You'd think he'd done all the cooking...
Last nap of 2011.
And finally the snow has arrived. 
This is what a chickadee looks like head-on. He makes me giggle.
The bear/dog/snow/burlap people say "Happy New Year!"
And now we're home, the blog is "caught up", Michigan has won the Sugar Bowl (in a not-so-pretty game), and 2012 can get underway.
Christmas, family, holidays, traditions 
