girls just want to have fun: Our Michigan Moe-Cation

Yes! Michigan! (And yes, I know I revisit that slogan every time we revisit Michigan. Want to make something of it?) We spent last week in South Haven, Michigan. It was our first visit to South Haven (we usually go to Saugatuck), and I liked the beach in SH better and also the little downtown area. But the location of our cottage (which was cute enough) was a little off the beaten path. Also, it was not that far from Shantytown, USA, where people keep large, scary dogs chained in sheds that are nearly falling down. Who knew? Actually, the thing I think I've realized about South Haven is that it is poorer than Saugatuck, meaning the haves live pretty close to the have nots. Which is all well and good, but I like to avoid taking a leisurely walk past chained guard dogs when at all possible.

In any case (and random dog incidents aside), we had a lovely week in Michigan, as is almost always the case any time we take a vacation that does not involve boarding aircraft. Why that is, I couldn't explain. I suspect the children have something to do with that as Dean and I had no issues enjoying vacations involving aircraft before thing #1 and thing #2 were born. Just saying. Our vacation largely consisted of time at the beach, swimming, playing in the sand, eating, and reading/relaxing. Nothing to do, nowhere to go. Lovely. We bought the girls boogie boards on day 2 or day 3, and they had a grand time riding the waves. Ella has been a proficient swimmer for a few years now, but Sadie has really blossomed this summer, and she spent more time in the lake on this trip than on previous trips.

Moe accompanied us on our little expedition, and he did very well, especially when you consider what a big baby he is (but we still love him to pieces). He didn't eat much, and he did pee in the house at one point (that was largely our fault, as poor Moe made it very clear he was ready for a walk, and we took too long--apparently--to make it happen), but he held his own. He is beyond thrilled to have returned home, though, and celebrated by knocking over the garbage and eating chicken bones the morning after we got back. It's so funny--it's like he thinks he's a dog or something. (Sorry. I'm turning into one of those people who could talk about their dog for hours.)

My in-laws joined us for the first few days of the trip, and we all enjoyed their company. My mother-in-law planned and cooked dinner for the nights they were there, which was such a treat, and they also took the girls out on a date night, which the girls really enjoyed (and which enabled Dean and me to go out to dinner on our own!). There was a little incident on the first day of vacation in which Sadie's bike got run over, and I thought it was a rather inauspicious start to the trip, but Sadie got a brand-new bike the very next day, and the rest of the trip went off without a hitch.

South Haven is a pretty dog-friendly town--at least as compared to LGP. Moe was allowed at the park (not true in LGP), and since he is now off his heartworm exercise restriction (yay!), he got a few really long walks for the first time since he's lived with us. We took him to downtown South Haven when we went for ice cream, and so many people commented on what a nice dog he was (and nice-looking, too!). I was reminded, once again, what a lousy fit Lucy was for our family. There's no way we could have brought her to the crowded streets of downtown South Haven, with random kids approaching from left to right. Moe handled all the attention like a champ. He also got souvenirs in the form of fancy dog treats from two separate posh dog stores (one was in Saugatuck). It's a good thing he's such a nice dog because some lady had her dogs unleashed in her yard when we went for a walk, and this little yippy thing came running out at us. Of course, Moe didn't bark or even bat an eye at the dog, who was going nuts. It took the woman so long to come and collect her dog that I started to wonder what to do. I didn't want to walk away and have the dog follow us. On the other hand, why was her dog just loose? And didn't she know? She finally came after a long five or ten minutes (seriously!) and didn't even apologize. If Moe were a different kind of dog, we could have ended up in the middle of a dog fight, and I had the girls with me. This is the second or third time since we got Moe that we've had dogs come up to us unleashed and without owners. What gives?

Speaking of dog incidents, Dean saw a woman (whose dog had run away from her and into the street) PUNCH her dog in the face over and over. Of course, the girls were with him and were horrified. What is wrong with people?

Anyhow, rather than bore you with the day-by-day replay (or with anymore dog stories), here are some things I learned while on vacation:

The dual-screen in-car DVD player is worth its weight in gold, but it's only as effective as the movie inside it (to wit: Ponyo bought us two whole hours of silence, but Chicken Run gave way to "Are we there yet?" within 20 minutes).
Sometimes, the very best days at the beach are the overcast, slightly cool days.
You can bring a child to water/sand, but you still can't make her play on her own (I'm looking at you, Ella!).
Go Fish! is a lot more fun when played on the beach.
Plastic cups and a frisbee can stand in just fine when you forget the sand toys.
Always ask everyone whether or not they need to go to the bathroom before heading to the beach. Even if you do this, you will inevitably have to make one (or more) trips to the bathroom.
Ramona and Beezus had a baby sister named Roberta, which I totally do not remember. (Ella is reading the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary right now.)
A gourmet meal has nothing on Little Caesars eaten on the riverfront.
Sometimes the best vacations are the simplest vacations.

Here are a few pics: