Three Kids and a Dog: Happy July!

We welcomed in July in Michigan this year and celebrated the 4th (somehow I got no pictures of that day but I did manage to get some before and after the 4th!).

Friends came to visit for our usual 4th of July weekend albeit a bit different this year because of the way the holiday fell and some were affected by testing positive for COVID so couldn't come at all. Still some came on Saturday and some had to leave on the 4th but we still managed to get in some good beach days and lots of eating and drinking (I'm in detox now) and games (including mini golf).

Frederik Meijer Gardens

After our friends all departed, we enjoyed another two days by ourselves where we crossed off some of the things we've been meaning to do each summer in Michigan. One was visiting the Frederik Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids. We were so impressed we ended up buying a season pass that we can also use at the Morton Arboretum and other conservatories in the country. We explored their children's garden where we hunted for all the statues and learned a lot about the Great Lakes which was replicated in the garden. Hailey said she learned that if your feet were 924 feet long you could touch the deepest part of Lake Michigan.

We then ventured to some of the adult areas and saw a replica of Leonardo DaVinci's horse statue that also sits in Milan, Italy. It is quite large!

Luckily for us that evening also featured a concert in their amphitheater so we got to enjoy a picnic dinner on the lawn and some great music (one guy sounded a lot like Chris Stapleton - Tom was very happy about that!).

The next day, we booked a boat ride on one of South Haven's tall ships (also used for pirate rides). It was a bit windy that day so the waves were a bit bigger causing Hailey to suffer some sea sickness especially after going downstairs to check out the sleeping quarters and galley kitchen. But the cool air and one of the deck hands' suggestions to look at the horizon helped her feel better.

We packed a lot into an extra long weekend but once again made some memories in SoHa!