Cherries and whatnot

I'm a bit behind. We've been very busy. I have a lot to catch up on, so I'll start with July.

For the Fourth of July, we went to Greenfield Village for fireworks and a concert. 

We also did sparklers in our yard, which Henry loved. He called them "dancing with Mom and Dad."

For my birthday weekend, we took a trip to Traverse City.

We climbed the famous Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes. Henry ran up and rolled down then climbed up then slid back down over and over, all while giggling.

We also visited North Bar Beach, a wonderful, shallow stretch of beach connecting Lake Michigan and a smaller, warmer lake. 

Not that water temperature mattered much. Henry preferred to stand on the sand and throw things in the lake.

We stayed with a couple who volunteered to watch Henry one night so Ben and I could go out. We chose an Italian restaurant nominated for a James Beard award and famous for its farm-to-table cooking. In other words, it was delicious.

We also went to an ice cream shop set right on the farm where they keep their dairy cows. Henry enjoyed licking his ice cream while watching the "moos"

Traverse City is quite famous for their cherries. While we were there, we had them in burgers, bruschetta, and a few other things I never would have thought to put cherries on. We also went cherry picking. Soooo tasty. And I'm always just kind of apathetic toward cherries.

Across the street from the cherry orchard was a raspberry farm. Henry ate faster than we could pick. This trip has reaffirmed my desire to own an orchard. Who knew I was such a country girl?