South Haven & Saugatuck

 For Day 2 of our Michigan trip, I planned for us to explore the small beach towns along Lake Michigan.  First up was South Haven.  It was only a short drive from the KOA we were staying at, but boy was it worlds apart.  Our KOA was situated in poorer, rural community called Covert.  But just ten minutes away was South Haven...a pristine little world that seemed to be trapped in a bubble.  Beaches, a lighthouse, a harbor filled with boats, large houses sitting on the water's edge and finely manicured/landscaped lawns.  Sadly, South Haven's main beach was the first of many beaches that day with large signs demanding that dogs not set foot on the beach.  However, we were allowed to take Cheese for a walk along the harbor and out to the lighthouse.
 

 South Haven

South Haven lighthouse

 The harbor

 Another view of the lighthouse (I wasn't too wowed, but at least we got to go for a little walk with Cheese)

I have no clue what these are supposed to be...

 Cheese, post-walk out the lighthouse.  It doesn't take much to tire out a basset!

 "Dude!  I'm chewing on a stick here.  That's just rude!"

After our little trek out to the lighthouse we decided to take a little break, mainly because Cheese refused to walk anymore, by the harbor.  The landscaping around the harbor was insane.  Everything was so green and perfect.  We rested for a bit there as walkers and joggers passed us and made their way towards the lighthouse and the beach.  Finally, after the Cheese-man decided he would move again, we made our way into the town center.  It was cute and had a small-town feel to it, yet it was filled with adorable little shops.  Unfortunately, when you have a dog in tow there's really no chance to shop or browse such little stores.  Well, unless it's a pet store.  In the middle of town we found a little boutique pet store.  Normally we aren't the type of people who frequent that sort of pet store...it's just too frou-frou for our taste.  But it was the only store that allowed dogs, so we couldn't pass it up!  The lady behind the counter was very nice and even gave Cheese a cheese-flavored treat.  We perused the store, jaws dropping at the price tags on various dog toys ($20-$30...eek!).  We decided that since it had been Cheese's first birthday the week before we had to get him something...

So, naturally, we got him a ridiculous dog treat in the shape of a big purple donut!  

 On the edge of town we noticed a little open-air farmer's market filled with fresh produce, baked goods (I might have drooled a little bit), soaps, and candles.

After a couple failed attempts trying to find a dog friendly beach in South Haven (read: 3 attempts), I was thoroughly frustrated and ready to make our way up the shoreline to Saugatuck.  When I was looking for places to visit in Michigan I had enough sense to research dog friendly restaurants.  And in my searching I stumbled across Hercules Bar & Grill in the little town of Saugatuck.  I wasn't sure what to expect since Urbanspoon called it "Hercules Hot Dogs" and said it had an outdoor patio that allowed dogs...and that was it.  Antoine and I were totally expecting a little hot dog stand with picnic tables.  Instead we were pleasantly surprised to find a lovely little outdoor patio tucked away like some sort of secret garden.  It had a relaxed and cool vibe about it, but on the inside the decor was sleek and modern.  The restaurant was not only dog friendly, but openly gay friendly, which was very nice to see.  They had both a full menu of entrees and a back menu with Greek inspired casual options.  Since we were in the patio and on a budget we went for the more casual/budget friendly menu.  I got an Italian beef sandwich and Antoine got a steak sandwich...both were very good!  Cheese was given a small bowl of water with ice cubes to cool him down, a nice little touch provided for K-9 customers.  All in all we were blown away; not only because Cheese actually behaved himself while we ate lunch (even with a little girl sitting just 5 feet away from him at the next table...he LOVES kids), but also by the good food and the welcoming attitude that Hercules offered. 

 The patio at Hercules.

After lunch we took a little walk around Saugatuck.  Like South Haven it was pristine in its appearance.  Beautiful little shops, a nice harbor full of boats and tree lined streets downtown, but we preferred Saugatuck over South Haven.  It wasn't just the fact we were able to have lunch with Cheese, but the town and the people in it were just more open and welcoming.  People stopped to say "hi" to Cheese, one guy even gave him a dog biscuit, and people seemed cheerier.  It seemed like a great place to get a room at a local bnb or rent a house and spend the weekend visiting/exploring.

More From Michigan

I hope you all had a lovely weekend.  It was a bit steamy for my liking.  In fact, since it was so hot yesterday and I refused (for as long as I could) to turn on the A/C Antoine and I spent most of our Memorial day watching tv and napping.  It was kind of pathetic, but what with the heat and our busy weekend it was nice just to relax and do nothing!

I'm still working my way through my pictures from Michigan.  Needless to say I took far too many pictures while we were on vacation (as usual) and about 70% of them were of Cheese.  I'm obsessed, what can I say! 

Anyway, we had left very early Friday morning for Michigan.  It was about five and a half hours to South Haven/Covert Michigan and we planned for frequent stops (what with the Cheese-man in tow).  We made good time, checked into our KOA (finding it relatively empty) and started setting up our tent.  We still had a good portion of the day left so we decided to drive about a half hour south to Grand Mere State Park.  While most beaches in Michigan do not allow dogs (a fact we discovered, sadly, after we arrived) I knew ahead of time that Grand Mere did allow dogs, through my research. Since we were on vacation prior to Memorial day, any parking at state parks like Grand Mere was free! 

The path leading to the beach was quite pretty.  Surrounded by bright green trees on both sides.  Unfortunately, getting to the beach wasn't the piece of cake we hoped for...instead we had to climb several INSANE sand dunes!  But, in the end, it was well worth it.

 The beach was a little foggy and chilly that day, but it was completely deserted!

 Poor Cheese was not a fan of the waves!  I guess that's a good thing, since Basset Hounds can't swim.

But, while he hated the waves he couldn't resist the allure of a good stick.  Even a massive one like this!

 This is what bliss must look like for a dog.

We enjoyed a nice 2 hour stroll on the beach before we decided to head back to our campground to make dinner and rest for the night.  Unfortunately, when it came to sleeping that night...things didn't go so well.  Our pump for our air mattress refused to charge, so we were left to sleep on the very cold, hard ground.  No worries though, on Day 2 we made a trip to the store and bought a manual pump that did the trick.

 

It was a long day of sleeping in the car, chewing on sticks and running away from waves for Cheese.

Stay tuned tomorrow for more Michigan goodness (aka more pictures of a cute basset).

Dancing Fire

 Because it's Friday and my brain feels a bit mushy...here's some pictures of our campfire from Michigan.  Antoine was trying to get a fire going so we could make dinner, but was having some trouble because the firewood was damp.  So, he started pouring lighter fluid onto the fire and it just looked so darn pretty that I had to take some pictures.
  

 

The Warm Fuzzies

In less than a month Antoine and I will be celebrating our anniversary.  We'll have been together for three full years (and a wonderful three years it has been).  We like to celebrate our anniversaries with a trip.  For the first anniversary, being the crazy (in love) people that we are we went to Jamaica.  Sandals resorts were having massive sales at the time and so we pounced!  It was magical, relaxing and lazy...the perfect first anniversary.  Last year we decided to scale it back a little and went to Louisville for the weekend.  Our trip to Louisville was also my first time camping.  I loved it!  It was relaxing and inexpensive.  So, this year we decided to do it again.

Originally we were thinking about going to Hocking Hills, since it's close and we really enjoyed our family trip there last year.  But then, all of a sudden last week I got this sudden urge to go to the beach.  Now, I'm definitely not what you'd call a "beach fanatic" but I enjoy having my feet in the sand and perusing for shells and beach glass among the surf.  Unfortunately, Ohio is a little too far away from Florida or the Carolinas for a weekend trip.  Plus, this time around we're taking Cheese camping with us so we want to keep the time we spend in the car to a minimum.  So, Michigan popped into my head.  I've never been there.  And you always see those commercials on tv advertising their beaches and whatnot.  "Michigan is the shit...please come and visit us, NOW!" [or something like that]  After a quick pitch to Antoine it was decided...we're going to Michigan, the South Haven/St. Joseph area to be specific.  Not only will this be our first official time taking Cheese camping (he's camped at my parents with us...but that doesn't count), but it'll be his first time experiencing a beach!  A basset hound at the beach...that's bound to be fun!  I foresee much sand caked onto his ears and lake drinking! And much picture taking by yours truly! 

The Reunion

I know what you're thinking...I totally glossed over the family reunion I just attended this past weekend! I'm sorry but I was a naughty girl and didn't take a single picture all weekend. I am ashamed! Please, try to refrain from throwing stones...I bruise easily (it's the fair skin, you know)! I felt like I had to have some evidence of the reunion if I was going to talk about it...so hence no in-depth analysis of the reunion...UNTIL NOW! (Can you tell I've had some coffee this morning?!)

Anyway...the reunion. It was good times and I got to see a lot of folks I haven't seen in ages and even some little folks I've never met before! See, my Dad's side of the family is big and Catholic (i.e. lots of weddings and baby showers to attend) and, for the most part, has money...so I see them, or most of them, every year or so. My Mom's family on the other hand, not so much. Half of the family lives here in the OH...including my grandparents and an aunt and uncle. The rest of the family lives in either New York or Missouri! My other aunt and uncle (the ones that live in NY) I see about once a year, since they visit regularly around Christmas. Their kids, on the other hand, I haven't seen in maybe 5 years or more (at the very least)! Crazy! And some those cousin's kids I've never even met before!

So, basically, what I'm trying to get across is that this reunion was long overdue (haha, book humor! Wait, why is no one else laughing!?)! Here's a picture of the whole gang that I so cleverly stole from my brother-in-law who was snapping away with his new snazzy camera this weekend:

Our little gang (i.e. my parents, sis, bro-in-law, Antoine and I) are on the right!

Also, allow me to clarify what my family means by "reunion". Sure, some families might thinks this involves having t-shirts printed up and group outings and activities...oh no, not to the Bruce's! For us it's gathering at my uncle's house, not too far from Lake Erie, and basically just chillaxing! It involves lots of food, a camp fire, maybe a game or two, and (in this case) lots of booze! There was beer, bourbon slushes (provided by my sis and bro-in-law) and spiked punch (made by yours truly...and again almost solely consumed by yours truly). There was also fishing and playing in the creek by the young hooligans! And even an impromptu haircut from my Aunt Sharon for my Mom! It was good times, and after about 7 or so hours of food, drink (which I proceeded to spill on my jeans halfway through the night! And yes, I was slightly inebriated...I'm not going to lie!) and family I was completely exhausted! Luckily my Dad played designated driver and Antoine and I were able to nap on the way back to my parent's house!

Oh, also, I hid behind a plate...

...it sounds more provocative than it actually is! My brother-in-law was attempting to snap a sweet picture of Antoine and I, but I rebelled and hid behind this plate! I'm crafty like that!!

And here's a super sweet picture of Cheese sleeping on his new bed at Mom and Dad's!

*Like I said, all pictures in this post were craftily stolen from my brother-in-law! Muahahaha! I'm so very evil, can't you tell!?!

Louisville Recap: Day Four

Sadly, Monday (aka Day Four) was the day we had to leave our campground and Louisville to head back to Cincinnati. The disassembly of the tent went surprisingly well and before we knew it our car was all packed up. While packing though Antoine and I were feverishly trying to decide where to go for breakfast. Sure, we could stop at a Mickey D's and get some Mcmuffin-thingy, but that's McDonald's are around every corner and we were craving something exclusive to Louisiville! Truth is, we knew what we were craving...and we knew we would need to drive through Louisville to get back home anyway. So, technically, it wouldn't be too out of our way to go back to Lynn's for breakfast! Would anyone really judge us if we did...I mean, you saw the pictures...that food! And it tastes better than it looks! So knowing that, at the very least, we wouldn't judge each other for wanting to go back...it was off to Lynn's Paradise Cafe yet again!

It wasn't nearly as crowded this time. However the same girl was manning the hostess station as the day before so we weren't too surprised when she said, "Hey, weren't you guys here yesterday?" When we bashfully replied, "yeah", we all had a little chuckle and she welcomed us back!

On our second visit our seats were more "front and center" and I was able to get some pictures of the dining area. The day before we were seated in the corner of the restaurant...not ideal for picture taking!

Don't you just love how crazy it is on the inside!? Trees in the middle of the dining room! Vibrant paintings and artwork throughout! Even giant mirrors clustered at the center of the bar area.

Antoine anxiously awaiting breakfast!

Antoine's biscuits and gravy, which he obviously didn't finish because it was such a massive portion...but a delicious massive portion!

I couldn't help myself, I just had to get the scrambler special that Antoine had gotten the day before! It was just too tasty! The only difference was that I asked for homefries instead of fried green tomatoes, because I don't like tomatoes. I end up only managing to finish my eggs and most of my homefries. I buttered and jammed the biscuits and took them to-go for an afternoon snack...YUM!

Again, we were unable to resist the mesmerizing powers of Lynn's gift shop and we had to buy something!! Antoine bought us these little zombie finger puppets and a little tin of bacon flavored mints to share with his friends at work. (Sidenote: the guy zombie (pictured on the left) is now missing his right hand, as one of the cats (probably Guillermo) got a hold of him and decided to bite it off! I'm starting to wonder if the cats aren't zombies!?)

The outside of Lynn's is littered with fun, brightly colored animal statues. Here's some that I missed the day before! If only moose were silver with hot pink zebra stripes...that would make them even more awesome than they already are!

Cute little turquoise dinosaur that reminds me of Baby.

Here's a building just down the street from Lynn's...it's an art supply store (go figure!).

After leaving Lynn's we were on our way back to the highway when we spotted an antique mall and figured what the hey, let's stop in and check it out! It was a pretty substantial antique mall with a ton of awesome junk, but in the end we decided to get these bowling pin salt and pepper shakers! Apparently, now we are collecting salt and pepper shakers! But please, do NOT get us salt and pepper shakers for Christmas, birthdays, or just because...we don't want to be THOSE people!

So, that was Louisville! I had such a great time and was sad to leave (except I did miss Gui really bad! He, however, didn't miss me as much!). Antoine and I will definitely be going back and visiting again in the future! There's so much to do in Louisville and it's such a fun, artsy city, which I wasn't expecting! It's very clean and the people are friendly! The downtown is far superior to downtown Cincinnati, for sure! And, the super bonus, it's only a two hour drive way! And if you drive a little bit farther...you get whiskey/bourbon...for FREE! Can't beat that!

Louisville Recap: Day Two

Day one of our Louisville trip was a success. We got to sip some bourbon and see the Kentucky countryside. Luckily we were able to set up the tent without a hitch, and just before the rain came...

So, what did I think of my first night officially camping? Not bad! Setting up the tent was pretty easy, as was inflating the air mattress. Keeping the air mattress inflated was a different story. Due to a hole in the mattress (that we didn't find until the last night) the air mattress would completely deflate after about three hours or so. So every couple hours we'd wake up on the stiff ground, get up, and inflate the mattress again. Not the most enjoyable experience, but we managed. All other aspects of camping were awesome! Outside, under the stars. The rain wasn't too bad and our campground was clean and fairly quiet. Plus we managed to get one of the more secluded spots in the campground, away from all the RVs and brood of children!

Day two started off bright at early. After our showers, we headed 30 minutes north to downtown Louisville. As planned we went to Proof on Main for breakfast.

Proof is the restaurant located in the 21c hotel. I think when Antoine and I go back to Louisville this is where we'll be staying. It's kind of pricey, but I think it's worth the price. 21c hotel is a boutique hotel that houses a fairly large museum full of contemporary art and a restaurant (Proof) that displays featured exhibits as well. Plans are in the works to put a 21c hotel in downtown Cincinnati (and in Austin, as well).

For breakfast at Proof I got the hazelnut french toast (pictured above)...YUM! Antoine got the biscuits and gravy which was also quite tasty!

After breakfast we explored the hotel's art museum. I was surprised by how extensive it was. There was an excellent blend of various types of art: interactive, pop art, photographs, black light, mixed media, etc.

Following our delicious breakfast and our tour of 21c's museum we made our way over to the Louisville Slugger museum just down the street.

We lucked out again (like at Maker's) and happened to be there on a day that bats were in production. It was an interesting tour and I think Antoine really enjoyed it!

Next up, the Belle of Louisville...

One of the last remaining original river steamboats still in operation. We took a sightseeing tour; they also offer lunch and dinner cruises (but I had read on trip advisor that the food wasn't very good).

It was a nice, fairly sunny day...as evident from the sunburn I got while standing in line to board.

It was a relaxing two hour ride along the river. We managed to get two seats at the back of the boat under the shade. The sights, besides for the city skyline, weren't that great, but it was relaxing.

Louisville skyline

After the Belle of Louisville we started walking toward the Kentucky Museum of Arts and Crafts, the next stop on our list, when we spotted a sign at the Kentucky Center for a Swell Season concert that night. The price of tickets was a bit high, but as we were leaving we noticed this...

An Art-o-Mat! I had heard about these; old, retired cigarette machines that have been transformed into one-of-a-kind art machines. (Our conservator had told me about them, and mentioned that a fellow book artist in Cincinnati attempted to start up her own that sold one-of-a-kind miniature books, but sadly her attempts were unsuccessful).

Discovering this was probably my favorite unplanned happening of our trip! For $5 you could buy your own piece of art that came in a cigarette sized box! I, of course, could not pass this up!

We chose this little guy, listed as a lavendar scented Wee Monster by Anne Thalheimer. I think these Art-o-Mats are such a great idea. After pursuing their website, I discovered that that is the only art-o-mat in Kentucky and sadly enough, there's only one in Ohio (and it's not in Cincinnati)! I think Cincinnati really need to get one, so I can come buy some art every week!

Next up was the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft. I think this might have been my favorite non-food related planned activity of our trip! The museum was cheap...$5 for adults and free to students (confession: Antoine and I still have our student ids and we use them to get student prices...we're bad people, I know!). Anyway, the museum has a cool gift shop filled with lots of goodies and two levels of exhibit space.

There were several exhibits involving glass, including glass sculptures, glass vessels, and...

...glass jewelry.

Then there was an additional exhibit of the handprinted art of Cricket Press. There were about 70+ handprinted gig-posters and art prints created by the duo at Cricket Press. I had never heard of them before, but immediately fell in love with their style!

These two were two of my favorites, although it was difficult to narrow it down with some many interesting prints! I wanted one so badly (and still do)!

After the Art and Craft museum we started walking down Main St. toward Glassworks (our next stop) when we saw a group of people gathered around this large disco ball thing...

It turned out to be part of the Louisville Science Center. We decided to pass on the Science Center (we had Glassworks on the mind), but we still had a little fun before leaving!

Too much fun!

By the time we made it to Glassworks they had already started their last tour of the day, but we were able to go into a room adjacent to the gift shop and view the glassblowing studio through a window. A couple of people were blowing glass vases while we were there and it was so fun to watch.

The gift shop was also pretty interesting, with a variety of glass items for sale, from earrings to sculptures! Beautiful and pricey!

After a long, hot day walking around Louisville, Antoine and I were ready to go back to the campground and relax on a blanket in the grass. Plus, by that time I had a major headache and was in desperate need of some Advil and a pudgy pie or two.

First up, Antoine made some pizza pudgy pies...yum!

Then some delicious blueberry pudgy pies...complete with powdered sugar!! Delicious, and a perfect way to end a great day!

Stayed tuned for Day Three tomorrow!