We spend all year long working and working and working to earn money to pay for our homes, cars, food, etc.- all the while holeing away a few dollars here and there so that the minute we get a few days to not have to work we can run away from everything we work all year to pay for.
Enters vacation.
In case I have only said it 299 times- I LOVE SOUTH HAVEN MICHIGAN. It is not a vacation destination for everyone mind you. It is fairly simple, kind of run down in spots, the beach is actually just lake michigan, and the restaurants are just normal spots (except this new mexican joint that popped up since we've been there- and although trendy and cool the food was a bit too froo froo for us so we busted it and ate on the Idler instead- geesh).
The whole point is that the very instant we enter this town, every time, I try and figure out how we can move there. Where we will live, what school the kids will go to, what house we will purchase, it just feels like home to me. It makes me happy. This trip, I end up as the cleaning lady at the Jensen's Hotel and Dan earns his portion of our living collecting cans and bottles for recycling along the beach. I also home school. Oh- and we open a fru fru pizza shop downtown (similar to Jockamo's- only exactly the same so now I have to go about stealing their recipes and stuff) and we live in the little apartment that is above it.
And we have a boat of course and we go out on it every single day and our children can surf.
Somehow or another though, it always becomes the end of our week and I have to abandon our 'new life' and come home as just the ups maintenance guy and some partime office girl wanna be who stays home mostly with her children and misses deadlines and screws everything up and overcommits.
I'm starting a new jar for saving money though- and it is going to be for our house in Michigan. There was a little ditty right on the beach that was for sale- a mere 1.29 million (as in dollars)- we'll take one like that only cheaper. So- you know- basically Greenfield IN is as close to the beach as we will probably ever get.
Except once or twice a year when we 'move' to South Haven for a few days.
We started going there when I was a kid- probably like 15ish. My sister- she got robbed because she was all grown and moved out- so it was just me mom and dad.
And once we went that first time- I don't think there was a year we didn't go back.
Dan even proposed marriage to me on the beach there.
The beach that this time was closed due to Ecoli. Ecoli Beach- formerly South Beach.
Not the beach that my pictures are from though- nooooo- those are from all the way on the other side of the light house on North Beach- that beach wasn't closed. So we probably all have Ecoli now. But it was worth it. It really saddened me though- to see that LAKE MICHIGAN had to close a beach due to the stuff in the water. Eventually we humans will manage to destroy the entire earth- I'm sure of it.
Wish I could turn this picture- but you'll just have to tilt your head for now.
I miss it already- and I already can't wait to go back. 
But for the meantime- I have bags to unpack and clothes to wash. Not many though- as evidenced in this photo- we basically just wore our swim suits the entire time and threw on yoga pants and a tank top when it was time to go out for meals. Then we'd whip them off and get back in the water (either the beach or our hotel pool). I never once 'did' my hair or put on makeup.
Us Gobles- we're classy.
2 comments:
Sounds like a perfect vacation to me.
Good morning, Mynde -- you were 13 when we stumbled onto South Haven. The original plan was for you and I to go to the ocean over by the Carolinas (your dad, being the workaholic he was, didn't want to take a vacation and so when I told him I was going 'cause I had to see the ocean, he asked if Lake Michigan would do and I said 'yes' for it was a miracle he was wanting to go anywhere). And so, I planned a fabulous week long trip to the Dunes so we would be on a beach and away we went. My Triple A recommended choice was in a frumpy motel (had no idea) about 3 miles from the Dunes and I was SOOO disappointed. Your dad said let's just drive on north along the lake and see what we find -- so we drove.......and we drove....and getting onto evening, decided to stop at the first motel we saw which was the '50th on the LakeMotel' complete with 25cent vibrating beds, velvet pictures on the walls, Red Baron pizza which they would microwave for you and sand all over the bathroom!! I threw a fit and said we weren't staying there and they refunded our money and pointed us toward a town 'about 15 minutes up that road through the woods'. And so, off we went. Your Dad was looking tired and grumpy, borderline yelling, I was almost in tears for my dream had been shattered and all seemed to be lost when we drove into a street with well kept Victorian houses, flowers etc. and as we followed the street it drove right out onto South Beach and God said SURPRISE!! For there was my pictured in my head dream beach.......the sun was setting behind the lighthouse, there were whitecaps on the waves -- the seagulls were flying and swooping and We Were 'Home'!!
It seemed to be a thing of destiny and I am so glad it is as special to you as it always was to me. The one place in the whole world where your Dad would allow himself to play and relax and ohhhh so many wonderful memories.
Loved your pics:)
Mom
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