[unplugged] summer vacation recap.

vacation in one word: fantastic.
vacation in one picture: impossible.

milwaukee  ::  celebrate my cousin's daughter's birthday with dinner out, ice cream cake and presents  \   home decor talk  \  cozy introduction to duncan, their mild-mannered newfoundland dog  \  the 6.00a lake express car ferry across lake michigan to muskegon

ludington  ::  walk the sand dunes and bury my niece's legs  \  climb and jump off a giant and steep sandy hill  \  boat ride down hamlin lake to view some large lake houses  \  runs through the woods  \  counting games, the abc's song, rounds of "rock-a-bye, baby"  \  badminton  \  blueberry picking  \  quiet time to read and write  \  visits to the local ice cream dairy  \  games like apples to apples and the great dalmuti  \  fishing at dusk and amazing sunsets  \  lots and lots of great food
   

the farm  ::  "goats!" my younger niece's obsession  \  bbq with old neighbours and friends  \  more apples to apples and the great dalmuti  \  lots of goat time with my nieces  \  evening walk to the local soft-serve ice cream bar  \  big smiles and waves from my youngest nephew  \  feeding the fish  \  scooping a ten pound catfish out of the pond that my brother hooked  \  more rounds of "rock-a-bye, baby"  \  home-cooked delicious piles of food and pies and other sweet goodness  \  hang time with my sister  \  gathering the family for a casual family photo  \  heat, humidity, and an incredible thunder and lightning storm  \  deep breaths of the fresh country air and sunshine

and now i'm back in california--back to life, back to reality. the smells of nostalgia from the cottage and farm linger in my clothes and bags. such happiness and joy. i wish we were all still there together...

all photos taken with the instagram iphone app and earlybird filter.