What's stained red with sand all over?

So...
What's stained red with sand all over?

Us, of course!

*we had a phenomenal 4th of July trip to Michigan*

Cherries ready for the picking you say? Oh... we'll be right over with all of our helpers!

Oh Sweet Cherry! If only I could write a poem to thee! Thy sweet dark red flesh which stained all of our lips and only some clothes....

Although they were dwarf trees with plenty of juicy cherries in easy picking range for all the cousins the Daddies got a second job- that of Daddy Ladder.

Here's Grandpa picking cherries...row after row of gorgeous cherry trees just loaded with beautiful, ripe and very tasty cherries. Naturally we had to do quality control on the cherries. You know...just to make sure. :)

We (Ava, Annika, Mark and I) picked 28 lbs of cherries! Whew!

*I'm now getting ready to make sweet cherry pie with almond crust. We did make a lovely cherry ice cream sweetened with honey and Grandma's lovely homemade cherry liquor.

This is what some of us did after our cherry picking event......

Most of us got to enjoy the small fireworks show Mark put on for us. The mosquitoes started devouring us and Annika and I (I would have stayed out but I didn't want Annika to feel alone) ran inside and tried to watch the fireworks from inside the house. I lost count of how many mosquito bites I ended up with...shudder. Benadryl was my friend that night! How on Earth am I going to handle all the mosquitoes in Alaska????? I guess I'd better get used to using bug dope. Blech.

And here's what we did on Sunday just before we started our tedious drive back home.....

Jumped into freezing Lake Michigan!

Yes friends...it was CCCCOLD! Still...we couldn't resist a swim. At least the sandy beach was warm. Actually....once your body started to get numb to the cold water it wasn't all that bad swimming around in the lake. I don't think any of the kids did any real swimming....mostly jumping into and right back out of the water. Crazy Astrid and Mark...we did go swimming! It took a long time for the feeling to come back into my toes. Hmmm...perhaps that's not a good thing.

Grand Haven Lighthouse in the background. Mile after mile of gorgeous sandy beach! Luckily we got to the beach just before the Crowds arrived. Just as it was getting too crowded it was time for use to leave. Talk about perfect timing!
First stop after the beach? Ice cream at Skoops! Annika's mint chocolate chip ice cream has eyeballs! I inhaled a Moose sundae with peanut butter cups and hot fudge and peanut butter sauce....

The cousins enjoying their ice cream cones. Some cousins were mostly wearing their ice cream instead of eating it...(that would be Ava and Henry)

Cherries, fireworks, mosquitoes, lovely gardens, watching movies at the movie theater (what a novel concept!), Grandpa's fabulous smoked ribs, Grandma's potato salad & beans, homemade cherry ice cream, sandy beaches and wonderful family= Unforgetable Fabulouso Memories!