“You will never be completely at home again, because part of your heart always will be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place.” – Miriam Adeney

Ever since we were kids we went up to Northern Michigan and visited family and stayed on Pickerel Lake. Once we moved to Texas this tradition died out a little bit but was reignited when my older sister and her then boyfriend started going again with my dad. Soon after we jumped into the tradition again and have been going and renting a cabin on Pickerel Lake right down the street from my Uncle’s cabin who is now occupied by my cousin Kim. So for the last 10 or so years we have been renting this same cabin. Fortunately, this summer my dad was able to purchase the cabin and we will continue the tradition of “summering” in Northern Michigan. We found out about the purchase on the 5th of July last year and immediately started making plans to visit in the fall as well.

Over the fourth of July, the cabin is usually filled with tons of friends and family who came into town for the fourth. It is amazing that everyone is able to get away from their busy lives and take some time to enjoy the beautiful weather and sights of Pickerel Lake. Our time up there is typically dedicated to grilling and enjoying about 100 summer shandy’s while we sit by the lake and laugh. We gather at my cousin Kim’s fire pit in the evenings a lot for s’mores and chatter until we can no longer keep our eyes open. The sun sets around 11 pm in the summer so after a full day we collapse into bed with all of our energy drained. The mornings are filled with fishing on the pontoon while some stay back and enjoy the sunrise with coffee. Needless to say, this is the week I look forward to all year long. I hope this is a tradition that continues my whole life. Here are some pics from the week of the fourth.

Here is an overload of pictures. Some from fishing, some sunsets, the Alanson parade, boating, the fourth of July, fire pit nights, and more.

After my dad purchased the cabin, we made immediate plans to come back and visit. We were able to set a trip up for October. It was a short trip but it felt so good to be there in the fall. We helped my dad do some work with the cabin but also managed to have fun too. We went to Beards Brewery in downtown Petoskey and also the Apple Festival over in Charlevoix. It is absolutely beautiful in the fall with all of the colors and the leaves changing.

Thanks for reading! Until the next post! 🙂