David comes to town ...

It's been since early last November that my brother David came to Grand Rapids. He lives too far away to travel back and forth very often, so when he comes up from Florida it is a special treat. David is my baby brother, my only surviving brother as well. I love him dearly. He plays the piano beautifully, so I asked him for a bit of a serenade one of the nights he was here. So wonderful.

 Every time David comes, Grand Haven is our destination of choice (naturally). This was my first excursion out to the shore since .... last November! WHY?!!!! I'm not exactly sure. Time. Business. Work. 

 I have never seen my little lighthouse looking quite so forlorn. And never in my life have I ever seen the pier with hacked up cement.

 We couldn't even walk on it this year!!!!

 And just in case anyone would ignore a "No Trespassing" sign (WHO would do that?!!!), they fenced off the area and made it nearly impossible to ... trespass.

 We were trying to figure out what the barge and crane were up to and decided that they are hauling away broken up concrete (duh).

 It is still a beautiful sight/site isn't it? We decided to cross around to the other side of the channel, on the Ferrysburg side so that we could get some better pictures ...

 The last time I was on the north shore, disaster hit my face by way of a fall and SEVEN stitches later I was all put back together ...

 I was less of a klutz today and actually stayed on my two feet. Mom was with us and since it was quite warm and sunny outside, she waited for us in the safety and comfort of her car. It was wonderful to be out in Grand Haven even just for one short afternoon.

 My little house had a few projects going on and David was extremely instrumental in my front porch renovation. LOOK AT IT! Isn't it beautiful? It is not quite finished yet, but it is well on its way.

This used to be an ugly wooden deck covered in even uglier army GREEN indoor/outdoor carpeting that caught every single seedling and leaf and refused to allow me to sweep it off the porch. 

I rarely, if ever, sat outside on my front porch because it was just TOO UGLY!! My artistic sensibilities were offended every time I stuck my head out my front door.

 I now have completely maintenance-free decking and railings and balusters! My friend and contractor, Jim, just has to finish off the end-caps and install my new screen door and voila! Finished and beautiful!

If David had not been here, I would have re-painted those rotten wooden railings for one more year; but he encouraged me to think further ahead and do this instead. Thank you, David! Also, he did half a dozen projects around my little place and took care of some real annoying broken stuff around The Beach House. So thankful.

But apart from renovations and projects, it was just beyond wonderful to have this visit from David. He was able to stay at my place, so we enjoyed breakfasts together every morning. We would visit with Nana during the daytime and then end up back at The Beach House for the evenings. We watched many a good movie, enjoyed each other's company, got caught up on family stories, etc. He has returned now to his life in Florida and is truly missed. Love you, dear David.