As Good as it Gets

Have you ever had a perfect day? You know, one of those days you'd like to replay and live over and over again? Well -- today was one of those days! Our friends, Tom and Judy, celebrated their 41st wedding anniversary, and invited Mr. Jones and I to share the day with them!

We left Grand Rapids around 11:00 this morning and headed out to St. Joseph. I have never been there before, but Tom and Judy actually lived here for awhile early in their marriage. I had heard the lighthouse here was pretty special; but after seeing it today, that is a major understatement. I think it is everything a lighthouse ought to be, and more!

I took 225 pictures today! Oh my! I PROMISE not to post them all -- but I picked out 25+ to show you. Go ahead, have a look!

This is Tom and Judy!
The south pier light ...
This is the inner light ...
The inner light is two-story, steel-sided,
with a red hip roof.
An octagon tower goes up another two stories
and is topped by a black iron parapet
and walkway ...
The outer light is a 30' tall steel structure ...
Looking down the St. Joseph River ...
It's location in the 1830's was recognized
as strategic to shipping.
Legend has it that early in the 1800's
the family of a Captain Pickering would hang lanterns
in the second story windows of their Lake Michigan home
upon the expected arrival of his ship
to help guide him into the harbor ... "For God, who said,
'Let there be light in the darkness,'
has made us understand that this light is the brightness
of the glory of God that is seen
in the face of Jesus Christ." 2 Corinthians 4:6

In 1832 a lighthouse was built up on a bluff
on the mainland -- 14 years later a wood pier was added
and a new light was built at the end of the pier ...
There weren't many boats out today ...
This is a Ruddy Turnstone!
I bet you thought it was just a plain bird!
Judy is a serious ornithologist (bird watcher)
and knows a ton of stuff about birds and their habitat.
This little guy was real friendly with a man
who was fishing on the pier -- isn't he cute?And THIS is a Juvenile Herring Gull
(the bird that isn't flying) -- beautiful, eh?
The wind and waves were awesome today!
What a sight ...
I could have stayed forever ...
There are beautiful sand dunes here too.
I took a long walk through the beach grass,
got my shoes full of sand,
and got a pretty good workout!
Handsome Mr. Jones tolerated the day
(no trains), and allowed me
to indulge my passion of Lake Michigan
and lighthouses in general!

Judy's health limits her walking on
uneven surfaces, but she enjoyed looking
for birds and spotted one she hadn't ever seen before
(although I forget what kind it was).
The warning signs say there is no lifeguard
on duty ... duh!
There is a nice walkway along the channel
that allows some different views of the lighthouse ...

See the train bridge?
The entire thing pivots to allow ships to pass through ...
This is the bridge turning to allow a ship to pass ...
(taken from up on the ridge overlooking the lake)
And oh my! A train depot!

Isn't this just the prettiest place?
There are all kinds of war memorials up
on this bluff: for Vietnam, Korea, WWII --
and this cannon, aimed right at Racine, Wisconsin ...
is there something Homeland Security isn't telling us about?
Hmmm ...

Mr. Jones says it was put here to prevent
Wisconsin and Minnesota from invading Michigan!

Fall colors were at their peak today I think ...
I didn't get many pictures of the brilliant golds
coppers and reds ... I was more focused
on the Lake and the lighthouse ...

We ate a late lunch at Clementine's on the River.
Mr. Jones, Judy and I had the fried lake perch
(my favorite, remember?)
and Tom had a nice-looking steak.
We enjoyed good fellowship, nice conversation,
wonderful food -- who could ask for anything more?

I think this side of heaven
this is just about as good as it gets!

After lunch, we went shopping in downtown St. Joseph --
what a great shopping district they have!

I bought some cute trinkets for my beach room
at the local 5 & 10 store, along with some cool
cookie cutters and a lighthouse ornament for our
Christmas tree!

We took the scenic route, up the Blue Star Hwy
to Holland and then on home.
What a beautiful drive it was!
What a perfect day!

Congratulations to Tom and Judy
on their 41st wedding anniversary!