Happier than happy ...

I am finally able to upload more pictures from Saturday night in Muskegon!
Mr. Jones and I walked around the beach for awhile before meeting up with our friends. We walked all the way to the end of the pier as well. Most of my pictures from there didn't turn out though. I was shooting into the sun and I really do not know how to do that very well! Most of the pictures are too dark and they just aren't very pretty at all.
I do like this shot, though, peeking through the life saver to the South Pierhead Light.

This is our friend's boat. Have you ever taken notice of the what folk name their boats? Growing up, our boats were named after my sister (Ruthanne) and me. So, all of our boats were named Carol Anne (and then Carol Anne II, and then Carol Anne III). Ruthanne and I were not crazy about the name because there were so many more creative or beautiful names out there to choose from! I've always liked Zephyr which means a "gentle breeze." But I've seen some really hilarious names as well ... I can't think of any at this moment to share with you! Our friend's boat is named JohnThree3. Tim, the owner of the boat, said that John 3:3 was the passage of Scripture that convicted him to turn from his sin and follow Christ! "I assure you, unless you are born again, you can never see the Kingdom of God." So when Tim is asked why he named his boat this odd name, he can share his faith. Good thinking!

Mr. Jones and I had been invited to come out early afternoon ~ but both of us had other separate plans, so we didn't arrive in Muskegon until 6:00 in the evening. However, several of our friends were able to make it there by about 3:00 in the afternoon and Tim took everyone sailing. They said the water was quite rough and they got caught in the wind and rain (I would have loved it!) and some folk were a little seasick.The wind had almost completely died down by the time we arrived; so our boat ride was under motor instead of sail. I wasn't complaining though! Just to be out on the lake in a boat this beautiful was just so wonderful ~ I was completely ecstatic! Their boat is docked at a marina off from Lake Muskegon; but very close to the channel that dumps out into Lake Michigan. The picture above is the Muskegon US Coast Guard station. The property is all fenced off with "No Tresspassing" signs ... so it's difficult to get certain angles of this lighthouse ~ the South Pierhead light ~ further down the pier ... see it? It is 53 feet in height. And then the South Breakwater Light is the one at the farthest point ...

These are the two lighthouses that I took beautiful winter pictures of almost exactly six months ago! What a difference to see them in the summer AND by boat!

This is the South Breakwater Light, which is approximately 70 feet in height. There are a bunch of people at the end of the pier all waving at us! What a cool thing to be the recipient of everyone's greetings. The sun was fast disappearing at this point ... when it sets, it really goes down quickly!

"You are a people belonging to God,
that you might declare the praises of Him
who called you out of the darkness
into His wonderful LIGHT." 1Peter 2:9

The sky remained all of these beautiful colors long after the sun had set though! How nice!
We got a little tossed about by other boats going by. I was standing on the bow taking pictures as fast as my camera would allow ... the woman in the foreground here is Kim (wife of Tim).

I was hoping we could see a BIG ship come down the channel ... some other time perhaps ...
Aren't marinas beautiful this time of night? I love the design the ship masts make against the sky ...
And then it was over all too fast! We were back at the marina, all docked for the night. It was great to enjoy our good friends and share God's incredible creation ... so thankful we could do this!