Labor Day Weekend: David!!!

Friday: In the wee wee hours of this Friday morning (12:10 am), I picked my brother, David, up from the Gerald R. Ford International Airport. David has been coming up to Grand Rapids to spend Labor Day weekend with me for several years now. It is a weekend that I look forward to ALL YEAR LONG ... like from the very second I take him back to the airport to return to his home in Florida ... until he comes back. He requests (!!) that I make him a DIY list every single year, and he never fails to do every last item listed with a genuine smile on his face. I will do a separate post later and show you what improvements he made around my little beach house this weekend.

When we woke up Friday morning, we headed over to Menard's to pick up some needed DYI supplies. I fixed us a rather modest lunch, we worked on our travel map, packed up "Ruby" with all of our vacation gear, and off we went!

We decided to go WEST and re-visit Little Point Sable Lighthouse on our way (??) up to Mackinac--because Mackinac was our ultimate destination. We just decided to take a tiny detour over to Mears, Michigan ... just because!

The last time David and I were here, there was NOT a paved walkway from the parking lot to the lighthouse--I think there was just mulch ...

Isn't this a nice picture of David?

Last time we were here, it was only $5 to climb this 115 feet tower; but it is 2025 and the cost is now $8. Totally worth it, though.

Here is the view looking south ...

... and looking north ... isn't it gorgeous?

I love this place! It's almost impossible to take a "bad" picture here!

See how small people look in comparison to this very tall lighthouse?

There is a much taller one in Florida--actually TWO in Florida that I can think of, and that David and I have actually climbed together. One of them had 230+ steps! Little Point Sable has 132 steps (I think).

Many of these photos are similar ... but it is SO pretty here, and there are slight differences in these pictures.

Looking north ...

So many of these will be used for cards ... I can't wait to design a few more cards with these very pictures.

I climbed around some of the lower dunes looking for the "perfect shot" of the lighthouse. David patiently. waited for me at the base of the lighthouse.

From here, we traveled north and reached our hotel in Mackinac City sometime near 6:00.