Enjoying the weather

It was a beautiful fall night so we opened the windows to let the fresh air in. Muffles like sitting in the window sill.

Rainy day at camp

It started raining overnight and rained pretty much all day.

The only activity planned for Sunday was the worship service.

Andy and I took a drive after the service and the girls were walking to various shops in the rain.

Andy and I went to a garden center in Sawyer where we bought Honeycrisp apples and some tomatoes.

This logo was on a lot of apparel - Lake Michigan, no salt, no sharks.

And this is art, I guess.

Retreating

Andy and me in the dining hall.

The kids had an activity in the morning and the adult had a book discussion. Afterward, we picked up the kids (they were in the playground) and went to Dinge's farm. We saw this deer by the new retreat center where the girls were staying.

You're never too old to enjoy swinging.

L saw a llama at the farm. She wasn't scared - I told her to pose like that.

L and her friend A each paid $5 to pick Concord grapes.

Then we took the girls to a few antique shops. I didn't find anything I had to have. This Life magazine from Queen Elizabeth's coronation was pretty interesting though.

We drove into New Buffalo where Andy and I wanted to go to a brewery that's in an old church, Beer Church Brewing. (The girls went shopping in New Buffalo). We noticed the cross on the steeple was crooked as we walked toward it. Apparently, that's how they wanted it.

A pic of the inside. I'm assuming the lights are original ...

... as well as the stained glass on the doors behind me. I was hoping the windows inside would be stained glass but they weren't.

I was a bit taken aback that an altar was being used to serve beer.

After getting back to camp, Andy and I walked to the lake. I was trying to write Pilgrim Retreat in the sand when a wave came up and soaked my shoes. The waves were pretty strong.

Back at camp, one of our members had laid out an array of mushrooms she found in the woods. The big one was incredible.

This is my team at the trivia contest Saturday night. We won the trivia, but L's team earned points by being the first to complete a puzzle ...

... and earned more points for tying with another team (not mine) in the cup-building challenge.

We also celebrated a member's birthday. She brought two cakes to share with everyone and they were delicious.

She even asked L to help her cut and serve the cakes.

After the games, it was time to gather around a fire that Andy built. We were lucky it didn't rain today and we were able to be outside.

Andy stokes the fire.

To Tower Hill!

It was a long, rainy, construction-filled drive to Tower Hill this year. We saw quite the lightning show along the way.

Even with the time zone change, we made it to Redamak's in time to grab dinner before heading the camp.

L and her friends, A and R. This was the third time her friends joined us at camp. Guess they like it. And since they're seniors it will likely be the last time.

My yummy burger and fries. I asked for onion but wasn't' expecting a big ole slice of onion. A few rings are sufficient.

The girls were housed in the newly built retreat center. We might be the first group that used the building.

Look at this dining room table in the retreat center! I'd love to have that for the holidays. Andy and I were assigned to Schrag.

The culprit

One of my sunflowers was knocked over so I brought the seed head inside yesterday. Hopefully I can get some seeds out of it and plant them next spring.

Today on her way to school L sent me this photo. Aha! Now we know who/what's been messing with my sunflowers.

Coast Guard?

L has been receiving a lot of college mail, but this recruiting letter from the Coast Guard scared her a bit. She wants to end up working at Disney World so I said maybe if she joined the Coast Guard she could drive one of their boats. She was not amused.

Doing some scrapbooking

Cindy and I aren't going to the Croptoberfest this year. Neither one of us thought we'd have much to do. I've been meaning to get B's album up to date so I finally tackled that this morning. I started with our Hilton Head trip in 2018 and ended with our Disney trip this summer. It was only a few pages - with Christmas and sophomore year of college sandwiched in between them. Didn't take me long at all.

I had to text a picture of my sad scrapbook space ...

... because she sent me this picture (one of three) of her fabulous scrapbooking room. I'm so jealous. She said we could transform the basement into a scrapbook room. That's a thought.

At home

It was raining a lot yesterday and L thought the neighborhood cat, who was hanging out on our back porch, needed some shelter. She brought up a pumpkin thing from the basement that she bought for our cats, which they hate. Schubert seems to like it.

Cookies for a farewell

While L was out with her friend, A, yesterday morning (and afternoon) she texted me a sugar cookie recipe she found and asked me to whip up two batches because the dough needs to chill. She came home and started baking ...

... and then decorating. She was making the cookies for our interim pastor's farewell service today. Things got a little dicey as we were telling her to finish up what she was doing and come to church with us. She had so many cookies that she'd never get around to decorating in time.

While Andy and I were in church, L was in the parlor arranging the cookies she was able to finish.

I think it looked (and tasted) great.

Soup season

Just before fall officially starts on Monday, Andy made his tortellini soup for dinner.

Cats in portrait mode

Beautiful August and Muffles.

More cookie decorating

L's first attempt at decorating sugar cookies to look like pumpkins. She said the color would be more vibrant with gel food coloring. She packed them all up to take to school for her friends to try.