Our weekend was filled with fun. We took a drive up to our favorite beach on Lake Michigan Friday afternoon. South Beach has been an escape for Stephanie and I for nearly 16 years. It is a pristine beach located just south of Leland harbor, and the shoreline is filled with amazing rocks – perfect for Stephanie to lose herself in. We walked through Fishtown, and enjoyed our favorite sandwiches from the rickety old shanty they call the Cheese Shanty – all the buildings in Fishtown are under a preservation organization that protects this unique shopping district, and provides an incredible atmosphere along the river.
Saturday was a beautiful, sunny day – that was until we started heading to the sailboat to go out for a few hours to shakedown the sails. We haven’t gone sailing much this year, due much to the fact that I am vigorously working on my artwork, and getting ready for a HUGE artshow at the end of the month. We’re hoping to take another break from the studio this evening to head out on the water, and watch the sun as it sets over the western horizon.
I took the helm, and pointed Aeolian into the harbor where we planned to tie up on the wall to complete a little maintenance, and raise the jib. Being tied to the wall proved to be a much wiser decision than floating on the mooring and trying to raise the jib up the roller furling. I must not have realized it, but once the jib was in place, I had a much shorter line to the cockpit than I should have – resulting in the practice of doing it all over again – we love learning these nuances!
Stephanie took over at the helm, and steered us into open water, she pointed into the wind and the mainsail went up. The wind caught the sail, and we were back in the swing of it. As the winds increased slightly, we raised the jib and enjoyed a comfortable sail across the bay – shaking the sails out, and regaining our confidence after the 6 month hiatus from the water. Stephanie and I both joked about how we would need to gradually get back into sailing this year, and it would take a few outings before we felt as confident as we were at the end of last season. It didn’t take too long, as we both have the desire and itch to get back out there today!
Fathers day has been even more special for me since Benjamin is able to vocalize what he wants – yesterday, he wanted to “PLAY!” so we did. The day began in the sandbox digging and building dirt houses and moving earth from one location to another. Ben just loved vrooming his trucks around the sandbox – he could spend hours in there!
We then headed out to celebrate the day with our (wonderful!) fathers – Ben fed the fish with one grandpa, and tried to catch fish with the other. We spent several hours out at the lake yesterday, pontooning and splashing around in the shallows, playing and enjoying the company of family and friends~
We hope you enjoyed your Fathers Day weekend as well, did you feed or catch any fish?
