Back in Grenada Again

Cottage 21 is named Trillium

We had a wonderful summer in Michigan at our summer house (since it is the only one we have!). It is located on Lake Huron at the Tip of the Thumb. For our global friends, Michigan is the state that looks like a left-handed mitten and is surrounded on three sides by the Great Lakes. Lake Michigan is on the west (left) side and Lake Huron is on the right or east side of the state.

Henry spent hours digging sand and pouring water!

There is a wonderful place literally at the Tip of the Thumb called Pointe aux Barques just three miles from the closest town, Port Austin. Pointe aux Barques is a private township owned by sixty-five cottage owners. In its rapid growth over time, it has moved from some 60 cottages in the early 1900’s to a total of 68 in 2017. Golf carts are the major mode of transportation once you enter the gate.

And with a golf course, three miles of fresh water beach, tennis courts, clubhouse, playground and 800 acres to explore, it is a wonderful place to be in the summer. Not so much in the winter, though, when everything is closed, and the water and electricity are turned off. A few of the houses are winterized, but not too many people go there in the bitter cold of winter.

The Famous Turnip Rock on a blustery day.

Grand D and Alex 

The highlight of the summer was the wedding of our youngest son which brought the other four siblings and their families to Michigan from California and London, UK. It was fun seeing the grandchildren who had never met bond and have so much fun together! It was a very busy two weeks. Getting all five of them home at the same time is a miracle! We loved it.

Nick and Daphne

It was so special having them all home.The beach and golf course were a big hit with the boys. Golf was a new game for all of them and we saw some potential. Hopefully, they will be back next summer to work on their games. Sailing and tubing were also fun for them. Unfortunately, our only granddaughter could not be with us as she was in her club swim finals that same week.

Tanner, Addison, Max and Alex. Henry was napping.

The wedding was a lovely event at an outdoor venue on a beautiful July day. With paella cooking over an open fire the night before, everyone had a chance to kick back and catch up with one another.

The grandchildren each had a role in the wedding, which was very thoughtful of the bridal couple. Uncle Nick tops the Favorite Uncle List! It was nice to see how well everyone cleaned up after a week on the beach!

It is a long climb up in the heat!

After everyone left us to return home, we did a little road trip to visit our siblings as we had not had time to chat at the wedding. Three of them are in the "little finger" area of Michigan so we were able to spend a couple of nights with each. In October, we went to the Annapolis Boat Show in Maryland and visited one of Dennis' cousins and saw a friend as well as reconnecting with sailing friends at the show.

As summer started winding down, it was time for us to pack up the cottage for the winter and head south to Grenada where S/V Trillium was waiting to be launched for our final sail north.

On the way, we stopped in Miami to spend a little time with the London crew as they were there on fall holiday. Then we flew to St. George's, Grenada, West Indies to begin the work of commissioning the boat. It is always a big job!

The summer heat and humidity were harsh on Trillium. And the October heat and humidity were more than I could handle!  We spent a couple of weeks working on projects, cleaning the boatyard dust, finalizing some improvements that were worked on over the summer. 

The apartment "galley" was smaller than our boat galley!

And the only way to cook was in a microwave, but there were

no pots and pans so I brought mine and my 220v hot plate!

It had been so hot that the rubber bands

melted and stuck together! Messy!

The bottom  was antifoul painted and the hull cleaned, waxed and the stainless steel polished. By the time Trillium was ready to splash, she looked sharp with her topside and stainless-steel sparkling in the sunshine. She was ready for our final sail home to the USA.

On her way to the Splash Pad! 

Fortunately, we had an air-conditioned apartment at the marina for the first 10 days. It helped to get out of the heat in the middle of the afternoon. Our bodies needed time to adjust to the temperature and humidity. Actually, it had been a cool summer at the summer house and I had worn fleece many mornings until the sun warmed up the house. And we had fires in the fireplace mornings and evenings. I wonder is my body will ever adjust to whatever climate I am in again.