Vacation 2013

The Hemmekes are back home in Virginia, after a two-week vacation:

- over 3,000 miles and about 50 hours of traveling around Lake Michigan and up to Lake Superior

- 6 nights camping

- 3 hotels

- 3 books finished

- 1 sock knitted

- eating fresh whitefish from Lake Superior at Whitefish Point, WAY up north.

- biking around Mackinaw Island (Steve’s first time)

- Fort Michilimackinaw (kids played baggatiway/lacrosse outside the fort just like the Indians, French and British did in the mid-1700s)

- church in Mackinaw City

- Great Wolf Lodge

- Grandma’s house!

- 2 birthday parties

- stargazing in Grandma’s backyard with Zach

- fireworks!

- church in Hamilton, MI – Ray VanderLaan preached!

Here are pictures, if the link works

We saw

- huge wind turbines in Ohio and Pennsylvania – each blade 112 feet long!

- helicopters crop-dusting in Indiana

- several near-accidents in Virginia; road rage in Michigan; construction and a long backup on the toll road

- an otter in the wild on Lake Winnebago

- deer in the wild on a hiking trail in Peninsula State Park

- a sign inviting us to a bear ranch in the U.P.

- Lake Michigan from the Wisconsin side

- Green Bay

- Traverse Bay

- the Mackinaw Bridge from our campsite for four nights in a row!

We were in/on

- a tent that stayed dry enough through several nights of rain

- Lake Superior during a downpour

- The Dogpatch restaurant in Munising, MI

- 3 great lakes

- a 75 foot watchtower over the tops of the trees to overlook Green Bay.

We almost missed our Lake Superior boat ride, because we forgot the time change from Wisconsin to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

We finished reading (out loud to the kids) Hurry Home, Candy, a precious book that really captures the Gospel well.

This was a change-of-pace kind of trip, enjoying God’s glorious creation, getting our minds off of routines and stresses. In spite of the long distance and much done, I realized that vacation is as much mental as anything. Your mind can dwell on stress in the most serene and remote setting, if you let it. But I was able to reset, unwind, rejuvenate, disconnect (no computer the whole time), reconnect with family. I was reminded that temptations to sin do not go away just because you are on vacation. Living in closer quarters with family that long will test you!

God has been very good to our family, giving us a generous church providing us the time off, a loving and fun extended family to go back north to, and the Spirit of love, joy and peace in sharing life together as a family. Soli Deo Gloria!