some photos

my little trip north. 

in the forest i made my home

i'm taking a trip upstate for a week or so filled with relaxing, shopping, and being a beach rat. i was good this time & didn't overpack & am throwing in a book, my plants, & hawaiian tropic oil (seriously, they've bottled the smell of summer). see you on the flip-side.

photo taken on my parents' property, upstate michigan

summer strawberry jam

monday morning i drove down to newport to go strawberry picking with my mom-in-law. we were so excited to usher in summertime by getting our knees dirty & fingers stained with berries. it was my first time in a patch and loved it! picking wholesome, growing strawberries from their organic state is so satisfying.

we loaded up with 33 pounds of strawberries & headed for her house for an afternoon of canning & stealing tastes (which were followed up with delicious funny moans & faces).

we cooked up strawberry champagne jam along with some preserves & plain jane jam.

once home, hubs & i sipped on local summer harvest peach wine & fed on strawberries i saved for hot nights like this.

a new tradition? mmhmm.

remembering

summers ago, i was going with a guy who took me to grand lake where ritualistically, his old group of friends would gather every year for an endless summer at a lakehouse owned by one of their grandmothers. she was a quick-witted, spirited woman who shared my name & would specifically make my beau pineapple upside-down cake every year. her young mind certainly surpassed her age, which made me admire this fun-loving stranger the moment i met her.

i'll never forget how time stopped that summer. we loaded up with provisions from jimmie garant's & headed north. hours we spent out on the lake, listening to spoon & reminiscent stories before heading to the local pub for salty margaritas & shooting pool.

grandma elizabeth had several teensy cottages dotting the long drive up to her house. we'd spread out between them & spend our nights falling asleep to rustling leaves & wake to the sound of the lake lapping against the bank.

the afternoon we'd all be leaving for home was spent tossing a frisbee on the front lawn between goodbyes. i never wanted to leave. sometimes i think i never did.

photo source