The summer winds down

Yesterday was a great day to be in my family. We piled into the car and headed for one last adventure before school starts. Tina and I have been going to the ghost forest for many years. Here is an old picture from way back when. Link looks really young. We stopped going because the walk was too much for a young Jon but a few years ago we discovered a shorter route and have been going back every year, even last year when Tina was super pregnant, we trudged out for a visit.
A few years ago we went out to celebrate Annie's birthday and discovered a small shelter that someone had built. Every year, it seems to get a little bigger. This time it was huge. Maybe next year it will have a fridge or mini bar. The kids played in the shade, munching on blueberries and granola bars.
The day was perfect, the weather was comfortable and the large holiday crowd stuck to the beaten path so we had the place to ourselves. Jon learned that chokecherries are edible but they taste like crap. We let him lead the way back and he also learned that if you get lost, just climb the biggest hill and look around.
When we got back to the car, we found a picnic table and ate. Annie called it lunch but it was 5pm so we never agreed on what the meal should be called. Either way, the meal was great, and the view was spectacular.
We capped the day off by finding a beach and taking a brisk dip in Lake Michigan. There- summer is over, now get your skinny butts to school, mom is getting tired of your bickering.