Vacation Pictures - in Michigan to visit Mark's Family

We drove up to Michigan to visit with Mark's family, particularly his Aunt Connie who is 85 years old.  We thought we needed to go soon, given her age, but I have to tell you, once we got up there it was quite obvious that we will be able to visit with her for decades yet!  She is SO active and agile!  She and the fellow she lives with, Andy who is 94, both help with the landscaping in the incredibly gorgeous courtyard in the pictures below.   There are a number of Korean dogwood trees that were in bloom this week.  Lovely. 

There are a number of umbrella tables and some swings out there where we gathered several times while we were there.



Vickie trying out the swing at Connie's instruction





Aunt Connie - what a sweetheart





Connie discussing the landscaping with Vickie





Mark and Vickie hearing about the rose gardens





A rose in the garden above.





Mark, me, Connie and Andy





Connie, Andy and Vickie in the dining room
overlooking the courtyard





Andy and Mark discussing WW II





Andy and Mark in conversation





Andy, who was a flight engineer on a B-17 in WW II, is  discussing flying during the war.





Andy





Connie listening to Andy





Vickie listening to Andy



On the second day we were there, we all drove up to Benton Township, Michigan, and looked at the farm where Connie was born and where she grew up.  It was homesteaded by her Grandfather in 1842.  She and her parents moved into Eaton Rapids in 1942 when the farm was sold.  

The farmhouse taken from the hill across the road.



Farmhouse - boarded up due to recent tornado damage.



Here's the house in the city, taken from the road in front, and below that, from the road that runs down the side of the house.  The house was built in 1853 and sat across the road.  In 1912, it was moved over to the property there on the river where it is now. The back yard slopes down to the Grand River and it is GORGEOUS!



Front of city house.





House from the side.



Back yard of the home in the city.

 

Another view of the river from the back yard.



When we drove up to the house, the owner was outside cutting the grass.  Connie jumped out of the truck to talk with him and he seemed quite taken with her.

Connie talks with the current owner of the house
while Vickie listens.



The house is in a lovely old neighborhood.  Here's the church on the corner across the street.



Church across from the house.

When we got back from Eaton Rapids, we went out to eat with Vickie, Connie and Andy, Connie's son Forrest and his girlfriend, Connie's daughter Tracy and her daughter and son-in-law.

Clockwise from the left:  Forrest's girlfriend Joan, Forrest, Michele's daughter Nicole, her new husband Erik.  Then on the right side of the table on Mark's right is Michele, then Mark, Connie, Andy, and Vickie, just out of the picture on the right.

I had never met any of the Michigan family members before but I really enjoyed our visit.  Now that I know it's only 4 hours or so from where the rest of my own family lives, I'm sure we'll be visiting again!  Fun.