Summer 2012

It is September and we are reflecting upon a wonderful summer of phun! 
After returning from Cameroon, Susie flew to Orlando and connected with her parents to help them return home to Grand Rapids.  In May we celebrated David's 60th Birthday with friends and family.  My Mom had some difficult health issues in May and June but thankfully is doing better now.  Mom and Dad spent many weeks at Crystal Lake and are so thankful that they are able to drive there in just three hours!



Old Friends are the Best Friends
..Jeanne, Irwin, Steven, Austen

Our summer delight is spending time at Crystal Lake with family and friends.  This year we were focused on preparing for a big bicycle trip that we would take in August.  We spent many days cycling around the beautiful region of northern Michigan.  After a long ride, nothing beats a refreshing dip in Crystal Lake.  "My biscuits are burning! My biscuits are burning!" (Yosemite Sam)
Brother Bill had a great summer and we loved our time together at the cottage.  Our dear friends from Nashville, Jeanne and Irwin and their sons returned to the lake for a special reunion time...good food, good friends, lots of laughs, beach time, sunsets, ahhh!

"It's fun to have fun, but you have to know how!"
from The Cat in the Hat

August 7: We packed our car, loaded our bikes and headed east to Brockport, NY.  There we joined a Classic Adventures Cycling trip that would connect us with 13 other riders.  Our wonderful guides transported our luggage, provided snacks and encouragement and arranged great dining places for us and real hotels with real beds!  (as opposed to some of our camping supported trips!) We cycled from Brockport, NY just west of Rochester to Freeport, ME; 550 miles in 9 days with an average climb of 3000 feet each day.  The scenery of rural New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine was beautiful!  It was a great adventure! 

















On our drive back home we stopped off in London, Ontario to visit dear old friends. Dr. Ross Green is a retired Family Doctor who we worked with in Liberia in 1977!  It was a joy to share time with Dr.  Ross and his wife Shirley.

Of course, Fridays were our favorite day of each week this summer as we had "Grandma and Grandpa Camp " with Stella (3 yo) and Dexter (1 1/2 yo).  Each week we shared a special adventure with them--going to the zoo, visiting the airport observation area to watch the planes take off and land, visiting Meijer Garden and Sculpture Park.  We were thankful for time together with their family up at Crystal Lake too!

So, as the first day of Autumn draws close to us we take time to thank the Lord for a special summer.  We are ready for the next season and its adventures and challenges!

Ted, Jodi, Stella (3), Dexter (1 1/2)