Monday, 6/14/21, Bill and I worked in the garden, Vikki and twins came over, Vikki and I went Father’s Day shopping

This pineapple slicer/corer I got from the mennonite store does and amazing job and is so easy. I will be dehydrating pineapple now!!!

Vikki and I saw this beautiful rainbow today

Peyton and Isaac playing...this is what a boy does with perm curlers...Peyton puts them in her American Girl doll's hair

Her doll has her swim flippers on and curlers in her hair...Peyton loves playing with dolls so much and I love watching her

 Slept in as I have been getting up early each day we were on our trip.  So good to take a shower in our wonderful shower today.  Caught the raccoon that was digging my plants out of the pots on the deck.  Bill took it and released it.  He was also getting my jelly jars for the birds out of the trees.  Did our laundry from our trip and hung it out on the line.  Went and got suet, bird seed and thistle seed.  The feeders were empty, but now are full once again.  Bill tilled the garden and hoed the corn.  We both pulled the extra corn out that was too close.  I pulled the weeds from around the beets, onions and lettuce by hand and put them in a bucket so they wouldn’t grow again when it rained.  Weeded around the tomatoes, peppers, kolarabi, zucchini, sunflowers and zinnias.  I was getting pretty warm while working.  Vikki, Peyton and Isaac came over and the kids went in swimming.  I finished up and jumped right in.  It felt so good to cool down.  It started thundering and then raining so we got out.  Vikki brought fresh fruit over, so we all ate some.  It was super delicious.  Vikki, the kids and I went shopping for Father’s Day.  We found a gas griddle grill for Bill.  Rody came and picked up the kids so we could put it in my car.  It was all assembled and was the last one on display.  We took it over to Vikki’s and she and I unloaded it.  The girls and families, and I are giving it to him for Father’s Day.  Hopefully this year we can surprise him.  Vikki and I went and got an Olive Burger from Culver’s.  We watched the seagulls for entertainment.  There was a beautiful rainbow that was so bright.  Vikki took a picture for me.  Came home and made Bill a BLT.

Texted with Adam, Texted with Hailey, and talked with Kimmy and Melissa.  

Sunday, 6/13/21, Headed home from Mackinaw City, Stopped at Cousin's Jim and Julie's, Stopped at Kimmy and Jared's, went for ice cream

 

Bill and I were on some fun hills

We met my cousin Jim and his wife Julie at Mio and had lunch together.  We hadn't seen each other for 20 years and had such a nice time catching up and also sharing memories

Eli in Kimmy's pretty garden

Wyatt

 Adam, Jacob and Eli

Cousin Jim on a tractor he got that was just like my Great Grandpa Adam's

 Jim driving the tractor up for us to see

Julie and Jim in front of their house

 Bill and I stopped at the Country Creamery for ice cream on the way home.  Couldn't go on a trip and not get ice cream

Read our Bibles, and did devotions and prayer.  Left our hotel at around 9:30 a.m.  Called my cousin and set up place and time to meet.  Bill took such a great route on the way to Mio.  We went along Lake Huron, through Rogers City, and then cut over toward Mio.  It was beautiful and sunny out, but a little cool by the water.  I had Bill stop so I could put my new fuzzy warm leg warmer things on we got at the Rally.  So nice!!!  When we were on 33 there were lots of nice hills and curves.  It was so much fun.  When we got to the 12 Tables Restaurant we were supposed to call Jim and Julie.  They only live 3 blocks away.  We pulled in and Julie came hurrying outside and over to us.  We were so happy to see each other.  We hugged, then went in the restaurant and saw Jim and hugged him.  We had such a fun time reminiscing and visiting.  We all ate breakfast except Jim.  We had told them on the phone we were going to treat them.  Julie arranged with the waitress to give her the Bill, so they ended up buying ours.  Found out my other Cousin, Jim’s brother Jack, isn’t doing too good.  Jim’s son and girlfriend take care of him, otherwise he would have to be in a home Jim said.  We followed them to their house to see the tractor they got with the kids for Jim.  It is just like my grandpa Adam’s tractor he had on the farm.  He taught Jim to drive it to help in the fields when Jim was 12.  He loved that tractor and now has one just like it.  I took lots of pictures.  We said our goodbyes and headed for home.  We went through Edenville and decided to stop at Kimmy and Jared’s.  We looked at Kimmy’s plants which are beautiful and growing nicely.  We visited with them and I enjoyed a cold ice tea with Kimmy.  We all sat on the deck.  We left there and decided since we hadn’t had any ice cream on our trip, we would just have to stop at the Country
Creamery.  It was so nice and very safe.  Our waffle cones were huge and delicious.  When we got home, I called Vikki to let her know we were home.  Peyton really wanted to come see me and swim with me, so Vikki brought her and Isaac over.  She sure is my girl!  I am blessed that she loves me so much.  We all had fun swimming together.  Bill came in too.  The water was warm, but the air was a little cool. We stayed in a long time though.  It was such a great day!

Sat. 6/12/21, First Annual Motorcycle Ride Across the Mackinaw Bridge

 Hailey, Peyton and Isaac

 Peyton and Hailey Relaxing after a swim back home

 Isaac

Cheryl, Jim, Bill, Paul, Debbie, Elaine, Val, Judy

Me, Cheryl, Elaine, Gayla, and Eva

Elaine, Don and Wes

Don, Luis, Eva, Cheryl and Jim

Riding with 800 other bikes across the Mackinaw Bridge

 Mackinaw Island in the distance

 Our first wait...we found out there was a man on a trike who had a heart attack, crossed the center line and was hit by a truck and died.  We started praying for his family right away.  We found out it would be a three hour wait, so we went up the side edge and got off the exit a short way ahead.  Went to eat, then for a ride.

Bill took us down a gravel road along the water

Elaine, me, Bill, Cheryl, and Jim....we ended up at the Bridge View by St. Ignace.  We saw traffic moving on the bridge, so we went down a short little road(the wrong way) and got on the road right away and went through the toll booth.  We moved a little ways and then the traffic stopped again.  It took us 2 hours to cross the bridge.

 Policeman who handcuffed a guy and put him in his car....one of the reasons traffic was stopped.  There was also a wrecker taking a car that was in an accident away, and then an RV broke down....all reasons for the wait

 Elaine riding on the grid for the little way she had to...we moved to the pavement as soon as we could

Mackinaw City

Bill when we were shopping

Adam's soccer team got first place in U15.  Congratulations Adam.  I am so proud of you!!!

Friday, 6/11/21, Spent the day at CMA booth and motorcycle rally.

 

 New Christian Biker group stopped over to our booth

 Lots of motorcycles on the first day

Bill

Debbie

Lunch at the Keyhole restaurant with Wes, Gayla, Elaine. Loran, Cheryl, Arnie and Jim. We sat at two different tables. There were keys all over the walls, hanging from places in the ceiling and the bathroom floor had lots of keys covered with a clear coating

 Our waitress by Elaine, me on left, then Wes.

Two mighty men of God walking....Bill and Jim

 Mike and Don

Bill and Wes

Last night the thunder was so loud it even woke me up in our hotel room. Lots of lightening and rain.  When we got up it was still raining a little. We ate our bag breakfast from the hotel (granola bar, apple and bottled water) because the regular breakfast room is closed because of Covid.

We went out and the rain had stopped. We wiped the bike dry and went and picked up donuts and coffee.  We took a dozen donuts to the booth too to share.  We walked around lots, talked to lots of people about Jesus and explained what CMA is.  Handed out Bibles, tracks, kids coloring books and crayons, water bottles, and salvation bracelets.  It was cool  out but not cold.  

We had CMA members in the grounds.  We went to Wes and Gayla’s camper for chili and played 3-13. Gayla won both games. 

It was a great day with many opportunities from the Lord.  Melissa hurt her leg, and texted us for prayer.  Bill and I held hands and prayed right away.   She, Bruce and the kids went to our house swimming, and she texted me that her leg barely hurts now! We sure are thankful to God! I called her and talked to her because I was so happy.  Texted with Adam and Vikki.

Thursday 6/10/21, packed for our Mackinaw City trip, checked into our hotel

Following Wes and Gayla hauling their camper and motorcycle, Jim hauling his camper and motorcycle.  Before we got in to Onaway, a bear was standing in the road in front of the car ahead of Wes and Gayla.  It ran really fast into the woods.

Riding through Cheboygan

Bill , Dave and Paul

Wes, Paul and Bill

Bill, Gayla, Paul and Wes

Jackie, Bill, Jim, Debbie, Dave and Paul setting things up

Bill with the Mackinaw Bridge in the background

Dinner at Darrell's with these special friends.  They only let a few in to  eat at a time.

Isaac, Adam, Peyton, Eli and Jacob.  Vikki sent me this after they took all the stepping stones back and got the round ones and put them down.  It is so much easier to walk through now.  We are getting special stepping stones to put at both ends of the little bridge.  It isn't easy to walk across, but the kids like to go over it.

Got ready and finished packing and doing what needed to be done before leaving.  Wes called to tell us they were in their way. He was pulling his 5th Wheel, plus a trailer with the motorcycle on it behind.  We saw them coming so drove our motorcycle to the stop sign at the end of our road and waited to pull out after he went by.  It was a beautiful drive and nice and warm.  The roads were hilly and so much fun.  We stopped to eat in Mio.  I called my cousin Jim and Julie who live in Mio, but they didn’t answer, so I left a message.  It went from nice and hot to super cool when we got close to Cheboygan.  I was happy I had my sweatshirt and leather jacket behind my seat to put on.

We got to Mackinaw City, checked into our hotel, the went and registered and walked around. Paul who was pulling a trailer with all the CMA stuff for our booth had a blow out and it too the trailer fender off.  He was in Houghton Lake. We talked to some people and we’re able to witness about Jesus.  We came back to our hotel, until we heard from Gayla. We all met at the registration place and helped set the CMA booth up.  Then we went to get food with Wes, Gayla and Jim.  My cousins called and talked for a while. They were in Saginaw when I called.  Jim asked if we could stop and visit on our way back, so we are going to do that.  I haven’t seen this cousin for 20 years and we used to be really close.  

We enjoyed the hot tub in our room which was a surprise to both of us.  Did our reading, then went to bed.  Kimmy, Jacob Vikki returned all the stepping stones from our new garden today.  They picked up bigger round ones for us and put them in.  They are so good to us.  It wasn’t comfortable walking on the other ones when I tried them out last night.