Retreat.

The cabin is up north on Grand Traverse Bay, it's kind of back behind the woods a ways and every time we drive up (even as a kid when I'd go up to babysit for my favorite family) I get a tingly little head rush. For the first hour I walk around seeing what's different than the last time I was there and also taking deep breaths reminding myself to savor every moment. Especially now, when time away with Logan is so rare.

The place belongs to a friend of a friend. My sister in law once told me this little rule of thumb, "Friends of Friends Can't Invite Friends." Luckily no one told these friends about this rule because we'd be out of luck. Truly we could have gone anywhere and we'd be happy just to have the time away. But on the first day when it rained, it was nice to have an excuse to stay in all cozied up watching the water.

Getting The Robot to sit down and relax is not easy. He has a touch of the ADD mixed with a program malfunction that makes him constantly doing 23 things. Luckily the cabin acts as a sedative. He took it so easy I started to feel antsy, this is noteworthy since I am a champion loafer.

We spent a lot of time reading, sighing and watching for the eagles that have nested on the property. 

We watched scary movies and tried to freak ourselves out. It didn't really work. 

We did a pub crawl in Sutton's Bay which consists of four bars. We made it to three of them. We skipped the fourth since it looked like we'd hate it. We started our pub crawl at 4pm and were just in time to drink with the Early Bird Special Diners.

Fall is definitely the best reason to live in Michigan. Being up north in the summer has definite appeal, the slow pace, the smell of sunscreen and the sand sticking to your feet. I love going to dinner at crowded restaurants at the end of the day with lots of other families with kids who have been playing in the sun all day. Everyone gets dessert, even if you didn't eat all your dinner because, "We're on vacation."

Fall up north is quieter and, in my opinion, prettier, even on rainy cold days. Places that are usually packed with people are empty. Perfect for quietly remembering why you like being half of a couple with a Robot.

Then it's time to go home and about eight hours later you're screaming at the kids to "STOP FIGHTING AND START BRUSHING" at bedtime.

Serenity now.

Comments

[Kerri]

Beautiful pictures! Glad you had a good time.

[Amber]

Life is definitely NOT slower up here, but we sure like to pretend it is. Glad you had a nice time in our neck of the woods. Can I tempt you to come up for a trip in the middle of February? Stop laughing at me :)

[Christine Bourget]

Yes, Melissa, serenity now.

[ella]

Gosh that's so pretty.
Sounds like a wonderful trip.

[John LeJeune]

Look at you! Getting all snuggly and stuff. Very sweet. Thanks for the lovely post.

[Anne-Marie]

Wow Melissa, it looks so peaceful. Fabulous pictures, especially the last one - the colours are wonderful.

[Kym]

Oh....I'm so smitten. My grandparents had a cottage on South Lake Leelanau when I was growing up, and have since sold it. I miss it so much. Luckily, my parents are now cottage people, albeit on the other side of Upper MI. We went on a winery tour on the penninsula a few years ago, but it's just not the same...being a tourist. :) Thanks for the pictures.

[kate]

That truly looks like heaven. That photo of the mountains and trees reflected on the lake is so lovely.

Glad you got away, just the two of you.

[homeslice]

made me really homesick. i grew up in traverse city but was lucky enough to visit in august. i wish we had a cabin - it's such an amazing place to rest, recharge, and hang out.

[fritz]

those are fantastic pictures and really made me miss my michigan!

[Ashley, The Accidental Olympian]

Oh my god that last picture. I almost got in the car and drove and drove until I was right there in that exact space, moment and life.

[Amira @ DefineMature.com]

Thanks for another reason to hate living in the south.

I've wanted to live up north for the longest time. I don't even care where, although Michigan looks so inviting.

Glad you had a great time!

[Megan K]

Wow, those pictures are amazing!

[amie]

Those photos are stunning. My blood pressure dropped just looking at them.

[Alana]

Those are some gorgeous photos, and I am so jealous of anyone who lives where they actually have fall. Fall in south Texas just means rain, and everything stays green until November/December, when the leaves turn brown and drop. Someday I'll get to experience fall for myself...

[Jenny]

How beautiful, and what lovely peaceful time. My husband likes to say things like "M is almost old enough to take with us on a trip like that" and doesn't seem to think he's missing the point of being ALONE. I may have to work on him. :)

[Green]

why'd you post all those pictures of fake places that don't exist in real life?

[Elizabeth]

Wonderful. Michigan is so beautiful. So happy for you.

[Jilly]

You should do that more often... I'm just saying. oh, and can I come with? I'm so jealous. Can't wait to get to that area in less than a week. oh...so happy...

[Barb]

Beautiful. I love fall in Michigan, too.

Will you share how you processed these photos?

[amy]

Looks like a gorgeous place to get away, sigh..

[Dorothee]

I love that area. It took us 30+ hours to get there from Germany but it was soooo worth it.

[Thea]

Thanks for that! I'm the robot half of our marriage and this post reminds me to enjoy the quiet once in awhile! I'm glad you enjoyed yourselves; what beautiful country! Very different from autumn-less Florida!

[Carley]

I used to live in Traverse City, but moved to Chicago about three years ago. As much as I love the city, I have many, many moments where I long for the peace and quiet of northern MI. It's such a beautiful place and I totally agree with you that the Fall is especially perfect.

[Erin@TheLocalsLoveIt]

In our family we call that feeling in our tummy a "Higgin's Lake Stomach Ache".

[MoMa]

So lovely. My favorite time of year at my favorite place (northern Michigan). Glad you had such a relaxing time!