Small Town Charm: Holland V--Not Far to Lake Michigan

BIG RED;  Lighthouse at the entrance of Holland Harbor which leads into Lake Macatawa.

While we were in Holland, we decided to make a quick trip to the shore of Lake Michigan.  It was warm and sunny in Holland and we thought we'd put our toes in the water and stick around to watch the sunset--sprawled comfortably on a well-worn quilt I keep in the trunk just for such occasions...


Well, we were wrong, it wasn't nice out by the water, the wind was blowing at a good blast, and we didn't stick our toes in, and we ended up shivering and wrapping up in the quilts instead!  


But, we still were glad we stopped in; the scenery is beautiful, as usually is the case everywhere the shoreline wraps its arms around the whole state of Michigan.


Even though it was cold, we walked the break wall out into the water and watched the waves crash on the huge rocks placed there.

And we watched crazy kids in the forty degree weather (and forty mile an hour winds) out on the water having fun on the waves...incredulous that they weren't turning BLUE from the cold!  


We also talked to some kids that had dove in and swam....OH MY GOSH.  Well, needless to say they WERE blue!

We watched workers on a tug in the channel....if the machine wasn't so noisy, I might have asked them what they were doing?  

And of course, we left with our feet caked with sand, (that felt so good, felt like summer!) and with our hair standing straight up because of the fierce winds, turned the heat on full blast in the car,  and were quite ready for something warm to drink, we promptly found a place to order some HOT CHOCOLATE!  

I think I'll come back when it's warmer...and stay a while and catch the sunset then...


Meanwhile, I will close this post out by showcasing some of the talent of my niece -- she's quite good with her camera, and I am so proud of her!  Take a look at some of the absolutely amazing shots she got while we were freezing!


Great job, Katie!  (She has her Aunt Joni beat by a country mile!)

If you ever get the chance to go, Holland has a lot more to offer than just tulips, and a State Park with beautiful views is just one of the lovely things about her.