SOUTH HAVEN

One of my favorite place to visit in Southern Michigan is South Haven, a charming little resort town on the banks of Lake Michigan. But before I take you along with me on our trip earlier this week, I wanted to show you some pictures that I caught of the Blue Heron that is hanging out more and more in our area of the lake. You can just make out his silhouette on the shore.
And here he is standing on top of the shore station. I think he looks majestic. I love how these great creatures walk with those long spindly legs. Beautiful. Now, on to South Haven...
We stayed at The Harbor Inn, as we always do, although I did spot some Bed and Breakfasts nearby. Our location is still the closest to the shopping and restaurants in town that make this such a great place to spend time. This is a picture of part of our room, not entirely because we had already dropped our bags and whatnot on every available surface. I like to keep our room tidy so that packing up is easy, but The Husband is the opposite. It's easier to see what he has to pack when it is lying all over the floor.
This is a view from one of our windows. I took the picture right through the glass. The dock is adjacent to the Inn and you can pass much time watching the sailboats float up and down the river that the Inn sits on.
Also attached to this dock is the Old Idler, a big old boat no longer in use except as a restaurant. We have eaten here a zillion times and it is always a treat.
We started our afternoon off with drinks and the most delicious crab cakes.
Strolling through town I took a few pictures, but as usual, the camera became cumbersome when I started buying things, so back in the room it went.
And this is one of the most favorite things I bought, a nice big beachy picture for the master bedroom at the lake. I'm still working on giving it that seaside look. This reminds me of Cape Cod or Martha's Vineyard. two of my favorite places to visit.
I also found this beautiful reversible runner. I have seen some coordinating napkins here in town that would be great inspiration for a tablescape. I bought some sand dollars and starfish to scatter about. I can almost smell the ocean. ;-D

And finally, this lamp is going on an end table that I am getting ready to paint white as soon as I am done with this post. The glass is a soft silvery blue and reminds me of a lantern. I fell in love with it and it is finally motivating me to paint the old table. I'll do before and afters.

So these are the highlights of our two day trip and we really had a good time. South Haven is close enough to take day trips and I have to do that because I didn't cover all the streets with their charming shops. Next time!

Our vacation here at the lake ends tomorrow when we return to Chicago. I miss my kids and house, although it is hard to believe after all of the peace and quiet and relaxation we have had here. I want to thank everybody for their sweet comments about the lake and our life here. It seems you can all identify with the way I feel when I am here and I love all of the compliments the lakehouse has received. What a great group of ladies you are! :-)