vacation.

This past February, my dear sister decided we were all going on vacation. She found the mid-way point between Providence, RI, where she lives and Minneapolis, MN, where my mother and brother live. In case you were wondering, this point is a town called Ashtabula, OH, the "Covered Bridge and Winery Capital of Ohio."

Within a few days of making this decision, she rented this--The Blue Pike Lakehouse, just East of Ashtabula on the shores of Lake Erie.

So, we all convened here a couple of weeks ago, and it was lovely. The farmhouse was cozy, and there was a chicken house out back. And yes, there were live chickens it, chickens that provided us with fresh eggs for breakfast.


Cross the road and the property opened up into a big lot overlooking Lake Erie. I always find the Great Lakes to be more like Great Seas. It was still too cold to swim, but it was fun walking along the beach, picking up rocks and sea glass.


The property was surrounded by these eerily beautiful statues, which scared me at first because I thought they were people.


They also reminded me of that famous Dr. Who episode, "Blink."

We really just relaxed and hung out and did family stuff--games, jigsaw puzzles, grilling, day trips, bonfires, roasting marshmallows and s'mores. If it all sounds very Americana, it was.

And the sunsets were pretty beautiful, too.