Most Beautiful Place in America

For years I have been trying to convince my husband to visit my hometown despite it being at the opposite end of the country and us not having any reason to visit.  I would brag about the fresh water lakes, pleasant weather (excluding the 9 months of winter), fiery trees of fall and delightful people.  Sometimes it is difficult to persuade someone who has spend their whole childhood in Europe, like McKay, that there are places in the U.S. worth visiting because of their beauty.  It wasn't until Good Morning America announced my hometown as "The Most Beautiful Place in America" that he opened up to the idea of a trip to the Great Lakes State!

My dad and cat still live in Michigan so he took us to all the sights (by he I mean my dad of course, but I wouldn't have minded my cat coming along for the tours too)

This is Sleeping Bear Dunes and the body of water behind McKay is Lake Michigan.  Many people happily waltz down this dune to Lake Michigan only to discover that the climb up....

....is a torturous hour assent from hell!

Every year a few people have to be life flighted off this dune because of heart attacks and such.  

It was fun to finally play tourist where I grew up and even more fun to show my hubby the wonderful place I call home.  On the way back from the dunes we visited all the cute harbor towns of the area including Glen Harbor and Leland.

The visit would not have been complete without visiting the street that I grew up on and all the close friend that watched me grow up.  Many of them could hardly recognize me, or believe that the once  rambunctious tomboy, Marielle, was now married.

I took McKay down to the Boardman river where we spend hours as kids fishing for crawfish.  We would put a stick in the water and then when the crawfish would close their claws around the stick we would pull them out.  McKay didn't have any luck catching any.  I figure us kids probably fished out all the crawfish that were stupid enough to keep their grip on the stick long enough to be pulled out.  Darn you Darwin and for your discovery of survival of the fittest for ruining my childhood joys!

No trip to my hometown would be complete without a little date night!

The happiest moment of our trip for me was the overlap of a harp workshop that allowed me to see all my closest harp friends and teachers.  Here is my harp professor from Paris and her lovely daughter.

More harpies from my days in Paris.

I was tickled to get a picture with both my harp professors.  I love them both so much!

The last place I took my little McKay was Interlochen Arts camp, where I spent a summer learning more about the art I love.  I forget how blessed I was to grow up where I did and just how beautiful it really is.  I will never forget all the wonderful people I grew up with and all the lessons they taught me and examples they gave.  Thanks Good Morning America for convincing my husband it was worth a trip out to my hometown and agreeing with me about something I already knew - Northern Michigan truly is beautiful!