where'd everybody go?

There have been only thirteen posts on my friends page since I got up this morning. Several of them are from people who don't post very often. I guess all the frequent posters spent their relaxation time away from LJ, while the others come back to LJ for something fun to do.

I hope everyone was outside enjoying a beautiful day!

picnic

Yesterday we went out for a picnic and a walk in the park with some friends. Last year, we went out with our friends Doug and Susan a few times. This time we invited Drew and Felissa along with us. We went up to Harrington Beach State park. We all brought some items for the picnic, including wine, veggies, fruit, sandwiches and such. We sat and talked for quite a while, before heading out for a walk. We usually do a hike after lunch, but this time it was more of a stroll.

Harrington Beach is a nice long beach along Lake Michigan, but has a square mile of woods with a few trails, and a quarry, which has filled in with water. There's a trail around this lake. It had been seven years since I'd been there last, and there were a lot of changes. Like the "Welcome Center" by the parking lot. There used to be nothing but the shack at the entrance where they take your money. I think the nature trail was new. There's a proposed campground. There's a road through the park for the shuttle bus (pick-up with trailer). The beach has changed a lot. It used to be a nice sand beach, suitable for sunning or sandcastles or running down to the waves. Now it's very wide, since the lake level has dropped, and it's all weedy. There were no waves, but I'm not sure if that was due to the low water or the calm air. The water was full of stinky algae. It was a disappointing change.

The bare sand used to go back to the treeline.

After Harrington beach, we drove back down to Lion's Den, near our house. That was a more strenuous walk. We went all the way down to the beach and skipped stones. Then we went out for supper. Doug and Susan had to go home to take care of their dog, but Drew and Felissa stayed around for Grafton's fireworks show. Which was excellent. This year it was a few minutes shorter than usual, but the individual shells were quite impressive. Every year, they have new designs.

I knew the two couples would get along well together. They're all just such friendly people. I felt like the odd man out. ;-)