What A Weekend

This weekend was a bit of a blur. Saturday and Sunday could not have been more different. Really I don't have a whole lot to say. There's much more to show you. 

Saturday started out with sandwiches from The Cheese Shanty in Leland. If you're ever in Northern Michigan it's a must visit (you have to come during the warmer months though because this places closes right down when temperatures start to drop).

Wednesday was my brother's birthday but we were all busy with work so we spent Saturday celebrating together.

My brother requested a beach day so we drove out to the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore to lay in the sun and play in the waves. It was the perfect day. Enough breeze to keep you from burning up in the sun, but hot enough to be comfortable in bathing suits. The water was even warm!

Not a bad view.

We parked by a really beautiful forest. I was mesmerized by the trees' perfect alignment and relatively clear forest floor.

Then Sunday came and so did one of the biggest storms I can ever remember having in this area.

The picture above was the only photo I took on Sunday while we were driving around after the majority of the storm hit checking on places around town. We turned down this road and discovered that tree blocking our path. The roots were so deep it brought up the entire sidewalk. Huge trees came down all around the city causing lots of damage. Most of the area lost power and some houses were severely damaged. Luckily I don't believe anyone was seriously injured due to the storm.

The rest of these photos were taken during a walk around my neighborhood Monday morning. All you could hear around town Monday were chainsaws and beeping trucks. I'm incredibly thankful that the least we had to worry about was the power outage at my house. Our power was back on early Monday morning, but in some parts of the city they don't think the power will be back on until Thursday.

This house looked like it suffered the most damage in my neighborhood. The entire garage was crushed under that tree but the little bird house next to it was completely unscathed. Conditions are even worse in Glen Arbor, Empire, and the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore area. It's sad to think of all the beautiful old trees that were lost on Sunday and of all the people who no longer have homes to go to now. I'm sure it will be a long time before everything is back in order.

Like I said, Saturday and Sunday could not have been more different. It's a little ironic that I spent so much of Saturday admiring the trees and finding myself amazed at how many are in the area. I was just sitting down Sunday to write a whole post about our beach day and the beauty of nature in Northern Michigan (trees being the main focus) when the storm rolled in. Just a reminder to take the time to admire what nature has to offer you before it's gone. You never know what's around the corner.

-S

P. S. Here's a picture I saw on the M22 Facebook Page of the storm coming in.