The Gabby Family is Home!

[Gabby]

I am exhausted after a very, very, nice week "Up North" at Little Lake Platte near the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan.

I'd never been to this part of Michigan, but there's little doubt that we'll be making this an annual trip. We stayed in a relatively rustic little cabin, but the kids were able to (successfully) fish right there and MrG was able to catch 21 inch large mouth bass from the dock, too! (I say "relative" since we did have A/C and dish network!)

The Dunes were fabulous and considering that it was the last week of July it was not crowded at all. Sometimes we felt like we had the beach to ourselves!

Here are a couple of my favorite pictures. The first is Tommy in a hole he dug at Lake Michigan. The second is Charlie fishing at sunset (he desperately wanted to catch a turtle, but settled for bass, perch, blue gills, and such). Then it's the boys and me on a part of Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive and the view.

[patchiepoopoo]

Welcome back Gabby. I was wondering where you've been. The pictures are great, I loved the view. That is such a beautiful place. You and your sons look very happy. Glad you enjoyed it.

[pocket]

How pretty! It sounds like everyone had a great time.

[frawniemae]

Isn't it great to be able to really enjoy your vacation? Looks like everyone was having a fun time. The scenery is beautiful!! Glad you're back!

[tahitisweetie]

Welcome back! Glad it was a good trip.

[WOODTURNER]

...IN PROGRESS. These two guys are so very fortunate to spend their young lives with such great parents.

It will be with them, forever.:hug2:

[Mouse9]

Your vacation sounds wonderful!!! and beautiful!

So glad you had a nice time with your family. Your boys are growing up so fast!!!

Any stories about "the one that got away"?? Charlie tell you about any that he almost got?

It sounds like so much fun and relaxation. Glad to have you back, too (though I thought I saw you on a couple times - I'm probably mistaken and the week went by so fast.)

[KuchaSpirit]

:) Glad to hear you had a great time. Nothing like coming home after a successful trip! The kids do look like they had a great time!

[Slitter]

Welcome back, Gabby. I'm glad you had a good time on your trip. :)

[Virgo6]

The smiles in those photos tell the whole story!!! Fun Times! Glad you had a great trip and got home safely.

[Gabby]

Any stories about "the one that got away"?? Charlie tell you about any that he almost got?

Charlie is very sensitive about animals and had a hard time watching the bald eagles swoop down to kill prey/fish which the rest of the family found facinating. We always catch and release, so fishing doesn't bother him. (I won't be surprised if Charlie is a vegetarian as an adult) One evening, Charlie snagged a nice sized perch and MrG knew it would probably die, but threw it back. Sure enough, it's floating a minute later. Charlie told me (later) that he caught a fish that was so old that it got on his line 3 minutes before it was going to die. He never realized that he probably killed it -- and we didn't tell him! (The gulls picked it up)

[Mouse9]

Thanks, Gabby.

I remember sometimes the fish swallow the hook too far and getting it out is so hard it does hurt the fish.

We always took our fish home and cooked them. Glad Charlie spares you that part of fishing. It was impossible for you and your house not to smell like fish for two days following and then you always got fishbones in your mouth while you were trying to eat the fish. Our fish were always so small you couldn't filet them.

Charlie definently has an advanced way of thinking about things, though. You must have two little geniuses there.

[Virgo6]

When we were in Alaska, except for myself and 2 others, the rest went Halibut fishing. I am so glad I chose not to go. Watched the video of the fishing trip over my neighbors the other day. Those halibuts are so large that when they are caught the crew on the ship smash their heads with metal bats to kill them and removed the hook. I stopped fishing years ago when I saw too many people on the docks and such not being humane.
One time down at a beach on the north shore I heard what sounded like a baby crying. Someone had caught a Skate (like a stingray but smaller) and just had thrown it on the sand to die. Noticed several other bodies lying there. This poor animal was crying. Put it back in the water, but it died anyway. Those kind of things bother the hell out of me. I saw pelts of animals in Alaska that the Indians use for clothing and my relatives in Maine shoot deer, moose, maybe even a bear and catch fish too, but they use the animal for a good reason. They freeze the meat and the Indians use the pelts for warm clothing. But to just kill an animal for no reason is horrible.
Okay off the soap box

[Gabby]

That would bother me, too. I think the reason we don't keep any of the fish is that I have a hard time eating something that I personally killed. I know that is really, really hypocritical, since I have no problem eating meat that comes in a package!

[pocket]

I have no problem eating meat that comes in a package!

:ices: That's why all our meat comes from the supermarket. I don't enjoy game meals, and avoid them when I can, but my son WAS a hunter. That was before he fostered an orphaned fawn, and the fawn followed him around like a puppydog. Funny, I just remembered he had a baby squirrel that fell from a next in a storm, too. Not that he ever hunted squirrel.

[Virgo6]

I know, being from Maine and living on Long Island people can't understand why I won't eat lobster. I used to eat crabs if I didn't see them cooked and then one day I happened to walk into the kitchen and saw my son throw a bunch of them into a pot. Well, one of the hung on for dear life and I just knew he was screaming......I ran out of there and said NO MORE!!! yuk!
Everyone can say "Oh, they don't feel a thing, but I think that is BS"
If its living, it feels something. I do love shrimp, but again they are in a bag frozen when I eat them. My son-in-law and my Maine family who own farms, have no trouble raising cows, pigs, chickens, whatever to slaughter for dinner. You would think that would affect the children, but it doesn't.
When we visited my cousin's huge farm last summer her little boy took us to see the hogs. What freaked us out was the names printed above the pig houses..."Porkchop", "Ham", etc. The second day we were there we were invited for breakfast and I have to tell you there is nothing like homegrown bacon and eggs. But the bacon had come from other hogs (RIP) from the previous slaughter season. Their children know that once or twice a year a big truck pulls up and takes their chickens. Then in a week they come back with boxes filled with packages of all chicken parts. Because of the brutal winters up there those packages of chicken, pork, beef, etc. last them the entire Winter. I agree with you Gabby....can't eat anything I kill. And that includes spiders, flies, mosquitoes....lololol Those suckers can die a terrible death and I don't mind a bit....lol

[patchiepoopoo]

When I was younger I enjoyed fishing alot especially when I was going to Canada very often and we had the best Walleye Pike out there. Catch em, clean/fillet em and eat em. I can't see the fun in catch and release in fishing cuz that does hurt them. Now I don't fish anymore.

[An-g_BB]

YEAH!!! Happy Family Vacations!!! Ya'll look great!!! thanks for sharing!!!!

[Fuel]

Welcome back, glad you had a wonderful vacation.

[Kramer]

Welcome home! I love the Sleeping Bear Dunes, its one of my favorite places in all the world. Im glad you had a nice trip, the pics are really nice. I am sure you hear this alot, but WOW! Tommy and Charlie are getting so big and Tommy looks just like YOU! Pierce Stocking Drive is awesome....I can't wait to get there myself! We are going up to stay at Big Glen Lake in less then a week!!

[Gabby]

We are going up to stay at Big Glen Lake in less then a week!!

:boogie:

I'm sure you'll have a blast. If you run into the Kamp family from Rochester -- run! (Just kidding...they're our neighbors and they'll be up there, too!)

They are getting big. I so remember the toddler years when I'd see families w/elementary age boys and think that we'd never "get there." Now, I see families w/teenage boys and know that it's just gonna fly!