Vacation Day Trips: Port Austin, Michigan

When our vacation to Port Austin, Michigan fell through this year, we wound up in Lexington instead. We had a great time on our alternate vacation, but we couldn't stay away from our beloved Port Austin. So we took a little day trip.

Ordinarily, the drive from Lexington to Port Austin would be just over an hour and a half (ish). But we ran into a detour that took us away from the scenic M-25 and deep into farm country. Luckily we were not in Detroit, where detours are not typically well-marked, to put it mildly. So we made it to our destination with no trouble, it just took a little longer than we had expected. The farmland drive was pretty too, especially if you enjoy looking at lots and lots of corn, with a few cows thrown in for good measure.

In The Bank's entrance way. Port Austin, Michigan

Our first stop in Port Austin was The Bank for lunch. This used to be one of my favorite restaurants. The food was fantastic. But, I've noticed that in recent years the food has gone way down hill. It isn't cheap either. We had a great waitress, I'll give them that, and the setting (in an actual old bank building) is definitely unique. I ordered vegetarian quiche and it was awful. The roll that came with it tasted like freezer burn, and the grapes had a moldy flavor. My mother-in-law loved her lunch (chicken salad on a croissant), but I was sorely disappointed in mine. Eating vegetarian while traveling has proven to be a bit of a thorn in my side. The options are so limited. 

After lunch we drove all the way to Caseville, 17 miles each way, just to go thrifting at a little resale shop in town. We probably spent a little too much time in there, but it is something my kids look forward to each year. I know, totally weird, right?

When we got back to Port Austin, we stopped at the soda fountain for ice cream. Chris had told the kids to have a cherry soda for him, which was what he liked to order at the very same shop when he was a kid. So Bethany, Connor, and Lucy each had a cherry soda, while Mattie and I had some regular old ice cream. They have really good ice cream, with some flavors you don't see every day - like carrot cake. There is also a gift shop attached. Please note that although the sign on the door says "no public restroom", there actually is a restroom, and if you ask the cashier she will give you a key. Customers only, though.

Beach time! Port Austin, Michigan

By this time it was starting to get late in the afternoon. We headed to the beach to hang out for a few hours. There are two public beaches in Port Austin. One of them is right there in town, at the marina. There is a newer playground too. But construction was going on all around (I'm wondering what they're up to??), and the restrooms were inaccessible. So we drove down the road to the other beach. Just follow East Spring Street east, past the first beach, and you will come to a sign on the left hand side directing you to the beach. You'll have to drive through a neighborhood to get there, but it is a quick five minutes from the other beach. At this beach there is an older playground and a wooden boardwalk that lines the beach, with shaded picnic tables along the way. 

We chose a picnic table, plunked down all our junk, and the kids got busy in the water. One of the things I love about this beach is that I can sit at the picnic table and watch my kids on the beach, without actually going on the beach if I so choose. There are never many people there, which is awesome sauce in my book. The water is very calm at this beach, because there is a break wall, but it is warm and shallow and not rocky. It is full of sea weed though. Kind of icky in parts, and it really scared Mattie. She didn't want to go in the water much at all because of it. Judging from her screams of terror, you might have thought she had encountered a new breed of freshwater sharks, indigenous to the Great Lakes. But she is a beach baby, and was perfectly happy building her sand castles.

Mathilda hated her dress. A lot. The Farm, Port Austin, MI

Although we really didn't want our beach fun to end, we had made reservations at a nearby restaurant. I was in desperate need of a good meal at this point. We got changed and cleaned up a little in the restrooms, which were passably clean. Then we drove a few miles down M-25 (toward Caseville) to Port Crescent Road and The Farm. The Farm is probably the best restaurant in the area. Or maybe I'm just gloating because they provided me with what was, by far, the best meal I had the entire week of our vacation. I had the Spring Vegetable Strudel and it was to die for. Delicious. I want to eat it again, right now. The menu does change from time to time, but everything is delicious - from the bread basket right on down to dessert. Speaking of dessert, Mathilda and I shared the creme brulee. So ridiculously good.

By the time we got back to our Lexington cottage, it was past 11:30. What a long day!

Who is that mysterious stranger lurking at the beach? Port Austin, Michigan

Reading at the beach. Port Austin, Michigan

Kayaks on the beach. Port Austin, Michigan

Cheese smiles at The Farm. Port Austin, Michigan

With dessert fresh in their minds, these are some very happy kids. The Farm, Port Austin, Michigan

Screen Time Intervention

I'm going to admit something kind of dreadful. My kids have all fallen into the habit of going to sleep with the television on. Every night. It started when Lucy didn't sleep through the night until she was 18 months old. Desperate times, people. So when Mathilda began sharing a room with Lucy, she was also subjected to the nighttime movie, which quickly became a sleep necessity for her too. Bethany and Connor never (okay...rarely) went to sleep with the TV on until sometime in the last year or so. I'm not even sure how it happened. But somehow it started, and before we knew it, they couldn't manage without the television lulling them to sleep either. Parenting fail.

I like to make little goals for the kids over the summer months, and this year one of them is to break the bedtime TV habit. This is a huge, tall order. Like, you have no idea. Or maybe you do, and I'm not the only one with this particular parenting fail? Anyway, I thought our recent vacation in Lexington would be the perfect time to get moving on kicking the habit, since there were no televisions in the bedrooms. And...it went well. Just perfectly fine. I read to the kids longer than usual, which helped things along. There was a little trouble falling asleep at times, but no tears (definitely  helps when there are simply no TVs in the bedrooms to facilitate the habit), and I'd call it a successful venture.

Then we got home and the kids automatically assumed they were back on full television bedtime viewing mode. Nope. I put my foot down, and I held it down firmly. It's been less than a week, but so far we're doing pretty well. Tears have been shed, but the tragedy of the matter seems to be wearing off somewhat. I told Lucy that if she really wants to use her TV pacifier at bedtime, she can go to bed an hour early and watch a DVD before I come up to read. Hasn't happened yet. They're getting over it. I have confidence that this goal will be reached.

I think I've mentioned that a friend remarked on Facebook that she doesn't allow her kids to watch television during the day in the summer. I thought this was a wonderful idea and decided to adopt it as well. Our magic hour is 6:00. Until that time, no one uses the TV or the computer. Unfortunately, I started noticing a little clock watching going on.

"Mom...mom...mom...how many hours until six o'clock, mom? Can I pick a show first, mom? Is it almost six o'clock, mom?"

So I had to add a provision to this new rule of ours. If any one of them badgers us about how long 'til six o'clock, that will mean that no one will get to use the TV or computer that day. One person will ruin it for everyone.

When we were in Lexington, the little girls wanted to watch a DVD on the second night. So I popped in  Barbie and the Magic of the Pegasus, and mid-way through it, the DVD player suddenly stopped working. There was a little bit of grumbling, but after that night, the television did not get turned on again all week. No one even asked for it once. There was even cable! So I know they are capable of refraining. Not having the TV on at all was really refreshing. We also had no WiFi, and my cell phone had no signal either! There's nothing like unplugging for a few days. Instead of television and internet, the kids read, wrote in journals, drew, played outside, worked in their Summer Bridge books (they were super excited that I made them bring these on vacation! Note: I'm being sarcastic.), and practically collapsed from exhaustion at the end of each busy day.

What my little sweeties don't yet know is that I'm pretty sure this rule is going to stay in place once school starts.

Do you have specific rules for television and computer usage for your kids?

Would you look at that, they're not in a TV trance!

Cool tree in the backyard at the cottage...not a computer screen in sight!

My Michigan Memory: Summer Vacation in Lexington, Michigan

I'm linking up with Mrs. Weber's Neighborhood for My Michigan Memory. This week the prize is a family four pack of tickets to the Detroit Institute of Arts, one of my favorite places in Detroit! Go on over and enter, and if you are a blogger with a Michigan Memory to share, link up for 10 extra entries!

By the way, I won the prize a couple weeks ago for a family four pack of tickets to the Midland Center for the Art, a place I recently wrote about in a My Michigan Memory post! Remember, you can't win if you don't enter!

Almost every summer since Bethany was born, we've vacationed in The Thumb with my mother-in-law.  This year our plans fell through when the place we were supposed to be renting was unexpectedly sold at the last minute. So instead we did something different and moved our vacation to Lexington, which bills itself as the "First Resort North." Basically, it's at the base of The Thumb, when we typically stay at the tip of  The Thumb.

Sad kids who had to wait until the next day...it was closed!

My grandparents used to have a second home in Lexington many years ago, so I spent a  lot of time there as a kid. Even after they sold their place, we would take regular day trips, a tradition I have sporadically kept up with my own children. Lexington is a little beach town, nestled on the shores of Lake Huron. The highlight for me, three plus decades ago, was The General Store. Back then they sold true penny candy, but even now they have a candy counter where kids can stand on a stool and point to everything they'd like, while a very patient employee fills a little paper bag with the chosen goodies. Needless to say, no visit to Lexington is complete without a trip to The General Store in town, and I would have to say I think it's also the highlight for my kids. It's worth a visit to the General Store even if you're not in the market for candy. They have all sorts of unique merchandise in a really cool setting. There's more stuff upstairs too! But do keep in mind that they close early!

Our cottage was an awesome, refurbished (with central air, a dishwasher, and a washer and dryer) old house with lots of space, a heavenly front porch, and a huge yard. We were only about one block from town (ie: The General Store), one block from the beach, and one block from Dairy Queen. In short, a perfect location! The downside would be that several of the restaurants in town have closed and dining options within walking distance were very limited. But we made the best of it and managed just fine.

Sunset at the beach

The public beach is sandy, with warm, shallow water (no rocks! no seaweed!). There's a playground, restrooms, concerts on Friday nights in the summer (we caught a little of an Elvis impersonator), and a long pier to walk along for gorgeous views. It is kind of small and narrow, and it tends to get pretty crowded. We did hang out there some, but since we prefer a little more privacy on the beach, we made the trip to nearby Lakeport State Park a couple times. It was about a 20 minute drive, but there the beach is big, spread out, and sparsely populated. The park is accessed right off of M-25, south of town, with the parking lot on the opposite side of the street. You have to cross a pedestrian bridge to get to the beach, but the walk isn't too bad. This was my first time at Lakeport, and I'd definitely go back for a beach day - it is only about an hour from home. It's clean and the water is warm and shallow, although a bit rocky. You might want to bring some water shoes.

Our first visit to the state park, as we were packing everything up to leave, an older gentleman ran over to tell me how impressed he was with my children. He positively raved about how nice and well-behaved they were, and said he didn't want me to leave without telling me. This stranger's kind comments gave me fortitude the rest of the week every time we had a difficult moment, and trust me, there were plenty. But I'm glad he saw them on a good day and took the time to come over and say such wonderful things about them. It got me thinking that I don't give out compliments often enough, especially to strangers, and how a few kind words can really make someone's day, or even week.

We had a lovely, relaxing vacation. I'll tell you more about it soon...

A perfect day at Lakeport State Park

Lakeport State Park

Lakeport State Park

Beautiful beach at Lakeport State Park, Lexington, Michigan

Boogie boarding in Lake Huron, Lakeport State Park, Lexington, Michigan

Busy building sand castles at Lakeport State Park, Lexington, Michigan

That's quite a rock you've got there, Lucy! Lakeport State Park, Lexington, Michigan

Candy-crazed in Lexington, Michigan

In candy heaven...although I suspect that candy cigarettes are not quite PC? Lexington, Michigan