Happy Fourth!

Wherever you may be, whether at the beach or pool, or barbecuing with family and friends, happy Fourth of July! Today was an amazing day with some neighbors on the lake, and it was great to spend the day playing Fourth of July themed games, swimming in the {freezing cold} water, and of course eating some delicious, homemade, blueberry pie. It started off with a windy, chilly day, but as the sunset and the fireworks started, the temperature rose and it was all around another great independence day. Between the food, parades, and fireworks, it's hard to remember the real reason of today, our country's independence and freedom, so enjoy yourselves and say thanks to all who has continued to keep our country safe. 

Happy Fourth of July from Cavanaugh Lake!

Love,

Natalie

Small Town Adventures

Many of you may know that I've been vacationing on a lake in Michigan for the past week, and it has been so nice to relax, take in the cool weather, and be far away from the tourist season in Charleston. Some of Charleston's suburbs are growing so rapidly that it feels like every day there is another neighborhood being built, and this means there's less of the beautiful forests and hidden islands to explore. But up here in Michigan, the nearest town {Chelsea, Michigan} is a 10 minute drive from our lake house, and this means it's just close enough to stop in for something to eat, do a bit of shopping, or take a walk along the cottages lining the streets. I took my camera with me to this little town today, because I knew I could get some lovely little black and white pictures. Enjoy!

The picture above is a classic example of cottages in Chelsea, small, decorative, and almost doll house like.

Main Street

One of my favorite stores to visit is the store pictured above. It's a newer store that sells all sorts of random, but very unique items from antique buttons to gardening supplies to even 1950's style candy!

Beautiful clock tower on Main Street

I was lucky enough to visit my grandfather's law firm, which has been in business for many, many years. The main floor has all the offices, but down below in the basement are abandoned books {computers now hold all the books}, keys to who knows where, and dark rooms full of old desks and furniture.

I'm not sure how long this American flag has been hanging here, but I would not be surprised if it dated back to when the firm opened. 

Old books lining the bookshelf

On another note, happy early Fourth of July! I'm not sure how much time I'll have tomorrow to blog, but I will try my best to wish you a happy independence day.

Love,

Natalie

Up North

I apologize for my lack of posting lately! On Saturday I was at a teachers wedding and did not get back until much later, and then on Sunday my family drove 15 hours to visit family in Michigan. When I arrived in Michigan, I was informed that the wifi was down and could not be fixed until a few days later, but I'm back! With the wifi back and everything looking good, I'm here for more blogging. Daphne's last post was all about childhood memories, and being here in Michigan really reminds me of the many summers I've spent in this same house. It's so great to be back for two weeks, plus the weather is much cooler and less humid. Because of this lovely weather, the nature around here seems much more alive {it's not dying from the heat}, so I took my camera out and got shooting.

This baby bird was trying to learn how to fly, but as you can see here it was having some trouble. Its mother would feed and poke it, but I was still worried that something was wrong. Eventually, the baby bird began to fly and its mother helped it back up to the nest!

There will be plenty more photography over the course of these next two weeks! 

Love,

Natalie