Second day in Charlevoix

  

This what I like about Charlevoix. When you finally stop running, you have the trees and the water to remind you of what life is really all about. We are all tiny specks existing in a universe much larger than ourselves. It is awe inspiring and comforting at the same time. There are places of great grandeur like the Grand Canyon and Uluru that make you feel that you are in a huge cathedral and then there are places like Charlevoix and Booderie National Park that soothe the soul.

Getting here was a bit of a challenge. Sam needed a lift to Boston Airport so we got up and out of our comfy hotel by seven o'clock in the morning. The kindly proprietress let us pack breakfast snacks for our journey.  

There was a bit of a tussle between Sam and Tom on whether we used our iPhones for directions or used our eyes and followed the signs. Inevitably we ended up running late and dropped Sam off at the airport with minutes to spare. And just for the fun of it we ended up spending the next hour getting lost as we looked for our hire car drop off.

At 11.30 we sat down to eat our breakfast at Boston Airport . We did not have our yogurt as Security had confiscated it.

We then flew to Detroit, picked  up another hire car and drove for four and a half hours to Traverse City to pick up Sam, Pip and Julian who were driving from Chicago. 

Confused? Just a bit. They could only communicate with us as to where we would meet up if they stopped at a shop or petrol station that had WIFI. We sat down for a long Mexican dinner and finally caught up with them around ten thirty. We all drove to Charlevoix and finally got to bed around midnight. It was a long day.

The next day was mostly about the landscaping. Before we left Australia we had hired a local landscaper, Wade of Four Lakes Landscapes. Some would say it was foolish to trust a man you had only met on the internet but he has created a magical beginning to what will one day be a marvellous 

landscape that will complement the house.

He also loves rocks and he bought along these beauties.

In a couple of days he is going to bring in some fake rocks to disguise the pump which is presently wearing a not too attractive barrel that we bought last year.

I got really excited with the idea of creating a little rocky area using rocks from the beach and planting succulents that will kind of look like cacti. This will be the project for this time in Charlevoix. Pip and Mel and I are going to do it together. And then of course there will be the parties and the cocktails but there will always be the lake to balance it out.