Oh, lucky you, Annie! I miss Nancy and will have to try to make a trip to her little piece of paradise one of these days!

Linda

I want to go, I want to go, I want to go! It looks beautiful and I need to see Nancy's new kitchen. Thanks for sharing the pictures of our CF friends and their area.

Did I mention that I want to go?

the next time you visit Peppi in Chicago, plan a couple of extra days and I'll give you the grand tour north. It's only about 3 hours north of me, but it's getting cold so do it soon.

Nancy says she is hoping to have the kitchen finished on time for Thanksgiving, but if you made a spring visit we could also do the Traverse Bay winery tours, just as an added piece of "bait" to get you here.

Now, Cathy, I know you don't drink any more than I do, but the winery tours are still fun, and Black Star Farms is making that raclette and the scenery is beautiful. Plus, one of the magazines, I forget who, just named Traverse City, Michigan, as one of the top ten foodie towns in America, so we could eat!

Annie

Annie, your pictures turned out great. I'm so ashamed, I took pictures and even downloaded them but that's as far as I got. It's this kitchen thing that has me all consumed right now.

The current kitchen will be demolished starting tomorrow. I have been stashing things from the kitchen all over the house. Thankfully the new pantry finally got finished, of course that meant some fast painting.

But anyway, I have some additional pictures to post here from our dinner...

1. Annie by the Legs Inn sign.

2.Annie's dinner

3. Kim's Goulash...she loved it and I have already recreated it at home.

4. I ordered two things off the Appetizer menu, pierogies and potato pancakes with apples.

Dinner was OK but the company was much better!!

Annie, I'm glad to see you made it to Bill's Farm Market. Fall is so beautiful and the rolling hills around Bill's offer great views. You hit it just right for fall color.

Cathy, you can visit anytime. In the spring the drive between my house and Traverse City is gorgeous when the orchards are in bloom. I do want you to come and see the kitchen when it's finished.

Nancy

Annie those are absolutely beautiful pictures. Southern California doesn't have the seasons!

Annie, what fun! I love the picture of the sea of pumpkins and gourds. Yowza. Love the pictures of you all, too.

Great pictures, the food looks delicious and the farmers market looks fantastic.

What a great gift to yourself before that last push for the wedding! Love seeing those pics of Nancy and Kim and the one of you is cute too. Smiles. The food does look good but I've got to say I would be in hog heaven in that field of pumpkins and gourds! Nirvana...lol. Looks like it was a beautiful ride. Lovely country. Thanks for sharing.

Looks like a fantastic time! And what gorgeous scenery, I can see why you all love MI so much, those look like calendar photos. The food looks fantastic and we know the company is a blast.... glad you all had a great time.

Alexa

Where did that bear come from, Pennsylvania?

Um, yup, I think Pennsylvania. You notice he's smiling for the camera, he's so darned happy to be here in Michigan, smelling all that Polish sausage!

Coconut, it wasn't a gift to myself, it was a requirement for my work and the timing was awful. Still, I had to get in my Continuing Education hours and so away I went...

Luckily there were farm markets and good food and friends in addition to my classes.

Annie

I see the two wonderful CF friends I've met! Good to see you looking so good. Annie, the wedding pics were beautiful, too. We didn't get to eat at Leggs when we were up there last year, but did the tunnel of trees. IN THE THIRTY FOOT MOTOR HOME TOWING THE TRUCK!!!!!!!!!! Can you say big mistake?! Branches scraping the roof and sides driving down the middle of the road, and when you met an oncoming vehicle....... Well, I'll just let you imagine it. We should have gone north again this year, by the looks of the color. South wasn't near as pretty, but still fun.

Tami

I was very happy with my life so far until I saw those pictures.

I have misssed out on many good things.

Wonderful! spectacular!

dcarch

Tami, I can't imagine the Tunnel of Trees in a motor home, a car just fits and if one comes the other way, both have to crowd off to the edge, but it's sure beautiful! The colors were very nice this year.

dcarch, you're referring to the rutabaga, right? (grin) It took me 4 or 5 meals, but I ate the whole darned thing myself, with a little help from Cooper.

Annie

Annie, can you say sick when we got done?! Other than the scratches DH put on the rv, he had a blast, but wouldn't do it again, thankfully! When he looked on line, he thought it was a bigger road! And no signage saying no trucks so he figured we would fit. We did, but not by much!

Tami

Yeah, I think I'd be sick too, Tami, but somehow I'm sure Merle handled it like a champ! Too bad about the scratched up RV though...

Legs Inn is definitely worth a trip, if you get back up north, the food was delicious.

Annie

Annie, we have the same body. Long lean legs, short waist, vertically challenged! How funny!

I love potatoe pancakes and those look great to me Nancy. Annie, not sure how you fit all this in with the wedding and all??? Good to see both of you and Kim too. Great pics of the MI in the fall for sure. Our fall colors are hit and miss this year as we've had no rain in forever....the temps have been great though.

David

Yup, Eileen, that's me! Long legs, short waist, 5'1" (and a half!!).

I gain 2 pounds and I look like an apple, with legs.....

Annie

Shopping for clothes is a personal journey to hell.

What a fun time!

I couldn't agree more, Barnmom. I'm in the same category.

Annie, I always say I look like an M&M, with arms and legs!

I'm going to have to visit Michigan. All your pictures make me want to!

Trixie, come on up, I'll drive you all over, give you the grand tour!!!

Eileen, you're right. I HATE to shop...

Annie

Oh my goodness Annie! What timing for the continuing educations. Sheesh. You did make the most of it though. Smiles. I still keep going back to that field. LOL.. The giant bags crack me up.

coconut, the bags are so people will leave the bushel baskets there when buying a bushel of squash for the freezer, LOL.

Those baskets are way more expensive than the big bags!

Annie

Don't know how I missed this thread earlier. Your pictures made me cry. Northern Michigan in the fall is truly one of the most beautiful places.

One of the last times we took my dad up north before he died, we all went to the Legs Inn. That's DH's dad & stepmom, me & DS (he's now 10, so this was a while ago), and my mom & dad.

And in case you need one more reason to believe that Michigan is amazingly beautiful, here's a photo looking out from the Fort on Mackinac Island on that same trip. (Yes, the grass is that green and the sky and lake are that blue.)

Ann

Ann, Sounds like a great memory for you and the family. I was going to ask if you had another little one as I remember pictures of your DS been older.

Mackinac Island is on my bucket list--all thanks to "Somewhere In Time".

OT: Ann, what program/website did you use to make you Italy book? I'm trying to choose one then I remembered how great your book was.

Cathy

Annie, Merle can drive anything anywhere! He once told someone that I drive the motor home better than he does because I'm afraid of it and he isn't! But he hates my driving, so he gets to do it all. Most of the scratches cant even be seen. He got it again on the way home last Sunday in WV. Coming to an intersection, he saw the trees that had been very recently trimmed, but thought he was over far enough. Got the edge of the windshield besides the side. I haven't thought about it to look at it, but I don't think it was too bad. That's what he gets for putting his seat belt on after he's on the road, instead of before! (He hates seat belts) He even takes it thru the parking lot at Sonic's!!!! Places I think are way to small for it, he has no problem with.

You sure did hit some great places to shop and seeing friends is alway great.

Tami

Cathy,
Yes, that was about seven years ago. After that, my dad was not really feeling great with Crohn's disease symptoms, so he didn't do much traveling. So when we'd go up north, he wouldn't go any more.

We used the Mac software that's built in for the IMac for the book. I also like Blurb if you're pc based.

Oh, Ann, I'm glad to see your parents! And yes, that is Mackinac, and yes the grass is that green and the sky is that blue and The Lake is that clean. What a lovely picture. I didn't mean to make you cry...

Tami, I can just see Merle, wheeling the RV through Sonic, LOL.

Annie

I'm late to this party, but I enjoyed reading your accounts and seeing your pictures. Thanks for sharing, and I'm so glad you had a great time. It makes me want to head north. Maybe some day.

Sally

I want another holiday your side!!! Wonderful.

Not sure how come I missed this thread! So good to see Nancy and Kim again! You're looking well ladies.

Annie the scenery is beautiful. Reminds me so much of central Ontario but then again we are neighbours.

Sharon, I think you're almost directly east of me, and I agree, your part of the world looks very much like mine. I've not been to upstate New York in the fall, but I've always thought, for some reason, that it looks much like this too.

Islay, come on over. I'll pick you up at the Grand Rapids airport and drive you around and I'll bet we could get a real forum visit going for you!

Autumn is my fvorite season in Michigan, not hot, hasn't snowed yet, isn't gray and wet and icky. And then there are the farmer's markets!

Annie

Those hubbard squash pyramids blew my mind!! What a fun trip, thanks for sharing!

I missed this - looks like another nice get-together. I'm glad you could meet up and share good food in a beautiful setting!