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Thanks so much for stopping by! I believe that everyone can have a beautiful home without spending a fortune! One of my favorite things to do is find creative ways to re-purpose things I already have on hand, or have picked up at yard sales and thrift stores. Join me as I share with you some of my favorite ideas for crafting and decorating, as well as travel adventures, and fun things that I pick up on my treasure hunts! Much of my work is influenced by my love all things French, nature, and of course shabby chic! I have gotten so many creative ideas from you very talented bloggers out there, and I hope that I can be an inspiration to you as well!

Saturday, October 18, 2014

A Visit to Mackinac Island, Michigan

Hi everyone, hope you are having a great week!
Care to travel with me "Somewhere in Time?"
 Last Saturday, hubby and I, along with my nephew and his wife, flew to Mackinac Island, Michigan.  It is one of our very favorite places in our state, and something we Michiganders are very proud of!
Before I share my pics of the island, I'll show you some photos I snapped along the way.
(warning, lots of photos here!  So grab your cup of coffee, hot cocoa, Diet Coke, or other beverage of choice, and come along for the ride!)
 It was a perfect day for flying, nice and sunny, and the flight was smooth as silk!
The colors were just gorgeous.  Fall is one of my favorite times to fly!
 Colors around mid state were at their peak, and just stunning!

 So pretty!
 It's fun flying above the clouds!
 I love this pic that I snapped off the wing tip!
 Here we are, almost there.  The island lies in the "Straits of Mackinac", the point at which Lake Huron and Lake Michigan meet.
 If you look closely, you can see the Mackinac Bridge in the distance.
(click any photo to zoom in)
 Getting closer.............
 Downtown, and the Grand Hotel.
Just look at that amazing blue water!

 One of my very favorite parts about the island is that no cars are allowed!
So that means you walk, ride a bike, or get around via horse and carriage.
One of the islands claims to fame is that it was the setting for the Christopher Reeve/Jane Seymour movie
"Somewhere in Time".
It truly does feel as if you are stepping back in time! 
 We couldn't get over how beautiful the fall colors were!
 Approaching the runway.
But wait, it appears that the runway ends right in the water!
No worries!  It is an optical illusion!
 Here's another nice shot I took of the bridge before coming in for a landing.
 And here is our ride!
That is my and my handsome pilot hubby:)
 The island has some gorgeous homes and mansions. This is one of my favorites.  Love the porch and pretty blooms!

 I think this house, below is my favorite (if I had to pick just one!).
Look closely and you will notice the ceiling of the front porch is painted sky blue, with hand painted clouds!
I can so see myself there enjoying my morning coffee, or sipping a glass of wine and enjoying the sunset!
 Reminders of a gentler era.................
 The Grand Hotel.  Hubby and I have been lucky enough to spend the night there on previous trips.  Built in the late 1800's, it is truly amazing!
 It boasts the "World's Longest Porch", at 600', I believe.
 We were amazed at all of the flowers still blooming in mid October.
 Like this gorgeous dahlia!
 Pretty stone church.
Many couples get married on the island.
We rented bikes and road around the island.  It was great exercise, but boy was it cold!
The wind coming off the lake is more than a bit chilly!
 A view of the fort. which was originally built by the British in 1814.
Here is a view of downtown.  The island is known for their many fudge shops (yum!). 
We took a horse "taxi" back to the airport that night, first dropping passengers off at 
The Grand.  It looked to elegant lit up at night.
 Sunset over the bridge made for the perfect ending of a great day!
Thanks so much for joining me on my little tour!

10 comments:

The Bear's Blog said...

Beautiful. No cars or vehicles - now that would be a little piece of heaven on earth.

Thanks for the tour.

The Bear's Blog said...

Beautiful. No cars or vehicles - now that would be a little piece of heaven on earth.

Thanks for the tour.

Celestina Marie said...

Hi Donna, what an amazing time you had on the island. Love your pics and the gardens are gorgeous. I could easily live there. The vintage homes are beautiful. The fall colors in your aerial shots are stunning. This is what I miss about my home state. The fall colors can not be replaced anywhere.

Love the pic of you and John by the plane. So glad you had a wonderful time and thanks for sharing. Now I feel I at least got to see Michigan in fall color!
Hugs

NanaDiana said...

Oh- I love Mackinac and have not been there to visit in a LONG TIME! We ate breakfast and The Grand and it truly WAS GRAND! lol What a wonderful trip you had. That house that you pointed out is MY favorite, too. Wouldn't you love to see the inside of it?

Have a wonderful weekend, Donna. xo Diana

Mary@mydogsmygardenandmary said...

Oh Donna, what a beautiful trip and all the stunning views of Fall and great pictures. I love the Fall foliage, but unfortunately, here in So CA we do not get the changing leaves. In fact they are saying the the weather will be back up in the high 80's next weekend. UGH
I have been enjoying the cooler weather. I do love Fall and seeing all the stunning trees from the plane was so pretty.
Thanks for taking us on this beautiful trip.
Mary

Susie said...

Donna, I loved all your pictures. It is so beautiful there.I also love that movie. I think about how wonderful it would have been to be there on the island during that time. xoxo,Susie

Debby said...

Such beautiful pictures. I'd love to visit there. So nice that you have a pilot.

Jan Hermann said...

Mackinac Island has been a dream for me since Somewhere in Time!! Love seeing all the pics you took. Maybe...some day.

Junkchiccottage said...

Donna,
Growing up in lower part of Michigan I can remember those trips up to Mackinac Island. Just beautiful. Hope you are doing great. Have a wonderful Sunday.
Kris

Musings from Kim K. said...

It's definitely one of our favorite places to visit. I'm just loving all the beautiful fall color that you captured from the air. What an amazing view.