Learning about Lilacs

We took advantage of a Lilac Festival event at St. Anne's. Kids got to prep their own little lilac (and grown-ups did too). We went last Thursday, but it was offered daily at 3pm during Lilac Festival.


The lilacs we received were Josie, (related to Lucy). They will have magenta edged leaves in fall! The nursery they come from is 3 miles long. My daughter is removing the extra rich nursery soil from the roots before planting it in her cup:


As grownups learned about pruning their lilacs, kids lost their shoes and enjoyed the grass. (I know approximately nothing about taking care of plants, so it was all new information to me. For instance, pruning the top of a lilac branch essentially kills it.)


There were lots of late-blooming lilacs at St. Anne's- it smelled divine!


One of my favorite historic figures of Mackinac Island has been laid to rest here. Madeline La Framboise was an amazing woman!





Lots of little lilacs!



Amazing skies:





Mission Point Resort's flowers:



I have so many blog-worthy pictures! I need to catch up!

Location:Mackinac Island

Lilac Festival Racing and Riding

Today was the Lilac Festival 10k Run. I didn't have someone watching the girls, so I didn't race (pushing the double jogging stroller over six miles didn't sound appealing). But my five year old was excited to run in the "Lil Kids Race," so we signed her up!
The 10k started at the Iroquois, up Mission Hill and the east bluff, then ended on the shoreline with the finish at Mackinac Island Public School. It was busy!


Here the kids listen to instructions for their race. It was advertised as a half mile race but ended up being closer to 100 meters. The kids didn't seem to mind, so that's what counts!


My daughter is in the yellow tie dye shirt. The boy in front of her is just about to fall in this picture- when he did, she politely paused and waited for him to hop back up.



The second heat of the kids run was the eight to twelve year olds. One girl wore a wonder woman cape, which my two year old especially enjoyed. I think she expected the caped girl to fly! She's not in this shot of the leaders. Lots of proud runner parents!


My proud runner!


We biked home, and she wore her medal the whole way:


On the way to catch the ferry, we ended up behind a bride & groom- I love getting glimpses of weddings on the island!


We rode on top of the ferry today- a rare treat for the girls! Daddy is loved:


Goodbye Mackinac Island! We'll be back tomorrow!


We had fun!





It was nice to get pictures of the Mackinac Bridge without a window in between. There's a sailboat approaching if you look closely:







There's a large, interesting ship docked in Mackinaw City. If the girls had been in better moods, it would have been nice to check it out. It looks like it has a cool history:



We had a bonfire in the Les Cheneaux Islands. It was almost 8pm and quite light out:





There were lots of spiders in the grass near the water. Not my favorite creatures, but their webs are amazing:





My two year old mid-storytelling:


The happiest part of a bonfire is S'mores!





A sweet ending to a fun day!

Location:Mackinac Island

Lilacs

Lilac Festival officially began today! The lilacs have actually been blooming for a few weeks. (It was a warm winter.) Some lilacs are past their prime, but others are still pretty. Most importantly, it still smells divine! This blog features photos of lilacs over the past few weeks.

New this summer- outdoor paintings on display! This one is in front of the art museum:





I caught a monarch mid-flight!









If you need inspiration to smile, here you go! (If only my girls had been inspired to smile)


There are lots of other blooms in addition to lilacs. This is the walk along Mission Point Resort:











I had fun editing photos:











Forget me nots too!

Location:Mackinac Island

Les Cheneaux Wildlife and Mackinac Sunset

We spent most of Sunday in Cedarville and had to pause for wildlife a couple of times while driving. This momma had a row of fluffy chicks following- so precious! I think it might be a quail...



She ruffled her feathers and turned around:


Shortly after, we stopped for this deer:


There was a frog on Grandma's deck:





The girls were nervous about touching it:





So sticky!


We took the Mackinaw City Ferry home. (We filled a tub of groceries in Cheboygan before heading over)


The Mackinac Bridge:


Mackinac Island:


At this point in the season, the last Arnold ferry leaves at 8:30 from Mackinaw City- that's three hours later than St. Ignace (our usual departure location). It was lovely to catch the low sun!