Life in the Tree House

My annual trip to South Haven is always a welcome reprieve from the work-a-day world that I inhabit. I pack enough clothes for a two-week vacation and enough food and drinks to throw the mother of all parties! I can barely contain myself during the 30-45 minute commute from my home to "the tree house" on North Shore Drive-the scene of the crime for more than 5 years now with my good friends Sandy and Debbie and their family and friends who have been coming to this location in South Haven the same week for nearly 20 years...I arrive and begin the trek with all my bags and boxes up the little steps on the side of Mrs. Vanstreen's house. Our little deck is up with the trees and we feel like Robinson Crusoe or The Swiss Family Robinson when we're up there. The sky is so blue and the water shimmers. The yard is meticulous as always and full of flower and beautiful decor. It's green and lush and peaceful. The breeze is magical and the sound of the waves hypnotic. I sleep like a baby whenever I'm here. When in South Haven we operate on ISLAND TIME. This means we don't keep a schedule of any sort. 
We eat when we feel like it, sleep when we feel like it, get up whenever, do whatever. Our main plan is to have no plan. For all of us over scheduled, harassed types this is a refreshing change.

Many hours are spent on the deck talking, eating, drinking, reading, sunbathing, laughing and solving the problems of the world along with our own. We discuss men, read the National Enquirer and other trashy rags and laugh at all our old running jokes -you know, the inside jokes only we think are funny! Cuz we're the only ones who know what they mean... Everyone else looks at us like we're a few bubbles of of plumb...which is a very real possibility! We subscribe to the Life is Good philosophy: Do what you like and like what you do!


One of the favorite pastimes for both Sandy and I is to cook and to look through cookbooks and cooking magazines for new ideas of dishes we can fix while we're ladies of leisure at the beach.


Thanks to Tastefully Simple, we had the best pumpkin and walnut bread with cream cheese frosting and a homemade batch of Sangria to which we added our own fresh fruit-delish!


Here we are, yukking it up!
 
One of our most fabulous spreads...then comes a long walk to North Beach pier and sometimes South Beach pier and sometimes both...sometimes further than that!! Walks are one of our big passions at South Haven. We eat, drink, and be merry but somehow with all that walking morning and night, we always manage to loose a few pounds while there. It's our diet regime-some day we'll write a diet book about it and make millions!! Then we'll move to South Haven permanently. Until then, we shall carry on!
We walk to the beach. We walk on the beach.

We walk all over the piers and to the lighthouse. Sometimes we walk the sidewalk down to the pier and take the beach back to the tree house. Seeing all the beach houses from the beach side is a real trip. Some houses have pools and cabanas and even an outdoor stage and dance floor area. These are people's private homes. It blows my mind how some people live! Not that I would mind checking that out!


We sit in the park and various benches around town and play the Sex and the City game with all the guys who walk by...you know the one where you say whether you would or whether you wouldn't. That gets pretty funny.



We take naps. Lots of naps.

We need our rest to keep up the hoopla and hi jinx!

On our twice daily walks we see many beautiful sights and stop to converse with others we encounter on our journey. We make note of all the lovely gardens and flowers. I especially love Dogwoods-the pink ones are my favorite. There's some very elaborate and breathtaking landscaping along our walking routes as well as just the sweet old fashioned gardens that reflect the loving care of their owners.

Beautiful new home going in...we'd love to have this one!


Here's a gorgeous home that went in a couple summers ago...we watched part of it being built. We remember the summer that it was a vacant lot with a For Sale sign in front. That's the fun of returning year after year. It becomes an ongoing saga.

We keep track of all the new construction, all the places that have had modifications, improvements or renovations.

Here's one of our all-time favs from year-to-year.
And here's the house we dream of buying and turning into a time share for ourselves and about nine of our most intimate friends! Anybody want to throw in with us?

We notice which restaurants and businesses are still there and which are missing. We inventory all the boats in the various slips and marinas around town-many we have seen for years and even remember their names!There are always jokes and people-watching. There's always at least one meal at Clementines and a chocolate dessert fountain at North Shore Chocolate Co. or ice cream at Sherman's. We have our favorite shops that we like to browse through. The local movie theater is quaint and cheap-both very endearing qualities! On Mondays you can take a guest for free and if you bring your own paper bag, popcorn is only 25 cents. What deals!



We make it a point to admire as many sunrises and sunsets as we can possibly squeeze in...then, every year, when it's over and we have to leave, we feel sad, happy, and content all at the same time. We always think it could never be better than this...but somehow each year just keeps getting better and better. You know that old saying, "We'll always have Paris..." Who needs Paris when you've got South Haven! Hoo-RAH!