The first lesson learned on my trip last weekend to a lakehouse in southern Michigan was that it’s always very important to pack your laptop charger if you are a blogger – rookie mistake!
But, I digress – let’s get back to chatting about the trip!
My family and I had an incredible time at our family friend Chas’ lakehouse in Union, Michigan last weekend. We’ve roadtripped there many summers since I was sixteen, and I find it to be the perfect escape from busy city life.
The lakehouse is roughly a two hour drive from my hometown of Chicago, and just north of the Indiana border near Elkhart, IN. To be honest – the area is really rural. And I LOVE IT!
View of Chas’ lakehouse from the dock
Boathouse at the lakehouse – where all the fun water toys are kept!
In my opinion, the back-country, rural feeling you get from being at the lakehouse is part of the charm of that type of weekend vacation. Although it rained on the first day of our trip and therefore prevented us from going on the boat at first, we were able to do some acrylic landscape paintings and play a family euchre match. And boy oh boy did my family spend time in the kitchen cooking some gourmet meals! The food throughout the weekend was remarkably delicious – and so filling! I always forget how fresh meat tastes in the Midwestern states due to the proximity to farms.
Whether dining indoors or outdoors, there was always a view of the lake!
Sizzling bacon on the griddle
Eggs cooking in the pot for breakfast
Delicious gourmet steaks that Chas cooked on the grill for dinner
But let’s face it – my FAVORITE part of a weekend stay at Chas’ lakehouse is being on his speed boat. There is something about cruising over the water that feels eternally relaxing. Plus, the water sports you can do on calm Midwestern lakes are unparalleled to those on the open ocean, and Alexa and I enjoyed tubing and swimming on the sunny days.
Me and Alexa tubing behind the boat
Alexa and I jumping off the boat to for a swim – so much fun!
Another highlight of the weekend was when my family decided to venture into South Bend rather than cook on Sunday night, and I lucked out to be invited to ride with Chas in his new Mercedes convertible to the restaurant! It was a total blast! He was able to accelerate to wild speeds on the backcountry roads, and my aunt (who was driving the family’s SUV behind us) joked that we left them in the dust – haha!
Me and Chas in the convertible about to speed away
It’s hard to describe the overall feeling of leisure and contentment that you encounter at a lakehouse. The feeling seeps into your spirit when you arrive and slowly relaxes your soul throughout your stay. I would venture to guess that even the most jaded New Yorker tasked with keeping a watch over the tranquil morning water as it twinkles in the sunlight would be overtaken by a feeling of peace.
Spying on an early morning fisherman
Chas smiling and waving hello from the balcony
This is the face of total relaxation. I think I may have actually taken a quick nap on that chair right after, even!
That said, it helps tremendously if you have cherished family and friends to share each lakehouse moment with. For that, I am truly blessed!
Everyone having a blast on the boat!
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