The vacation of 2003 was very similar to our vacation of 2002... A few days in Holland, Michigan, to visit Schuyler's mother's family, and then on to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to visit with Schuyler's father's family.
Our trip started at DFW airport with an hour delay because of maintenance on the plane. Bethany and Caroline liked looking out the window at all the planes, and Caroline played with the pay phone. There was one empty seat on the plane, and thankfully it was next to me so Caroline had her own seat. This was the only leg of the trip that we had that good fortune. Bethany and Clifford are both buckled in for landing!
Once in Michigan, we met my parents (Grammy and Poppop) and stayed 3 nights at my grandfather's retirement village, where they have 2 guest rooms. You can see everyone at lunch in the dining hall. We also commuted out to the beach to my Uncle David's place. Bethany was anxious to play in the sand and water, and since the water was so cold, she was the only one to put on a swim suit that first night. Caroline wasn't sure what to think of the sand and water. At first she just screamed and held one foot in the air when put down. You can see the contrast between the two kids in the early photos! Also at the beach were my Aunt Annie, Uncle John, and cousin, Julie (with boyfriend Doug), who were all visiting from New Jersey.
In the remaining days the weather was great. Caroline slowly became more tolerant of the sand (she realized it didn't taste too bad). Her Uncle Will (who left before we arrived) bought a small inflatable pool which she played in on the beach. By the end of our time there, Caroline would scream when we took her out of the lake! Being an engineer, I loved to dig holes to bury Bethany or make a tunnel for her to pass through.
Of course, no trip to Michigan is complete without family portraits, breakfast at Jackie's, sunsets, and ice cream at "Captain Sundae's."
After 5 days in Michigan, it was off to...