Monday, September 19, 2016

Old Mission Peninsula and Grand Traverse Bay, Traverse City, Michigan :)

While here, I thought I'd post a few photos of our trip we made this past weekend,to Northern Michigan. (It was actually a necessary trip for Mark, but we managed to get in a few fun moments - forgive the photo quality, some were quickly-snapped cell phone pics :)

You should've seen my happy husband in his natural habitat, he was like a kid in a candy store! :)

Lighthouse Beach on Old Mission Peninsula, Grand Traverse Bay, Lake Michigan - Traverse City, Michigan :)



Nope, that's not the ocean, that's Grand Traverse Bay, part of Lake Michigan.  Much like the ocean, it's super blue, but super clear, smaller waves and less things that could hurt you when you swim in it :)












Mark, apparently baptizing Brooke? ;)







The vineyards, cherry orchards and apple orchards of Old Mission Peninsula, with views of East and West Traverse Bay (Old Mission Peninsula separating the two) :)









Mari V Vineyards (Italianate/Tuscan Style with underground wine cellar).





Chateau Chantal Vineyard and Restaurant






Peninsula Grill -  Where my honey finally got his much-anticipated and beloved fried perch! :)




An appetizer of crab cakes with lime-corn salsa and avocado with a glass of Blackstar Chardonnay (local wine)...




I swear, he almost licked his plate of perch, when he'd finished, before I stopped him! lol



Though he knows it doesn't go with fish, Mark wanted to try the Mari V cabernet franc (local wine, see pic above).  He said the wine tasted nearly identical a Rothschild and therefore went with everything ;) (Methinks he was just on a battered-perch high ;))

For my entree, as I hadn't eaten all day, I had smoked spare ribs (smoked all day on site), with butternut squash and brussel sprouts with bacon - heaven!

Boardman River through Midtown, Traverse City, Michigan 


A pit stop on the way home of Mark's Alma Mater, Michigan State University - one of the few US universities that can boast both phenomenal football and basketball teams. (He must've brought them luck - The Spartans won against Notre Dame that day @ Notre Dame!)

My own Sparty in front of Spartan Stadium...



Spartan Mark in front of the Breslin Center (currently being renovated) and the Magic Johnson statue...


And this pic is one I snapped of one of the two things I'd never seen before, until this first trip to Michigan - a black squirrel! (I thought it was a skunk at first from a distance LOL).


What's the second thing I'd never seen, you ask?

I didn't get a pic, but the amount of men with an exact replica of Mitt Romney's hair :)

Lastly, a little video of the Sparty family in front of Beaumont Clock Tower, while chiming, at MSU - beautiful campus - I admit, much prettier than UK's campus :)


Monday, August 8, 2016

Wedding Photos: St. Simons Island, Georgia/Gatlinburg, Tennessee :)

Due to some unexpected events (to include eating some bad crab cakes eggs benedict), we were married in Gatlinburg, Tennessee in the Smoky Mountains rather than St. Simons - but both were beautiful!

I'll be added photos as we go along - most of these are cell phone pics and only a few, just yet, are with our Canon :)

First things first, the wedding ceremony at Ivy Rose Wedding Chapel in Gatlinburg, Tennessee :)








As the chapel pastor took the photos, he asked us to lay our (meantime) celtic-knot rings side by side to form the "god number" of 8 or the google symbol - two closed circles now bonded together at the center by god to create infinite, intertwined love, one circle now leading back to the other :)

...  I now pronounce us Mr. and Mrs. Mark and Chrystal Chaplow :)










Wedding Toast at the Cherokee Grill, Gatlinburg, TN...






Early morning black bear "hunt"/smoky-mountain drive :)

(We were looking for black bears, but so our hotel neighbors told us, we would've been better off hanging around the hotel at dusk to see one - "Ruxpin" comes at dusk and dawn to raid the trash bins :)















This next photo needs a little explanation - we had stopped at the North Carolina Welcome Center on the way down, when this little guy, a Carolina Wren, hit the glass window to the gift shop :( Lying on his back, he was stunned for a minute until the gift shop attendant (lady whose foot is in the photo) and I massaged her  a bit, then turned her upright and protected her from wandering dogs until she felt better enough to fly away :)




Sleepy little Gatlinburg in the early morning...



But don't let it fool you - this is what it looks like at night!




Earlier this week, at St. Simons Island, Georgia...







Snuggy and Brookie's first time in the ocean! :) (Brookie wasn't having it, Snuggy loved it:) )




The view from our room... 



St. Simons is a beautiful, spanish colonial/american gothic/greek revival/italianate, spanish-moss covered, sleepy little beach town :)



The salt marshlands...



No makeup, beach hair, don't care....:)


Snuggy is HIS beach hat - pug pirate!