Deckerville, Michigan

Forester Park

August 3rd through August 5th, 2012

Friday, August 3rd, 2012 - 85/63°, Mostly Sunny

    The start to this year’s trip up north for the Deckerville Homecoming got off to a different start this year. Tara took the day off of work, so she was home in the morning with me to get the camper ready to go. Samantha had soccer camp all week, with today being her last day, so Tara started out dropping her off before heading off to fuel up the truck and pick up a few items from Sam’s Club. Since this is our first trip of the year, thanks to all of the work we have been doing on the house, I started my day off by installing the battery in the camper, plugging in to the house power, and putting the plug back in to the water heater. This all should have been done some time ago, but getting the house back in order has been the priority this summer.

    We worked on packing the camper for most of the morning, but before we knew it the time had come for Sam to be picked up from camp. Tara did this errand while I went inside to make lunch so that we could eat when the girls returned. Since I am working second shift now, I had to prepare to head off to work as well. Normally I would have been home to leave with everybody else, but this year is different. I had to head to work while they finished up and got ready to head to the campground. Before I left I helped Tara hook up the truck, since this was one task she hadn’t completed before. Good thing she drove it a little bit last year, or we’d all be making a very late night trip tonight when I get out of work!

    I am not sure what time they arrived at the campground, but I do know that Tara managed to stop at Menard’s on her way up to make some returns (I told her we’d do it on our way home, but she was insistent that she could make the stop). She also had to stop for an emergency bathroom stop for Jayden, which took place in the camper. The boys on the other hand just stepped out the door and let it fly!

    Once they did arrive at the campground and checked in (reminder for next year – no credit card allowed for payments!) Dad helped Tara get backed in to the site. Once they had it in position, it was just a matter of leveling it out and hooking everything up. Tara worked on setup while the kids drove her crazy asking to do things.

    They were joined at dinner by my Aunt Sherry, along with my Aunt Julie and her boyfriend Terry. Oh, and Steve… can’t forget Steve! They ate a quick meal of hot dogs and mac-n-cheese tonight, with the intention of heading to Deckerville for the tractor pull after they were done. The kids surprised Tara by saying that they’d rather skip the tractor pull and stay at the campground instead. This was OK with her, as it would save us the admission fee! They decided to go to the fireworks instead, but when it came time to leave Drew decided that he didn’t even want to do that. He stayed behind with Grandpa Gary & Grandma Terry as Tara took Tyler, Samantha, and Jayden to town.

    While they were off having fun I was back at work, missing them big time. Although I still hate this shift, I have sort of gotten used to not being home with them every night (I’m sure that will change once school starts and Tyler’s football games start taking place on Wednesday evenings again). Tonight was different though, as they were doing something that we normally do as a family… it was definitely tough. Once work got out at 11:30pm, I headed north to join them.

    I do have to mention one last thing… a couple of nights ago I had a real rough night at work, and I decided to treat myself to a McDonald’s shake on the way home. The only problem was that the McDonald’s I stopped at was apparently closed already, so I headed on. The other McDonald’s I passed that night was also closed when I got there, so no shake for me. Tonight I decided to get one to help the ride north go smoother, so I stopped at a McDonald’s that is always open when I pass by. After sitting in the drive through for about five minutes waiting for my turn to order, I ask for a large chocolate shake. “I’m sorry, but our shake and ice cream machine is down for cleaning” I was told. Are you kidding me?!? Can’t a guy catch a break! I ended up settling for a large Coke and a small order of Spicy Chicken McBites.

    The rest of the ride went smoothly, and I arrived at the campground at 1:45am (I guess technically this should be under the Saturday part of the journal…). I squeezed the van into a spot on the site and headed inside. I crawled in to bed since everyone else was already asleep. I woke up Tara and we chatted for a bit, but she was soon off to sleep. Unfortunately sleep didn’t come as easily for me, as the last time I looked at the clock on my phone it read 3:30am. Ugh…

Saturday, August 5th, 2012 - 90/66°, Mostly Cloudy

    Tara & I woke up this morning to a shaking trailer (and not the good kind!), as the kids were tossing and turning and moving all around. It was 8:30am, which meant I was lacking sleep already today. It would have been nice to be able to sleep in, but it wasn’t meant to be. It did take Tara & I a long time to get enough motivation to get out of bed, but it was no substitute for sleep!

    We finally did manage to climb out of bed and start cycling the kids through the shower. At the same time we got with all of the family in Dad & Mom’s camper to plan breakfast. We would be making bacon, scrambled eggs, and pancakes. We worked on making breakfast while also getting a chance to shower ourselves.

    Breakfast was on the table a little before 11:00am, which was later than I would have liked, since the parade in town started at noon. We managed to eat breakfast at a fast-leisurely pace and do a quick cleanup before Tara & I headed out with the kids to stake out a spot at the parade.

    In town we found a spot to park at the grocery store and headed to our usual spot on the corner. Normally we are down a little further, but this year we were right on the corner, stretching out to the driveway of the parking lot. Once we got there the kids headed across the street to the church to make a donation in exchange for an ice cream cup. Great-Grandma was the next to join us at the parade, and Dad, Mom, Sherry, Julie, Terry, and Steve arrived shortly after.

    We sat through the parade and saw some really cool things, including an old Oliver Superior grain drill turned into a fun ride. The kids collected all of the candy that they could, although by the end they were tired of picking up Tootsie Rolls (the poor, unappreciated Tootsie Roll…). They ended up picking up most of them and giving them to Great-Grandma!

    Normally after the parade we wander through the car show, but this year Tara and Julie wanted to go to the Country View Store (or what we typically call the Mennonite store). I, along with Sherry and Terry, rode along with them to the store while Mom volunteered to take the kids back to the campsite for us (they did spend some time in town before heading back, however).

    We did our shopping (Tara needed to replace a lot of spices from our cupboard, and Julie and Terry bought some items for breakfast tomorrow) before making our way back to Sandusky for a quick stop at Wal-Mart for a few grocery items (and we needed toothbrushes, as there wasn’t any in the tub that we usually store all of our camper items in). From here it was time to pick up some cherries for my Grandma, although the directions that she gave us to the house to pick them up left us all a tad confused. We eventually found it, pick up the cherries, and make our way back to the park.

    We hung around the campsites for a little while and cleaned up to head out for an early dinner at Williams Inn (yes, the world famous one!). Almost everyone ordered either the buffet or the perch plate (which had a ton of perch on it!). I know I enjoyed my meal, even if the service tended to be a little (or a lot) slow. I know my table never got their bread basket (the other table got theirs just before they finished eating), and refills on the pop were few and far between. Good thing the fish made up for it! Tyler ate like a mad-man today, and not just desserts! He far and away had the most plates stacked up next to him!

    After eating I headed outside to take some pictures. There is an old house across the street and a small shed that I have been taking pictures of for a long time (since 2008, at least) that I wanted to photograph once again. Looking back at the old photos, not much has changed with either of them. I also took some pictures of the kids messing around on a large rock beside the parking lot.

    By the time I finished taking my pictures the bills had been paid and everyone was making their way outside. Since everybody was all together, we loaded into the cars and made the drive south to the White Rock Roadside Park. We have been taking pictures of the kids here even long that I have been taking pictures of the shacks around Williams Inn, since 2006! The kids spent quite a bit of time wandering around on the rocks, which are normally underwater during our visits. The low lake levels this year are clearly visible here. After they waded into the water a bit we decided that it was time to get them back to shore and take pictures of them on the downed tree that is on the beach near the bottom of the stairs, which has become somewhat of a tradition for us. Each of us took our turn on the tree, and we even managed a couple of photographs of the kids all together, smiles and all.

    After managing to get decent pictures of everybody, it was time to pile back into the cars for the ride back to the campground. Once we arrived and settled back in, the kids took off on bike rides around the campground (sticking close to our area). Tyler eventually grabbed Steve and took him to the park area to play basketball.

    The adults – minus Tara & I – planned to go into the Homecoming beer tent, but before they left Tara & I decided to take the kids to the park store to get an ice cream cone. We rode our bikes to the store, where the kids picked out their favorite ice cream flavors and a pack of candy cigarettes (something I also did when I was a kid staying here) before heading outside to enjoy them. While we were eating our ice cream the park started an outdoor movie on a screen near the store. Tonight’s selection was “Journey 2” (or something like that). Tyler had sat down and was starting to get in to the show, but it was getting late and we needed to get back to check on Steve (we would be keeping an eye on him tonight as everyone else headed into town to socialize).

    Once we were inside the camper and settled down, the kids popped in a Simpsons DVD to watch. We made some popcorn to snack on while watching the shows. By 10:30pm Tara & I were starting to feel the effects of the late night and early morning today, so we decided that it was time everyone hit the hay. I walked Steve over to Dad & Mom’s camper and made sure he got settled in for the night before heading back home and doing the same thing myself. Tara had gotten the kids into their beds, so I said goodnight to them before heading up to join Tara for what we hoped would be a restful night of sleep.

Sunday, August 5th, 2012 - 82/59°, Cloudy

    We managed to sleep in a little longer today, waking up after 9:00am. We didn’t exactly rush out of bed and get moving today, though, as we were really in no rush to do anything this morning. Breakfast was being cooked by everyone in the other trailer, so all we had to do today was work on getting everyone showered and dressed. We cycled the kids through the shower first, and by the time they were all done it was time to eat. Once again we had breakfast, this time eggs, sausage, and cinnamon rolls.

    After breakfast preparations got underway for the Parrott family reunion later that afternoon. Tara was making some sort of cake thing in the crock pot, and Mom, Sherry, and Julie had all kinds of things going on in their camper. I decided to take the kids on a bike ride, just to keep them (and me) out of everyone’s hair for a while. We rode down to the area that was called “Lovers Lane” when I was a kid, although it has changed drastically since then. The addition of tent sites beside the first half of the trail has really taken away from the “lost in the woods” feel that it used to have (I’m sure growing up played a role in that too). Needless to say, we biked down the trail and across the creek, eventually making our way to Downington Road. From here we headed towards Lake Huron and the beach. We didn’t come equipped with swimsuits, so I let the kids wade in to their knees – just so long as they didn’t come back to shore with soaking wet shorts. After playing in the water for a while I decided that we better head back to the campsites to see if they needed any help, plus I needed to shower as well.

    There wasn’t much we could do to help get ready, so the kids continued on their bike ride as I headed inside to get cleaned up for the day. It wasn’t long after I had finished that my Aunt Connie and her husband Randy showed up on their motorcycle. Nobody was expecting them to show up (except for Julie, who had showed me a text from Connie yesterday afternoon), so their arrival was a pleasant surprise.

    We headed off to the pavilion near the main entrance of the park to set up our food. Shortly after we got there it was time to eat dinner (hamburgers were provided; the rest was a mish-mash of pot luck dishes, most of which I wouldn’t eat). We hung around and socialized for a while, reacquainting ourselves with a side of my family that I rarely see, before taking a few “generational photos” of the Parrott family descendants.

    The kids wanted to go swimming one last time before we headed home, and since we were leaving the camper here for my Florida family to use during the week, we decided that we could let them have this opportunity. This time the kids slipped into their swimsuits, and Tara & I led them back down the trail to the Downington Road beach (less rocky here, which the kids liked). They frolicked in the water for quite some time, finding large rocks in the water to stand on and attempting to leap over the waves as they made their way towards shore. As the sun got lower behind us, we decided that we better start making our way back to the camper, as we still had a two hour drive ahead of us. For our walk back we decided to head down the shore, checking out the old family cottage on our way. I still marvel at how much has changed every time I see it. Although it isn’t quite like I envisioned remodeling it if it had somehow become mine, it is nonetheless a remarkable transformation (for the better!). We stopped off at a downed tree near where the creek entered Lake Huron for some pictures, and once again at the park beach so that the kids could explore the rocks surrounding the old pier. We walked through the park playground for a bit before heading back to the camper to load up for the drive home.

    While waiting for us to pack the vehicles and for the other kids to get dressed, Tyler decided that he was getting thirsty. We still had leftover lemonade from the reunion earlier, so he plopped himself down on the picnic table, lay down on the bench, and positioned himself under the giant orange cooler. Without much thought, he reached up and pressed the button, filling his mouth rather quickly with the cool, refreshing flavor of lemonade. Crazy kid is too young to be practicing his keg stands already!

    Tara & I loaded up pretty much everything that we thought we might need for the week, leaving behind the things we thought we could do without. I assumed that we would head out after that, but Tara wanted to tidy up a few things before she handed over the keys to Julie for the week. Little did I know that “tidy up a few things” would turn into an hour-plus of cleaning! I was hungry by this point in time, so I asked Mom if we could make some tacos for dinner. We had brought everything that we needed for the meal, so it was just a matter of whipping it up.

    We sat down to eat much later than I expected or hoped, but the meal was delicious and made up for it. Unfortunately by the time we finished eating it was nearly dark, and we still had that long two hour drive ahead of us – not to mention work tomorrow! We finally managed to pile into the cars, after helping to clean up from dinner. I wound up driving the van, with Samantha and Drew riding with me, while Tara took Tyler and Jayden with her in the truck.

    Our drive home was thankfully uneventful, and except for a stop in Imlay City for a McDonald’s shake (finally!) and some gas, it was steady as she goes. Although it was midnight before we got home, it was a pleasant way to spend the day, and everyone enjoyed themselves.

Trip Summary

    Aside from not being around on Friday, this was a great trip. The weather was beautiful, and we were able to do everything that everybody wanted to do. We saw fireworks (well, not me…), we saw a parade and got loaded up with candy, we shopped and ate dinner out, we had ice cream cones and got candy cigarettes (well, the kids did…), we saw family from out of town all weekend and then saw family from near and far at the reunion on Sunday.

    The campground was nice, albeit sandy, and the price was right. For only $26 a night for full hookups it is a great bargain when compared to the prices we have been spending the past couple of years at Lake Huron Campground (which would have been $47 a night this year). The kids enjoyed it more, despite not having a swimming pool. The bike riding is easier here, as the streets aren’t covered with large rocks like at Lake Huron. Plus, the campground is right on the lake, so swimming is right nearby. I definitely think that we will be coming back here in the future!

    As always, we are already planning on making this trip once again. There are just too many fun and enjoyable things to do to skip it!