Tower Hill

This is Tower Hill. My mom and her six brothers and sisters grew up climbing this sand dune every summer, and I remember going there often with my sister Karen and cousins. It is actually steeper than it appears in the pictures, and the fun part was always running down it after you spent all day climbing it. We went there with the Barrett gang before Mike and I went to the east coast last week.

Riley climbed the entire thing by herself. Owen didn't last very long. Mike and I took turns carrying him and then having him climb with our help.


It is hard to tell from this picture, but Mike is actually running up the hill with Owen. Crazy! He would pick a point, run to it, and then have to stop for awhile to breathe. It is hard enough to walk up it.


Owen posing with some of the dead trees and drift wood during a break in the climb.



Aunt Bev taking a break.


It is hard to clearly see in this picture, but you could actually see the Chicago skyline from across Lake Michigan. It was amazing.

Carissa and Alexis took a mud bath. It is a common thing to see people walking around like this. Tower Hill is part of Warren Dunes, a state park in MI. There is a campground and a river with mud beds.

Back at the beach we all had fun swimming and playing in the sand. Owen had a little too much fun and decided to drink his cup of sand he was playing with. Yuck!




Aren't these pictures awesome! I don't know who impresses me most, the fact that Mike can throw Riley up that high or that she has such great form?!



If you are Scottish, as I am being the second generation born in the US, you will appreciate these next pictures.


Owen is throwing a piece of driftwood that I was surprised he could even pick up. It reminds me of the Scottish Highland Games and an event called Caber Tossing.
During this event men throw long logs the size of telephone poles into the air with the objective of having it go completely over. It's hard to explain, but below is a picture of a true Scottish lad and his caber.





After a long day at the beach we had a cookout, with of course, SMORES!




These pictures of Rya, Nicole, Owen, and I were taken a couple of days before Tower Hill. We really are going to miss our friends and family!