The road trip
Tyler's first visit to McDonald's
Evan certainly was goofy!
Hour 1
Hour 2
Hour 2 for Mr. T
Hour 3...or 4...or 5? I can't remember!
He loved laughing at himself in the mirror
Hour 6...the home stretch!
The first thing we did (after dinner) was head to the beach to burn off some energy before bed time. Evan LOVED Lake Michigan!
Tyler had a blast splashing in the water with Grandpa
The Anderson boys - love all the smiles here.
My boys
Lighthouse in Gladstone. Tyler was so excited for the adventure that he fell asleep!
Checking out the pier
We went back to the beach the next morning and Evan didn't care how cold the water was or how windy it was at the beach. He still ran around (and rolled) in the sand and jumped in the water.
I was only able to snap one pic of Tyler because he spent the whole time trying to crawl to the water. And landed in a face plant in the sand a few times. He LOVES the water.
Pure joy
Checking out a local winery - fun times for mom & dad! I think we should win "Parents of the Year" for this one. Love how Evan is playing on the floor and the look on Tyler's face says "seriously?" Ha!
The Upper Peninsula has some beautiful water falls that we had to check out. This is Wagner Falls, just south of Munising. Of course we chose the rainiest day of the weekend to site-see, but it was still fun!
David and Erik just can't stand on the deck like normal visitors and see the falls. Nope, they had to get INTO the falls to truly experience them.
Headed down the trail to Pictured Rock
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is a U.S. National Lakeshore on the shore of Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, United States. It extends for 42 miles along the shore and covers 73,236 acres.
I hope we can go back in better weather and check out this entire area because it was beautiful just from the little we saw.
Tyler didn't want to miss out on the fun!
The boys checking out the sites. You can actually see how hard the rain was coming down in this picture if you look closely.
Evan's first felony. Hoping the fence to stand on the rock. We all held our breathe that he wouldn't move even an inch....it was a deadly fall. He's a daredevil like his Dad & Uncle!
Stop #3 was . Caught in-action - Erik and David hoping the fence to run BEHIND/UNDER the water fall. *sigh*
They made it!
OK, so I fell into the peer pressure and hoped the fence too. Ha! I didn't think the park ranger would take the ENTIRE family to jail. We did NOT take Tyler though. :)
"It's just the perfect size!" says Evan (aka the blue coat holding the green umbrella)
Beautiful waterfall! Oh yah, the boys are handsome too.
Of course we can't forget the real reason we were in the UP - to pay our respect to Grandpa / Great Grandpa Harold (age 95).
Evan had the honor to accept the American flag on behalf of Harold's service in the Army Air Force – Air Transport Command during World War II.
Paying tribute to Harold at this monument (rock & plaque) placed in his honor in Nahma, MI
Harold Edward Anderson
Resided in Gladstone, MI
Died June 14, 2014
Harold Edward ‘Babe’ Anderson, age 95, of 1723 Montana Avenue, Gladstone, passed away Saturday morning June 14, 2014 at his residence in Gladstone.
Harold (Babe) was born October 13, 1918 the son of Annie (Steinbrecher) and Charles Anderson of Munising, Michigan, the youngest of their eight children. Harold graduated with academic honors from Mather High School in 1939. His athleticism led to a scholarship offer from college coaching legend C. B. Hedgecock of Northern Michigan University, where “Babe” excelled not only in basketball, but football and track as well. He earned his B.S. degree in Education (1943) and later received a Master Degree in Administration.
He served in the Army Air Force – Air Transport Command during World War II, where he was stationed in Tezgaon, India, to stage fueling for C-54’s flying over the Himalaya’s to supply air bases in southern China. Ancillary to his military duties, he played basketball for the championship team representing the China-Burma-India Theater, where his skill was tested against some of the top basketball players of his era. After his discharge from the service he played one season of professional basketball as part of the Syracuse Nationals organization of the National Basketball League (the predecessor to today's NBA) before returning to the U.P. in 1947 to marry his college sweetheart, Dorrine Petersen of Ishpeming.
Babe’s career as an educator began with the Nahma Township Schools, where he developed many life-long friendships while working as a teacher, coach and administrator. During his thirteen years as coach, Nahma’s record-setting basketball teams accumulated 4 Central League championships, 3 undefeated seasons, 3 State Class E championships and a cumulative record of 192-70. Babe was named the U.P. Basketball Coach of the Year in 1959, his last year as coach. He always made every effort to mentor players in life as well as basketball, and took great pride in former players staying in contact with him throughout his life.
In 1960, he joined the staff of Gladstone High School where he served first as a teacher and then assistant principal before retiring in 1981. Throughout that time, he continued his involvement in high school sports by officiating basketball games for 30 years. Babe Anderson’s recognition as an outstanding high school and college athlete, and then successful coach, culminated with his induction into the NMU Sports Hall of Fame in 1981 and Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame in 1983.
Babe enjoyed both bowling and golfing in retirement, and also was active in many local, regional, national and global organizations.
Babe was preceded in death by his wife Dorrine and son David. He is survived by sons Brian (Patti), Kent (Colleen), Bruce (Connie) and Tim; grandchildren Erik (Kara), Amy, David and Kyle; and great-grandsons Evan and Tyler.
Babe Anderson appreciated the great opportunity he had in dedicating his career and life to teaching. He loved working with young people, and held an unyielding belief that the lessons he shared would help students find their way in life—always steadfast in his confidence that they, too, would be given the chance to make the world a better place.
