Making the most of our Michigan Summer.

How can it be that we have come to the end of July already?  The Summer days we've been enjoying seem to be flying by and, before we know it, the school year will start and Fall will arrive.   I'm in no hurry for those days though and plan to take full advantage of all of the Summer that remains.

We had a warm and very humid week filled with stormy weather starting with last Sunday.  Since we couldn't really get out for a walk Sunday afternoon, I took the girls with me to run some errands.  Luckily the weather started out cool enough that I could run into a couple of stores quickly while they waited in the car.  

Eventually the temperatures got too hot, so we visited a couple of dog friendly stores.  I think the highlight of the afternoon was outr trip to Lowe's where we walked up and down every single aisle both inside and outside.  The girls sniffed to their heart's content and several people stopped to say hello to them.  The best part is that we were able to get in a 1 1/4 mile walk just walking around the store.

We also took a short walk on the East-West Connector Trail and found some delicious blackberries for a quick snack.  Overall it was a good day.

Tuesday I had the day off from work so I could head to Ludington to complete a home visit for ISR.  Of course that meant beach time for me and the girls too.

We made the drive early so that we could get in some quality time at Ludington State Park before heading to the home visit.  The girls had the best time chasing sticks and playing, and we were also able to get in a nice walk.  Luckily as the beach started to get more crowded, we headed off to meet the potential adopter. 

We had a nice home visit with a very nice lady who let the girls come right into her house while we talked.  Mina found the stash of dog toys and made friends with both members of the family.  I think she enjoyed her volunteer work very much.  

After wrapping up the visit, we hit the road to start our slow journey home.  We stopped for a quick lunch along the way and then made our way to one of our favorite Lake Michigan beaches- The Norman Kruse Dog Beach in Muskegon.   

This is an off leash dog beach which makes it so much more fun because the dogs can run and play without being tethered by a 6ft leash.  I don't fully trust Mina off leash so she was on her long line, but Peaches was free to roam and she was happy to be able to explore.   Mina played endless rounds of fetch and Peaches even got involved in the fun a few times too.  

After about 90 minutes, of running and fun, it was time for us to head toward home.  Mina had an appointment with our Vet and I didn't want to be late.

We arrived in Mason with about 25 minutes to spare, so we took a quick walk along the Hayhoe Riverwalk starting at the cemetery and heading through downtown Mason.

This stick library sponsored by our local library made me smile.

We finished our walk and drove quickly down the road to Patterson's for Mina's appointment.   It was too hot to leave Peaches in the car, so she came in with us.  She wasn't very happy about the situation, but she survived. 

Mina had bloodwork done to ensure that it would be safe for her to move forward with her spay surgery scheduled for the next morning.  Thankfully her numbers improved since her last bloodwork, and while her red blood count is still slightly low, we were told it would be safe for her to have surgery. 

After a long and busy day, we headed home for a late dinner and some snuggle time. 

Wednesday's forecast was hot and humid with the chance for some severe storms later in the day, so I brought Peaches along with me when I dropped Mina off for her surgery.  It was early and cool enough for a nice walk so I figured it was the perfect time to get outside. 

 

We parked near the Courthouse in Mason and headed out for some more time on a different portion of the Hayhoe Riverwalk 

Peaches was so happy to be out as a solo dog and we had a really nice 2 mile walk before we had to head home to start my work day.

While I worked, Peaches happily napped the day away and we were able to get out for another short walk before eating lunch.

Some crazy storms moved in mid-afternoon and there was even a tornado warning in Ingham County, not far from our Vet's office.

I was worried about Mina since I hadn't picked her up, but was happy to hear that the staff and animals at the clinic were all safely in the basement while the tornado warning was active and everyone said Mina handled it all very well.

A stormy Wednesday night led to a humid Thursday, but we were happy to stay home in the comfort of the air conditioning.   Mina was pretty pathetic all day and I felt pretty bad for her.  

We did get out for a quick trip to the South Lansing Farmer's Market on Thursday afternoon just so the girls could have a little adventure.   I even found one vendor that still had a small supply of Strawberries...so I bought a pint.  So good.   They are definitely the last of the strawberries for the year.

Friday was another uncomfortably humid day and with Mina recovering from surgery, we had no plans for the day.  So when I needed to run a quick errand on my lunch, I decided to bring the girls along for the ride.

 

Not far down the road my low tire pressure light came on and we ended up at Discount Tire for a tire repair.

First, we walked around the property in the shade while we waited.  Eventually we all sat down to relax in the shade.  It was an unexpected delay in our day, but the tire was repaired pretty quickly and free of charge and I was grateful that we hadn't had issues on any of our other trips this week. 

After staring my day walking shelter dogs on Saturday morning,  I came home to get the girls out for a little fun.

Our first stop was Soldan's for their ice cream social.  For a small donation to the Ingham County Animal Shelter, each girl got a bowl of frozen yogurt which we were able to top with a nice selection of toppings.  Of course they both thoroughly enjoyed this special treat.

We then took a drive to Preuss Pets to pick up a few things.  The girls always love a trip to Preuss.   We also took a walk around Old Town since we hadn't been there in awhile.  Both girls had a great time.

As we drove home through REO Town, I saw a sign for an event with the BWL and decided to stop to check it out.  It was the 10th anniversary celebration of the power plant in REO Town.

The girls got to join me on the self-guided tour of the plant, and then I enjoyed some ice cream while they shared a hot dog from Clint's Hot Dog cart.  We met some nice people and the girls were so good.  I was really glad we had made the stop.

I couldn't resist getting a couple of pictures on our way back to the car.  I think they were both pretty happy with their adventures for the day.

While we have gotten out for some small adventures and short walks this week, I have carefully been limiting Mina's exercise as she continues to recover from her surgery.  Today we needed a little more adventure, so we met Vanessa out at Sleepy Hollow to do a little geocaching.   While our geocaching day wasn't very successful, it was still a good day.  We enjoyed some really nice weather and a nice walk.

After getting home, this was my view for most of the evening.  It was a good day.

As we enter the month of August, we have some fun plans ahead, but this should be a fairly quiet week with Mina's exercise still very limited for the week.  The weather looks nice, though, so I'm sure we'll get out for some fun.  We've got to make the most of the Summer while we can!

I'll leave you with this picture of the cutest little USA Women's Soccer fan.  Hope you all have a spectacular week!