A view of Grand Traverse Bay through an orchard:
Below: The Bay yet again after, you guessed it, a good climb. That's Traverse City in the distance to the right.
This was poppy season. They were as comfortable in manicured gardens as they were in roadside ditches.
This is a wild, windy day on the shores of Lake, Michigan. Our next stop was up, up, up on the top of the bluff to the left.
AND, as always, a reward at the top- The View! Those are the Sleeping Bear Dunes on the distant shoreline.
Is it time for a new roof? These folks made an interesting choice. Wonder if they're perennials...?
Those dark clouds in the distance finally forced us to rough it in town until the downpour stopped.
Bikes: Not just for commuting!
Meet Rosie. Rosie is a larger-than-life Yorkie who is clearly the boss on this bicycle. Rosie lives in Beulah Michigan with her two-legger, Carol. We met Carol and Rosie literally on the main street of Beulah (as us cyclists do) and she showed us a neat shortcut to avoid some heavy traffic and in the process invited us for a cold drink at her house on the shore of the aptly-named Crystal Lake. Rosie was into cycling for the exercise, too, as she ably demonstrated on the one hill in town.
Carol and Rosie had a well-rehearsed routine: At the bottom of the hill, Carol set Rosie on the ground in front of the bike, leash attached still to the bike. Rosie ran steady, strong and hard up the hill, and as you can see by the tautness of her leash, was doing a fine job pulling her own weight and then some!
Carol said that she indeed felt the pull of her mighty pooch for the entire mile uphill!
And what's not to love about "Bountiful Country Goods in Charming Disarray?!" 
Take Me To Your Leader!
More whimsy: a flock of flamingoes either harass or worship this polyester duck. 
And what flock of mismatched fowl would be complete without a tree trunk teddy bear standing guard?
This was my favorite whimsy of the trip. An ordinary lawn chaise, right?
Think again! Marty said it was accurate down to the most minute detail!
