Mackinac Island Reunion

My cousins had a 9:00-10:30 carriage tour of the island as part of their tour package.  They texted when they returned to The Grand saying it was a very wet tour and upon our arrival they'd be in the lower level lobby having hot chocolate. 

Our Stonecliffe carriage driver took us to the drop-off and pick-up area of The Grand shortly after 11:00 a.m. Wednesday.  No carriages or people are in most of the hotel photos because I took them early Thursday morning before the day started bustling with people and activity.

I hated that Wednesday was a rainy day preventing my cousins from walking around Main Street and seeing other areas of interest on the island, but in a way it worked out good because it gave us five hours to sit in the hotel lobby and visit.  We had so much catching up to do.

L-R:  Valerie, Me, Kaye and Vickie

I'm the oldest of our group - Valerie is three years younger than me, Vickie is four years younger, and Kaye is the baby at five years younger.   Their mother and my father [both deceased] were sister and brother.  

The lobby [or parlor] is where Afternoon Tea is served from 3:30 - 5:00 p.m., but there weren't a lot of guests having tea, so they didn't chase us out.  We were able hear the harpist playing softly in the background.

At 4:00 o'clock it was time for us to check-in, and afterwards we went on a tour of each other's rooms.  Our room was on the first floor, #131.  When I made reservations there were only a couple rooms available so we had to take a larger [and pricier] room than we needed.  It worked out great though, because after dinner there was plenty of space in the seating area of our room to come back to for more visiting.  Their rooms were on the 3rd floor and much smaller.

Dinner was at 6:30 p.m. in the main dining room, so we parted ways long enough to get dressed for dinner [there is a dress code after 6:30 p.m.] and then we met up again.  It was a delicious meal and the dessert - their signature pecan ice cream ball in chocolate sauce - was so good.  As a matter-of-fact when I looked at the picture for this post I decided to take a break and go into my kitchen to make myself a copycat version!  ;-)

One more group picture after dinner.

We visited for awhile in our room and then they went to their individual rooms.  We met on Thursday morning at 7:30 to have breakfast together in the main dining room.  They were scheduled to leave with their tour group right after breakfast, traveling further north to the Soo Locks.  We hugged each other and said our goodbyes in hopes that it won't be another 12 years before we see each other again.  

Kaye is very talented and crafty and brought me a tea-themed picture she drew and embellished with tiny rhinestones.  The photograph doesn't do it justice and I took the photo at night so there's a shadow, but I wanted to share it with you.

A few photos below of The Grand Hotel Lobby.  As you can see, the decorating theme is red geraniums.

We didn't have to check out until 11:00 a.m. so we had a little time to roam around the hotel. We went to the "Film Room" [that's what I call it] and hubby took my picture standing by Jane Seymour's portrait.  Somewhere in Time with Christopher Reeves was filmed on the island and The Grand in 1979.  

Below are a few pics of The Grand's 660 foot front porch - the world's largest, taken early Thursday morning.

We walked from the hotel to Main Street where we bought some yummy Mackinac fudge to bring home and then to the dock where we boarded Shepler's ferry back to Mackinaw City. Viewing the island from the harbor was so picturesque that I couldn't resist taking a few more pictures.   The sun decided to shine the day we left the island!

In Mackinaw City we got in our car and began our journey back downstate.  We had one final stop before home, and that was Frankenmuth to enjoy a chicken dinner at Zehnder's Restaurant. Jerry took my pic standing next to the floral chicken sculpture.  I wonder if it's new because I don't remember seeing it before.

My cousins tour group was spending the night in Frankenmuth and having dinner there later that evening.  I texted them saying we left some chicken for them to enjoy.  ;-)

I hope you enjoyed traveling along with us vicariously.  Have a nice and safe Labor Day weekend.

Last Day of MI Tea Tour

Before leaving the Grand I purchased a teapot ornament as a keepsake from my stay.  I already have a full-size teacup in their china pattern from my 2015 visit.  The ornament will be a pleasant reminder of the MI Tea Tour and our wonderful stay at the Grand Hotel as it hangs from my Christmas tree.

The shops on Market Street aren't quite as commercial as those on Main Street, so I chose to shop a few of those before boarding the ferry.  I found a beautiful black and white bone china teacup in Lilacs and Lace and bought it as my souvenir from the Michigan Tea Tour.  

Good-bye Mackinac Island and Grand Hotel for 2016!  

Jerry was waiting for us at Shepler's dock when our ferry arrived in Mackinaw City.  We got our luggage, and were off downstate to Frankenmuth.  Even though there's nothing tea related there, I wanted the ladies who live out of the area to see the quaint, German city [referred to by some as 'Little Bavaria'] known for their famous chicken dinners.

The place was bustling with people when we arrived because there was an outdoor Arts and Crafts show in progress on one side of Main Street, and a music festival on the other side.  I called ahead for dinner reservations at the Bavarian Inn, so we got right in without a wait.

We saw the most fall color in Frankenmuth.  The color change was about two weeks behind schedule this year. 

~ Our last group picture. ~

We had some fun entertainment while we waited for our dinner.  We asked the accordion player if he could play Tea for Two or I'm a Little Teapot, and he tried, but tea songs just weren't in his repertoire.  ;-)  He was a good sport.

  

By the time we ate and the ladies shopped in lower level shops, the crowd had thinned out.

We climbed back into the van for the last leg of our trip downstate to Staybridge Suites where we'd spend our last night together.

Linda J. and Nancy R. had flights to catch, so we met in the hotel lobby on Monday morning [Sept. 19th] to say our good-byes, and the group dispersed to go their separate ways. The five days flew by, but it was just the right amount of time for this type of tour - not too short and not too long.

Farewell and God bless everyone until we meet again!

To all my blog readers, I hope you enjoyed traveling along on the Michigan Tea Tour vicariously.   Normal posts will resume tomorrow, and I promise they'll be a little shorter than the trip posts have been.