Directly below are several pics of our ever-changing shoreline. From a nice sandy beach with a volley ball net - to erosion due to record high water levels in 2019; to 120 tons of rock for protection in 2020; to a 1400 sq ft deck as of Sept, 2021.& finally a re-constituted sandy beach in 2024
New Paragraph
Front of BayLodge
BayLodge as seen from a drone
Section 2: ABOUT US
Sea of Galilee in 2019
Index of several Travel Videos by year:.
2024: In July we visited our daughter, Kristin , in Steamboat Springs, CO,. to commemorate our granddaughter
- Bantle - on her nursing degree. In November we took a cruise of the Caribbean and visited places we
had never been before including: Cozumel, Belize, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, and Jamica!
2023: We returned to international travel by going to France in March. In addition, we finally completed the shade
sail for the lower deck and replaced the roof shingles.
2022: On January 31, 2022 Bill requires the installation of a defibrillator for his heart. In the spring of the year we
had new stairs installed on the outside going down to the lake; a "shade sail" was to installed over part of the
deck at the shoreline but was delayed until spring of 2023.
2021: There was NO TRAVEL in 2021 for us due to the Covid pandemic; instead we built a deck that was required
I. Adding 1400 sq ft deck at the water line
II. House painting
2020: I. Antartica - Patagonia - Easter Island
II. BayLodge Shoreline 2020
2019: I. Middle East: Egypt, Jordan, & Israel
II. Dog Mushing in Upper Michigan
III. Summer 2019
2018: I. Quebec, Canada
II. Travel Collage
2017: I. London
II. Vietnam & Cambodia
III. Circle Tour
2016: I. Arizona (3 month winter get-away)
2014: I. European River Cruise
2013: I. Mediterranean Cruise, Spain, Morocco
Additionally, (after the 2013 travel video of the Mediterranean Cruise), there are selected pics of other trips through the years of such places as: Machu Picchu, Athens, Turkey, South America, China, Bangkok, Italy, Paris, Croatia, Puerto Rio, Haiti, Amazon River, Galapagos Islands, Austria, and European Capital Cities.
2024
This year was relatively "quiet" for us. We took two trips - one to Colorado and a seond trip was a cruise in the Carribean where our stops includeda; Belize, Cozumel, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, and Montego Bay in Jamaica.
Visiting Steamboat Springs, CO
July 3-July 9, 2024
Cruise
Coming in December 2024.
Caribbean Cruise with stops at:
Cozumel, Belize, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, and Jamaica
Family Holiday Time (Dec 2023)
2023
Finally, after Covid and no travel since 2020, we revisited France in March. Paris - the city of lights- Lyon, the second largest city in France, and the Loire Valley. We thought this would be a great way to pick up where we left off three years ago.
2022
It had been six years & 1/2 years, (Nov 2015), since Bill's heart attack - which required two (2) stents at that time. Then on January 31, 2022 Bill unexpectedly passed out while on a walk; this event led to an emergency trip to the hospital and the procedure of installing a ICD (defibrillator). We also planned to install a "shade sail" over part of the deck built at our shoreline, and replaced the outdoor stairs leading to the shoreline patio. Finally, we celebrated our youngest daughter's, (Kelly), 50th birthday.
Bill's Health Issue - Jan, 2022
Pictorial procedure for installing a defibrillator; Jan 31, 2022
Pro dreams. You are your passions. You are everything you have ever been, at every moment of your life.
Original Stairway compared to the new stairway; spring 2022
New Paragraph
Above is 6-minute video that records Kelly's 50th birthday.
2021
Due to the covid pandemic we did not travel anywhere this year.
Instead, we added a 1400 sq ft deck to the shoreline, and painted the house,
With the changing shoreline - something had to be done. We built a 1400 sq ft deck.
Painting the house
2020
I. Antartica, Patagonia, & Easter Island
II. BayLodge Shoreline in 2020
2019
I. Middle East: Egypt, Jordan, & Israel
II. Dog Mushing in Northern Michigan
III. Summer of 2019
EGYPT 2019
JORDAN 2019
ISRAEL 2019
2018
I. QUEBEC
II. TRAVEL COLLAGE
This is just a video of several trips that have been summarized into one rather long, (60 minutes), video.
2017
I. London
II. Cambodia/Vietnam
III.Circle Tour
2016
I. Arizona (Jan-March winter get-a-way)
2014
I. European River Boat Cruise
2013
I. Mediterranean Cruise - Spain - Morocco
Following are sample photographs, (no video), from some of our many other trips including: South Africa, China, France, South America, Bermuda, Puerto Rico, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Austria, and others. They appear in no particular order.
China - Bangkok
South Africa
Amazon River, Machu Picchu, Galapagos Islands
Rome - Venice - Vatican
Turkey - Greece
European Capitals: Paris, Norway, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Reykjavik, Helsinki, St. Petersburg
Australia, New Zealand, Fiji
Puerto Rico, Bermuda, South America
Austria
Palm Desert
Section 4: OUR HOUSE - "BAYLODGE"
Our home means a lot to us. It has been designed to suit our tastes, ideas, and living style. In fact, throughout the years of our marriage Mary had accumulated lots of pictures and suggestions of layouts and functions of houses displayed in magazines that appealed to us. Not to mention that we moved seven times and attempted to remember features we liked from the different houses we lived in. From those ideas we attempted to incorporate the ones we could afford with a young, local architect from Leelanau county. It is approximately 4,000 sq ft with the main level designed as the "open concept"; i.e. very few walls, with the master bedroom, kitchen, laundry, and great room all on the main level so if necessary we could live just on that level without the need to go up or down stairs. Our house was completed in December, 1995; we named it "BayLodge"; BayLodge gets its name from two things: First, we are located on the West Arm of Grand Traverse Bay in Leelanau county, MI; Second, we love to have company and built enough extra bedrooms to accommodate friends/family who visit and spend a little time with us - similar to visiting a mini Lodge. We sincerely hope you will check it out for yourself with a personal visit in the near future.
While our retirement house was completed in December, 1995 we commuted from Grand Rapids, MI to Suttons Bay on weekends for six years. Finally, after Mary "retired", (more about Mary's retirement in the "About Us" section), we moved full time to BayLodge in 2001. Following are several photo's of our home, BayLodge, both inside and outside.
INSIDE:
The main level has the kitchen, dining room, TV or sunroom, great room, master bedroom, a two-way floor-to-ceiling fireplace, a half bath, and laundry room. The main floor has in-floor hot water heat, is air conditioned and has lots of glass windows over looking the bay. The lower level has a sauna, Home Theatre with fireplace, pool table with wet bar, exercise room, full bath, and Bills "office". Finally, the upstairs has Mary's office with fireplace, three bedrooms for guests, and a full bath.
Main Level:
kitchen dining room looking toward sunroom/tv room
Master bedroom with fireplace
Lower Level:
TV or sunroom
Open concept of the main level
Exercise Room Pool Table with wet bar Sauna
Bill's "Office" downstairs
Home "Theater" with fireplace
Upper Level:
Mary's office with fireplace
Another view of upstairs office
Bedroom for grandkids
Guest bedroom #1
Guest bedroom #2
OUTSIDE:
The outside of our house has two very distinct characteristics: 1)Lakeside, and 2)Woods. The lakeside faces east and gets the rising morning sun. It overlooks the lake and because it is a steep lot, it is terraced with plants and flowers that bloom at different times throughout the summer season. Also overlooking the lake is a hot tub that Mary and I use throughout the year when we are not traveling. The west side of the lot gets very little sun - if any. (it is like a bank vault). We have a "woodland garden" consisting of plants that grow in the shade such as "sweet woodruff", "hosta", "fern", "ivy", and "myrtle".
Sweet Woodruff
BayLodge is in the middle of the photo below
Winter view from the lake
Part of woodland garden
21' Rinker
Sandy beach prior to 2020
Patio
Hot tub
Section 5: THE FAMILY TREE
As mentioned above, Mary & I married on June 22, 1963. Following below is a brief chronological order of our married life together as we moved around the country and our family grew from our two daughters, eventually to their husbands and their children. We now have four grandchildren. So, follow below as we share some photographs of our experiences as we grew older together.
MICHIGAN: 1963-1969
Colorado: 1969-1973
Portland, Oregon 1973-1974
California: 1974 - 1976
Back to Michigan: 1974-1975
Danville, VA: 1975-1978
Grand Rapids, MI: 1978 - until retirement to BayLodge
Both Kristin & Kelly met their future
husbands in East Grand Rapids HS
Kelly & Chris Miller
Kristin & David Gibbs
Section 6: COMMENTS & CONTACT INFO
That's it!! If you cannot come to visit us in person at BayLodge we hope you will return to this website often to follow our travel experiences and grow old with us. In fact, with a little imagination, our trip videos can save you some money as you can see and experience our travels without the outlay of any funds. (It may not be quite the same and not have the same ambiance - but it is a lot less expensive). Be sure to check out how to contact us, and our location info below; feel free to contact us at any time, via phone or email, [or fill in the contact form below using your information and we promise to get back to you; the contact info you send us will come to our email inbox]. NOTE: The "Contact Us" info below is for YOU to fill out with your name, email address and phone number; Then hit the "send button. It will be delivered to my email inbox automatically. Be sure to leave us a comment or a message.
Thanks Bill & Mary
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