To watch a Labrador Retriever swim in the lake is like watching a sea otter. Their heads are above water and they meander with such ease in the water. Our chocolate labs have grown up swimming at our family cottage in Suttons Bay, Michigan. This year, a family friend took them for a weekend vacation to their lakeside family cottage near Elkhart, Indiana. Now if you have never owned a lab, they love the water. These beautiful creatures believe this is paradise at its best. Labs have webbed feet. If you spread their paws, there is a built-in paddle – each webbed paw is in the in-between parts like a duck. They can spend more time swimming after a stick or a ball, until you have to declare the game is over.

Dogs are our link to paradise. They don’t know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring – it was peace.
– Milan Kundera

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The Cottage-Law Dogs of Summer!

Our beautiful chocolate Labradors summer with us at the family cottage. Each year, they become dogs at the beach. They love the water and would jump off the docks in Suttons Bay, Michigan to swim. It’s usually Ginger first, and then Jake.

This year, a family friend offered to give our labs a vacation at a farm in Elhart, Indiana. I hope you enjoy the photos and their adventures on the farm. Ginger is the princess and very mild mannered and then there is Jake – the lab who does everything with robust and character. My husband and I should have known why he was the last puppy left in the litter.

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Drinking a cup of joe, on a beautiful 4th of July weekend, I experienced solace as I watched swans swimming and boats heading out of the marina in Suttons Bay, Michigan. The sun was beautiful on the water. The boats were heading out for adventure at the National Cherry Festival in Traverse City, Michigan. What a different world from our other home in Farmington, Michigan. The air is crystal clear. Ahh – the joys of summer – relaxation and peace.

My teens are happier. We always have a friend in tow. Our eldest, now 18, has college in the fall, but with a summer job and other activities, his summer has changed. The twins, now fifteen, are not working yet and can enjoy the summers of yesterday romping on the beach, biking, and staying up way past midnight. Adventure is always looming for our family at the cottage. New friendships, new experiences filled with laughter, and the stress of the daily grind seems to disappear. These experiences make owning a family cottage absolutely the best moments in life.

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Catching the LOL Momentum (LOL stands for Laugh Out Loud) while at the family cottage.

Laughter produces the natural feel good endorphins which help lower stress, benefits relaxation and sleep. It gives you a natural high. These laughing endorphins boost the immune system in the body. Laughter also helps lower blood pressure and may alleviate pain. Laughter is a great form of medicine. Everyone benefits from laughter. Families become stronger, friendships are better and marriages are deeper when laughter is put in the midst of daily life. Siblings can become best friends through laughter. The average child laughs 200 times in a day. The average adult laughs only 4 times a day. Laughter can boost your mood and help relieve anxiety and depression. A good belly laugh is highly recommended at least 3 times a day. It is good for your body and soul.

We have a friend named Tommy, who is an adult. He laughs every time you see him. He has more fun than any person I know. He probably will live to be 100 years old. Doctors prescribe for their patients to watch a humorous cartoon or sitcom daily.

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