Michigan Cottage Law definitely gains new perspective on game day in Michigan!

Hope you found the right crowd of fans to gather at your Michigan family cottage to watch and enjoy the game. Such rivalry and so much at stake on a day like today.

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They say, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” That’s especially true when applied to the family cottage. Whether the family cottage is a small rustic cabin on a pristine lake or stream, a luxurious retirement home on one of the Great Lakes or ocean shore, or a family retreat in some stunning mountain region, it’s not “economic value” that is the most important factor in keeping the family cottage, it’s the “emotional value.”

Some would argue that a place is just a place but the people make it special. When it comes to the family cottage, it can be argued “the place” is special, sometimes almost magical, and can transform those who spend time in that place from stressed out, overworked adults back to their carefree days as a child; skipping rocks on the water, swimming off the dock, nursing a sunburn and eating s’mores by the campfire. For most, the family cottage creates a place for memories and traditions to be formed and a safe haven to retreat to for rest, reflection and reminiscing later in life. The family cottage is a constant in an ever-changing world. It’s where experiences can be shared and passed on to the next generation in their purest form.

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They like their dishes really clean

Oops I missed a spot!

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The family cottage sets in motion vacations to remember. At the family cottage you relax, unwind and nurture yourself. It is a wonderment and an oasis of peace on the water’s edge. It doesn’t matter how you spend your day off from work or household chores. Enjoy nature whether you bike, boat, hike, or simply take a swim. My teens and my husband Dan enjoy swinging a club or two at the golf course. Even if you enjoy watching the world go by, it is just fine.

The best memories at the family cottage are the incredible family stories, whether you believe them or not. We vacationed at the “big lake” as my kids used to call Lake Michigan. My husband and I had a wonderful bonfire with our boys and family friends who stayed with us at the cottage on Good Harbor Bay. We all went to bed after saying our goodnight’s, but Dan decided to stay at the water’s edge with our yellow labs Bailey and Callie.

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The family cottage is a fabulous place for new beginnings and perfect endings. August is National Picnic Month. There is no better way than celebrating with family and friends – birthdays or holidays – at the family cottage, than with a picnic. So pull out your blue and white checkered table cloth (or red and white checkered) and a wicker picnic basket.

I grew up with Yogi Bear and he loved pic-a-nics. To Yogi every day ended in a fabulous picnic filled with jelly sandwiches. (My teens do not even know who Yogi Bear was.)

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Summer began as usual at the family cottage. The dogs, our chocolate labs Jake and Ginger, and our two cats Max and Joey and the three teen boys plus a friend were all settled in for a glorious summer at the cottage.

A few days later we discovered that our pets were not the only critters at the summer cottage. We had a family of skunks living under the shed in the back of the family cottage. There were 5 skunks to be exact. A mother skunk who was not happy we had invaded her space and her 4 babies. I did not want her spraying the dogs. We had that happen before to our very first dog Baily, a yellow lab. It was awful -the smell smarts your eyes. I believe we used tomato juice and hydrogen peroxide to get rid of the smell. I absolutely did not want her spraying the boys.

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Their fond memories exuberate, like a family cottage, charm and comfort.

Leave a legacy of integrity and good will. Defining the family cottage means: joy, relaxation, summer skies that go on forever, walks along the beach, skipping stones, bonfires, children laughing, our chocolate and yellow labs running through the water, fireflies, good friends, serenity and peace.

Experiencing the cottage life brings you closer to the wonder of God’s beauty. You wish it would go on forever. We spent summers, it seems for a lifetime, in northern Michigan. Our twins, now 15, were two and our 18-year-old at the time was four. Since teens are very enduring and unique, I decided to ask them to define the word “cottage.” One of the twins responded with, “a house by a lake where you hang out on the beach.” The cottage, he stated, would be by a town with good places to go, and good people to see. The other twin described a cottage as nice, quiet and beautiful. He remembered swimming, tubing behind the boat, and our dogs running on the beach. Our 18-year-old described a cottage as something on the water.

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