We drove to the Michigan side of the lake to visit cousins last month. But first we stopped at my Grandpa’s place to say hello. He has been quarantined to his room for months, so the visit was through his window, over the phone. Though communication was a bit of a challenge, it was good to see him smiling. I took a pic that turned out like a hologram; if you turn it a certain way, you can see Grandpa on the other side of the window, beyond our reflection.

We arrived at the Gieres’, ate dinner, and headed to the beach just in time to catch the sunset.

Most of us had not swum all summer, so this was quite a treat.

It was fun just to play in the sand.

When the sun had fully dipped below the horizon, we knew it was time to head back. The kids loved the opportunity to chill together.

We brought Morris to the dog park, where he made some new friends.

We went for a walk.

And posed for a group shot.

Then it was back to the beach.

As we recalled our beach day last year at this time, which lacked any beach at all, we were thankful for the patch of sand we had.

Another group shot

Back at the house, Sam let Jeremy try out his BB gun.

The time flew, and we were sad when it was time to leave.