Holland, MI

We arrived in Holland on Thursday, after a great cruising day! The weather was fair, the sea was fairly flat and the breeze was wonderful! Our friend, Bob Dykema, is from this area and had advised us on which marina to use. He also arranged for his friends, Jack and Ila, to meet us and take us to dinner.

They came on board for cocktails and then we went up to the restaurant near the marina. The marina owner's son is an accomplished artist, and the restaurant reflects his influence. We especially liked the rhinoceros on the highwire, which will probably not show up well in the photos. As we were leaving the restaurant, we walked past a wedding reception on the grounds outside the marina. They were setting off little hot air lanterns into the air. It was beautiful! As you might guess, the children were having a ball with this!

The next morning, Jack and Ila showed up with a truck for us to borrow and led us to the farmer's market. It was absolutely the best one we've seen! There was gorgeous produce, of course, but also some crafts, lots of fresh flowers, baked goods, meats and several musicians. From the farmer's market, we went exploring the downtown area. In addition to the great shops and architecture, Holland also boasts some terrific sculpture. We were not able to get to all of them, and we totally missed the Dutch village, but we got a good sampling.

We went back to the boat to put away our goods from the market and then drove over to Saugatuck for a look around... but that is for another blog.

Leaving Muskegon - a look at the USS Silversides

As you leave the harbor, there are two breakwaters and two lighthouses. Also note the ferry coming in.

There are more houses along this part of the lake. The steps from the houses to the beach are long and steep.

Coming into Holland from Lake Michigan

The people here are really enjoying the beautiful weather.

The marina straight ahead.

Chris, Jack, Ila and Steve

Jack, Ila, Beth and Steve

The restaurant was full of interesting things

The rhinoceros on a highwire

Little hot air balloons from the wedding party

Best farmer's market we've seen so far

They even had cooking classes!

Many of the musicians were from a nearby college.

This guy was awesome! He was collecting for Doctors Without Borders.

I was in flower heaven!

Another great children's bookstore.

A cute children's clothing store - right next to the yarn store!

There are gorgeous flower beds everywhere!

This one is probably my favorite.

But this is a close second.

Ben is reading the Declaration of Independence.

Hard to see, but this is a policeman with a child

This was parked at the marina when we got back.

As well as this... very cool!

And this is a racing sailboat that lives here.