My Favorite Photo
Why this is my favorite photo (I know it's not the quality)-
I am not in it! I hate looking at my decrepitudiness.
All my family is smiling! This was a difficult task when my children were younger and they took pride in making sure that there was at least one frown in every picture. Someone must have passed gas or I fell down just before this picture was taken.
It is at the Dark Horse Brewery in Marshall Michigan - Home of good food and beer. A great place to relax. Current home of Wiggs (formally of Arcadia Brewing) - brewer extraordinaire who remembers us and my oldest daughter - cause her name is Maris (like in Maris Otter malt). No, I did not do that on purpose. Mar/is is a mixture of Mark and Chris. Wife's name is Chris. It also means 'from the sea' and I used to sail and hang around the ocean.
We must be going to or coming from Mac's Island and I must be on vacation. The photo reminds me of vacation fun and relaxation away from work.
The photo contains allot of my favorite things - My family, my mug, some extra food, an empty glass and a full growler!
On a trip to northern Michigan several years ago, our fully loaded van (six people, a ton of supplies and lots of camping/fishing stuff) broke down on the highway. With two broken push rods and a big loss of power we limped into the next town where I put up the family and my son's friend in a motel. The next day I dropped off the van for engine replacement and got a ride to Battle Creek to rent another van so we could continue our trip. When I returned my family had already been checked out of the motel and all of our stuff was at the curb. Tired and sweaty, I hurriedly packed the new van and got underway so we could continue our vacation. As I exited Marshall, I realized that - "Holy crap that was the home of Dark Horse Brewing". If I ever needed a beer...
Well, every year since on our way to and from Mac's Island we stop at the Dark Horse for the half way rest and to eat and get beer. Lots of good memories. This photo sums that up.
Former Favorite Picture - Schmidt's in Columbus Ohio.
