Lake Recap

Plus a book series I'm loving, my new go-to summer cocktail, and two movies I want to see this week...

Hello! Happy summertime! We just got back to the city after a really great stretch at the lake. We’re settling back into Brooklyn life, going for walks and eating at our favorite neighborhood restaurants and talking about all our best memories from our time in Michigan.

If you’re new here—hi! :) We’ve lived in New York City for almost eight years, but my family has been spending summers on Lake Michigan all my life, and it’s so special to us to get to do the same with our boys. For all my local favorites, read this, and for a little more about why I love it so much, read this.

This summer, for a handful of different reasons, instead of all four of us going to Michigan to visit my family for one long chunk of time, we’re doing a little back-and-forth and also all sorts of different configurations—just me for a long weekend, Will & me for a few days and then Henry joins us, Aaron comes for a while and then leaves straight for a work trip, Henry goes back to NY for a couple days, etc etc…it is, I will admit, a little chaotic, but also I think maybe it helps us really soak up the time we do have in each place with a little more urgency.

When you’re in one place for a long stretch it’s easy to think, “I'll do all my favorite things later”…and then of course never do them, but the shorter trips focus our attention, I think—let’s do that bonfire tonight! Yes to that boat ride! And the same is true in the city—let’s go to Miss Ada for that incredible shawarma we like to share, let’s walk through Fort Greene park just because, let’s sit out on the front stoop and watch the sun slant across the buildings just a little longer tonight.

I say this every year, but one of the things I love most about getting to live in the city but spend a lot of time on the lakeshore is the contrast of it: when we’re in Michigan, I really really get into the simplicity of lake life—no makeup, no jewelry, sandals only, a swimsuit always in my bag, beach-ready. I don’t shop for clothes or home stuff or whatever—I exclusively shop at Meijer (the beloved Michigan-based grocery store) and the farm stand. I don’t eat out almost ever, and it takes a real event to get me to go to “town”—this last trip I was persuaded to leave the lakeshore only twice: once to go to a skate park in Grand Rapids with Will and once to see the Odyssey on IMAX at Henry’s request. FYI, the Grand Rapids skate park is SUPER COOL…and I’ve been to a lot of skate parks at this point ;)

I cook a lot when we’re at the lake, but only the simplest, most nostalgic foods—big stacks of pancakes for teenager breakfast at around 1pm, skillet after skillet of sweet corn with lots of butter and fresh ground black pepper. I love the slow mornings, bonfires in the evening, reuniting with my beloved old Wrangler—both my favorite vehicle I’ve ever owned and 100% the least convenient, but that’s part of the joy of it ;)

A few highlights:

Aaron’s family came to visit like they do every year, and we’ve established a pretty great routine over the years—slow mornings, beach afternoons, easy family dinners, games and bonfires in the evening. Farmer’s market on Saturday morning, epic bingo night led by Uncle Brad. Cousins everywhere, lots of laughter, lots of chaos but in a good way.

The smoke from the Canadian wildfires arrived the same day my in-laws did, which made for some eerie beach days, but the kids didn’t mind a bit. One of my favorite moments of the trip was a night swim with my boys and my nieces and my mom—the water was unusually warm, and my nieces and I held hands and floated on our backs out at the sandbar for a long time and I thought, remember this. Remember this in February. Remember this when my nieces are too old and cool to hold hands with their aunt.

One addition to this year’s itinerary: the avid fisher people among us went on a charter fishing trip and look at all these fish! They had the best time, and we had fish for every meal the rest of the trip AND each family took home a cooler of fish AND we filled my family’s fridges and freezers with beautiful filets, too. They went with Best Chance in Saugatuck, and we highly, highly recommend—so fun (and delicious)!

As I mentioned, we saw the Odyssey on IMAX, and we all really loved it. I found this article about it really interesting—as a writer and maker, I'm very concerned about what AI will cost our culture in terms of human creativity, and I loved siting in a theater and experiencing something historic and human and beautiful.

I did not imagine that the best cocktail of my summer so far would be at a movie theater, but when we went to the Odyssey, I ordered a cocktail called The Dark Matter—something like a Blackberry Paloma, made with tequila, blackberry simple syrup, fresh citrus juices & a splash of soda, and now that’s all I’m making for happy hour. Last night in the middle of stocking the fridge and unpacking my suitcase, I took a break to simmer down a blackberry simple syrup—priorities :)

I’m currently reading The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower and I’m just absolutely loving it—totally the charming, comforting, gently funny reading I need right now. I’m on Book 3 and I’m so happy I have so many more books in the series to keep me company this summer.

While we’re in the city for this next little stretch, I really want to see Tony, about Anthony Bourdain, and Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World.

We’ll be back at the lake soon—back to bonfires and nightswimming and sweet corn for dinner, but for now we’re soaking up the colors and sounds and energy of city life…what an absolute gift to get to experience both!

Here’s to summertime, wherever you are, whatever this season holds. XO—S