Knitting weekend on Mackinac Island.

I just got back from a lovely weekend on Mackinac Island with a group of ladies I knit with. We enjoyed the hospitality of Sharon and Bill Hahn at their home, Hahn Cottage. I had such a wonderful time, as it has been a couple of years since my last visit to the island, and I always wish I could have stayed longer. (If I ever win the lottery, Mackinac here I come!)

The West Bluff.

While I of course spent quite a bit of time knitting, I also spent a good part of Saturday walking the island and breathing in the fresh lake air. I visited the Island Bookstore and found an inspirational book called the Hand-stitched Home by Caroline Zoob. Every project in the book is so charming, and I want to do them all. Of course I bought some fudge from May's Candy Shop, and later got another kind of fudge from Murdick's.

My favorite structure on the island.

A secret path in the woods.

View of the Grand Hotel from our ferry.

The Grand Hotel is the most impressive structure on the island, and normally you have to pay $10 just to go onto the porch. They now have a ice cream parlor called Sadie's, which is open to the public, and is named after the Grand Hotel proprieter's Scottish terrier who won Best in Show at the 2010 Westminster Dog Show. I treated myself to a cone of Blue Moon and ate it on their porch. Yes, it was a ridiculously large amount of ice cream!

My giant cone of Blue Moon.

Back at Hahn Cottage we weren't hurting for food either. Everyone was responsible for a meal, and I think we all brought way more than we needed. Each meal was incredible, and filled with cameraderie and laughter.

Lilacs are still blooming on the island.

Many thanks to the Hahn's and all the other friends who made the weekend such a blessing!