Memorial Day Beach Day

First day at the beach

We had a beautiful holiday weekend! First time in 11 years we could actually go in the lake on Memorial Day weekend. The temperatures were in the high 80's and it was Adelaide's first time at Lake Michigan's beach. She who isn't much of a sleeper dozed part of the time, had her little toes dangled in the water and couldn't decide if she liked the feel of sand. Most of the time she didn't.

Elizabeth was busy building castles and filling her bucket with "important beach materials" (yes, that's a quote!)


And this is Charlie. He would live in the water like Captain Nemo if he could. He loves to count boats, throw stones and be wet all the time.

OMG! I'm actually claiming these guys as mine! I asked for a muscle man pose and didn't realize how sorry this was going to look!!! Maybe it's because everyone is still so winter pale. Yeah, that's it. From the left, Son-in-law, Colin, Elizabeth, Patient Husband, Son, Ben and Charlie. I think I like Charlie's pose - he's trying so hard!!
We were spending the weekend celebrating Patient Husband's birthday and the weather could not have been better. In fact, we recall that it was 11 years ago that we had a similar hot weekend for Memorial Day. We have been unseasonably warm enough that everything is about 2 weeks early...including strawberries!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I didn't pick these myself, though I begged the picking place people to let me, but I still couldn't let pass a strawberry pie made from the very first berries of the season. This pie is the reason God made strawberries. It's showstoppingly pretty and absolutely delish.

Recipe for Strawberry Pie
LOTS of fresh (not grocery store) strawberries
1 baked pie shell
In a saucepan combine 1 cup water, l cup sugar and 3 Tablespoons cornstarch.
Cook and stir till it's thickened and then add
1 box strawberry flavored Jello. I know it sounds like a cop out to use Jello, but it really is good in this pie.
Stir together, let it cool, fold in the berries and pour in the shell. Then refrigerate.
This absolutely has to be eaten the day of. It starts to lose itself by the next day
but I force myself to eat the leftovers if there are any.

I always put LOTS of berries in so it's really mounding. The jello keeps everything together when you cut it so it's a guaranteed conversation stopper when you cut and serve that first piece.
During peach season I use peach jello and blueberry season I use blackberry jello if I can find it. ENJOY!!!!!!!

All that time in the cold, cold water and hot, hot sun just tuckered us out. Charlie and I shared the hammock and a nap.