Holla', Holla', Holland

Sunday was the last, last-summer-day before my final semester as an undergrad. The weather had been very “Michigan” all day (a.k.a. the opposite of what season it should be) and a grey haze clung to the sky and air. I’ve been belatedly hoping for warmer weather as Fall inches closer, but I also love dreary mitten days.

It was late in the afternoon when I decided that there really wasn’t a good enough reason not to be spending the last hours of summer on a beach.

On the way, Mariah looked up a cute little Mexican restaurant on Yelp, El Huarache, that got a surprising amount of awesome reviews. The little, red-planked building was right off the road with a couple of families eating together at picnic tables in front when we got there. The menu was small, completely authentic, and soo deserving of its reviews.

Our meals came out on dishes with pretty painted designs that contrasted the rustic picnic-style atmosphere in the best way. We weren’t given any forks to eat with, so we giggled and ate with greasy fingers and it was great.  

After we finished dinner, we had a little over an hour before the sunset. We headed toward Holland State Park and drove through curvy, beach-town streets. I love people watching near those kinds of places because everyone is out with their dogs or kids and riding bikes, visibly enjoying fresh air and their time together.

We stopped for a couple cones of German chocolate soft serve, but ate them way before a snapshot could be taken (‘cause, like, ice cream).

When we got to the beach, we realized that there would be no epic sunset because the entire horizon was blanketed in dense clouds. Somehow we weren’t the only people unfazed by the gloomy weather, though, and we joined the crowds walking out on the pier.

Impressive stones and large rocks lined the pier. I never get tired of the sound water makes when it crashes into rocks and beaches. We climbed on the rocks and took mermaid-esque pictures until it became dark.

Small bunches of condos and hotel rooms lit up the shoreline with warm dots and a single paper lantern lazily drifted away, upward.

The beach cleared almost immediately once it was dark. The moon was large and that awesome orange color, but it stayed covered by clouds most of the night. We waded into the water and it was weird feeling the ridges in the sand but not being able to see anything beneath. It was cold swimming in Lake Michigan, but then again, it’s pretty much always kind of cold swimming in Lake MI.

With the end of summer coming up so quickly, we decided to make a playlist to help inspire a couple more road trips or even just nostalgic afternoons at home.

Oh, Summer from pastimepenelope on 8tracks Radio.

Let us know what things you like to do to celebrate the end of summer!

xo - E