#74: Northern attitude, northern sketchbook

some drawings

I’m writing from a house in Northern Michigan. There are so many shades of blues and greens here. I fall asleep each night to the sound of waves hitting the shore. 

My current look: hair out of face, hat shading skin, eyes on the water

I love it up here. Between arriving in Chicago for my book event last week and participating in an open water swim with my family in Michigan, here are my takeaways: the Great Lakes look more like oceans, I can swim five kilometers without stopping, and I prefer Detroit pizza over deep-dish.

We stayed with my mom’s dear friends from college, which meant nostalgic stories and photos galore.

I forgot to draw the morning we did a practice open water swim in Lake Michigan. The water is so incredibly clear (and cold)!

Thank you again, Bookends & Beginnings

A happy stage moment + a delightful post-event sales update.

Soon it was time to drive to Michigan and switch from author mode to swimmer mode:

My family did this 5K swim in celebration of my mom’s upcoming 60th!

There is nothing, and I mean NOTHING, like a meal after a big swim. Thank you, Zou Zou’s Cafe.

Then came the most relaxing part of the trip:

I was surprised to find the shores of Lake Michigan are as clear and blue as Caribbean water.

We found a rock that made for a perfect backrest!

Scroll down for a zoomed in look at each page!

From left to right: a coffee shop’s cute logo, a bathroom selfie, and the most beautiful farm board a girl could ask for!

Thanks for reading!