Traverse City: Cherry Picking // The Good Bowl // Mari Vineyards // Swimming in Lake Michigan

Dress: Beaks & Bananas Maxi Dress by Farm Rio (size XL) via Nuuly

Sandals: Born

Purse:

All Jewelry: Wendy Baker

Photography: Super Boo, Kate, & Me

Stats: 5'7" 40-37-53

This dress screams tropical vacation. True wrap dress with fun vibrant colors...it did come to me desperately needing to be ironed. This dress could go anywhere with you...a Hawaiian luau, outdoor dinner, or a stunning swimsuit coverup. It runs at least a size big...but as it's a wrap, it wasn't a big deal. Incredibly comfortable & well made...I felt like a 1960s cougar in this dress...I needed an umbrella cocktail, a chaise lounge on the beach, & a ridiculously oversized sunhat...oh, pool boy!

I wore this dress to work with these heels, but later chose flats for walking all day. 

I only wish these fabrics had been reversed...with the yellow more prominent in front...minor quibble as warm colors look better on me. And it's all about me, right?

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Mildew, Huda Beauty Neon eyeshadow palette, Electric Warrior eyeshadow by Kat von D, UD lipliner & lipstick in Bang, Nectar lipstick from Sugarpill Cosmetics, & OPI nail polish in Tempura-ture is Rising!

I wore this dress on our girlie vacation in Traverse City. Kate reading in the morning on our porch with a view. First stop of the day...cherry picking! Neither of us had picked cherries before & it's one of the things this area is known for. 

We spent the first hour (or so it seemed) hunting for a ladder...we had finally given up & went back to ask the kid we checked in with, & we immediately walked by someone who was done with theirs...but as it was short...only so many cherries could be captured. 

I got up on the ladder once & picked a few...& popped them in my mouth, but Kate did the collecting...I felt extremely unsteady up there.

Lunch! I had dropped Kate off & went looking for parking...when I finally found a spot, it was a meter that only took coins...who has coins?! This kind woman asked how much I needed & she fed in enough for 75 minutes...& wouldn't take my money. People can be so nice...it really made my day. We ate outside at The Good Bowl, a Vietnamese eatery. It was fabulously delicious...we began with crispy romanesco...then Kate & I both had Bún, they had theirs with grilled turmeric tofu & the standard vermicelli noodles...Mine was made low-carb with extra greens in place of the noodles...& Makrut lime chicken. There was just such a variety of fresh herbs in there...I could eat that every day. After our lovely lunch, we stopped in at Mari Vineyards...delightful wine with a view & the best company. We had to wait a while...an hour? for a shaded table, but it was worth it. Kate thought it was funny...I'm such a reserved girlie. We got another flight of 8 wines & both really enjoyed them...& according to Kate, many of them are Italian-inspired & she declared their reds the best she has had in that area. They had a wonderful méthode ancestrale sparkling, Simplicissimus, that we each took home a bottle of.

I was pretty crabby about our dinner choices...even though Kate was being completely reasonable & suggesting we each get takeout from restaurants that sounded good to us...but I ended up ordering food at Kate's place of choice, Spanglish...they had vegan tamales that they were excited about.  

I chose a quesadilla meal...it was fine, not great...but I felt less moody after I ate. And then! Swimming in Lake Michigan!My dress made an excellent cover-up...& I had gotten a Lake Michigan beach towel in Frankfort, so I was all set. My first time wearing the Lands End swimsuit David got me for my birthday. Swimming...water is my calm place. We found an abandoned paddle board on our beach that said, Mermaid Hair Don't Care. Enjoying some of the sweet & tart cherries we picked that morning...watching the sun set. These ducks were out of control...& this guy was feeding them potato chips, which is obviously what they are used to from tourists...cute little baby ducks. I sat on the beach after Kate went to bed...enjoying the night sky & our neighbors bonfire.