Mid-month Mention #2: Russells Point, Ohio

My cousin Karin is the kind of person who senses and seeks to fill a need. She knows many of the details of our struggle with a prodigal and the magnitude of our challenges recently. Thus, she suggested a girl's getaway. With my oldest son's wedding looming, I wasn't sure I'd be able to swing it, but when pressures intensified at home, I knew I needed the break. Karin planned everything and I enjoyed every moment of our overnight to Russells Point, Ohio.

We stayed at a lovely little AirBnB. It was cozy and comfortable, with a room for each of us and an ample living/kitchen area:

After a quick tour of the accommodations, Karin presented me with a girls' weekend gift bag. She knows purple is my favorite color, thus the purple beach blanket and the purple tumbler. Plus, she tucked the adorable bride/groom clothespin in as a special homemade gift:

Our first stop was a lunch trip to the Cranberry Resort lake-side restaurant in Indian Lake, Ohio:

We followed this with a small walk on a nature trail at Pew Island:

Come along and experience it for yourself via this link to a YouTube video.

Next we wandered, looking over the landscape, stopping for a bit of shopping, and exploring a delightful farmer's market at Hurley Farms, in Huntsville, Ohio. During our jaunt out, I noticed a sign for London Bobby Fish and Chips. When we went later to find it again, we thought we were in the wrong place, but learned it is inside an adjoining business called Cassano's Pizza. It turns out, in 2012, 30 years after the London Bobby fish and chips shops closed, Cassano's Pizza decided to bring it back to the Dayton area. You can read about it here.

We followed our evening meal with a trek up the steep Sandy Beach Bridge and enjoyed more lovely views of the water and lakeside areas. What a calming, peaceful location!

Sunday, after checking out of the AirBnB, we returned to Pew Island for a picnic lunch by the water and another trail walk. Then we went back to the Hurley Farms market for more fresh produce shopping and one final selfie together:

This little 25-hour jaunt was just what I needed. I returned home refreshed, filled-up, encouraged, bolstered, and restored. Something about being in nature (and especially around water) just does a body good!