Kelley's Island Ohio.....Visit with family

Isn't it funny how when you're younger certain things just seem so big and grand? Then you grow up and revisit those things or places and go, "hmm..it somehow seemed so much bigger before". I think that's part of the beauty and wonder of childhood, and of course being a tiny person. Hopefully we can keep that beauty and wonder alive as we grow older. 

When I was young my family lived in Northern Ohio on Lake Erie. Both of my parents were born and raised there and oftentimes during the summer months, we'd all head across the lake to Kelley's Island where my great aunt had a cottage. We'd play on the beaches, ride bikes, and spend time together. Sometimes just for a weekend and other times for a week. To be honest, I don't have a great memory when it comes to my childhood so the memory of our visits to the island are foggy. Tell me I'm not the only one with foggy memories. My aunts remember beginning to go when they were in Jr. High, well one of them was in Jr. High. I have 4 aunts and an uncle, plus my mom. My mom was the oldest. My youngest aunt is only 7 years older than I am. I tried to find some pictures but couldn't come up with any.  

2020 was VERY crazy to say the least and at the very beginning of it all we lost my grandma. My moms mother, my last living grandparent, and an incredibly amazing lady! She was 91. She left us with beautiful memories and a legacy that will be passed down for many generations. 

In June, I took a trip to Ohio to visit Kelley's Island and meet up with my aunts, and several cousins. My aunt Jan (youngest) and her husband own a vineyard and wine tasting room on the island. Crooked Tree Vineyard, where they grow, harvest and make their own wine. Find them on their website and Facebook Page. I stayed 4 full days and it was wonderful. The island is small, 4.41 sq. miles. It is largely a tourist destination, though the island does house a few hundred year round residents. Our time was spent walking every morning, took tours by golf cart (most residents own their own and often get around the island on them) and I did a bit of exploring on my own, exploring nature, walking through shops. We reminisced of my grandma, went through hundreds of family photos and enjoyed one another's company. We had a family wine tasting which was fun even though I'm not really a wine drinker. I'm am thankful for my family and even though we live thousands of miles apart, we stay connected. 

I loved hearing stories of the island, past and present, learning about it's history. 

learning about the various ruins on the island, how it was known at one time for it's wine making, among other things like Limestone (there's a quarry on the island). The northernmost part of the island is visible from Canada and my phone actually told me at one point I was in fact in Canada. How funny is that. 

 

There is so much to share but I'll just let you enjoy some photos from around the island and I'll "narrate" as I go. I apologize if they are not in order. 

This was what greeted us after we drove off the ferry. Those people are my family, who happened to head to the water for a bit before we arrived. Of course we stopped, hugged and enjoyed the sunset. The island has several beaches, this one was always known as Pebble Beach, and the other one that we went to often was Sandy Beach. They aren't quite as wide as they used to be, because the lake and waves over time have eroded the shoreline. 

View of the Vineyard from the deck of my aunts home. They live above the tasting room, where they also make their own wine. It's so cool. It was so nice to hear the birds and enjoy this view. 

One of the many marinas on the island. On the weekends, they are jam packed with people coming to visit for the weekend or even just the day. 

This is the tree the vineyard is named after....it's "crooked", twisted and pretty. That wind chime...it was my moms that she gave my aunt before she passed away. It's been a part of that tree since the beginning of their wine journey and is on the label of the wine bottles. 

I LOVE the old buildings on the island. If I had time, I'd learn about all of them. We used to think this one was haunted. 

This spot was called Glacier Grooves....I remember as kids, we thought this was so HUGE. It was carved out by glaciers. 

The various wines my Aunt and Uncle make. The Four Sisters is named for the 4 girls in the family. 

A cousin designed the labels for the wine. See the wind chime I mentioned above. He's also added something in honor of my grandma who passed away, but I can't remember what it was. I think it's a dove. 

Dinner at one of the restaurants in the village that sits on a marina. First time I'd ever had fried pepperoni chips....they're kind of addicting. 

The East Quarry lake is so pretty. We headed down with all the kids and enjoyed watching them play in the water and jump off the rocks. I wish my girls could have come with me. 

East Quarry Lake....so pretty...it's not my mountainous PNW but it has it's own beauty, and I loved it. 

Our family wine tasting. So much fun. I definitely like sweeter wines. 

They go from dry to sweet or sweet to dry...lol. I don't remember...around the mat. 

Going through hundreds of photos. It was so fun and so bittersweet at the same time. We all wished my grandma could just be there with us. 

One of the old churches on the island, called the "Old Stone Church". Next door is the historical society. I would have loved to go in and visit, but didn't get a chance. 

Haha...take a look at the top window. Too funny? Kind of creepy? A little of both? 

I took a ride by myself to the Nature Preserve and enjoyed a beautiful walk. The preserve has boardwalks surrounded by water and in a few spots, I had to take my shoes off because the water came over the boardwalk. 

Another beautiful sunset. So stunning. Sunrises and sunsets are some of my favorites. 

The West Quarry is not open to the public but it was so pretty. 

This is called The Old Stone Crusher...I don't know all the history but it was cool. 

This reminded of a scene from the Movie Ever After. Soo cool to see these trees growing up in the middle of the ruins. 

We just HAD to go to The Village Pump for some dinner. I got the perch fish and chips and the walleye bites. So, so good. 

I could've eaten another order. Perch and Walleye are very popular lake fish in this area and we grew up eating them. So much flavor. 

We had to save room for some ice cream. I will admit we got ice cream at Papa T's a few times. 

This old press was my granpa's (or Bapa as we called him). My uncle actually decided to test it out to see if it worked...it does. We told them that each year, they need to make a special bottle of wine just from using this press and name it after my Bapa.

My auntie Lynne and I....she is next in line after my mom. My aunts are the best. 

Sitting around the campfire! My Auntie Patty is on the left in the pink shirt...she is the 4th born of the 5 kids. My mom,  Auntie Lynne, Uncle Donnie, Auntie Patty, then Auntie Jan. 

More from down at the lake. The rocks were a bit slick and I didn't dare go in with my camera. I'm not the most graceful, and likely would've slipped and fallen and that wouldn't have ended well. 

Our crazy group....and this isn't all of them. Missing my uncle Donnie, his kids, my sister and her kids, my dad, and some of my other cousins who couldn't make it. I love these people. 

Another old building. So much work must have went into building these and without all the technology we have today that makes it so easy. 

We had to catch one last sunset on the island. Absolutely stunning. 

I can't wait to visit again and hopefully I can bring my family with me next time.