Jim, Carrie, Jordyn (7), Casey (5), Bailey (3) Perialas-family of oldest (and smartest) son of Steve and Kyu-Hui Kelly, Lauren, Nathan (6) and Patrick (2) Boerner -Carrie's best friend & family from French town, Michigan Janice Van Canneyt (Carrie's mother) and Rick Lyke (Carrie's nephew)

Well, this was the much-anticipated reunion of old friends and family. Both families arrived Thursday night and the adults spent a relaxing hour in the hot tub...102 degrees it was perfect. The kids watched videos and played video games. Eventually we had to confiscate and hide the "plinko" balls and slot machine coins because of the casino-like sounds that pierced the room.

It rained all day Friday we didn't get to do much outside. The girls went to the metropolis of Evart to find more groceries. The kids fished in the rain, and then we went to the Cardinals Nest to get the two picnic tabletops for the "tree-house". It then started to rain hard so we didn't start on the tree house until Saturday.

We had a "combo" birthday party for the boys -Casey (June 6), Nathan (July 9), Patrick (June 26) and Jordyn had hers on May 29. Cake, ice cream, strawberries.

The Barryton Lilac Festival Parade starts at 11:00. We started getting ready at 9, and were still late for the parade...This is Barryton...if the parade starts at 11, then it's probably over by 11:10. Our worst fears were realized. We caught the tail end of it. We hung-out "downtown" for, oh...15 minutes before we got bored. The girls bought some plants, and we headed back to the Beaver Lodge for fishing and tree house building. Casey caught the weekend's first fish! It was a little sunfish. Kelly, Rick and the kids fished all afternoon and early evening.

It is now Sunday morning and we don't want to go home.

Lessons learned: -with young kids you can't over pack
-if you don't bring raincoats it will rain
-with 12 people in a cabin on a rainy day someone will eventually get on someone else's nerves
-"Asteroids" is still one of the best video games of all time
-Kerosene doesn't explode...thanks to Bailey, one of the tiki torches fell into the campfire
-the "big one" always gets away
-slot machine slugs don't fit in the "P.O.W." game and are hard to get unstuck
-check the cupboards for "dry-goods" before you buy groceries. The lodge now has 5 bottles syrup...check that -3. The girls want to take some home.

I hope to write again here next year!

Bob-we started the treehouse...we built the first level for the slide, and the ladder. Since you are mechanically inclined, the next section is up to you.
Jim Perialas
Roscommon, Michigan

Donnie, Sandra, Shawn (15), Justin (10), Bradley (8) Stack Christian (5) and Keara (3) Langham (foster children) and Sandra Pries (15) -- Shawn's girlfriend

When we arrived at the cabin, it was just like the pictures-it was beautiful. The first thing the boys did was get in the rowboat and go fishing. They caught a few but threw them back.

The house was everything we expected and more. This is what I hope one day we can afford to build for ourselves when we retire.

My husband's favorite thing was the pool table. He liked showing us that he could beat us and most of the time he did. Myself, all these bathrooms you never had to fight with anyone when you needed to get ready. "Wonderful"

Most of all the quiet you had when you were here, the 2nd floor deck was great, you could have some peace before the kids would find out where we were. The hot tub was a great way to relax before bed. Everyone enjoyed it very much.

We all had a great time and look forward to coming back for some more peace and quiet.

You have a very beautiful place. We hope to come back soon or hopefully at least next year same time.

Don & Sandra Stack family

Julio, Mary, Kristofer (9 yrs), Jeremy (7 yrs), Megan (6 yrs) and Katie (4 yrs)

The cabin and the view was breathtaking the day we arrived! The evening was quiet and peaceful.

The kids loved the game room and hot tub. It was a nice way to end the day. The entire family had a fun time fishing on the pier. We took the boats out to sail quietly. The jeep ride was fun on the dirt roads. We came pretty close to deer in the fields! They were strong and beautiful. >So many quiet places here to sit and renew the soul and spirit.

Sitting around the campfire with family and friends was especially enjoyable and relaxing. Thanks for a very relaxing and special family time.

The Santiagos

Our second consecutive family vacation here at Beaver Lodge and it was as enjoyable as the first. It is difficult to see how busy you become until you come out to a quiet, peaceful environment like this. Our family can actually come together and enjoy one another instead of just racing through the day. God's nature is wonderful that way.

The Perialis's went out of their way to assure our comfort and enjoyment. They've created a wonderful business with a very personal touch. Thanks.
God bless,
Garcia family, Plainfield Illinois

In one word AWESOME!!!

This is our second visit to the Beaver Lodge and we were very happy to see all of the improvements. This is a great place to spend a nice family vacation relaxing and enjoying each other's company.

Across the water from the dock we caught turtles as they were resting on the logs in the sun. We also caught 3 frogs. We enjoyed their company until we let them go on our last day.

The beach at Merrill Lake is also very nice for the kids to enjoy, as well as the playground.

We look forward to our next trip to the Beaver Lodge!
Justin Williams

Hewer family reunion-parents Dick and Denise, sons; Shane and wife April, Matt and girlfriend Renee, Nathan, and Rick.

We had a wonderful time at Beaver Lodge! The boys loved the game room and Mom enjoyed having the kitchen nearby. The hot tub was so relaxing on a cool evening and the fire pit was great for couple-cuddling.

All-in-all we had a great family vacation.

Many thanks to the Perialis's for a great time!
Dick and Denise Hewer
Reed City, Michigan