I spent the weekend in Northern Michigan where the fall colors were peaking, the sun was shining, the air was warm and sweet and Lake Michigan was gorgeous. And to top it off, I got to stay with a good friend in her wonderful home complete with a loving dog-cat. Well. A cat that sort of acts like a dog, you know what I mean. We wandered quaint little towns, poking our heads into art galleries and book stores and hiked through beautiful sun drenched forests listening to woodpeckers and the silence. We walked the beach and waded into the gentle waves, kayaked the turquoise still waters of Lake Michigan, and sat in warm sand drinking wine and drawing with pastels. We contemplated in silence the wide, ever changing lake, and talked incessantly; stories about the past and hopes for the future. We read and napped and laughed a lot.

It would have been easier to leave, both the lake as well as the friend and her cat if the day had been dreary, cold, misty or rainy. But it was perfect; in the 70’s, sunshine, the lake a cobalt blue. The trees glowed against the sky. I drove away with the car windows rolled down, listening to the crunch of brilliant leaves beneath the tires, memorizing the sights, sounds and smells of lake living in the fall, trying to impress the image onto my eyelids so that later, when I closed my eyes, I could bring it all back. Listening to the radio on my drive through the brilliant colors of mid-Michigan I heard “True colors shining through…I see your true colors shining through and that’s why I love you, that’s why I love you…” (Fredro Starr) It seemed appropriate and I hummed along with the music.

We took a last walk on the beach before I left, me dressed in jeans and running shoes, intent on keeping my feet dry given the long drive ahead. As we returned to the house I became less vigilant about avoiding the gently swelling water, and a rogue wave quickly slapped me in the ankle, pouring into my shoe. I laughed; it was as if Lake Michigan was grabbing for my foot, trying to keep me from leaving. In my heart I told the lake that it didn’t have to try so hard…it had me at hello. When I saw it again this trip I knew I was falling in love all over again.

PS: The images actually look better if you click on each of them v.s. making them into a slide show…

Over this past weekend my husband and I traveled to Southern Illinois to attend the wedding of the son of a friend of ours. It felt good, after the weeks of waiting for loss, to be witness to a new beginning. The young couple have so much of their lives ahead of them, are so happy and excited about their prospects, that it was contagious. We wish them all the best!

On the way down to the wedding we stopped in Springfield IL to see Lincoln’s tomb. We arrived after the cemetery was closed, so we stayed in a very strange Howard Johnson across the street. It didn’t have any windows in the front, sort of looked like a fort. It turned out to be OK, and really really quiet! In the morning we went over to Oak Ridge cemetery and visited the tomb. It’s worth the visit, the cemetery is beautiful, very old, and the story of how the Lincoln tomb was built is interesting. We wandered around some of the rest of the cemetery as well, then continued on to the small town where our friends live.

The family lives in farm country, with lush fields of tall corn, and beautiful dense green fields of soy beans. It’s a different kind of landscape for me, but very beautiful in it’s own way.

We were staying with the groom’s parents on their family farm, and I took the opportunity to run while I was there on the straight and FLAT county roads. I had, as my running companions, the farm dogs, Cooper the chocolate lab, and Lewie, the beagle. I have never run with dogs before and I have to say it was a lot of fun. Cooper ran in and out of the water filled ditch on the side of the road and kept me cool by shaking and flinging water all over me every chance he got. Lewie was off ahead of us, chasing some unknown prey in the soy bean fields. At one point Lewie took off down another road and I figured, “no problem, he knows where he lives” and kept running straight. After a bit I heard the clacking of toenails as he raced up from behind, tongue hanging out, a big grin on his face. We had a lot of fun, and Lewie was ready to go again when we got back to the house.

After my run I grabbed the camera to take pictures of my companions and the farm. A storm was coming in, and the sky was amazing.

After the wedding we headed home along a rain slicked highway. More storm clouds piled up, and I got this shot from the moving car. Later we heard about the bad weather in Chicago, but luckily this storm blew over us with no effect on our drive.

We had a good time on our little mini vacation. We affirmed again that we travel well together; it was a good break from our real lives, and we really appreciate the hospitality of our host!