Change Is Hard

…but change is certain.

Tag Archives: lighthouse


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A day at the beach

You all know that my happy place is just about anywhere on the shores of a Great Lake, but especially Point Betsie, a lighthouse on Lake Michigan.

This is Ace, 2 years old, and Deuce who is 10.

It has sentimental value because it was a favorite place for my parents, who camped near it on their honeymoon back in 1952.

Ace likes to swim.

Though when I think about camping in a green army pup tent in October I have to wonder what my dad was thinking.

Mom and Dad at Point Betsie in 1994.

But they stayed married for more than fifty years.

Deuce likes to stay on dry land.

This week I had the opportunity to wander the beach at Point Betsie with a friend and her two cocker spaniels. We had a beautiful day, cool for the dogs but a bit of sun for us.

Ace got to run free for the first time in his life.

I took my camera equipment including the tripod, in case it looked like we’d have stars. My friend was willing to stay up late with me while I tried to capture the Milky Way.

Deuce is an old hand at managing his freedom. (photo credit, Deuce’s mom)

I don’t think she realized how late that would have to be; the Milky Way isn’t really visible until almost morning at this time of year.

A beautiful beach, and no one around.

But as we walked the beach the clouds rolled in and after a few hours of rock hunting, and a great lunch at a park beside the Platt River in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, we decided to head home.

Posing for treats.

The next day I saw beautiful images posted on Facebook of stars and the Northern Lights, taken the night before at Sleeping Bear Dunes.

Sleeping Bear Dunes from the boat launch at the end of the road.

Yep. I told my friend if I ever suggest we head home early she should just kick me.

Sometimes life throws you a curve.

Katie says it serves me right for going on an adventure without her.

There’s always next time.

Sigh.


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Joyous Lilacs

I’ve seen pictures of the Pt. Betsie lighthouse in lilac season. I’ve been covetous of those images because I’ve never seen it myself, never timed a visit to the lighthouse, one of my favorite places in this state, at exactly the right time.

I always get a happy feeling, deep down inside, at the first sight of the Pt. Betsie beach.

Yesterday, on my way home from a 3 night camping trip near the Sleeping Bear Dunes, I finally got to check that as done.

I mean…how can it get better?

The lilacs were at their peak, the sky was cerulean blue with a few wispy white clouds, we were the only ones there.

Perfection.

The view the other way was pretty striking too.

I have many reason to love this lighthouse, one being it’s where my parents visited during their honeymoon in 1953, and where they went for their 50th wedding anniversary a year before they died.

Gentle waves lapped at the base of the lighthouse.

I like to sit and think about them there, and I hope they were close when I squealed at my first sight of the purple blooms against the white of the lighthouse.

The iconic image. Even though I have hundreds of these I can’t resist this angle every single time I visit.

I imagine they were, possibly, even squealing along.