Yesterday evening our patio fountain was silver in the sunlight, tonight it was gold. And at the beach, the gold became red. Similar, but different. Small joys every day. I did learn one fun fact today about shipwrecks on the great Lakes. It is estimated that 6,000 ships have sunk, with 30,000 lives lost. These…
Category: Grand Haven
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December 16th: Sunday night and all is well
Our fountain next to the patio sparkled in the late afternoon sun. Regular shots of sunlight have returned, after weeks of heavy overcast. Sunsets across the sky are in full bloom again. Dinner at a creative gastropub (The Paisley Pig… how did we not visit it before this?). The Grand Haven downtown Christmas lights. Every…
December 12th: Cold water high
I had a routine after every basketball practice and game in high school: I would dash to the showers. Our home locker room had six shower heads, all would quickly be spewing steamy hot water. Then, when almost finished, I spun the shower to cold water only. In northwest Iowa, in the winter, cold water…
December 11th: Just what was needed
Our patience was rewarded last night… finally a sunset. Water temperature near the shore is just barely above freezing. We should start getting some exciting ice formations soon. Ice balls? Pancake ice? Soon we shall see. Speaking of pancakes, my wife has been creating blueberry waffles and pancakes for breakfast. Nothing like fresh (frozen) Michigan…
December 10th: An afternoon at the beach
Sunlight. We were promised sunlight. Instead we got another cloudy day and cloudy sunset. But today… finally! We have glorious sunshine. Spent a nice afternoon at the beach, listening and watching the waves, again all cozy in a warm black car with a window down. Hoping the clouds stay at bay, and we get our…
December 4th: The eerie quiet
Woke up to bright sunlight this morning. Finally! But, by the time we made our way to the water, clouds had almost entirely engulfed the sky. Driving past the rows and rows of empty waterfront condos, the desolate streets, an abandoned waterfront… visions of a Stephen King movie setting drifted thru my mind. A nice…
December 3rd: Grey or Gray… still no sun
The sun peeked out this morning, but it was only for a moment. A moment so fleeting it doesn’t count. Trying to remember the last time I saw the sun… I think it was Thanksgiving day. While prepared for lake effect snow, I had forgotten just how dreary lack of sunlight can be. Great big…
November 30th: Watching history today
The sun, the sun! We were promised the sun today. So far, the sun is still a no-show. But as we approached the Grand River over lunch, my wife squealed with delight, “A ship, a ship!”. The Wilfred Sykes was just leaving Grand Haven, heading out to Lake Michigan. We of course had to stop…
Thanksgiving: Last night at the lake
After a beautiful afternoon at the beach, we returned to the lake with the hopes of an awesome sunset right behind the lighthouse. Clouds thwarted that plan, but even sunsets you can’t see are worth the trip. Left the lake and had another excellent meal at Old Boy’s Brewhouse. Tried to make my wife’s birthday…
November 21st: Today from the beach
Of course today included a visit to our lake. This was our view as we lounged on the beach. More accurately, reclined inside our black Toyota Avalon with the windows down. Sometimes owning a black car has its downsides, but today, with a temperature in the mid 30’s and very little wind, we stayed nice…