Drove up to Pere Marquette beach today to get some photos of the wavy sand dunes that had built up over the winter. I envisioned some great low level buzzing of the beach. Instead, we saw that much work has been accomplished to flatten the wide beach back down. Worse, my drone issued a flight…
April 23rd: Mother and Child Reunion
Inspiration can come from the strangest places. Paul Simon was reading a Chinese menu when he saw “Mother and Child Reunion” … yes… Chicken Egg Foo Yung. A little Chinese humor. He took that inspiration and added his grief from the death of his dog, and contemplating the loss he would feel if his first wife,…
April 17th: Where do the children play? (part II)
Being the parents of young children has got to be one of the toughest jobs right now. Even more difficult, if you have an only child. How do you keep the safe? And engaged? And bright and positive? Of course Cat Stevens played in my mind gazing at the closed playground, and our forlorn North…
April 16th: 16 minutes well spent
Thousands of miles of almost empty beaches. Three thousand three hundred miles of Great Lakes coastline to be exact around Michigan. Hundreds of miles of the best sand dune nourished beaches right here in western Michigan. How fortunate we are. Today, even at the people-magnetic Grand Haven pier it was difficult to find anyone in…
April 13th: Horror Movie
One of my all time favorites… the GEICO horror movie commercial. Four teenage friends are trying to escape a killer. Where to run? The blonde woman whines, “Why can’t we just get in the running car?” Obviously the only smart decision. Instead they decide… “Are you crazy? Let’s hide behind the chainsaws!” Why does this…
April 12th: A beautiful weekend
A beautiful weekend started with a golden retriever reunion at our reopened private dog park. All four dogs from the same breeder, from all the way across the state. A rather cool but pleasant Friday morphed into a warmer Saturday, and a windows wide open Sunday. Ten or twelve hours relaxing at the dog park…
April 10th: What hasn’t changed
We venturing to the Grand Haven pier again yesterday. Watched the ever changing lake entertain us, relax us. Every day is different, even at the same beach. Wind, waves, clouds, sun all combine to provide delightful variety. Then I pondered… what hasn’t changed? Every day the pier lives on. The fog house and lighthouse stands…
April 4th: The kids are alright?
One certainty… there will be death Grand Haven is ghostly quiet. Few cars on the street. Besides the walkers on the boardwalk… emptiness. The small children guarded by their parents at home, or in distant patches of grass in a lonely park. But what about older teenagers? Watch long enough and you see, and hear,…
April 2nd: Social Distancing
Today my daughter called, “Want to go to a park and let the dogs play?” So, no droning the lake. Instead we met at a park in Spring Lake. There were a few mothers with kids, out on blankets around the soccer field. Thirty of forty yards away from each other. No one on the…
March 29th: Go to your happy place
Go to your happy place! Especially now. Find that place that calms your mind. Makes you smile. Stress melts from your body. A place of peace… safe, secure, without fear. This place is a place of power. Many people can close their eyes and imagine it. We are fortunate to be able to go to…