I met my wife to be at a Le Mars, Iowa grocery store in 1975. Months later, we began dating. Then off to college… “hometown honeys” never last they said. Against all odds, we married after college. Holland, Michigan was our first stop in a journey that crossed the country. Four children born in four…
February 13th: Leave No Trace
What makes for a great movie? A few can grab you emotionally. You are surprised, inspired, joyful, scared, angry, horrified, challenged. Maybe even a roller coaster ride of those emotions. Locked in for the entire movie. Then there comes a movie that is stunningly subtle. Telling a powerful story without monsters, evil people, natural disasters….
February 12th: Where do we go from here?
Ninety days and our lease is up. Where do we go from here? I have read some articles on great places to live in Central and South America. Beautiful, safe, fun, cheap. But not this year. Florida or Arizona? No thanks. We so love Western Michigan and have much to explore within hours of here….
February 11th: Where did the ice go?
Where did the ice go when the winds blow from the east? A half a foot, to a foot deep, all the way to near the horizon. With ice piled into walkable hills along the shore. And yet now today, a different story. I wonder if the ice is floating in the middle of the…
February 9th: “I don’t like the beach”
My wife said, “Would you please get a haircut, you’re embarrassing me?” – as we walked into our favorite brewhouse. One of the great things about not working for someone is haircuts and shaving are optional. In 2018, I cut my hair only three times for the entire year. After my last haircut in November,…
February 5th: Time wasted, time invested
Men, they build towers to their passing yes, to their fame everlasting Here he comes chopping and reaping, hear him laugh at their cheating And time waits for no man, and it won’t wait for me Yes, time waits for no one, and it won’t wait for me -Keith Richards / Mick Jagger Beach life…
February 4th: What we missed
It was 15 degrees Fahrenheit. Below zero wind chill. We missed one of the highlights of Winterfest 2019 … the cardboard sled race. Missed the Star Trek Enterprise shuttle craft zooming down the hill. Missed the US postal truck crashing. Missed all the other creative entries. Braver souls were there. Hopefully next year we will…
February 2nd: 12 days later
Just 12 days to transform the lake. When we stopped by late this afternoon, there were over 100 cars in the parking lot. All day long, people making the pilgrimage. Stay off the ice! The warnings go unheeded. Try as they might, the city, the state, the Coast Guard warn about the unstable ice, the…
February 1st: Boring weather report
Five straight days of living in a Winter Storm Warning. Lake effect snow parked over our heads. With the wind from the west, the lake became a constant snow producer. Winds whipping for days bringing us white-out conditions over and over again. The actual temperature below zero. Salt not working on the roads. More and…
January 29th: Project Blue Book
Are you familiar with Project Blue Book? It was an official investigation of UFOs by the United States Air Force, active from 1952 until 1969. There were precursor investigation (Project Sign and Project Grudge). In the late 1970’s there was a popular TV show fictionalizing the results of Project Blue Book. The History Channel has just…