08-SEP-2008
The drive to Michigan from San Francisco is about 2500 miles. In past years, we've done it in five days. Never less. But that's a think of the past. We usually take 10-14 days these days.
One of things that happens when one slowly approaches favorite places from their youth. This photo is actually taken in Western Minnesota. The prairie farm houses, barns, silos, and corn fields are among the first scenes that draw forth memories of places, times, and people from earlier days. We can drive for long periods of time and not say much to each other and then suddenly start sharing the recollections that are emerging.
Sandy and I have never regretted moving to California. That's not say that we don't have a deep fondness for Michigan. We look forward to our nearly annual visits now. There is a family cottage that Sandy's dad built in 1939 that is wonderfully rustic and a treasure. It's located on Higgins Lake, a cold, clear spring-fed lake in northern Michigan.
09-OCT-2008
Fall colors were showing in the Upper Peninsula, but as we drove across the Mackinac Bridge, the colors dissipated until they completely vanished. Nut is was cold and getting colder and it would only be a matter of time before the oaks and maples would begin to show off their fall color.
09-OCT-2008
Calm days on the lake in October are rare. Along with colder days, the north winds pick up and there are more days with rough, white-capped water than days of calm.
07-OCT-2008
A strange thing happens in Michigan, and I think much of the Midwest, after Labor Day. Everyone begins to mentally prepare for the oncoming winter. In much earlier days, those who didn't prepare went hungry when the inadequate food supplies ran out. I remember getting a trunk load of potatoes to store in the fruit cellar for the winter. So maybe the absence of vacationers on the lake after Labor Day is steeped in old genes. At any rate, we were happy to share the beach and the neighborhood with the other dozen or so people who lived nearby. There are some wonderful days in October, but few people around to enjoy them.
08-OCT-2008
Most of fall color comes from maple trees. Their leaves turn to wide variety of yellows, crimson, and reds. Most oaks here turn into a deep red.
02-OCT-2008
So, welcome to Higgins Lake, Michigan.
