A Little Bit of Spontaneity Never Hurt Anyone

Labor Day weekend was always the time Vince and I took a trip. Whether it was a quickie overnighter to Hocking Hills or a week-long vacation to Hilton Head, we usually headed somewhere out of town for a little fun, relaxation and adventure. We’d celebrate our wedding anniversary and my upcoming birthday. And we’d just enjoy our time together.

 

I miss those trips. I miss the planning of those trips. And I miss Vince. But life goes on and I have to make do. Yet in the last couple of years, I haven’t gone away over Labor Day Weekend.

 

But this year, my cousin Cathy invited me to northern Michigan to visit with her and some of my other cousins at their family cottage north of Traverse City.

 

She was having a cookout on Sunday and said I should be there for that, but that I was welcome anytime during the week.

 

Since I’d just been to Ann Arbor for a visit, I wasn’t sure I wanted to go back again so soon. True, Northern Michigan is quite different from Ann Arbor. But to experience the beautiful lakes and countryside “up north,” I’d have to tack on an additional four hours of drive time, making it a 7-1/2 hour long drive.

 

I simply wasn't sure I wanted to make the long trek.

So instead of making a decision to go and start packing and getting ready, I procrastinated. I headed to the local pool and spent Saturday afternoon floating around the Lazy River with some friends. We wanted to get in that one last sunny summer day at the pool.

 

But then I got a text from Cathy telling me the offer was still good and that I really should consider it given that it was going to be unbearably hot in New Albany – but it was going to be perfect weather up north.

 

I am generally not a spontaneous person. Whenever I act spontaneously, I sort of surprise myself.

 

And, sure enough, I surprised myself this time, too.

 

I sent Cathy a text and said I was on my way.

 

I tossed some things in the suitcase, which truthfully, had been barely unpacked from my previous trip to the state Up North. I gassed up the car and was on my way.

 

But first I had to check Facebook. I saw some goofy meme and couldn’t resist sharing it on my page.

 

And then I was on my way.

 

Cathy, meanwhile, was already up north at the family cottage and was perusing FB herself. She saw my post and gave me grief about posting things on social media instead of driving.

 

 

Just a suggestion??

Nevertheless, I made good time. I donned my shades and enjoyed the beautiful sunny day. I sang along (badly) to the tunes on my playlists. And I marveled at the crazy drivers in Michigan traveling – at a minimum – 85 MPH in a 75 MPH zone.

 

As I neared my destination, I was on the lookout for one last potty break. Found a gas station, topped off one tank and drained the other. Hey, what can I tell you? As I get older, I’ve learned that the last thing I want to do is arrive at my destination, ignore every single person as I rush past their arms waiting to give me a welcome hug just to dash to the bathroom.

 

It’s embarrassing. Not to mention slightly rude.

 

So, there you go. Make one last pit stop before you arrive. Just a little Travel Tip from me to you.

 

(You’re welcome!)

 

Anyway, I was happy to see my cousins as there was a full house with everyone sitting around the table talking, catching up and noshing on some pre-meal appetizers.

 

Dinner was delicious. Spending time with my cousins was priceless.

 

But “perfect weather”? Uh. Not so much.

 

It was in the mid-80s and humid. And the cottage was built in the days before installing Central Air was a given. Besides, it’s not normally so hot and humid up there.

 

I was missing my A/C in the worst way. And Cathy was apologizing for her meteorological goof. (What? She doesn’t control the weather??)

 

The room I was staying in had a ceiling fan, which was helpful. And all the windows in the cottage had been opened to allow in whatever breeze was to be had.

 

But as we headed off to bed, I noticed an inordinate number of tiny flying bugs in the room. Whether they got in as people came in and out of the house or they were able to get in through the window screens, I have no idea. But anytime you’re in a place with water and lots of trees and vegetation, you’re bound to be in the midst of all manner of wildlife.

 

I am not a fan of bugs – but at least these were not the biting or stinging kind. They were just the annoying kind who were attracted to light.

 

Which meant I could not read to get myself settled down and ready to fall sleep. Instead, I was constantly slapping and swatting at them. Finally, I got up, found a small electric fan to aim directly on me and closed the windows to keep out any additional critters that might want to use me for dive bombing practice during the middle of the night.

 

After that, I somehow got a restful night’s sleep. And the bugs stayed away for the rest of the stay, for which I was exceedingly grateful.

 

And I had a wonderful time! We spent time on the deck looking out at Little Traverse Lake. We read a little. We all talked and laughed and reminisced. We had meals together with various groupings of cousins. We took a pontoon boat ride and let the breeze cool us down a little.

 

And Cathy and I took a drive through the state park looking at the sites and the majesty that is Lake Michigan. We drove by the sand dunes that we swore were so much bigger when we were kids. 

And Cathy would stop every so often and kick me out of the car to go take pictures.

 

I’m not the photographer Vince was. Sometimes I forget to take photos. Like we never got a group shot, which would have been so special. Instead, I’d take candid pictures that are in no way “frame-able” but will still evoke memories of the good time I had.

 

While on the pontoon, I tried to take a photo of Cathy and Mary Lou. My finger somehow got in the way and I completely blocked Mary Lou out of the frame. Uh, my only excuse is that the sun was in my eyes. (Yeah, that excuse doesn’t work in baseball, either…) But, still. The picture makes me laugh, so I keep showing it.

 

We spent a few hours on the pontoon. Some of the more daring folks jumped off the boat into the water. I hadn’t even put on a bathing suit under my clothes so that wasn’t a remote possibility. But back at the cottage, Cathy and I did wade into the lake and paddled around a bit while her dog Oliver kept a watchful eye from the dock.

 

So, all in all, it was a delightful visit and I was so glad I went. Despite the 7-1/2 hour drive-time. And despite the unrelenting heat.

 

By the way, it did cool down. The day I was leaving. As a matter of fact, the sky turned black and it absolutely poured. I later heard that the area got seven inches of rain that day, which is crazy. And during my drive home, it was a veritable deluge until I got halfway down the state. But then the sun came out and it turned hot and humid again.

 

But by this point, I did not care. My car is fully equipped with A/C – and believe you me, I had it blasting.

 

I arrived home tired but happy.

 

And so very glad I decided to be a little bit spontaneous.

A Visit to the State of My Birth

My birthday week is also my wedding anniversary, so the past couple of years have been a little tough without my Vince to celebrate with. But I’m pretty good at distracting myself – and I have some pretty great people in my life who help to distract me, too.

 

This year was no different.

 

I went to visit my cousin and friend in Ann Arbor a few weeks ago as a quick late summer getaway. And, okay, sure, it also gave me a bit of a break from having to get up at 6 a.m. every morning to walk my precious little Maggie Minx.

 

Hey, what can I say? I love the little stinker. But I also have to confess that I don’t love getting up before dawn to stumble around in the dark with a poo bag and a flashlight.

 

Anyway, Cathy and I spent hours talking and catching up on both current events in our lives as well as sharing memories from our childhood.

 

We spent some time exploring the area – including the campus at the University of Michigan. Yeah, yeah, my OSU brethren may boo and hiss – but, c’mon. Have a little respect. We’re rivals, sure, but we’re also talkin’ family here.

 

The day we drove around campus was Move-In day for the students, which meant we were dodging veritable throngs of children. Yeah, I said it. It’s hard to remember ever being that young. And yet, we were that same age when our parents released us into the wild that is a college campus.

 

What Cathy and I found amusing, however, was the way the co-eds were dressed. About 95% of them had on cropped tank tops and frayed edge jean cutoffs with the pockets peeking out of the bottoms.  (Which translates to short shorts. Very short shorts!)

 

Holy tomatoes – it was like we were transported back to the 70s! I wore the exact same outfits in high school. Well, not to actual class. But after school? Yeah, I sported that very look.

 

Now, of course, I’m amazed that my mother let me walk around like that. Guess she was picking her battles and that wasn’t the one to fight about?

 

I don’t know, but it’s too bad I can’t ask her now.

 

Another day Cathy and I took a tour of the homes our families lived in back in the day. While I could remember the name of the street my family lived on when we lived in Dearborn, I couldn’t remember the street number. I knew it had five digits, but all the houses on that street had five digits. Not helpful.

 

On the other hand, I was only six when we moved from Michigan to Ohio – so I had to give myself a pass.

 

Nevertheless, as we drove up and down the street that held my earliest memories, it was so familiar. I can remember my grandfather rocking in a rocking chair on the front porch. I can remember chasing the neighborhood boy across the street after he clonked my brother John in the head when the three of us were playing in the sandbox and John wouldn’t give up the toy Douglas wanted to play with.

 

Good thing I didn’t catch Douglas. What was I thinking I’d do to him? Clonk him back? I dunno. But I just knew I was fiercely protective of my brother and I didn’t like seeing him hurt.

 

And when I was five, I can remember morosely looking out the window at my brothers who were taunting me because I had the chicken pox and had to stay inside.

 

My revenge was realized shortly thereafter when I so kindly shared the virus with them. (Hee hee. No scratching, boys!)

 

Yeah, I was protective of him, but that didn’t mean he could tease me at will without any repercussions.

 

Anyway, it was a fun day with Cathy and it wasn’t something I would ever have thought to do. But, again, remember I was six when we moved to Ohio. I couldn’t have remembered the streets my cousins lived on back then, let alone the specific houses. I had to rely on Cathy’s superior memory. Plus, she’s a few years older than I am and she lived there a lot longer.

 

Hey, it’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it.

 

Before I left to head back to Ohio, Cathy said she was going “up north” to the Irwin family cottage for Labor Day week and I should think about coming up for a few days.

 

My initial reaction was…But I’m here in Michigan now. You want me to come back?

 

And my next thought was Well…maybe.

 

She said she was hosting a cookout on Sunday, and lots of cousins would be there – so if I were coming I’d definitely want to be there on Sunday.

 

That was certainly an incentive as I love my cousins. And my cousin Margie who lives in Washington state was going to be there – and I hadn’t seen Margie in several years.

 

Still. I had to think about it and I told Cathy I’d let her know.

 

So…did I or didn’t I? (If you read my Facebook posts, you already know the answer), but stay tuned for more of the story.