Vacation

I have just returned from my family's annual journey to Michigan's glorious north country, the Upper Peninsula.

It was one of our best trips. Many of the friends we have made up there are there at the same time each year, including several this time around who had not made the trip in years. We actually had a party at our home in dear little Hessel. We're aren't sure that the previous owners of the home, my wife's aunt and uncle, would have approved of merrymaking at their place of residence. But I should rather think it doesn't matter to them at this point, and we didn't break anything. I don't think.

A few of us fished, we saw the local sights such as they are, we went to a fireworks display at St. Ignace and ate the all you can eat fish dinners at the Main Street Cafe in Pickford. There was the usual nearly over the top gathering at the Islander Bar in downtown Hessel (Thanks, Jerry!), but we behaved. I think.

We had a few beers, we talked, we reminisced freely if not wholly accurately. For those of us with kids, it was a bit sad that so many of them have grown up and could not be with us, but time, as it does, marches on. The memories are almost as good as their actual presence. I rather believe that memories are perhaps the greatest gift we have in this old world, but that's a bit of an aside right here.

The entire group has coordinated efforts and will all be there at the same time next year. It will be too long in coming, but at least we know the time is waiting somewhere below the horizon. John and Barb, John and Kim, John and Marie (I would say that's a lot of Johns but it seems inappropriate), Matt and Kara and Kelly, Jerry and Helen, and Moe and Eunice, great seeing you. July 2010 can't come quickly enough.