Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Catching Up, or ….You CAN go home

For the last eight weeks I've been either planning for, ON, or recovering from

our three week cross country drive back 'home' to Michigan.

While there we enjoyed




an abundant harvest of delicious cherries,


corn as high,




my happy place, still cared for and loved...


more servings of planked whitefish than I thought I could ever consume,


 did I mention lighthouses?


sunsets over magnificent lakes,


one more beautiful than the next,


and the sacred ground of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Seashore.


we experienced
moments of solitude


white sandy beaches,


clear water…


dense woods




and favorite haunts that continue to impress


and historic establishments that still nourish after all these years….


we drove over….


and cruised under 
the magnificent Mackinaw Bridge 




for a perfect 'chamber of commerce day'


sunny and warm,


without the hum of engines and only the squeaks of bicycles and clicks and clops of horses hooves...


and the flap of a flag or more….


we witnessed the full moon rise,





we drove to the top of Michigan…




home of the Shipwreck Museum

and down again


to the center of Michigan to see the sun set after a powerful storm..….


and rise again over this inland lake…still as glass


back in the Detroit area, 
we visited  
the beautiful grounds of Cranbrook Academy


and this
inspiring Nick Cave exhibit at the Art Museum there


then headed back to New Mexico through Nebraska 
where we stopped for respite here,


and here,


before we headed south though the center of Colorado to the quaint river town of 
 my new favorite place,


then through the Valley of Peace to Crestone, Colorado


on our way to experience more sand dunes...



of the Great Sand Dunes National Park in southern Colorado….


and another magnificent God lit sunset as we headed home to New Mexico.

This trip was filled with connecting with friends and family I've been longing to embrace and spend time with, 
and 
delicious home cooked meals
not to mention warm lake breezes and sand between my toes….

….and I am so happy to report that visiting the favorite places of my youth left me feeling that they are more beautiful, better cared for and respected than I remember. 

With relationships loving and intact,


we say a 

HUGE

Thank You 

with deep appreciation for our friends and family who welcomed and cared for us so graciously.