ismo

As I have been for the last little while (hence the paucity of posting) I'm really tired by the time evening comes! We slept pretty well and woke up reasonably early, happy that at least some of the aches and stiffness had gone away overnight. We got coffee and went to sit in our favorite spot by the river. I laid out some options I'd thought of, and we picked the best one, which involved walking as far as we thought we could get down the Island Trail. It's one of my favorites (ha ha--I say that about all of them) but no, it really is. It's fairly easy because there's not a lot of up and down, but it winds along the shoreline of the interior lake, and every vista is lovely. There are reeds and water lilies and blueberry thickets everywhere, and canopies of alders, beeches, oaks, pines, and hemlocks. Yellow flags and yellow water lilies were blooming. The blueberry bushes were thickly tassled with the little pinkish flowers that will become blueberries. Every once in awhile, a waft of warmer air would bring the scents of pine needles, blueberries, and fresh green leaves. We saw turtles. Blackbirds trilled cheerfully. We also met a slightly confused older gentleman who explained how his handmade aluminum walking stick could also serve as a potato gun. He wasn't confused about that part. I totally believe in the supersonic potato gun.

Well, we DID go just a little bit too far, but it was worth it. By means of sitting down many times, plus frequent drinks of water, we got all the way to the end of the trail loop, where there's a little stone hut that we've visited many times, with the kids and with my parents, on their fiftieth anniversary. That time, we arrived by water, with most of the family in canoes, and my parents sitting regally in a rowboat with a parasol, while Mr. Science rowed them. Today we sat on the steps looking out at the lake and ate the lunch I had carried: salami, prosciutto, and cheese with crackers, and slices of pear. Getting back was more difficult, but fortunately there are a lot of places to sit along that trail. The wind had come up and was quite chilly. Again I decided that it would not be a really good idea to march down the Lake Michigan beach at that point. We had a rest and then went out to get some salads--both of us feeling a lack of vegetables, as one does after a couple of days in the woods. I forgot to bring the usual box of crudites. One can't think of everything! It stays light until 9:30 around here, and it just seems so WRONG to be inside. But we were both way too tired for an evening axpedition. We read on the veranda for a bit, and then went inside where the chairs are comfy. We have to pack up and go home tomorrow, but we'll go down to the beach for sure before we go.