Michigan is a land of blue sky, a different shade of blue than I see elsewhere, intense, deep blue, and a land of water reflecting that blue. Our first visit was to friends who live on a lake. (Note for non native speakers of English: “on” here means the people own a property that extends to the edge of a lake. The house is on this property.) We arrived in the evening, and after supper in a restaurant, we went on a ride on our hosts’ pontoon boat to watch the sunset. When the breeze turned to wind, it was quite chilly, so we wrapped up in blankets kept on the boat for this purpose. On our third night, we had a “campfire” beside the lake. We talked about the days of our youth, long gone, and our host mentioned a piece of music he had performed called “Glory Water.” We spoke of the ancient system of dividing the universe into “earth, air, fire, and water.” These are still the elements of life itself. Although there are many houses on this lake, and a busy road leading to it, it is still peaceful beside the lake, with the crescent moon rising over the water, the fire glowing in the dark, and good friends talking into the night.
During the days we visited our son and his family in a small town a few miles distant. They live in a house built in 1847! Their village is historic, but up to date and prosperous. Our new granddaughter, nine months old, is delightful. We went to a park where we saw farm animals, went on an old fashioned hay ride, cooked supper outdoors on a grill, and took a boat ride on the large lake. Each of the children on board, including our baby girl, securely carried by her father, got to steer the boat under the captain’s watchful eye. This boat could seat about 35 people, but on our tour there were only about 20 people. This park includes an exhibit about historic farming. People can touch the animals: pigs, goats, cows, and horses. They can see the chickens, ducks, and turkeys. Our hay ride wagon was drawn by horses. I felt we were going back in time, a slower pace, a quieter place.
Our son lit the charcoal fire in the grill and cooked the food brought from home: beef steak, potatoes, and squash. We also had blueberries grown in Michigan. Our daughter-in-law had everything we needed in a small basket, well organized and ready to use. We had a blue table cloth for the picnic table, plates, steak knives, forks and spoons. We sat there by the lake, under the shade tree as we ate. Food is more delicious in such a beautiful setting. After supper, we still had a little time before the boat ride, so we flew the kite given to us in China to celebrate the birth of the little one. She sat on her blanket on the grass and clapped her hands while her older sister, brother, and Dad flew the kite. There was just enough breeze to start it flying a short time.
The weekend with our family was all too short, but they must go to work, while we are free to travel on. We drove through miles of corn and soybean fields, marked by lines of trees, and visited our elderly friends. Even though 45 years have passed since this man was my teacher, we still keep in touch. He is 90 years old now, and slowing down somewhat. Still, he and his wife are truly living “happily ever after” in their new home. I asked what they do all day? They pray, read and study, walk in the mall every day, and they are involved in activities with their church. They still have a car which the woman drives, so they can go where they want and need to go. They are people we admire and hope to emulate.
Next we drove to Dearborn, a suburb of Detroit. Detroit is more than 300 years old and is showing signs of age, losing population, and losing business.
Dearborn is the home of Henry Ford, who figured out how to make a car almost everyone could afford. He was an inventor and a businessman. Dearborn’s population is about 100,000 people, of whom about 50,000 are Arabs. As we drove down the street seeing signs in Arabic, we thought we might be in a foreign country. Our friend in Dearborn is 87. She lives in Henry Ford Village, a retirement community. She swims three times a week, and works as a volunteer daily in an organization that provides English classes and other services for new immigrants. She still drives her car around the local area, but has given up long trips. We met this lady through her sister, whom we met in China.
Sharing a teaching experience in China created a bond with this friend and we have visited several times since 2004. She lives in Florida and is visiting friends and relatives with her new husband. We are people traveling from far distant places, meeting for a few hours in a place both of us are visiting. We shared a meal and much conversation. I mentioned that my Seattle sister had participated in a half triathlon: half mile swim, 12 mile bike ride, 3 mile run; and that she had completed this in 2 hours and 8 minutes. Our three friends said that they were all in training for such an event, albeit slightly shorter. I am amazed at their stamina and hope that as I continue to age, I’ll be stronger than I am now.
We continued our journey to the area where we lived for twelve years. We are staying with a friend who owns acres of land and has created her own peaceful paradise. We can see wild turkeys and sometimes deer roaming outside her house. She has a hummingbird feeder on her porch, so as I am writing now, I can see the tiny birds feasting there.
Each day we visit old friends, and family. We see the passage of time especially in the children who were babies when we knew them, and in the young adults who were children just a few years ago. We spent a day with two of Dear Husband’s brothers. We’ll see the third one on our way home.
Since the village where we lived has only about 1000 people, it is quiet, and we can see the stars at night. My friend and I sat outdoors after sunset in her back yard, and had a campfire. The night was cool, the stars filled the sky, the fire warmed our hearts. We shared our thoughts and experiences of the years we have spent apart. We sang together. We skipped the marshmallows, a traditional campfire treat, but it was not a great loss, since neither of us needs the extra sugar.
Today is a lull, a quiet time between the full days. We have several more gatherings to attend before we turn toward home. We’ll leave Michigan, the land of blue sky, blue water, green fields, and happy memories. We’ll hold it in our hearts as a portion of HOME.