Quiet 10/29/2013

Hi Everyone!

Just a quick note to say we aren’t leaving Wednesday as planned.  We closed on the condo today at noon, so we’re officially “homeless on Mackinac.”  We’ve been too busy today to get all our cleaning done, and now we plan to leave on the 8 a.m. ferry on Thursday morning. 

Ted and I hurried down the hill this morning to see Jill off on the 11:00 ferry. Ted had seven more shipping boxes precariously balanced on his hand cart, but he managed to get down to town with only one spill – and it was a minor one.  Grand Hotel employees were still leaving in large numbers, but Jill made it on board with no trouble.  She texted me a little after 4:00 to let me know she’d made it home to Lansing safely.

Mary Stancik was on the dock seeing someone off also. I think we’ll be leaving on the same boat Thursday morning.

After we closed on the condo, we ate lunch at the Seabiscuit.  Ted stayed downtown to run some errands, and I started back to the condo to begin the second day of cleaning. I think the Seabiscuit (which is closing soon), Cawthone’s Village Inn (which will be closed the month of November), and the Mustang are the only restaurants open now.  Hoban Street was very quiet . . .

. . . and so was Cadotte.  From Market Street all the way to the Grand, I was the only person on the street.

When I reached the top of Grand Hill and turned around to look back toward town, the only other person was a lady pushing a cart filled with white bags. 

This is an entirely different Mackinac Island than most are used to seeing.  There were a few tourists in the Seabiscuit, but many more locals.  Awnings are being removed, shop windows covered, and painting has begun on several businesses.  All the outside maintenance has to be done before the snow begins.

As I walked up the hill, the silence was like slipping alone into a great cathedral.  As much as I love Mackinac in the summer – with bikes whizzing by, people laughing and talking, and taxi and dray and carriage horses clip-clopping up and down the streets – I may love this great quietness, surrounded by so much beauty, even more. 

These last few days have been spent exploring all kinds of options, but nothing has been decided except we don’t think we’re ready to only have Mackinac in our lives for one or two months.  We need to go home to think and pray it all through again.  And wait for God’s answer.

Special People, Special Place . . . 02/07/2010

Hal Borland, a former writer for The New York Times, once said, “To know – after absence – the familiar street and road and village and house is to know again the satisfaction of home.”  My readers are well aware that I have two homes – one at the lake, with ties to my southern roots, my family, my friends, and 61 years of history.  Then there is my heart’s home – this island. 

Returning here on Thursday afternoon once again filled the space in my heart reserved only for this village and these people.  Winter Festival is basically a community celebration.  In a place cut off from the mainland during the winter – unless you fly in and out – this small community of residents pauses for a weekend and celebrates what makes them special – their children, their bond with each other, their home on this island. 

This afternoon when we arrived at Turtle Park, I felt as if I was being welcomed home by family.  So many people who I had last seen at the end of October called out a “welcome back!”  They asked “Where’s Ted?”  They hugged me.  They chatted.  They made me feel that making the effort to travel to Michigan from Georgia for a four day visit was very special to them.  I wanted to tell them all that there was no effort involved – I had simply come to my heart’s home.

We have once again been outside all day.  It was two degrees when we awoke this morning, but luckily the winds have been calm.  We put on layer after layer (at last count we three girls had managed to pull on and zip up seven layers above our waists and three below).  We wore snow boots, wool socks, toe warmers stuck to the bottom of our socks, and hand warmers inside our gloves.  We were warm, but we also looked like inflated robots.  If we had tipped over, there is no way we could have ever gotten up without help.

Here’s our day in photographs – with captions.

Ice in the marina has broken into large pieces.

We left The Cottage Inn around noon. I kept hoping for a snowmobile ride, but Jill insisted we walk. I'm so glad we did.

At the foot of Fort Hill, Jill was already snapping photos. I think, between the two of us, we took more than 400 pictures today.

The trees are beautiful, standing against the white snow.

Dawn - trying to hide behind a tree. In seven layers of clothes!? I don't think so!

A fork in the road - but they both end at Turtle Park.

Pointing out the path Ted and I take through the woods to our condo.

Marge and Rich (and Joe Cocker) caught up with us toward the end of our hike. They were going to the Winter Festival also.

The Winter Festival was in full swing when we arrived.

One of the many activities was sledding - a favorite with the kids.

There was also snow golf . . . .

Human sled dog races - where the "sled dog" was blindfolded and had to mush around a marked route to shouted instructions from the person (or persons) on the sled . . .

Face painting for the children . . .

Broom hockey - a children's match and an "over the hill" match . . .

And then there's Bowling with a Frozen Chicken, the only game in which I participated. You are given a frozen solid, hard as a rock chicken, wrapped in cellophane. You have to hurl it toward the bowling pins at least a thousand feet away. I did not win or place. In fact, I never touched even one of those darn pins. By the way, the prize for the winner of that game was the frozen chicken.

The totem pole at Turtle Park is crowned by - what else - a turtle!

Me with Penny - one of Andrew and Nicole's sweet dogs.

Mike, who has been filming all weekend, talking with Karen from The St. Ignace News.

Jack, with his wife, owns the Cannonball Restaurant at British Landing. They were grilling hotdogs and brats for the crowd.

Chloe gets in a little sledding, making it all the way down the hill without a crash.

The crowd seemed to continue growing throughout the afternoon, tapering off around 3:30 p.m.

Dawn and I watched some of the games from the bleachers, which were facing the sun. A beautiful day!

 

An island friend's little girl - Madison.

Cute Miss Madison again.

We took a break from the festival, and walked over to Trillium Heights, a subdivision behind the Village.

We went by and visited for a moment with Don and his wife. Don and Ted work together at the Visitor's Center on the island during the summer.

 

Jill went back to the Festival, while Dawn and I started back downtown.

When Jill started back to town, she walked by the Fort Cemetary. Always a quiet, peaceful setting, today it was a study in beautiful tranquility.

White birch trees, white snow.

Dawn and I walked to town down Cadotte Avenue, past our condo. I will probably return tomorrow and go inside.

The last "to do" item on our agenda today was to find a patch of perfect snow and make a snow Angel. Dawn did it first . . .

. . . and then it was my turn. So funny! Getting ourselves up out of that snow was a sight to behold!

We were very happy to see The Cottage Inn late this afternoon. We had been gone from noon until almost 6 p.m.

Jill, bless her heart, ran to the Mustang and picked up a “pizza to go” for supper.  She left to help Leanne with some details for  the second day of the Winter Festival.  Dawn and I ate pizza, watched a movie (while I should have been blogging), and now, once again, everyone is sleeping as I finish writing.

It has been another wonderful day on the island – we could not have asked for better weather.  We have been plenty cold, but the winds have been calm, and the days have been so beautiful.  Tomorrow we have more Winter Festival activities.  There is a brunch planned at the school with pancakes, bacon, sausage, eggs, potatoes, biscuits & gravy, cinnamon rolls & fresh fruit. Oh, yum!  Dawn and I are helping run a silent auction table, and there will be bake sales, a cookie contest, turtle races, and the selection of photographs for the 2010 “Seasons of Mackinac” calendar.  The Superbowl is tomorrow night, with parties planned at both the Mustang and Patrick Sinclair’s Irish Pub.  A very busy day!

I will not be blogging Sunday or Monday nights.  With the activities of the day, the Superbowl, packing to leave on Monday morning, and spending Monday night in Atlanta (after a late arrival on Delta Monday evening) I won’t be writing the final chapter of our winter adventure until I return home.  You can read all about it right here on Wednesday morning.

Thanks so much for all your wonderful comments.  Some have made me laugh out loud and some have brought tears to my eyes – all have touched my heart. Have a wonderful week – see you Wednesday morning.  God bless.