My husband and I just spent a few more days on Douglas Lake. A highlight of the reprise was a walk in Otsego County’s Louis M. Groen Nature Preserve, in Johannesburg, Michigan. The park is new and still in process; the bequest will eventually total 800 acres. The first thing you notice at Groen is that the park provides walking sticks for hikers. Nicely finished former tree branches of various sizes sit in a stand, along with actual tree branches helpful hikers have left, presumably as candidates for the de-barking and finishing process.
Three of our party of six decided to try walking with an outrigger. We selected a trail and marched along, through woods and meadow, wildflowers and grasshoppers. We skirted a field of alfalfa, admired a vista, and sampled wild raspberries. Sometimes the walking sticks just felt like a workout for our arms. And sometimes, especially as we tired, they seemed helpful.
Another highlight was the Lewiston, Michigan, Public Library, a branch of Montmorency County Public Libraries. Our daughter and I visited there twice, to use the wireless network. The first time, I finished before she did, and sought out the room where the Friends of Lewiston Library offer used books for sale in aid of the library. The room is immaculately clean, the books helpfully and attractively shelved by genre and author. They aren’t priced. Sales are by donation only. Between my daughter and me, we filled a carrier bag, made our donation, and left happy.
We went back another day, at what turned out to be three minutes before closing time. CoVid has, apparently, changed the library’s hours but not the sign outside posting the hours. Becka said she’d hoped to send one quick email, and the staff kindly allowed us to stay. While Becka did that, I browsed the library’s “indoor garage sale” event. I scored some lovely jigsaw puzzles and an audio book and made another donation, and Becka and I left together, pretty much right when the library was due to close anyway. Again, we left happy. It’s a nice library with a nice staff.
I expected the Peach Pit restaurant in St. Helen, Michigan, to be another highlight. Its cakes are legendary. Alas, the Peach Pit is no more. The place is now Sam’s Diner, and I couldn’t even find a dessert section on the menu. Dining there is still a community experience, though. We were involved in a chat before we sat down.
“Yeah, Peach retired,” a man told us. “I just ran into her at the bank the other day. She’d be tickled you came all the way from Ann Arbor for her cake. I’ll bet if she’d known you were coming, she’d’ve made you a cake. Of course, I don’t know if she’s making cakes anymore.” As we ate our lunch, folks were talking and laughing at other tables and between tables and with the server. It’s that kind of place, which we love. Only no cake.
The big reason for this second jaunt north to Douglas Lake was that our granddaughter, her husband, and their baby were visiting from Arizona. The baby had her first birthday here in Michigan, and she is—no bias here—perfect in every way. For one thing, she learns so fast. She’s a new walker. When we arrived, her solo walks lasted a few steps. Two days later, she could go three yards. She also does something I haven’t seen before. When she’s ready for an assist with walking, she raises one of her hands and waits for one of her staffers to offer one of theirs. She doesn’t wait long, though; you have to hustle. She’s perfectly capable of carrying on unaided—down the stairs, off the dock, wherever.
The baby’s daddy tied a minnow trap to the dock, then poured the captured minnows into a pail of lake water for her enjoyment. The pail proved a little tall, so he scooped some of the minnows into a shallow bowl. During the transfer, some of the minnows ended up flopping a moment on the dock, then disappearing back into the lake through the perforations. The baby thought this was wonderful. She picked up the next bowl of minnows, dumped it down her front, then helped the minnows through the dock with her fingers. Over and over and over. Those of us who were not her parents thought this was very funny indeed. Her diaper took on so much water, she had to be lifted to her feet. Ah, she’s perfect in every way.
I’m so glad we went back to Douglas Lake.
27 July 2022