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| This is not the beginning. |
Deciding which photo to put at the top of this post gave me pause. Finally I decided against chronological order for the opening image, because this view of Lake Michigan, with sun breaking through the clouds and creating a shining path across the water, seemed the most striking of my images. But Shalda Creek crossing Bohemian Road was really the beginning -- or the beginning of our (Sunny's and my) arrival at my chosen destination after I woke from a dreadful nightmare and needed the creek, the meadow, and the lake.
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| Shalda Creek coming from its road crossing... |
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| ...and continuing to Lake Michigan. |
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| Queen Anne's-lace against out-of-focus running water was a contender for top image. |
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| Sun filtered through trees this morning on Lake Michigan Road. |
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| Is it one tree or two? Either way, bonded for life.... |
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| The old road through the meadow -- |
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| Reindeer moss, a lichen, thrives on poor soil and pure air. |
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| Northern Michigan wants to be forest again |
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| Sunny leads the way along the fading two-track. |
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| A clearing in the distance catches the sun. |
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| A glimpse of Shell Lake -- |
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| Muddy, narrow old access to Shell Lake -- |
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| Back on beautiful Lake Michigan Road, we are greeted by the sun. |
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| Don't you love signs like this? |
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| Do you see Sunny Juliet's ear? |
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| There is the whole dog! |
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| Bigger waves than we saw the last time -- |
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| She had to think it over.... |
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| We retreated briefly to consider our options. |
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| But she decided to be a brave girl! |
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| The excitement made her frisky! She did a balance beam act! |
She really did walk the log its full length. She is a natural athlete and has the balance of youth.
We were both wet and sandy and windblown and happy. Taking a morning vacation was a very good idea! The only thing that would have made it better would have been not being leash-bound -- but leash is the rule at the Lakeshore.
On the way home, coming back down to ordinary time and life, I stopped for a moment by the pond on Alpers Road, a spot David and I almost never drove by without stopping, and told Sunny once more how much her daddy and I loved that place.
