Warren Dunes
It is peak season for playing on the shores of The Great Lakes. While the locals complain of the heat wave, pumping air conditioners to max capacity, my desert conditioned senses can still feel the sub-arctic chill in the ground beneath my feet and every breeze gusting across the massive body of fresh water. Why do you folks need human-made air conditioning? For the same reason Sun Belt residents "need" fireplaces, I s'pose. There are limited opportunities to show off and. . . Flaunt 'em when ya can.
The five bitch, two vehicle caravan was running on fumes when we discovered that our chosen campground was full early yesterday afternoon. There were grumblings of skipping the closing camp event and starting homeward treks, but we pushed on and stumbled upon this little gem of a park a few miles upshore from the Indiana Dunes. We signed on for two nights.
It is an odd place for me when vacationers join me in my wanders. I am going through the same motions as when I travel alone, but it is an entirely different experience. Perhaps like the diff between driving and commuting? Perhaps. As Sis and her GD's begin their talk of home, I reach once more for my own definition of, "Home." Home remains an obscure concept to me. Being anchored to one spot still doesnae feel like the romatic descriptions "Home" for me. My best understanding of those romantic descriptions comes when I am checking every region of this amazing planet. Girl howdy, I got some rooms of my mansion in need of checking. So much world and so little time. . .
GS turns 3 this Saturday. There are definite tugs on the heartstrings to be there for the event, but nay much confidence that the event will be worth the 3 day drive. The results of my two day dash to be there for YS's 33rd birthday feel likely for this birthday party, as well. Writing that out made me realize it is a year of 3's for YS. He turned 33 years old in March. His son turns 3 years old on Saturday. Hm-m-m-m. . . I could wax mystical over that one. YS is a bit of a Jesus Freak, so the symbology launches.
The Great Lakes are on my Bucket List, sub-arctic chill and all. Lake Michigan and Lake Erie are the only ones I have experienced and even those experiences were too brief to feel much more than reading on a web site. Sitting here on the southeastern tip of those Great Lakes, I find myself wondering if the choice is between a 3 day drive for another ride on the family dysfunction carousel or a an already set base camp from which to begin exploring The Great Lakes.
Chew, chew. There sure are allot of ways to frame any given question.
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I live 30 mins from the Indiana Dunes. I go there when I am bored and park. Just look out at the lake for a bit. I did drive around Lake Michigan once. That was a pretty cool road trip. I started in Chicagoland then up the Wisconsin side (watching for speed traps). Then to the UP of Michigan then around the lake and back where I started. ;-) have fun.
If you can get there... the UP of Michigan. Never hot to anyone used to life south of the Mason-Dixon, and a great sense of age and vastness and Old Waters. To me, anyway... Lake Superior earns the name.
When you're used to living at partially hypothermic, anything over 85*F feels like a roasting oven. I've lived south of hte M-D line for 20 years and *still* can't adapt my inner thermostat from Up North. Perhaps when you consider dfinitions of "home", you can include climate? I do. And I'm not "home" on that level... Yet in others I am.
So is "home" meant ot encompass *all* things? Or only those we choose as most important?
Off to chew on that. Hmm. Good food for thought, for which I give you thanks. Enjoy the Lakes:-)
Sis and her GD's are planning to head back to the Eastern Seaboard tomorrow. End of vacation. Back to their homebody routines.
And me? Sigh. . . I remain unfocused and unaccredited "out here" with all the family tugs from the momming and housewoofin' years. It is the end of my vacation, too. Question of the moment is, "Which job do I go back to?"
Since 1995, "Housewife" and "Retired" have been my most common fill-ins for the "Occupation" blank when I fill in forms. I allow myself to get playful now and again, but in general, forms arenae the best place to get playful. Form users generally donae appreciate form playfulness. Avoiding surprises just might be the number one reason for using forms. Maybe. For sure, I donae care to do the research. Whatever the job title/description I ply to my Texas job, it feels downright unhealthy. I cherish every one of the players in the "office" but the job description made allot more sense when my sons were children. The job description was feeling vague by the time they had their first girlfriends. Fast forward a couple of decades and . . . "Toxic Mom" might be the current job title. Thanks, but no thanks.
Fact or perception? Chew chew.
For sure my Texas job description is better defined than my current field expedition. More chew.