Labor Day Adventure

So for Labor Day weekend, I went on a little adventure to Michigan to see a very special person in my life.   I have never been to Michigan and really enjoyed my "escape from reality" for a nice long weekend in the beautiful, but rainy, Michigan.  I flew in and out of Detroit, but spent most of my time in the northern and central part of the state.

Frankfort, Michigan

I got to see Lake Michigan and discovered that, yes, a lake can have waves, beaches, lighthouses and sand dunes.  I even witnessed some guys trying to surf.

Sleeping Bear Dunes

I also got to go to a place that not very many women have ever see before.   I was taken to where the men venture to every November for deer hunting.  I will just call it Deer Camp.   I was led to believe that this so called "camp" was nothing but a shed in the woods with an outhouse.   Oh, but let me tell you, those guys don't really rough it  - they even have satelitte TV.   Now granted, they are out in the middle of nowhere, but if you are out there for one purpose and that purpose is to hunt deer, it really isn't all that bad.   I learned all about blinds, deer runs, shooting lanes and the planting that is done in the "off season" to help keep the deer on the property for hunting season.   I even saw a few deer.  

Shooting Lane

Deer Run aka Tracks

We ventured over the river, through the woods, across corns fields, by orchards, and by the shores of lots of lakes.

That is the river bed that you see - the water was that clear

I also got a driving tour of the not so nice parts of the city of Detroit.    The news stories and pictures of the deterioration of the city are nothing like seeing it in person.  It was quite depressing and something that I will never forget.   The houses, warehouses, churches and other buildings that I am sure were quite beautiful in their prime were over taken by weeds, decay, collapse and disrepair.   It is so sad to see what kind of effect greed and an economic crisis can have on a city.

I did get a picture of GM's headquarters.  The building is located right on the river that runs between the city of Detroit and Canada.  The day that we were downtown, President Obama was actually speaking in the parking lot beside the building.  We did not see the President, but had to deal with the effects of the added security and saw the stage where he did speak from after the fact.   It was probably the safest day to be in downtown Detroit.

One of my favorite memories of the weekend involved the night sky.   We were standing out on the back deck late one night and the clouds had cleared and I was advised to look up.   I can't remember the last time that I was able to see so many stars.    I guess it is one of the down falls of living in a city and near so much development.   I wish that I could have been able to take a picture of the sky that night, but I don't think that even a picture would have done it justice.    There was very little ambient light in the area so it was very easy to see the vastness and brightness of all of the stars.   There were spots that the stars were so close and so numerous that it was like looking at one big mass of white light.   I could have stood out there forever. 

Overall, I had a very relaxing weekend and was able to recharge "my batteries", visit a new place and spend some quality time with a person who is helping me to learn how to live, laugh and love all over again.