So, a week or so ago, after getting the OK from Dr. Clayton, i traveled up to Ludington, MI with Mom, Dad, and all 3 little bros. and while there was no internet connection, i did take Adelli up with me so i could write posts (and also ended up being a convenient way for Shawn to charge his MP3 player). So, without further ado, here's what i wrote!
August 2, 2011
It’s been a while since I’ve been to Pere Hollow. Deciding to come on this vacation to the cabin was well worth the trouble of having to put up with three annoying little bros. The 3 hour drive up to the cabin was spent (by me anyway) working on crossword puzzles (with a lot help from Mom and Dad) which made the time pass by rather quickly. It didn’t take long at all before Shawn, David, and Paul (who had been listening to music quietly on their headphones, with Paul being the exception because he had his volume turned up so loudly it could be heard coming out of his earphones. That kid is going to go deaf early in life if he keeps that up) started asking ‘are we there yet?’
Before we even reached the cabin, as we turned off the highway and onto those bumpy dirt roads, we ended up passing two does and a group of turkeys. Talk about exciting! I was ready for more wildlife sightings (that is, if the boys are ever quiet enough not to scare away the critters and birds)
As for actually getting the cabin, things are nearly just as I remember them to be. Some things have changed, little additions, but for the most part everything is largely as I remember. I’ve gone barefoot all over the place now, and as I walk down the familiar paths of my memories, I feel more and more relaxed. I found evidence of a beaver, but it seems the river (a tributary off the Pere Marquette) was far to fast for a dam to be built, and so possibly gave up. Further down a path, I found an easy entry point into the river and got in, Nikomaru (my camera) hanging from my neck. I started taking photos of just about everything I saw, and even managed to set up some timed shots so I could get a pic of me in the river. (i really took way to many, but that's the great thing about digital, i can capture a lot of shots then delete the superfolous ones)
Wasn’t to long before I heard Shawn shouting for me, and as greatly as I wanted to just ignore him so i could continue my river walk solo (he couldn't see me anyway due to bushes being between where i was in the river and where he was on the path) but his shouting was scaring away any fauna that could be near, that and i'm just not that mean to ignore him (he's got a lot of spirit and i admire him for it, his timing just happens to be bad!) so I, partially annoyed, answered him, and the moment he saw me in the river, he had to come in too, and then of course Paul overheard and he (of course!) had to come.
I did get some good pictures, and it wasn’t too long before Shawn was complaining about 'not feeling his feet' (and he thought I still could? I was able to walk in the water because I couldn’t feel my feet! River water can be a little chilly after all) and Paul was just complaining (he was barefoot and there were lots of rocky spots in the river). Mom had been following us on land, and as soon as we reached a part of the creek that was harder to navigate (that, and the current got stronger, we were traveling up-river, maybe i forgot to mention that) Shawn and Paul decided to go back. (which meant i got to have my solo river-walk after all. God truly is gracious) With Mom’s help they got out, and I ventured forth, managed to navigate the tough spot (the current really ripped through this part so it was hard to see the bottom so i couldn't see where i needed to step), and pressed on up-river with my camera at the ready. I walked nearly all the way to the green bridge (where the neighbors property is located) before I grabbed onto hunks of grass at the edge and pulled myself out of the river.
We ate pizza that Dad got from Baldwin (nearest town) and eventually got ready for bed. Shawn found the hammock and set it up, so the boys were taking turns on it while I had set out bird seed and the hummingbird feeder, and mom and dad were sitting out in the chairs with a bug lantern lit. Dad was already starting to nod off by the time mom told the boys it was time for showers and bed. Dad and David went to bed in Whip-Or-Will (the name of the guest cabin detached from the main cabin. When i was younger, Becky and I would bunk there while Mom and Dad slept in the main cabin. Whiporwill contains two beds and a bathroom with a sink and toilet so we could survive the nights without our legs crossed)
Dad is lucky. He got the child that goes to bed easily. Shawn and Paul roomed in the main cabin and would not stop talking. Gab gab gab, nonstop. Even with Mom warning them that there would be consequences if they didn’t stop, they didn’t. Mom ended up having to act, and when her tactic still didn’t make a difference, I decided to intervene.
With the threat that I would stand between them (there are two bedrooms in the main cabin, the master bedroom, and a smaller room with two twin beds in it, side-by-side, which is how i could stand between them because one boy in each bed, obviously) and wouldn’t leave until they fell asleep. Paul continued to be a brat (i say that because he truly was, throwing a fit and being defiant, which is very disobedient and disrespectful, especially to Mom and there's only so much i can stand of that, especially when it's disrespect towards Mom) through the whole experience, and didn’t go to sleep until Mom finally snapped, dragged him out of bed and had him go to sleep on the couch in front of the fireplace. With her sitting in a chair, she could sort of watch over and make sure Paul didn’t mess around.
All this went on as I worked on a 500 piece puzzle I was given while in the hospital (i was working on the 'porch' as we call it, which is where the table we eat meals at is located, couches...think of it as a living room with a door to the outside and lots of windows and a great view of the 'backyard'). I got the border and at least a third of it done that night.
I went to sleep out on the 'porch' on the couch that unfolds into a bed. I placed my sleeping bag on top, shoved my body pillow inside and after situating the pillows (persistent neck ache after all), went to sleep with the sounds of the forest and the river all around me. At one point, early in the morning, I woke up to the humming of a hummingbird that visited the feeder, which made me smile briefly before I rolled over and went back to sleep. I woke up again briefly and could swear I saw Dad staring at me through a window, but eventually woke up a minute or two before Dad actually just let himself in so he could sit down at the table and tease me a bit about finishing my puzzle for me.
It’s been raining all day, which is a lovely sound, to hear the rain falling on the trees. All day long it seems we’ve been trying to occupy the boys with games (Mom more than anyone because the boys keep wanting to play her at different games) David and Paul were taught Checkers by Dad (who actually remembers how to play the game as opposed to me who is a bit fuzzy on the rules and was the one who first tried to teach the boys before i ended up asking Dad for help if he remembered, and i then just sorta let him take over) and then later we played Othello (a two-player game Keri let me borrow and taught me to play when i was in the hospital). I played two rounds against David after washing dishes (something i've always enjoyed doing as part of the experience of the cabin is that we hand wash the dishes) and working on my puzzle a bit as Shawn and Mom played and Dad read a comic book of Superman and Batman.
Later in the afternoon, after lunch time of course, it was time for short-naps. Paul didn’t sleep very long at all (which forbodes a grumpy night from him), David ended up going to Whip-or-will on his own choice and conked out with Dad, while Shawn pestered Mom and me with his boredom.
After naps, Shawn and Paul went into the creek again with Dad watching them, and soon after I went to take photos of the river (but not before I managed to finish my puzzle)(it was only 500 pieces, and i do 1000pc puzzles, but doing 500 was ok because i wasn't sure how long my neck would hold, having to lean over and look down. Turns out i only suffered the usual stiffness puzzlers get from searching for pieces).
The river stays constantly cool, and due to the humidity in the air being in contact with the water, a thin fog is sitting on the water’s surface which makes for some great photos.
For dinner Dad cooked hamburgers and hot-dogs on the grill, and now we’ve all just wound down. I’ve downloaded pics from my memory cards and have been working on this post. Mom is once again trying to finish a book she’s been working on for quite some time, and what the boys are doing is very suspicious, though it sounds like they’re making a mess in their room, and from the sounds I can hear now that Mom has gone to investigate, they have been making a mess and doing things they’re not supposed to be doing. As for Dad and David, I’ve got no idea, but I have a feeling they’re roasting marshmallows.
No comments:
Post a Comment