major goal accomplished! i was in need of some mom time last week, so we checked out priceline hoping for any last-minute flights to the UP and it turns out they totally exist, and they're totally affordable, as long as you're not picky about four-hour layovers. so just like that, a goal i was worried i wouldn't accomplish in time seemed to come together overnight (#72).
my mom is a wonderful, wonderful woman. she and my stepdad retired two months ago and moved to the upper peninsula of michigan to a) be closer to my grandparents, and b) be further from everything else. the town of manistique is teeny tiny -- about three thousand residents, and right on lake michigan. there are several other tiny lakes in the area, and my grandparents have lived on one of them for as long as i can remember. island lake. quiet, secluded, and easily lap-able in a kayak.
it's been four years since i've visited grandma and grandpa in the UP. it really warmed my heart to see them again. the best thing about going there is that nothing ever changes -- except the water level in the lake, which is unfortunately now low enough that perhaps changing its name to "peninsula lake" should be considered. but all my other childhood spots are still around, and i always feel very centered and calm when i'm there.
this is a moving raft on lake kitchitikipi. i visit it every time i'm up north. it's kind of an eerie place, always with the fog on the surface. the water is so clear you can see the springs bubbling up on the lake's floor as if they're a foot in front of you.
this is me and my mom pretending we see something AWESOME down there. it was just some fish. but i guess the fact that we could see them so clearly was PRETTY AWESOME.
instead of crashing in my grandparents' guest room as usual, this time i got to stay in my mom and stepdad's new home, which is about twelve miles outside of that teeny tiny town i mentioned. it is sooooo cozy and comfortable. i loved it! and it's literally one mile (maybe less?) down the road from the island lake house, so i got lots of family time in. it's a modest two-bedroom that faces nothing but acres and acres of untouched woodsiness. it's so incredibly quiet. except the last night when i swear to god i heard a large mammal dying a slow, painful death in the road nearby... no sign of it in the morning though. CREEPY!
an artsy view of their backyard.
admiring the yet-to-be-cleaned fountain out front. it's got some serious potential.
the weather there was mostly cooperative. i wish it had been warmer so i could get more than a couple hours of lake-time in, but really i can't complain because i was just happy to be there. it's been so long since i've had a midwest summer, and i forgot how humid it can get. and buggy! as i took my first steps onto the front porch i was smacked across the face by what i can only assume was a giant moth. greetings, UP! plus when it rains there, it rains like it MEANS it. not like in seattle where even the drizzle is passive-aggressive.
we did a couple new things too. mom and i checked out the local casino, where i first lost forty-five dollars on a poker table, then won fifty-five playing quarter video poker for two hours. there are no pictures of this because it was depressing. we also did a wine tasting with live music on lake michigan, mostly johnny cash covers.
all in all i had an incredibly relaxing and life-affirming getaway. and, friends are always welcome in the UP. i plan on going back next summer -- the 'rents should have a speedboat by then!
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i forgot to post about two new recipes a couple weeks ago. i wore myself out with all that UP talk, so i'll just post links to them here with the following notes: i tried to go bun-less with the turkey burgers to save calories, but i ended up making up for it with extra sauce, because, ehhhh. but in better-tasting news the quinoa salad really grew on me the more i ate it. i recommend doubling the corn.
here's one link: quinoa and black beans (FOR DAYS)
... and ok turns out i can't locate the turkey burger recipe. but really, it's for the best.
onward!
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