We've Landed!

The license plates on my car still say Virginia, but Maisie and I have officially begun our new lives as Michiganders. We arrived just in time for the annual family gathering on Burt Lake, a summer tradition that began when I was two years old. The photo above will join a parade of family pictures that now spills off the mantel and fills shelves on either side. The gang was all (almost) here – Mom and Dad; me; brother Jeff and sister-in-law Courtney from downstate; the Californians: Aunt Linda, Uncle Steve, and cousin Tom with Deanne; and from across the lake, Aunt Fran, Uncle Charlie, cousin Michael and Sarah. Plus the dogs, of course: Maisie, Lucy, Libby, and Keelie. Only cousin Colby was missing from L.A.

We’ve been enjoying the best weather of the summer, I’m told. I’m happily washing off the urban residue with lots of freshwater swimming, as well as some canoeing, sailing, and an amusing raft trip on the Sturgeon River with the Morales clan. Deanne and Maisie both dove right into their first Burt Lake experiences, enthusiastically taking part in essential activities from aquatic frisbee and cocktail bocce to player piano singalongs and s’mores around the bonfire. I don't know about Deanne, but Maisie has spent the past few days recovering from all the excitement.

Lest we forget about the rest of the world altogether, Tom and Deanne left us with a geographical quiz, which I’ll hereby pass on to you, dear reader. Can you name ten countries whose names contain only four letters? I still have not come up with the final country, but am feeling more worldly anyhow after Tom and Deanne's slideshow from their round-the-globe travels last year. They showed photos from at least nine different countries, with eye-opening stories to go with them (and we only scratched the surface of their adventures). Makes my ten addresses in just one country seem very tame!

Meanwhile, speaking of moving, all my belongings have been recovered from the truck, which docked at the ABF terminal in Kalkaska. Muchas gracias to Mom, Dad, and Tom for their unloading help. The majority of my things are now in storage, awaiting the day when I have a house to move into. But it just so happened that Michael and Sarah closed on a house in Traverse City the very day I unloaded the truck. Now they have a house and no furniture, and I have furniture but no house - so we struck a deal. My couch, chair, futon, table and various other items have established early residency in Traverse City, even though it may be a while before I follow them.