The Rocky Shores of Lake Superior

I am a native Michigander Michiganian.  I was born and raised in the Upper Peninsula then moved to the Lower Peninsula for college and a job.  I moved to the South when I got married at age 26, but my mom still lives in the U.P., and I try to go home at least once a year.

Next week will be a bittersweet one for me.  We'll be traveling to the U.P. to sell my mom's house, our family home for almost 50 years.  All of my siblings and our families will be reuniting for one last look. Sniff!

Our house was built in the early 1900's when copper was king and mining was a booming industry.  The mines closed over 40 years ago, and the economy never recovered.   The natural beauty of the U.P. continued to attract many tourists from Detroit, though, until the automotive industry ran into its own troubles in the 1980s and beyond.  Then even tourism dollars dried up.

But the beauty remains, and my memories run deep as that copper ore in the belly of the earth.

Next week, we will definitely go to the shores of Lake Superior to feed the geese and ducks,

skip (and climb!) rocks,

maybe stick our toes in that cold, clear water (BRRR!),

and take in the beautiful vistas and untouched beauty.

I know that we need to sell the house,; but it feels like the end of an era.  I want to remember all of the people and pieces from my childhood, and not having the touchstone of my home to do it in seems unthinkable.  But time marches on, even if we sometimes want to lag behind.