Day-to-day Adventures
Between arriving in Boulder and my trip to Michigan, June has been very busy and practically deserves a day-to-day play-by-play! However, the theme for June is certainly "reconnecting with old friends."
The Summer Abode
We woke up on Sunday morning and headed to Kim's place for our tour and to move in. Kim made her apartment very comfortable for us. She cleared space in every room for us to move in our stuff - clothes, arts and crafts supplies, gear. As I write, I realize that I could afford to know Kim better. Her apartment is decorated with art from around the world (primarily Japan I think), snapshots of Kim with her family and friends, and pretty fans. She has a picture of herself with Mikhail Gorbachev, so she met him. She also has photo albums in the living room labeled among other things "Poland" and "Japan". What I wouldn't give to hear her stories! The thing that resonates with my memories of Kim is her collection of pictures of Stanford that is a token of gratitude for her work as "Guide and Visitors Service Coordinator". It reminds me that Kim is one of the first people I met at the University of Colorado. She was one of the seasoned graduate students in the School of Education and she was part of the group that offered a student orientation to those of us who were new to the program. Apparently, Kim has plenty of experience with welcoming people to a new place...it is no wonder that she welcomed us so nicely to her home in Boulder for the summer.
Welcome Back
After we moved our things in and say Kim off, we headed to North Boulder Park. We had invited old friend to the park for an afternoon of fellowship. Wendy, true to form, had kicked it up a notch by inviting people to bring foodstuffs. What a lovely way to see old friends again! In the cover of shade, I got to sit and chat with people who I hadn't seen since we left for Missoula 10 months earlier: Wendy, Beth, Lauren and Esme, Katie and Joe, Kristin and Tony, Sarah, Paul and Jane, Eric, Ben, Dave, Justin, Karla and Brad, Heidi, and I'm sure I'm forgetting someone. I also got to meet a new person who wasn't alive when we left for Missoula 10 months earlier - Karla and Brad's daughter Siena Rose!
Two Weeks of Routine Fun
The first week in Boulder did not slow down. On Monday, I visited Krista and met her daughter. On Tuesday, I had lunch with Justin and a girlie afternoon with Wendy and Katie (mani-pedis at Tiffany's) before going to the Sex and the City movie. On Wednesday, I hiked Mt. Sanitas in the morning and then I had lunch with Bud at Saxy's (whose food isn't as good as it used to be). In the evening, we had dinner at Jax with Aunt Harriet, Grandma, and Harriet's friend Carol. I also bought a last-minute ticket to Michigan so I could hook up with Harriet and Grandma when they were planning to be there on their roadtrip.
I got into a routine during the second two weeks in Boulder. In the mornings, I read the Daily Camera during breakfast because Kim kept her subscription for daily delivery. I started running again and lifting weights. I also did my work parttime and read a couple books: "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" and "Burnout: The Cost of Caring". My favorite thing about my routine was that I went hiking twice a week with Wendy and once a week with Katie. After a quick read through the morning's news, I would strap my hiking poles to my backpack and ride my bike to Wendy's apartment. Together, we would ride our bikes to a trailhead to meet Katie. In other places in the world, we probably would have looked pretty silly but in Boulder we were just another set of multisport girls. :)
Michigan Summer 2008
Upon Arrival
On Sunday June 22, I landed at DTW. Nichole picked me up in her "new" car - an Audi - and drove us to Mom and Dad's house. Nichole has been as busy as can be with her job and hadn't had a free moment to pack up her things and move them to her new apartment. Time was closing in on the last days that Mom and Dad would own the house and everyone was approaching dangerous levels of anxiety. So, on Sunday I helped Nichole take a load of her stuff out to Novi. Then on Monday I helped Dad take a load to storage and another load to Nichole's. I also managed to drive to Beaumont to visit my grandpa. He was there because a tumor had been removed from his neck. I spent some time sitting with him and watched while the occupational therapist helped him work with playdough in an attempt to strengthen and give dexterity back to his hands. It was hard to imagine that this was the same man who jumped exuberantly and without a life jacket into the ocean's bay on Grand Cayman to swim with the stingrays.
Tuesday evening Teresa and Chris invited us (again!) to watch the Freedom Festival Fireworks from the best seat in the house: The Detroit Princess. I took my parents and Janice with me (last year I took my parents and Nichole and Andrea with me) and we had a fabulous time. On the top deck we watched the fireworks launch from a barge that was probably a mere 300 yards away. The sound of the kabooms reflected off Detroit's skyscrapers. An elderly couple watched arm-in-arm.
Up North with Grandma, Harriet, Kim, and Carol
On Tuesday I headed north to visit Grandma, Aunt Harriet, Aunt Kim, and Carol. I arrived to my parents' empty cabin and took some time to relax alone next to the wide open water. A short while later the visitors arrived home from dinner out on the town. They all appeared a little rattled and exhausted and I found out why...in triplicate. Aunt Harriet and Carol had decided to go out on the kayaks. Despite Aunt Kim's warning to stay close to the shoreline, Carol ended up paddling far enough away to get caught in a current that pushed against her paddle-strokes. She spent many hours paddling hard to get back to shore and while she was out there had been a lot of concern on shore. Aunt Kim and Aunt Harriet (who had managed to paddle in) called the Coast Guard and Grandma helped scour the water's surface with binoculars. Carol hadn't realized why everyone made such a fuss until she learned that Lake Huron is nearly 200 miles across.
Things are pretty slow up north. I made sure to walk the sand bar once a day to see the poliwogs. I even wrote a little poem on one of my walks.
Ripples of water gently tumble
toward my feet that are
sinking into the sand.
Beneath the surface, shadows
of rippled sand invite me
to squish sandy peaks.
I step through the water
onto miniature mountain
ranges.
Leaving behind a vanishing footprint,
what ho?! more ripples, this time
of light.
Sun shines in ripples of
yellow on brown ripples
of the lake's bottom.
Aside from my daily walks, I spent little time alone. I talked with my Aunts and my Grandma or I strummed on Nichole's guitar. There were always birds to watch; we spotted an egret, a posse of red-winged blackbirds, a red-headed woodpecker, chickadees, finches, hummingbirds, orioles, hawks, turkeys, and turkey vultures. There was also a group of ducks that appeared to "commute" every other day back and forth in front of us. They would float along with the current and, when the current floated them into the sandbar, the ducks would waddle across and plot in on the other side to let the current resume its pull.
Each day people asked where my parents were and I had to reply that they were moving out of their house. In fact, when I saw my parents for the first time on this trip I thought that they looked pretty ragged. Indeed they had. Selling the house they had lived in for 20 years was a huge deal. And on top of that grandpa had fallen ill and their plans to move in with him were canceled. So they were terribly troubled mentally, physically, and emotionally by all the goings-on.
Eventually, Mom and Dad made it up north. They wished they could have been there more and without the mental pull of the looming real estate closing. In true Uzelac form, my parents managed to be happy and social with us for a couple days, including hosting my in-laws for a Friday night dinner.
Nichole and Dave arrived late Friday night. They had to drive through some pretty gnarly weather to make it past the Zilwaukee Bridge - a landmark for travelers along I-75. In the morning, we the house woke up filled to its brim. It was the day before my Aunt Harriet, Grandma, and Carol were scheduled to leave for the next leg of their roadtrip and they were getting a social send-off. In addition to those of us who woke up there, that morning Aunt Dori and Uncle Garry brought Garry's mother to join us for one more instance when Grandma could have all her girls together: Kim, Harriet, Dori, and Pauline.
Old Friends
I stayed through most of the day to enjoy my family. These are the people who have watched me grow up and have had a permanent effect on my life. But I had plans to see my friends that have also been important people in my growing up so I left Au Gres and headed south to Ann Arbor. On my way south I spotted an unusual billboard. I thought, "I can't wait to tell people about that! They'll think I was abducted by aliens." Then I realized that my words could probably never describe it well enough and I had my camera in the car with me so I could get a snapshot. I exited the highway and drove back along a frontage road to the billboard and took the picture. It proved to be quite a talking piece for the rest of my trip. No one else had every seen such a thing!
As I neared Ann Arbor I decided that it was too early to call it a night. Yes, I could have given myself a night alone to read and relax but that wasn't the point of my trip. I decided to call the one person I deemed most likely to be out and about in or around Ann Arbor: Pat. I have known Pat since 1995. He lived on my floor in Holmes Hall and we had all our classes together. He was also a sophomore and a fantastic social contact! :) Pat was out and in Ann Arbor AND he was only two miles from where I was staying for the night. It was perfect! So I went to German Park to meet Pat and his fiancee. I arrived at 9:15PM, which was 15 minutes after they closed admission. I was nearly heart broken! However, I decided that this was an instance I could use my powers of persuasion. A tall man dressed in lederhosen and a hat was acting as a bouncer and trying to physically force me away. I spoke under his outstretched arm to the people behind the desk. Swiftly and concisely I explained that I had arrived from Montana and I was there to see a friend I hadn't seen in three years. They looked at me skeptically and I imagined them thinking, "we've heard every excuse in the book. go away." I realized that my cowgirl hat must have looked like part of a costume to them. So I took out my Montana drivers license to demonstrate that I was indeed from Montana. They looked at each other and ushered me in quickly and quietly. They were so kind and I was so happy! I subsequently found Pat with his old friends and, by association, my old friends. I couldn't have been happier to see everyone.
Sunday morning I headed over to see Laura, Andy, and Ashley. I spent the morning chatting with them and playing with Ashley. We had lunch at Zingerman's before I had to go. In the afternoon I met Andrea in Royal Oak for dinner and a quiet evening in. On Monday, I visited Sarah, Mike, and Harper.
When I try to remember now what I have to "report" I can only feel warm, comforted, and happy by the memory of having spent time with such wonderful friends. The stories we told and the conversations we had were not notable enough to change the world but they were special enough to remind me of the connections I have with my dearest of friends.
Media
Internet
I like this New York Times video about trends in cooking/food: Like Water for Chocolate. The trends are not a big surprise to me but what she says about preparing a meal for someone you care about is lovely.
Books
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
Burnout: The Cost of Caring
Film
Carnivale
The Ladykillers
