Summer On The Rocks

   Summer vacation in Michigan has become one of my fondest vacation memories and anytime trips when I can get up there. My dad and his wife have a Frank Lloyd Wright like lake house that has been a family home for two generations. The first half of the 1900's her father's family spent summertime cooling off, fishing and golfing at the lake instead of in the heat of New Jersey. Eventually buying land on a point in one of the quaintest towns you will ever see.
   The minute you get off the plane in Traverse City the air smells like sweet nothing. It's as if the oxygen molecules are brand new and your lungs can finally fill completely. We make our winding drive north through small beach towns as we go along remembering this dock and that post office. Moving further from our busy lives at home. There is a building anticipation for the first glimpse of our lake town. Where is that bridge crossing over to 'Mayberry'!
   In town bicycles and boats are the mode of transportation and dogs have a chance to be mayor, like in the neighboring community. The T.V. is on very little and supper goes late into the night. But the star of the summer is the water. Hearing waves from bed is at the top of my things to live for. When I was sixteen I learned to water ski here. Any summer we come we may kayak, swim to the other bank, pontoon, find ancient fossils on the lake shore, paint rocks, watch the sunrise or set over lake water. You name it. One of my favorite things is to spend a whole day looking for blue rocks on Lake Michigan's shore. They're remnants of an old glass factory where some bizarre oxidization happened and created a variety of brilliant blue and pine green porous rocks.
   Historically I get bored quickly with quiet towns but here I have had to give calm a chance. It surrounds you. (You have to embrace it or go insane.)We went to watch the sunset on Lake Michigan one evening and Dad and Barbara sat on a bench watching a pair of Wood ducks.They sat. And sat. And they laughed at some minute detail about the duck couple and how wonderful they were. I was in awe they were entertained by so little. My city demons desire a little more action. Back here in the city however I'm daydreaming of that boring old lake.