Our horse team were Benny and Charlotte. Jamie was our driver. She is a full time resident as of 2020. This is the stable where the horses are cared for. During the warm months there are roughly 225 horses on the island. In the winter months, about 25 stay year round. The majority go back to the mainland and further north than the island. One horse we met named Barry is going to Europe at the end of the season.This is a church made of stone. So sayeth the sign. Fun fact incoming:The windows in this church are imported Tiffany glass worth a buttload of $$$. They are now covered in plexiglass because some idiot built a golf course abutting the church property.Lilacs were everywhere and the scent was ethereal. When you passed each bush it was a step into an immersive nature experience.Just outside the butterfly conservatory.The cairn behind us was in a flower garden.I was commanded by Libbie Landers to stop and smell the flowers. Photo proof I did just that.Jen did the same thing.Chicken 🐓 Chicken! 🐓 CHICKEN! 🐓 Wings of Mackinac Lilacs and tulips 🌷
Next up is our venture into a fluttering haven of lovely.
Our ferry company of choice.At the dock waiting to board the ferry.Our ferry is about to arrive at our dock.This is the very faint outline of the 9:30am ferry heading to the island.It was cold enough for me to buy gloves first thing. This was our front view.
As we neared the island, The Grand Hotel came into view. The boat ride was choppy so not the easiest to capture it.This is a snapshot of popular attractions.
This is the first stop we made with a bathroom conveniently nearby. Next post will show you more of the day. Jen said today wasn’t boring.
The start of our journey was optimistic and great vibes. The day was brilliant with sunshine. Pine trees for miles. Excellent journey. I’m on the left, Suey is beaming in the center, Bebop is in the buffalo plaid, and Madam President Jen is glistening. Met for drinks and dessert with the second batch of my fellow Poll Dancers. Earlier we broke bread with Lynda and spent time shopping for our church meeting.Just south of Cadillac, MI, Bestie doing her best Vanna White.The black spot on my teeth is a blueberry from the pancakes my loving dad made for us this morning. The grin we share is because we’re almost to the Mighty Mac.We are driving on the bridge between the Upper and Lower Peninsula of Michigan. The bridge sings a song of descending tones the slower you go. We should nickname this trip “Left Lane Closed.”We made it! Woot! Yeehaw! $4 to drive that bridge. It’s a tourist trap. This is a pasty. It’s a meat pie with potatoes, rutabaga, carrots, and traditional spices. This was a 7 on my scale. This one was dry even with gravy. Jen was not a fan, so…She got us matching bracelets! Then we had to find her a place to eat.A woman recommended this place. Jen ordered a cheeseburger 🍔 and Jalapeño poppers. She rated the burger an 8/10. The meat had a really good good flavor which got overpowered by the condiments. The poppers were large and juicy but overpriced. 8/10. Overall a solid 8 on the scale of Jen.Note they serve POP here, not coke or soda, just POP.
As we were leaving the drive in we needed to moose 🫎
Me moosing Jen moosing Together we amoosed ourselves.
As if that were enough! We also trained ourselves. Engine to caboose:
Long before Jen knew me I once spent a week at a school camp where breaking table rules made you have to kiss the moose. 🫎 I was not puckering up.Bunny ears on the moose because I’m 12.The whole trainPetting a weird dogWeirdly petting a dog
The day was dang near perfect for me. 9/10. Jen had a 7/10 day because we rode in the car, got food, and went swimming. I’m either easily pleased or I need to up my expectations! Jen said she was bored today.
Survival mode stepped to the side Allowing an informal reprieve from chaos An acknowledgement of mutual security The stability that came to dinner Pulled up a chair and feasted gluttonously On a childhood fantasy for totemic inclusion Seized the steadfastness of a kinship Situated in a sprawled right relationship Ladling the gravy of laughter over Legendary stories of affinity A communion of flavorful moments Savored in a homemade assurance of loyalty With an abundance of whipped cream
Me reprising the Christmas Kiss on Miss Shern’s cheek
A long, long time ago, I watched colored lights pass my studio window. Every night, they paraded across the parking lot of the apartment complex I lived in with my family. I decided I wanted to meet this alien.
A few evenings later, I had the great fortune to meet Miss Shern. (Her accent is very Tennessee which causes her to say my name like MAY-ore.) She and I got to talking about life, the universe, and everything becoming fast friends. She wore the battery operated Christmas lights so that people could see her as she walked her dog, Candy. Candy was a fat beagle who was well loved; sweet as could be.
As time passed, Miss Shern and I would commonly seek out each other’s company. She would come solve the problems of the world at my kitchen table with a good pot of coffee and sometimes some sweets.
A different friend of mine gifted me a feathery charm to hang over my doorway to keep evil spirits out.
After spending several hours with Miss Shern, she was heading out my door when the feather adornment caught her eye.
“What’s that for?” She asked.
“It’s to keep assholes out.” I replied without missing a beat.
“Does it work?” She prodded.
I looked her dead in the eye, “Apparently not.”
We laughed about that harder than we should have. We still tell that story.
She is the kind of person you could ask anything of, talk about anything with, and she has a clunky sort of grace that is truly sincere. She gives selflessly to various causes having served 30 years with the Red Cross (I think it’s more, but I’m pretty sure that’s the number), decades at The Holiday Bureau which supplements families with holiday decorations, gifts, and other such things. She raises money for gifting snacks and drinks for the Police, Fire, and EMS. She volunteers at warming centers in the winter time. She serves on the Oak Ridge Housing Authority Board.
She is quick to laugh. She explores the world with the wonder of a child and the wisdom of living. She’s an avid reader. She’s taken up caving and hiking. She goes to classes at The Oak Ridge Senior Center to expand her vast knowledge. She is impressive as a human.
I have a lot of favorite people, typically it’s for one reason or another, but she…she’s the whole enchilada. I adore her, her heart, her passions, her compassion, her emotional bumpy-bits, and her laugh. This world is a better place with her in it.
You try so hard and often fail a “good” day is a holy grail Pain and sorrow reign the hours stealing of your personal power Weary of the troubled world wishing innocence again unfurled Worry feels like a normal skin horrid lotion on the chaotic spin Limping through dystopian despair Certain, no comfort, is found anywhere Then: A gentle connection of a caring friend Abruptly ceases the atrocious trend Wrapping trouble from stem to stern Purging anguish of lessons learned Heart to heart, flourishing peace Engaging time bereft of grief Hold on tight and live your life instead of striving simply to survive Protected in the shield of love Uplifted strength to rise above
Life is a patchwork of moments — laughter, solitude, everyday joys, and quiet aches. Through scribbled stories, I explore travels both far and inward, from sunrise over unfamiliar streets to the comfort of home. This is life as I see it, captured in ink and memory. Stick around; let's wander together.
Mare Martell 