Hi there.
It’s been a long week. Thursday Sophie and I made a solo trek down to Detroit to introduce her to the rest of the family she hasn’t met. For those of you who don’t know, it’s essentially a 9.5 hr drive. Make that 10.5 with a baby.
Mt. Shasta, where they filmed “Anatomy of a Murder” 50 years ago. I’ve always wanted to stop and take a picture, so this time, dammit, I did.
Lunch in Marquette down by the waterfront. That’s a big ore dock loader thingymajig behind us (I think).
Surprisingly, it went pretty well, with only two stops (Marquette and Gaylord).
I had called Scott to ask him which city I’d hit first, Gaylord or West Branch, not wanting to have to spend 40 minutes at a truck stop in the middle of nowhere when it was time to feed the baby. He told me I’d hit Indian River first, then Gaylord. At this point in the trip, I was an hour from Gaylord, 30 minutes from my bladder exploding. Somehow, my bladder made it to Gaylord. The baby, however, did not. Turns out that Baby Meltdown Town is about 15 minutes shy of Gaylord.
Me with my new little cousin Ryan. I’m clearly happier about taking this picture than he is.
But we made it. And Sophie’s been a hit with the family, and I think she’s enjoyed all of the new sights, sounds, and faces she’s being passed around to. I’m enjoying the time away and using it to start Operation Go Through All of the Shit in My Folks’ House. This is no small task, but a necessary one.
And again, like usual, I am both delighted and annoyed to be back. Delighted to see my family and friends, which is really the important thing, and annoyed at the concrete sprawl. But I guess it just makes me remember that what matters is being with the ones you love, not how many chain restaurants are on each corner.
I’ll try to find time to update you on our adventures in the city, but we’ll be pretty busy this week cleaning house.
