Roadside beach

Sometimes you just have to pull over and take time and breathe.

“The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even heard, but must be felt with the heart.” Helen Keller (1880-1968); Author, Lecturer, Activist

sunset, Lake Michigan - eastern shore, June 8, 2014

I was up north for the weekend. I drove north Friday night and came home, reluctantly, Sunday evening. Saturday was busy. It was full of chores and full of pulling in air, something I desperately needed. Saturday afternoon, I slow-cooked a pork butt on the grill and made my famous cucumber and red onion salad, at least it’s famous to me. It tastes like summer. I sliced off some pork slathering it with BBQ sauce and topped it with red onion and sweet pickle slices and watched the Belmont Stakes. Afterwards, I did a few more chores and fell asleep in the deck chair I had hauled from the garage to the deck earlier in the day. I scrapped the idea of a fire and watching the sunset over the lake for two reasons: I was exhausted and clouds had rolled in and obscured the horizon. I went to bed and slept well.

Sunday was a new day. It began chilly and grey. I climbed out of bed rested, made coffee and sipped it watching the lake. I checked in with my mother-in-law, sharing a chuckle about the outcome of Saturday’s race and how the Reds were doing this year. They won Saturday, but lost Friday. I told her what I had been doing at the cottage and I got on with my day.

I finished my chores, ran my errands, and packed the car for home. It was late afternoon and the chilly day had turned into one of those afternoons with bright sunshine, cool breezes, and a deep blue sky that is so clear it is difficult to imagine and makes leaving for home so difficult. Pure Michigan. It’s why I come, it’s what makes it so difficult to leave. But, I had to leave. School had ended for my students Friday at 3:00 but not me, or any of the teachers. We have meetings scheduled Monday. My year will ends somewhere around 2:00 Monday (this afternoon) afternoon.

It’s always difficult to leave, I drag my feet and take my time when it’s time to pack and leave, but when I’m in the car and driving – I move. I made good time driving west, then south. I shared the road with folks like me who’d gone north for the weekend and had to get home for work on Monday morning. I planned to stop at a roadside park in southern Michigan, just north of St. Joe’s and Benton Harbor. We’d stopped there before and enjoyed a sunset as a family, but I’d never stopped by myself.

When my exit came, I almost didn’t stop. But, I did and I’m glad.

I shared the beach with two young women who had a tripod and were trying to capture the sunset like me. I stared and watched. It was quiet, except for sound of the surf and the birds. The waves crashed ashore like the ocean, but Lake Michigan is almost as big as a small sea. I felt the sand in my toes and the breeze in my hair. It was a great moment to breathe, to take in life, and feel renewed. It was a great moment and I captured fifteen seconds to share, the video is below. Enjoy.

Today is gonna be a great day. It’s the last day of the school year for me and the beginning of 72 days of summer. It’ll be full of fun and chores, and you’re invited to come along. In fact, I hope you come along. Regardless, it’ll be time to breathe and time to be renewed. Making the days Count, one stop at a time, especially when the view is amazing, and sometimes when it is not.

When was the last time you pulled over to watch the sun set?

6 thoughts on “Roadside beach

    1. Thanks – we found it a few years ago when traffic was snarled and we were looking for a road less traveled. It’s a public beach nestled between private beaches along Lake Michigan. We’d stopped before, when we had time and I’m glad I did Sunday night. Have a great week!

  1. No the video wouldn’t play for me either but I loved the photo. I don’t pull over to watch the sunset: I just look out of our bedroom window. Perfect. Then it’s the kitchen window for sunrise. So lucky. Even if sunrise is just after 4.00 a.m. just now…..

    1. I don’t know what happened, but I repaired the link and it works… I am sorry. It is a lovely video (or at least i think it is lovely) of the sun setting over Lake Michigan. the sunrises here around 5.15 AM and sets close to 8.30 PM, the beach is a tad bit north of here so the times are stretched, too. You are much further north than I am sure your days are really long at the is time of the year. The day is done and i am free (relatively) until August. Normally, the sun sets and I can barely see it. I was gald to have stopped last night. I hope you have a wonderful week!

    1. I repaired the link – it took a bit of doing and I just ended using the You Tube embed code as a opposed to the plug-in… sorry you missed it, but i had already posted to Facebook… i shot over 200 photos of the sky the sun the beach, the water…I didn’t have time this morning to go through them all…I am adding headers as i come across inspiring photos. Thanks for stopping by… I plan to stop there again the next time I ma headed south. Have a great week.

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