Tom and I recently went to Michigan, where he is from. Every year, we take a turn deciding where to go on vacation, and this was his year. I got to meet his oldest and dearest friends and their (far too cool for them) wives. :) We had a great time remeniscing over what goof balls they all were and how they should have all been killed a thousand times. We went searching for elk and other wildlife as well as wild mushrooms. We visited many of the places Tom remembers from his childhood. I got to meet family members I've never even spoken to before. It was both insightful and delightful.
Mom and Dad Eisele, thanks for being such great hosts! You made all of those fun activities even better. Josh and Ellie, it was great to get some good quality time with you and to finally meet my niece! Other Eisele family members, it was wonderful finally getting to meet all of you and I only wish we'd had more time to spend together. Range rats and family, you guys are insane and I loved every last one of you in all your kooky glory... though we may need to have a few more talks about Kirby... haha! I want you all to hang up your Red Dawn obsessions and replace it with the latest Terminator movie... seriously. It's awesome. When I watched it today, I just kept thinking, "I bet the Range Rats would love this movie..."
Michigan, for those of you who have never been, is an odd place. If I had an extra $50K lying around, I'd run out and buy about 20 acres in the middle of nowhere just to have a piece of it. The natural beauty of the landscape is breathtaking. We went to a lake one of our first days there and saw a pair of loons that were just beautiful. But the lake itself, the spring-perfumed air, the quiet splendor of the woodlands... It was truly magical. We hunted for wild mushrooms another day and I just found myself stopping and staring at the birch and oak around me as they swayed and chattered among themselves in response to the strong wind. Trilliums overturned patches leaves that had covered the forest floor last year and tiny ferns poked their round heads up through everything else, making odd lumps in the matted carpet. Birds sang or squawked or chittered everywhere and anywhere you looked, there were signs of deer, elk and other wildlife. I just stood some times during the "hunt" listening and smelling and seeing all the beauty around me. It felt a little like going home, though I'd never been there before.
The people there are genuinely interested. That's the best way to describe them. We hit a mall to pick up some baby presents for our friends' (Aaron and Laura) son's first birthday. We couldn't stop at a counter or to look at a rack without someone finding out our whole lives' stories. And they were really genuinely interested! Not only is eye contact encouraged, but random, genuine conversations spring up if you sit still for two seconds. All the people I met were warm and generous and everyone seemed to take life with a little more humor than other places I have been.
Unfortunately for these wonderful people, their state economy sucks more than most. It's really the one down side to Michigan (that and their hard winters I'm told), but the people there seem to take it all in stride with a quiet certainty of their own abilities to overcome even the hardest economic realities.
I already miss the place and the people and hope to come back some day very soon.
