A Week in Michigan with Don and Ruth

 

The totally unexpected and serendipitous week with sister, Ruth, and hubby Don in Lansing, Michigan, was because of sister Susan's funeral that mid-week in Chicago, on March 26.  

The short story is that Don and Ruth had just moved in January back to Michigan (our family's home state) after 5 years in Maine.  So, besides everything else, this was our first chance to see their new home, which is just fabulous.  

But this isn't about their new house/home (though you'll get glimpses of it) as much as it is about more family time because of a baby shower for one of our nieces that had been in the works long before Susan waved goodbye.

As we often say, when someone dies, a baby is born.  In other words, Death and Birth live side by side.

Astrid and I flew direct from Amsterdam to Detroit on Sunday, March 23, where Don and Ruth picked us up approximately 1.5 hours' drive from their home.  It was a cozy, warm and wonderful time between then and Tuesday when we left for the almost 4-hour drive from Lansing, MI, to Chicago, IL, for the visitation and then Wednesday's funeral, leaving back for Lansing on Thursday.  We even had the chance to watch the 8-part series of The Residence on Netflix during the nights we were at their home alone!

Oh, and not to forget that we 4 booked the same room (with 2 queen beds) at our hotel in Chicago!  That's how comfortable (and cheap, ha!) we are with each other.  A no-brainer!

Here's a visual of the drive, around the bottom part of Lake Michigan, approx. 240 miles.

Susan had lived in the Chicago area all her life after attending Northwestern at age 18.  I even lived near her for a year and saw her every weekend while studying Greek and theology, in the middle of my linguistics training at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.  So this is all part of my growing-up memory!

Once back in Lansing, Astrid and I both took a walk around Don and Ruth's new neighborhood

along the Grand River--the same river that runs through Grand Ledge 10 miles west, where I grew up.

[photo credit:  Astrid]

And because the walking put me in the mood, I continued my exercise,

doing a small part in preparation for the baby shower the next day!

[photo credit:  Astrid]

The funeral was on Wednesday (3/26); the baby shower was on Saturday (3/29) from 2-4 pm.

Jennifer, the mom-to-be, is the daughter of sister, Nancy (to the right of me, top-right).

It so happens that Jennifer lives in New York and was having her own baby shower there

while family in Michigan (at Don and Ruth's) were virtually joining in via Zoom.

Michigan family had already sent their gifts to NY, where Jennifer opened them there.

What a hoot.  Have you ever heard of such a thing?!

Speaking of Nancy, she and hubby Juan arrived on Friday to spend the night, helping with

the shower prep.  All Astrid and I did was make the veggie plate and smile.

[photo credit:  Peter and Astrid]

The virtual part all kinda, sorta worked...while we did our own thing, enjoying each other.

Most of us had just been at the funeral, but this was different.

Of the 6 remaining sibs, 4 of us with spouses were present, plus our Thai Dee Dee.

But this time, Ruth and Don's son's family, not at the funeral, joined us.

See them on the couch (bottom-left)?  And Peter with me (top-right)?

Pay attention because we'll see them again on Sunday.

[photo credit:  Peter]

Peter's wife Andrea Mowry, over whom we're hovering, happens to be a world-renown knitter,

with some of her patterns translated into Spanish, French, Czech, Japanese, etc.

And, yes, she has her own Ravelry Shop for knitting fanatics.

[photo credit:  Astrid and Ginnie]

After Saturday's shower, Sunday's departure came way too quickly.

On the way to the airport, we treated Don and Ruth to a "healthy" breakfast at Anna's House...

[photo credit:  Astrid and Peter]

before stopping off to see Peter and Andrea's new house (after also moving back from Maine).

Of special interest was Andrea's work space up on the top floor, even with her loom.

(No photo of her spinning wheel, from which she spins much of her own yarn.)

It really is a huge business, beyond even my own imagination!

[photo credit:  Astrid]

Back downstairs, Peter then moved me to tears when he took off his cardigan hoodie, with its

gorgeous basket-weave pattern and smoky-blue color, and gave it to me.  I had oohed and aahed

about it because it really IS beautiful, a hoodie, AND a cardigan, as well as my color.

No wonder he's my favorite nephew in the whole wide world!

[photo credit:  Ruth]

Don't you just love his smile!  He makes us ALL smile!

BTW, he's Peter Mowry, a musical artist whose background tunes have been heard world-wide.

It's possible even YOU have heard something he's created for a brand.

[photo credit:  Ruth]

What a happy family, including Levi and Olive!

It's just too bad that sister Lesley's similar family of 4 in Texas couldn't be in on the reunion.

Both Lesley and Peter were my favorite niece and nephew throughout their childhood and youth.

Don and Ruth can be so proud of them all.  

[photo credit:  Peter]

On that note, we 4 had our own parting shot before driving to the Detroit airport.

It's always a tear and a smile when we get together with family like this,

never knowing if or when we'll ever meet again.

But for now, it's the smile that counts.

It's all that really matters.

Michigan 2018, Again...but with a Tear and a Smile

You may remember that Astrid and I were in Michigan 5 months ago for my 55th high school reunion.  If you had told us then that we would be back again in 2018 (let alone 5 months later), I would have wondered who had died!

It was SIL Peggy, of course, married 54 years to Nelson, the elder of our remaining Tribe.

We never feel good about the circumstance of such a trip but we really did make the most of it, which you will see by these collages both Astrid and I posted on Facebook throughout the week, Wednesday to Wednesday.  We actually returned home this morning.

We stayed with sister Ruth and BIL Don again in a wee town near Detroit.

Arriving at night that first day was so soulful.  We LOVE their farm house.

It feels like coming home for us every time we're there.

Our first full day was filling ourselves up, while walking The Farm.

[Astrid's collage]

Even on a grey, misty day, there are gifts everywhere to be found.

We already love Bishop, the outdoor cat who basks in attention.

But this time we both fell in love with her in a deeper way.

How can you not love a cat who follows you around like a dog!

One day, when we were out-n-about, Astrid snapped this deliciousness from the car.

She received 85 reactions on Facebook!

Pure Michigan.

Midway through our week, on Saturday, was Peggy's memorial service, November 3.

Her last breath on earth was November 17th.

My nephew, Paul, took all these photos at the celebration "parties" following the service.

That's Don and Ruth (top-left) and Ruth and Nelson (bottom-right).

Nelson and Susan are #1 and #2 (bottom-left).  I'm #3 in the sibling lineup.  Ruth is #8 (of 8).

Nelson's son David is the monk.

You can see Peggy's obituary here.

The next day, I posted my Watercolor Sunday image with this quote:

"Let no one weep for me, or celebrate my funeral with mourning; for I still live,

as I pass to and fro through the mouths of men."

--Quintus Ennius (239BC - 169BC, considered the father of Latin literature)

Then it was back to the farm again, with Astrid helping Don out with some of his chores.

[Astrid's collage]

Early on in our visit Don and Ruth told us they were making a Thanksgiving meal for us on Monday.

We found that out in the same moment, I think, when we saw this flock of wild turkeys strutting about.

OMG!  Almost everything of the meal was made from scratch!

During a lull in the day's activities, Don and Ruth power-walked their property 4 times in a row.

Astrid and I had fun doing our casual walking, snapping photos at every whip-stitch.

Astrid and Don even had time to do more outdoor chores that day.  She was in heaven.

And yes, that's moonshine from Don's relatives in Tennessee (top-left).

"Try anything once" is a good motto, right?!

[Astrid's collage]

That evening was the real Thanksgiving feast!

I was the one in heaven this time.  It had been 9 years since I celebrated it last.

Some of you understand why it's my hardest American holiday to miss!

Our last full day was Tuesday, when Astrid and I walked the nearby country roads.

Within the first 5 minutes she spotted what the Dutch call a Witches Circle (aka Fairy Ring).

It was a first for me.

It happened to be on the property of a Vietnam vet, whose son died in the Afghan war (2006),

earning the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.  

 I think we all made each other's day!

We continued our walk and grabbed the photo ops as they emerged.

[Astrid's collage]

Whenever I tell Ruth this area is so soulful to me,

she says she thinks all of us carry farm DNA inside of us!

Tuesday night we spent the evening watching the midterm-election incoming results,

going to bed that night wondering what the scene would look like in the morning, Wednesday...

while flying out of Detroit to Newark to Amsterdam.

The DEMS took the House!!!!  Need I say more?

We flew through the night and arrived home this morning by 9:30,

with farm memories still filling us...and thus this above post on FB once home.

I had to share this week, of course...the Tear and the Smile.

You don't forget these milestones...let alone all the euchre games we played!

A Michigan 2018 Review

It's going to take time to get through these last weeks of gallivanting about, especially since they're not over yet...not until g'son Nicholas leaves for Atlanta on Sunday.

So, the easiest thing right now is to show the Facebook posts I published each day, first in Michigan for a week and then in Atlanta for 1.5 weeks.

Astrid and I flew to Detroit, MI, on May 16th and were picked up by sister, Ruth, and BIL, Don.

First order of business was to go eat lunch in Chelsea (home of Jiffy).

Gotta love the bike that made us feel right at home!

To be honest, the most important part of being on The Farm is just to BE there.

Just BEING with Don and Ruth where they live is a vacation.

We needed that.  We were all so relaxed.

A surprise awaited us from Ruth, who had already quilted a table runner that reminded her of me.

She had wanted to perhaps make more placemats and napkins for us,

but I convinced her that the table runner had our name written all over it.

Once Nicholas leaves, it goes on our table, with accompanying napkins.

What a gift, especially watching her make the binding at the end.

Another very special memory was spending a few hours with their son Peter.

While Andrea stayed home to work, Peter and the kids went with us 

to the 4-H Children's Garden at Michigan State.

OMG.  A D O R A B L E.

You may remember that the main reason we went to Michigan in the first place

was to attend my 55th high school reunion:  Class of '63.

There were 32 of us who attended (with added spouses) from our class of 178 classmates.

All of us are 73, mas o menos a year!  :)

The joy it was to connect with my classmates was like meeting them again for the first time.

This was so high on my bucket list that I could have died and gone to heaven.

It was even better than I had imagined.
(I'm here with our class president, Bruce, and his wife Maria.)

And they all totally loved and included my wife, Astrid.

How could they not!
(Carol Baker on the right was a girlfriend all through my youth.)

The class reunion was on Friday night and Saturday was a luncheon for 500 classmates
who have graduated 50-plus years or more.  The oldest present was from the Class of '33 (age 102)!
That was a special day but my own Class of '63 reunion was the highlight for me.

On Sunday, it was time for my sibs to meet up and have our own reunion!

6 of the 8 of us were present:  Nelson, Moi, Nancy, Jim, John and Ruth.

Bennett (#6) is wandering the galaxies somewhere.

Susan (#2) was on a pre-scheduled cruise for her 75th birthday.

But here she is (left) from eons ago.  Nelson celebrated his 75th a year ago.

I'll celebrate mine two years from now, followed by Nancy the next year.

Which brings me to the ones who were responsible:  Barbara and Carl Hart!

I always visit my parents' gravestone when I'm in Grand Ledge, MI, where I grew up.

It seems a fitting close to this first busy week of our vacation.

Next post will be all about Nicholas' high school graduation,

plus our time enjoying the neighborhood where he lives....