This Latitude Has An Attitude

While most folks go south for spring break seeking the warm sun after a long cold winter we went counterflow and headed north to Higgins Lake in Michigan. It was like stepping back several weeks weather wise. Snow drifts remain, grass hasn’t greened, spring flowers haven’t popped up and the lake is still frozen. Winter has not released its grip on northern Michigan quite yet. The upside though is that the lake’s frozen state provided a unique experience being able to venture out on the ice. This is our 25th anniversary having the lake house and this was only our second time seeing the lake frozen! We stayed close to shore as we knew that if we broke through, we would only be in water up to our knees. If I had trusted the surface an ice hike would have been fun, but we didn’t think it prudent to try that this week. On Monday we saw a cross country skier glide by, but he’s the only person we saw beyond the shoreline. All the fishing shanties have been pulled back to shore. By Wednesday, it rained hard all day and bits of open water are becoming visible so it won’t be too much longer before the cross country skis and snowmobiles will be replaced by water skis and SeaDoos. In the peak of winter our summer paradise becomes a winter wonderland. This week we got a peek into this side of Winter Higgins. But just within a few days of being here the open water spots have grown. The water birds are beginning to return. We were even treated as we watched as an eagle scouted out whether he would have luck finding dinner. The transformation is amazing. This week we are receiving Higgin’s cold shoulder, but we know it won’t be long before Higgins will beckon us in. An attitude adjustment is unfolding.

Our hikes this week, for the most part, were kept to the neighborhood roads. They are lined with pine trees so it has a woods hike feel. Since most of the ground surface is sand we couldn’t even take a muddy hike…with all the melting snow and rain the yards and trails are flooded. We’ll hit the trails big time when we next make it up here. Teddy did a pretty good job of learning that he really doesn’t need to chase after every squirrel or deer we spotted. But lots of reminding was necessary. On one street hike I was joined by A. & P. This is what we fondly refer to as Birthday Week, so it was fun that for a while we were all able to hang out together. A.’s birthday was last Thursday, P.’s was this Thursday and mine, the one that inspired this blog, falls right in the middle. Makes for a dessert rich week. On P.’s birthday we drove to Novi and celebrated with him there. After dinner we hiked around the loop that he typically jogs.

Milestone #60 reached! I’m not stopping!