This old house

What I love the most about going to Grandma and Grandpa’s is that it always feels like a homecoming, even though I’ve never spent more than a few days at a time there — at least not that I can remember. It’s kind of odd to be so emotional about it, I guess: I’m practically a stranger to this place, connected by nothing more than a little genetic material and the tales of the family that grew up there. But it’s the stories that make the connection so strong.

The Harveys are great storytellers, and whenever a group of us gets together, I always learn something new about Dean, Del and their eight children: Therese, Greg, Donna, Jeff, Russ, Doug, Wayne and Roger. It’s funny to see your own quirks exhibited by other non-parental family members. Even though I rarely see these people, we have those things in common and it creates an air of familiarity, of sameness. In many ways, it’s like looking in a fun house mirror. And I see that it’s not just me that’s tenacious and imaginative, detail-oriented with grand ideas, who harbors a deep passion for ice cream, or is afraid of the pop-open biscuit can. It all stems from somewhere, from the DNA and traditions that we share. This house, for me, is the icon of it all.

And it feels good, having grown up in a Navy family, to feel connected to a place — even if it’s a place I’ve never lived. Especially because it’s a place I’ve never lived. It means there’s far more to it than just familiarity and physicality. This is a place where all those family stories were born — where they’re still born. It’s full of history and memories. It has a life of its own that sucks me in.

And although it’s become quite haggard and rough-looking, you can feel the rosy warm beauty of this house seeping out from beneath the creaking floorboards, from behind the peeling wallpaper, over the dust and through the stink of time. Well, *I* can. I look around and see a family home, a respite, an old friend, a warm blanket. I love it like an old pet.

As I walked through during this past visit, I couldn’t help imagining all the ways to resurface and redesign so that this house would look as magnificent as I think it is. The designer in me never shuts off — are you kidding?! I still think about it: the myriad ways to renovate, restore and rearrange. But it’s all with the intent to bring the house to its maximum functional and aesthetic potential, to balance history and modernity, and to allow the spirit we’ve imbued on it to shine from the inside out.

Of all the places I know in the world, this old house is my favorite.

Remington

We met Remington on the second day of our visit at Grandma & Grandpa’s. We had pulled into the driveway and were no sooner out of the car when he greeted us with great enthusiasm. And energy. And enthusiasm. And a stuffed rooster.

And he was just so friendly and obedient and handsome that Mom, Dad, Keith and I were instantly enamored. I dare you to meet that dog and not be.

“Who is this?” we asked Grandma.

“Remington,” she replied, adding with a smirk, “He’s just a puppy, you know.”

We couldn’t believe it at first, because he stood a good two feet tall at his shoulders, and was just brimming with gusto. But a few minutes of rambunctious play and hearing his high-pitched puppy yelp was enough to prove that he was indeed just a puppy — one month shy of his 1st birthday.

Remington is a fairly new arrival at the Best of Friends Humane Society no-kill shelter, founded by Grandma 10 years ago and operated twenty feet from their house in the Soo. Let me take a moment to note that Grandma is into her 80s now, has survived a heart attack, undergone hip replacement surgery, uses a walker to help her get around — and yet she works 15 hours a day, seven days a week, caring for her rescued animals. She has also, in her lifetime, given birth to eight children, and has been married to the same man for over 50 years. After her dancing career. (This is where I get my oodles and oodles of tenacity and grace; sadly I did not inherit her sewing skills.) The woman is a rock, I tell you.

But back to Remington. If we’d had room in the car and if we owned a yard the size of a football field, I can say with confidence that this dog would have come home with us. But as there was barely room in the car for three bottles of wine and a few t-shirts, and we own a yard the size of a football, he’ll get to go home with someone else — hopefully soon. How about you?! You’d *love* Remington!

After all, he’s pretty low maintenance. All he really wants is a stick and someone to throw it.

Go get a stick, Remington!

‘Adda boy!

Wait a minute…

I didn’t say half a tree, did I?

*Sigh*

Oh you handsome devil.

We miss you.

Home again

We just arrived home from our trip around the Great Lakes region. I had noble intentions of posting while on the road, even web-sizing photos as we went along, but somehow always came up short on time for writing. So I’m doing it now, as the daunting task of unpacking and getting ready to return to work for one day before the Labor Day weekend looms over my head, and I — as always — skillfully ignore it.

As you might imagine, we took loads of photos and it will take some time to go through them. And although I’ve got stories floating in my head, it will take some time to put my thoughts, reflections and revelations into words. So in the meantime, here is a photo sampler and general outline of our trip.

First, we visited Laurel Caverns in Pennsylvania on our way to Cleveland, Ohio, for our first overnight stop and too-short visit with Aunt Therese and Uncle Kevin.

We then made a brief stop at Ohiopyle Falls, also in Pennsylvania. It’s possible we’ll be back here eventually for camping, combined with a trip to Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob, both of which are nearby.

On Day 2, we visited the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan. We could easily have spent hours there, but had to get going…

Because a load of water fun was waiting for us just an hour away at Uncle Jeff and Aunt Stephanie’s lake house! But more on that later.

It wasn’t until Day 3 that we finally made our way to our main destination, and quite possibly my favorite place: Grandma and Grandpa’s house in Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan.

And although we enjoyed bonfires and bonfire one-upping at Therese and Kevin’s, and Jeff and Stephanie’s (we are a bonfire-loving family), I must say the one we enjoyed here outdid them all. But more on that later.

Three (or four? My sense of time is a bit distorted by now) days later — and all too soon — we were back on the road, starting the home stretch. Only this time we traveled back through Canada, stopping one night in North Bay, Ontario (but arriving too late to do any exploring), and then headed to our final destination…

Niagara Falls, Ontario AND New York…and in between.

But more on that later.