Observations from the Eastern Shore of Lake Michigan

This one is a quick post at the tail end of my summer adventure to document some observations I made this evening while sitting on the beach in southern Michigan.

I am a people watcher. It has been a favorite pastime since I was young. No matter where I am - I settle in to watch and listen (eavesdrop). The one thing that I have noticed increasingly over the past 15-20 years is that kids are less and less likely allowed to be kids.

While eating a picnic supper, I sat on a rock listening to a parent hassle and berate her children while they climbed on the rock jetty. These kiddos wore life vests, and the rocks were large and flat - like stepping stones. I sat there silently, wishing she would simply hush and let them follow their interests, curiosity, and excitement into the crevices, nooks, and crannies of the giant stones. I was saddened beyond words - in that moment their natural desire for exploration and discovery, along with the unending energy of childhood, was thwarted.

Therefore, I was heartened to see, as I walked back along the lake edge to the parking lot, a young boy (9-10 years old) all by himself, digging a hole and collecting seagull feathers of varying sizes to place very precisely and carefully in his creation as the water lapped at his feet. Was it pure art or some other imaginative creation with a specific purpose? I will never know. But that child will have that experience to call upon his entire life.

Next week, I will be back in the proverbial saddle. I heard that the sewer line project was started. I don't have any details - those will have to wait till next Sunday.