Wednesday, July 11, 2007

I'll never let go, Jack

I need to start this post with the end of our Michigan trip, which will explain the title. Well, if you've seen the movie, Titanic, it will explain the title. If you haven't, then I hope you are enjoying life under your rock.

The last part of our trip was spent on Mackinaw Island at the Grand Hotel (featured in the treacly film, Somewhere in Time, starring Jane Seymour, whose picture, BTW, is everywhere in that freakin' hotel). There are no cars on Mackinaw aside from the fire truck and the ambulance. Everything else is bicycles and horses. On Sunday morning, when we were leaving, it was raining something fierce and everyone, it seemed, was trying to leave the hotel at the same time. Horse drawn taxis are slow and they didn't arrive in a timely manner so the crowds waiting kept growing and growing. It was getting pretty ugly when a taxi would show up and it all reminded me of people trying to get onto those lifeboats when the Titanic was sinking.

A long winded explanation for a not very funny joke.

Anyway...we're back and, as usual, Eliza had a great time. Rich and Sally joined us for the first few days and Rich proved himself a master at trading raspberries with Eliza (her new favorite game, so it's a sign of affection if she sticks her tongue out at you. Truly.). He apparently also has an eminently grabbable nose.


She's a bit back in the NOTMOM zone, but Sally persevered and eventually won her over.
She's getting quite accomplished at pulling up on everything in site and can now even stand unsupported for maybe a minute at a time. All this work to learn to stand and then all she's going to want to do is sit down. Let's face it - standing is tiring! Here she is seconds before floomping over on Daddy again.


In Mackinaw, she unfortunately slept through her hay ride experience and missed it entirely, but we felt a good nap was probably more important. She did partake of the other fine activities, though, such as boccie ball on the lawn and the requisite rocking on the porch.
Mac took her in the Esther Williams swimming pool and she loved it, but we left the camera in the hotel room, so you'll just have to take my word.

As is pretty obvious to most people, Miss E is something of a ham. She also has taken a dislike to getting her diaper changed...unless someone is willing to photograph her while in action. Cheers her right up!
Before:

And after:


The trip back, once we finally got in a taxi and then to the ferry and then finally to our car, was looong and certainly not helped by our getting lost. Yup, that's right. We both have advanced degrees, yet when confronted with an option to go east or west to get home, we both opted for east. 40 miles later, we realized that we do, in fact, live WEST of Michigan. Well done. In my defense, I've lived on the east coast nearly my whole life so home is always east. Civilization is also generally east - no offense to the LA denizens out there. Chicago traffic was not so civilized, so that slowed us down as well as our stupidity.

But now we're here and Eliza is recovering slowly but surely. She had a doctor visit today where her progress and development are excellent. She enjoyed her travels, but is happy to be home. I think, though, that she might soon be ready for another adventure. What do you think?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Fascinating account of Mackinaw Island. That's a place Ive wanted to see for ages.

Mom