A Visit To Michigan.

 That is correct!  I am currently in Michigan.   The State that exiled me 15 years ago.  (That is my take on it... for Dramatic effect.)  I have been back a handful of times just to see how things are going...  

And to visit my brother. 

He invited me up and since I have new found time... And  I decided to take him up on it.  So far... things are looking pretty good.  

One of the things my brother has in common with the family... is he is a hoarder!   The place that Dad purchased for us as a hunting property, was also used as a "Dump/ Storage" area for all of the things Dad could never throw away.   This was all of Mom's stuff, Grandma.s stuff, and any other "stuff" that Dad could not fit in his home.   Several times I offered to remove this junk, but Dad fought me pretty much ever step of the way.  At one point,  he actually dug stuff out of the garbage and made a huge stink about how I was throwing his life away!

My solution:  BURN IT!

You can't recover stuff once it is burned up into Cinders.   "Ashes to ashes!  Dust to dust!:   

And so I burned a lot of stuff when Dad was busy cleaning up the place or making more room for more "stuff"  I never was able to get rid of everything... But I did make a substantial dent. 

And now Eric is up here with all of his "Stuff" in addition to Dad's left over junk.   And I have offered to set up a fire and help him burn things to clear out some space.  

Eric is far more open to the clearing out idea than Dad ever was.   I'm sure moving several times has had an impact on him as much as  moving around had on me.   It is difficult to move "Stuff" around.  And over time, you realize all that junk has not served its purpose.   Time to clear things out!

Unfortunately, my brother can not get around as he once used to.   so he has simply let things pile up because he can't take it to the dump.   Or he just does not have the energy.  

But I do!   So,   We started a burn barrel out in the yard and cleared away all of the loose wood cuts and broken plastic things that were of no use.   Why fill up a land fill when you can release the nutrients into the air?  

One of the final things was ...."The Chair!"  

This chair has been in our family since Grandpa Allen made it.    We don't actually know if Grandpa made it... But he did make furniture and he did carve things.   Personally, I am a little skeptical,  since Grandpa mostly whittled and never took on large projects like this.   He made beautiful furniture, but I never saw any of his pieces with carvings on them.  

That being said,  we have had this chair in our family for as long as I can remember.   It was in pieces in the garage for years, until Eric finally assembled it.   (He must have found all of the parts.)   The only problem was it was never finished;  It was never used!   And it was  way TOO SHORT for anyone!   

After being moved several times and left outside in the rain and snow... It is now completely useless unless you wanted to simply keep it as a display item.   And it pains me to see this item sit out there and let the elements beat it up.   Time to give it back to the Earth and put it out of our misery! I feel a Viking Funeral is a fitting end for it.

I don't feel any sadness in burning it.    I don't really want to use the word  "Destroy" but rather...  Recycle.   We are recycling it back into the components that the land can use.   So now...  along with all of the other burnable junk,   the property is a little bit cleaner and a little bit happier.  

Did I mention we did a little shooting?  (Because... that is what guys do in the absence of any governing authority.)    Eddy came up with some beer,  meat, and guns.   (A perfect Combo!)   And we set up targets to target practice on.   

What were the targets?   Do you really want to know?

I hesitate to mention this in the blog, since I know there are young readers out there.   But let's just say the bottles we were using as targets were filled with a substance that I did not want to touch or empty in the traditional manner.   Where did this substance come from?  Why was it in bottles?   Who's "substances"  was this?  Well, if I ever reread this post... I know I will know.   So let's leave it at that.  

In the end, they made great targets and we were able to burn the bottles.   (Because that was the right thing to do with that type of bio-hazard...)  

Ed stayed the night and we are all went out to a local pub for some food.   I love the atmosphere up here as almost every establishment is geared around the "North-woods" theme.  Hunters and outdoors-men are the main clientele. And the food is usually pretty hearty.

There is still much to be done.   I think we will try to clean up some more junk around the house and set up another burn pile around an old stump.   Hopefully,  as the clutter clears, he will find the motivation to finish his projects(s).   Because time is always ticking.  And every second counts.  

Wedding On A Mountain Top

Sunday was the big day of the wedding.  I was surprised I actually knew a few people there!   One of the Bus Drivers from Shoreland, along with his wife.(They were the parents of the bride!)   I knew a few of the groomsmen since they were part of the "Pagel Moving Crew"  a few years back.   That being said, I ended up talking to the bartenders and entertaining them with Origami Dollar Bills more than I did anyone else.  Hurray for being socially awkward!  

Besides, as a last minute add-on/ party-crasher,  I was not about to get myself into trouble over something trivial.   Not when there was an open bar and free food available!  

That last line makes it sound like I ate and drank too much... But I didn't. ( I know,  big surprise!)  Nor did I dance on the bar or sing Karaoke. (The DJ was kind of jerk when I asked....) Nope,  I just sat back and enjoyed the atmosphere while folding tips for the barkeeps.  I know that might sound boring to most people.... But I'm not most people. 

Speaking of Atmosphere! The venue was on top of a TALL mountain.   I was very happy that they sent a shuttle bus out to get us.  The path up the mountain was single lane and STEEP!   I would not want to drive that route under normal conditions... Let alone after imbibing a few brews.  The shuttle guy was familiar with the route, and the conditions... so he was a pro.  Best to leave it in the hands of a professional. 

The ceremony was nice and brief.  (As all good wedding ceremonies should be.)   Let's face it, most people are there for the party that follows.   But we Humans are unique among the animal kingdoms in our love of Ceremonies.   Even in the Army,  we had to learn "Drill and Ceremony" before we could graduate.   I wonder why that is...   The Ceremony part, I mean.   That moment where we Crown a new King;  Marry a bride; Bury a relative,  Or graduate from some educational institution.  We wear funny clothes, stand up in front of a bunch of people, and make long, drawn-out speeches that no one really listens to.  A "Dog and Pony show!" (Without any dogs or ponies!)   

But we still love them.   An air of Formality before indulging in an atmosphere of Hedonism.  I guess that is just how things in a society work. 

But then the party started.   There were games and dancing.  Music and all of the things that make weddings fun.  On top of that,  there was the view.   

The rain held off for most of the event.   Only an occasional sprinkle was felt as we sat outside.   The clouds helped keep the temps cool and the light subdued.  And I lost every game of "Corn Hole" I played.  ( Never was very good at horse shoes or lawn darts to begin with....) 

The big event was that during the reception,   the Groom had to be rushed to the hospital.   Everyone thought he had thrown out his back ( He has been plagued with back problems before...)  But it turns out he had an issue with a Gall Stone!  (Not a fun feeling!)  I'm not sure what they did at the Hospital, but they both came back and could enjoy the tail end of their party.   

Kind of bum luck on your wedding day!  But it took very little time to get back into the swing of things. Everyone of the wedding party kept grabbing drinks for the bride!  I'm sure both of them could use a drink after that experience!   

Dave and I jumped on the first bus that was heading back.  The road seemed less scary in the dark. (Oddly enough!)   We spend all of Yesterday traveling back home.   A storm rolled in and driving through the mountains during the morning rush with slippery roads was plenty stressful.  ( Luckily, Dave drove through that part)  Other that that,  the travel was nice and boring. 

So that was pretty much it.  I know I had much more to say but this post is getting rather long.  And I have forgotten all of the eloquent prose I had written in my head while on the trip back. Probably just as well... No one wants to read flowery ramblings forever... Unless there are pictures! 

I will say that there is one thing I was made fully aware of on this mini vacation.   And that is I simply do not understand Led Zeppelin.  I know I am unique in this opinion.   Led Zeppelin is a classic Rock band and I know several of there songs.   My brother is a Fan,   Dave is a Fan.   EVERYONE is a Fan.... except me.  To me... Led Zeppelin music can be summed up as an endless Guitar Rift with a whole lot of screaming at the end of each bar of music.  Some of the songs seem to have no title or words... Just "Oowhhh!  Baby, Baby, Baby!"   over and over again.  

Hey!  To each his own.    Everyone's taste in Music is Subjective.   And no matter how many people like Rap or Country Music... I will never be a fan.   And that goes for the Music that I like as well.  Cole Porter, Frank Sinatra, Beach Boys, ...And the REALLY fringe music of Barbershop quartets and choruses...   I understand that we are all unique in our choices.   And those things set us apart from some, while uniting us with others.   

Just like our society. 

I would hope that everyone embraces their individual tastes...  While also enjoying the things that bring people together.   

 

 Like Weddings. 

 

   Because life is a journey... And whether you like it or not,  we are all in this together.   And every second counts.

Day 2 In Tennesee. Waterfalls, Duskywings, Beer, and Moonshine....

 Yesterday,  Dave and I had some time to kill before the big Rehearsal Dinner.  After I posted the last Blog Entry,  We headed out for the Great Smokey Mountain National Park.  It as just  down the road! 

There is a busy road that is narrow and winding.  I think the park was only 7 miles away, but there were a few scenic turn outs that we took advantage of.  This lookout showed the entire city and the cable car that took you to the top most mountain.  

Our plan was to check out a picturesque  water fall that was near the road.  However,   as with most touristy things in brochures...  It was flooded with Tourists!  

Now I like people just as much as the next guy.   But when you are out trying to experience nature,  you want to do it in a quiet, peaceful, and perhaps even reverent way.    And a wee bit of solitude  helps!

 But this was NONE of those things!   Kids were running around screaming,  people were photo bombing each other.  With the narrow path there,  you practically had to stand in line to get your picture of the falls!  It did not take long for Dave to suggest we head up the trail a bit and lose most of the people. 

The nice thing about tourists, is that many of them are out of shape and lack the motivation to actually "work" for the shot.  So climbing a fairly steep trail for nearly a half mile makes the majority of them fall away.  (They can't hand the challenging task of walking up a path.)  Now if that makes me sound like a snob... Well,  I guess I am.   I have had to walk several miles down paths and up mountains while hauling fishing gear just to get to a secluded lake.   Once there, the trout were jumping and rising like a boiling cauldron.  It was like a Heaven! 4

My point is that you can't have places like that if EVERYONE and their kids and dogs and grandmothers, and rollers and strollers and oxygen bottles are there flooding the area.   The next waterfall, though smaller, was far more peaceful.  

While hiking,  we noticed a number of Butterflies out.   I saw several from the car, but the dominant ones along the trail were Duskywings.   ( I identified it on the path!  All those years of chasing butterflies and I still have the ID chart in my head.)   There certainly are a large number of them for those who like to split up the species... But I will settle for the common name.  

There were also a number of swallowtails ( black and tiger) and some whites.   Tough to ID them while driving down the road, but I'm fairly certain I could ball park it. 

As the time neared, we planned a link up with Joey and the wedding party.   They wanted to grab a drink at a local pub and chat a bit before heading out to the dinner.   It took us nearly 15 minutes to travel 5 miles due to the traffic.  It was similar to Disney Land only there were cars driving down the road!   We were forced to park a mile away from the pub and walking to the Gatlinburg Brewing Company.  The beer was good but rather expensive.  ( Because you are visiting a tourist town!)  

After folding a tip and catching up with the Wedding party,   the bright idea of visiting the "Moonshine" district come up.   Everyone agreed that would be worth blogging about, so they all Shanghaied  me and forced me to go.  

I had the peanut butter chocolate coffee thing.   (Not sure what the name was, but it was good.)  Once again,  the drinks were rather expensive,  so that limited our consumption.   You would think that since you are enjoying a product that is made locally that it would cut down on the shipping cost. Thus the savings would be passed off to the customer!  (Like eating Lobster in Maine!) But NO!   Because this is a touristy place.  (Let's continue to blame the tourists for everything... Shall we?)  

In the end, it is probably a good thing, because no one wants to get hammered the day before the wedding. (Except perhaps the groom...)   And wake up with a Hangover.  So keeping the prices high is actually possibly doing everyone a favor.   They can sample without losing their eyesight!  (That is a Moonshine reference...  Where drinking this type of Alcohol will cause blindness...  for those who don't know.)  

With everyone fully caught up and ready for the rehearsal,  I headed back to the hotel and tried to relax.   I walked to the Local Casey's and god some grub.   I sat by the river and fed the geese.  I even watched the Groundhogs play around on the other side of the river.  It was very therapeutic and relaxing.  And even though it was in the middle of town,  it appeared that I had the entire area to myself.  Possibly because everyone is out trying to get their "Natural Experience" on instead of seeing the nature that is right outside their windows.   I am not complaining!

My brother called and we had a nice chat.   Ed and Bill Arnold had brewed up a batch of Homemade IPA beer and they invited my brother over for a sampling.   From the sounds of it... And the way the conversation devolved... it sounds like they sampled more than a sample.  ( If you know what I mean....)

But that was always how it was back in the day when Mr. Noorman would tap into his homemade Wine.   Uncle Bill, Dad, and Mr. Noorman would sample a bit more than they should and they would tell stories and laugh loudly at jokes.  Usually, ( Around this time of year)  the Kids, Mark, David, Me, Eric, and Ed) would be cleaning a 5 gallon bucket of Smelt that the Noormans had brought home from their Spring Smelt Dipping.    While the old guys sampled wine,  The Moms would fry up the fish after we cleaned them.  Those were good times.  

So tonight is the actual wedding.   I wanted to squeeze in this blog post before heading out and gathering more pictures and experiences.  I'm not sure what to expect from this, but I'm sure I will find something blog worthy to write about.   It seems my creative writing skills have been overflowing since last Thursday.   And I think that is a good thing.  Because when you have the time,  sometimes you have to do the things that inspire you.   And every second counts...