July 9, 2008

I didn't realize that it has been so long since my last post, sorry for the delay.


Over the 4th of July weekend we headed up to northern Michigan to the lake cottage of a very good friend of ours. It was a place that Jim always loved and a place that has always been very special to our whole family. This year it was difficult to make the trip knowing that Jim would never physically be there with us again, however, once we arrived it was obvious that he was there in spirit. It is a very tranquil, serene place that has a way of setting anyone at ease and truly is an escape from the chaos of life.


While we were there we did a lot of remembering and talking about Jim. We found the spots where we had taken many pictures of him in his adventures at the lake and remembered what a special person he was. While at the lake, Jim loved to hike in the woods, drive the old Model A, use the binoculars to scope out what was on the lake, fish, go for boat rides, search for golf balls at the nearby golf course, get a nice big fire going in the fireplace, watch for the bald eagle, and just be with nature. It was a place that Jim could just be himself and take it all in.


We also celebrated the 4th by watching a wonderful display of fireworks put on each year by neighbors at the lake... it was a show that Jim would have loved. Many of those who knew Jim also knew of his love for fireworks. Growing up Jim started out scared of fireworks, hiding on the floorboards of the backseat of the car when we went to the show put on at a nearby mall. Eventually, however, he grew to love them. Every year we did our own fireworks out front of our house and it turned in to quite the display over time. It would always draw neighbors out and Jim loved it. We thought of Jim while we watched the neighbor's fireworks and as we set off small ones of our own for my kids.


While we were at the lake, we also made a garden stone to commemorate his love the place. We included many things like stuffing from the Model A, a golf ball, fish hooks, stones from the lake, a bit of burnt wood from a fire in the fireplace, and other things we found around the cottage. It turned out great and is a wonderful tribute to Jim's love of the lake. I will post a picture below of how the garden stone came out as well as the beautiful view from the cottage.

We miss you Jim!