Summer Has Arrived!!
A month has passed since signing off the M/T Chemical Explorer! And Summer has Arrived!
The climate in Michigan won’t approach its peak until sometime in late July or August but for now, I am just enjoying the time off with temperatures looming in the mid seventies. For the past couple of weeks, however, frequent downpours of rain caused by the many passing thunderstorms have wreaked havoc on many occasions! Many here have said that these past couple of weeks have been too much to bear as the norm for such storms should only happen once or twice per week, as best to their knowledge. A day is typical of a passing shower in the late evening followed by the rumble of thunder and some flashes of near blinding lightning,and then nothing for another day or so. I’m actually liking it!
You see, I’ve been raised out West most of my life as the usual Summers have been arid without the slightest bit of rain or fog, so the storms have been welcomed with open arms for me. As well, the yard has received an abundance of rain as a result and only a couple times, have I been required to water the flowers via the green aquious-dispensing garden hose and nozzle.
In other news, my wife, Michelle, had been tasked to lead the local catholic youth camp as camp director and had started learning the ways of what the camp counselors did and fell into place,as her familiarity to their achievements have been a smooth transition. All the counselors warmed up to Michelle and she, in turn, became proficient in following the rituals of daily life away from suburbia. Nestled along the Great Lake of Lake Huron, this camp is among a series of children’s camps that have welcomed young adolescents into active learning and grasping the outdoors, for many decades, I’ve learned. Each camp has its distinct environment and bring a unique way of directing the children that a home based culture just cannot duplicate. Plus, the Summer season is certainly a time where nature can be best observed by all and the diversity of culture bringing children safely together in comfort and have fun while they’re learning and being active. Semi-outdoor living with manufactured cabins are provided yet at a reasonable distance from town and an impromptu field trip are often arranged to lessen the chances of homesickness.
Only a week into her stay, however, and some equipment made for water sports that was being moved into place out into the water, pierced Michelle’s lower left leg. As a result of an accidental slip on some rocks , Michelle was quickly overcome by the excruciating pain associated with the metal impaling into her and with the loss of blood, and fast! The quick thinking of an on site medically trained volunteer firefighter as ‘Band-Aid” whisked her off to the local medical clinic located only a couple of miles to the south, enabled Michelle to have the wound stitched in a matter of an hour. I was dispatched to the clinic and witnessed the wound and the doctor’s meticulous stitching. No contact with the bone to report, yet infection apparently set in, and in a couple of days, Michelle was rushed to the hospital where analysis of ‘Staff’ infection was monitored and controlled.
As I write this, Michelle has been through one surgical procedure to rid the wound site of any debris and is resting nicely with pain medication and a caring staff of nurses and aids. I’ve been driving back and forth to Sandusky,Michigan, as the eighty mile round trip per day has consumed only valuable gas, and not any doubt for hope on her part! Michelle is very anxious in returning to the family of young caring counselors whom she has just started to make a nice impression with, and is anticipating the initial meeting with the young campers that is the center focus of the Summer long program.
Finally, I am awaiting the application of my Transportation Workers Identification Card (TWIC) to be approved and my card to arrive in the coming weeks. On a daily basis, I am working in the yard to improve the grounds surrounding my castle-like dwelling. The roses and Daily Lillies are in bloom and the lawn a deep shade of forest green. Lucy, my Golden Retriever, is enjoying the daily walks I take with her to the nearby marina to meet with the local family of Swans that nest and feed off the far Break wall. Summer has definitely arrived! Have a wonderful Independence Day, folks!
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