Permanent Vacation…the summer 2010 version…

Well….Pam and I have survived the move out of campus housing and have settled into our temporary lodging at Tall Pines. Doug Long has been very generous in taking us in and seems to be quite entertained that he is host to a somewhat impromptu artists’ residency. We have a ton of shit stored at various locations on his property and have set up an outdoor studio in his backyard.

Actually, it’s not just an artists’ retreat for us but also the exile home of “corgi kindergarten.” The dogs love it here and feign the rustic space behind Doug’s home as some kind of wild habitat complete with running space, unique pee features and Quinn really loves the strawberries growing in the garden. (Sorry Doug!)

I’ve been extremely relieved not to have to hassle with summer camp but I do miss everyone tremendously. What a great bunch of people to work with. It has been great however to hang out with Erica Passage and Jen Teter and Pam and I are really trying to take advantage of our free time here in northern Michigan. We’ve been to the beach at Lake Michigan a couple of times with the dogs and have even had time to check out the Cherry Festival a couple of times. We’ve seen the air show, played bingo (curse you Jen Teter), eaten some really over-priced food (I guess they charge for the grease) and walked the midway. We also had the opportunity to check out the fireworks at Crystal Mountain on July 3rd and at the Cherry Festival on July 4th.

While this has been a great time for Pam and I…mostly because of the support of our friends…it is still a little stressful because we are not sure of what’s in front of us for the long term. So, in a sense, we feel as though we’ve got somewhat of a permanent vacation with seemingly no end in sight. We’re confident this will change soon but going through the process is a little daunting. So, with Interlochen in our rear-view mirrors, we’re working one day at a time and pondering the possibilities of what lay ahead for us. For now, our plan is to live in the moment and enjoy the gift we have been given. More to come!