Mr. Bare Bear Hibernator

When I was a kid up in Sault Ste. Siberia, we spent every summer on the moominbeach. The moominbeach is only something like seven miles as the crow flies from Siberia, a bit longer by road. That meant that Grandroobly could commute to his banking job and we were free to swim and run around on the beach or along the paths through the woods to our cousins’ or friends’ cabins. Or hang out at our own cabin to read, draw, play the flute, whatever.

There were further destinations: The Pond (by beach or path(s)), Doelle’s (by beach or path (watch out for the foxholes!)), Birch Point, Cedar Point, Guano Round Island, The State Park (candy store!!! merry-go-round!!!). For many long years, we needed an adult for most of these destinations. Like, you can only get to Round Island by boat…

And The Back Light! I can’t envision the moominbeach back in the 1800s but of course shipping navigation systems were totally different then than they are now and so there was a pair of “range lights” at the end of the moominbeach. That end of the beach was almost totally deserted and inaccessible via road when I was a child. Alas, developers have made some inroads… Anyway, the long-neglected back light was accessible by an old path, once paved by some sort of cement pieces. An expotition to the back light was kind of a once-a-summer deal. It was a wet, slimy, buggy trip back there but once you got there, you could enter an old abandoned lighthouse and walk up the stairs to the top and then you could see over all the trees out to our bay. Yes, our parents thought this was a safe thing to do! And I love them for that. I only wish I could have taken my own children up to the top of the back light but I couldn’t because…

I think the photo of Grandroobly in front of the back light was taken sometime in the early 1980s. I can’t for the life of me remember what year it fell down. Radical Betty probably knows. She thinks she heard it fall… Anyway, I do not know who took the photo of npJane standing in front of the remains of the back light but I occasionally wonder where that photo is and I’m glad I found it!

If there was ever a day meant for hibernating, I think it was today, at least here on The Planet Ann Arbor. It wasn’t all that cold but it was dark and gray and it *felt* cold. The precipitation was in a liquid state and the skies were cloudy all day. And when I went out to throw a few things into the recycle bin this afternoon, I was thinking it sounded like ice pellets were falling. We’ll see what this turns into.

We took a ride out into the county and did a small hike in a new preserve. When I came home, I finished an on-going ironing prodject and no, it was not a sewing prodject. And then I threw together some enchiladas for dinner. Am I getting my cooking mojo back? Maybe…

G’night,
KW

2 Responses to “Mr. Bare Bear Hibernator”

  1. Sam Says:

    I’d like to think you and Gertrude (do I have that right?) make a five-star team!

  2. jane Says:

    I can’t remember who took that photo either, but I think it was around 2000 or 2001-ish