here comes the sun!!

man, what a gorgeous day. after watching giner zee give the weather report lat night, i anticipated another gloomy, overcast day. and we'd break the record. 16 days of no sunlight. alas, i was resigned to it, wondering when the sun would shine again on west michigan.

so i was quite surprised this morning when, i opened my eyes, some time after the alarm rang at 9:30, and i thought the sun was out. i blinked several times, turned around and looked out the other window and sure enough the sun was out. i smiled...and went back to sleep for another hour.

when i got up, it was refreshing to have sunlight streaming in the room getween the mini-blinds. it was like being energized or something. i didn't know how long the sun would last, so i wanted to try and make the best of it.

dawn asked what i had in mind. i mentioned to her what i'd said on friday night, about going to sanctuary woods in laketown township off of 32nd street and 66th street. we'd never been there before, though we tried looking for the place. after checking the temperature outside, dawn agreed to go.

a coworker had mentioned the place before, several times in fact, and it has always intrigued me but eluded me.

off we went, finding it with no problem this time. we were meant to go. plus, the townwnship had painted the gate a nice fresh blue color, making it obvious where it was. however, in the summer or fall, when the leaves are lush and on the trees, it might be impossible to see.

we had a gret time walking through the trail, steps, across the bridges, over roots and around trees. when you get into the thick of it, it's like you're in the middle of the woods somewhere away from civilization. it's great.

the steps were rough in some areas, very steep, but overall, a brisk walk. there's a spot where the trail veers up a grass- and trees-covered sand dune. the trails goes up and around. dawn said she couldn't make it up, so i went up alone and made it over the hump. in the process a think branch jabbed me in the eye and then i stopped. i realized i was going to far and it all began to look the same. with my bad eye sight, i determined it would be a bad decision to continue forward. but just beyond i think was a clearing with big red in the near distance. another time. i'm sure the view is breath-taking. it would be the opposite of how we've seen big red -- from eye level.

anyway, we went around and made it back to the car, passing several people -- some walking and others, fit, running, and some dogs on leashes.

the sun may not shine tomorrow, but it doesn't matter. it was worth it today, after 15 days of gloom. it's like getting a fix of something. and let me tell you, people sure needed this fix today.

thanks for the tip on the woods, jim h.