Michigan

David and I went to Michigan last weekend for a last little fling before a two-year school marathon. I love Michigan. We went to the Warren Dunes on Saturday. It was a little cool, but otherwise perfect. We got out of the car and I was salivating over the wide expanse of sand, the deep blue waves, the clear blue sky. Perfect for putting down a blanket and reading away the afternoon. I reading a book called "The Lost", about a man who goes on a quest to find out what happened to six of his family members during the Holocaust. Good read.

Since there were only about 10 people on the wide beach, we had our choice of perfect beach-reading spots. But David immediately said, "Let's walk down the beach to get away from all of the people."

"ALL of the people?" I asked? "You mean all 10 of them?!" All I wanted to do was plop down on the sand. We had bags, blankets, water bottles, and jackets. But being the obedient wife that I am....we walked and walked and walked down the beach. "Where are we going?" I inquired at one point during our beach treck. "Oh, just a little further. Maybe about half way to where those people are." I looked down the beach to the two specks at the other end of the beach, and sighed. It's hard walking in sand...especially when all you want to do is sit down and read. David walked 10 paces ahead of me, impatient.

"I just don't see the point," I said. "There weren't that many people at the main part of the beach!" Well, that was the wrong thing to say. David got all upset and said, "Does it kill you to do a little walking?" Which hurt my feelings.

We finally found a spot on the sand, laid out our blankets, and I immediate started reading. Not David. He was off to the dunes to do a little climbing. He was gone for an hour, and I saw him jogging back on the beach. Yes, JOGGING....after he'd climbed a dune. If you've ever been to the dunes, you know this isn't an easy task. It's like climbing a Midwestern version of Mount Everest. But it's worth it when you get to run down the dune and pretend you're moon-walking.

While he was reaching Base Camp 3 on the Mount Everest Dune, I lay on my blanket soaking in the sun, and feeling a bit guilty for not getting more physical exercise. But we were on vacation, I had to remind myself. Why should I feel guilty for not exercising?

I didn't know this when I married him. It wasn't in any of the books we read about "Questions to ask before you get married." But I've discovered on vacation we have two very different styles. My perfect vacation includes RELAXATION. Isn't that what vacations are for? To unwind, relax, catch up on reading? Davids perfect vacation includes ACTIVITY. He wants to DO THINGS. The result is we end up looking at each other and asking "What is your problem?!"

We finally compromised. I convinced him to lay on the blanket with me for a while. He took a nap. Then I agreed to climb another dune with him. So we packed up our gear, and trekked to the nearest dune. It looked daunting. But I followed David and climbed up, huffing and puffing, until we got to the dune's equivalent of the Hillary Step....a sharp almost verticle incline of sand that I had to get past in order to get to the top. David was already there. I climbed on all fours....with dune grass and sticks scratching my legs, and finally grabbed a tree and pulled myself up to the sharp ridge to the top. I turned around and gasped -- it was gorgeous! The water looked like it was miles below us, we could see the outline of the Chicago skyline, and the shadows of clouds passing over the lake. We sat there, side by side and felt the wind on our face. I had to admit I wouldn't have climbed up the dune without David's prompting. I guess his style of vacation isn't so bad after all.

We sat on the dune for a while, then picked up our bags and bounded down the sand like crazy, goofy moonwalkers.