Last week in Mackinaw

Heading South!!

This is our last week in Mackinaw City. Boy, did we get a dozy of a storm to send us off. The wind is whistling around the house and we can not tell how much snow we got last night as it has been blown all over. Friday we head south for the last time.

It has been a fun fall trading shelter for work here at the tip of the lower mitt. Only having three television stations, no PBS. No newspaper but the on-line versions. Walking to the post office most days to gather the mail and get the latest news from others that are also gathering their mail.

The new GLLKA offices are well on their way to being finished and we helped pull out the walls and cellings of the greasy spoon it use to be. Our trips to the Soo for Tai Chi. The weeks that we got to docent on the Icebreaker Mackinaw. Our work to get the historic village started on artifact accessioning. The folks that we knew when we got here and now know better than ever. All the new folks we now know. The difference between summer Mackinaw City and winter Mackinaw City. It has been fun and rewarding. I can't forget the great cross country skiing we have done!

But both Susie and I have our plane reservations to head off to Philadelphia and stagging. Susie leaves on the 18th of February and I head out on the 24th of February. My plan is to visit my sister Jean and her husband in New Jersey for a couple of days and then on to Phily.

Next month at this time I will be learning more Moldovan language and culture IN Moldova. I just hope I finally solve the getting everything in the suitcase problem before then. The more reading I do the more I think that winter will be winding down and it will be next winter for much of the heavy clothes. I'll let you all know.

The Countdown has begun...

Yes, these two pictures were taken less than a week apart and both with my camera. The one on the left is a blue heron following fishermen on the beach in Florida (he showed up most days to check out the daily catch) and the one on the right is me cross country skiing in the woods of Mackinaw City.

Jus and I spent Christmas exploring the beaches of southwest Florida. A friend lent us her digs as she had gone north for the holiday. We took long walks on the beach, explored the western part of Everglades National Park and stopped in the little beach towns along the coast. We even got to see Kelly and Marc, buying both Jus and Marc new suits. Isn't that why we go to Florida?

But then it was back up to Mackinaw City as I try to slow my mind down enough to make a list of those things I must do before leaving for Moldova in just over a month. The excitement is building!

My excitement yesterday was the fact that a presently serving Moldova Peace Corps volunteer discovered this blog and wrote me. It is wonderful to have direct communication with someone that is doing what you are going to be doing in just a couple of months. We have exchanged several emails in the last twenty-four hours. Information is becoming much less generic.

Next week I am off again to spend a long weekend with my kids, we are also celebrating Christmas together, to say my good-byes. It is sad to write that but this morning I was putting together information for contacting me while in Moldova with my newly acquired information that it could be entirely possible that we will be communicating by email. Along way from the snail mail letters of Bolivia.

Oh, before I forget, welcome to those of you that are visiting this blog for the first time. I am now completely sold on email holiday greetings. After sending out mine this year I heard back from many people I had not touched base with for several years with long emails. That never happened with snail mail holiday greetings.

Peace in the New Year!