I Need Sleep

I Need Sleep

Day 10 

Before I begin, let me apologize for some of my blogs not being edited before publishing. I have had spotty Internet since I left Madison and my goal is to just keep typing as long as I have a good signal. I'll go back and edit when I get a chance. So, bear with me. It's all good. I know I have some work to do. Thanks. 

We had a crazy day today! The car was packed and we were off by 7:30! Neither one of us have slept more than 4-5 hrs a night since we started this vacation so leaving early has not been a problem.   

 Our plan for the day was to circle the mitten of Michigan. Man, let me tell you. There's not much over there except a few small towns and a sprinkling of gas stations. I couldn't even find a coffee shop to buy some caffeine to go! It was nuts. I don't know how people live in such remote areas and survive. We once lived 25 miles from Walmart and let me tell you that was roughing it. Oh, plus there was NO JoAnn Fabrics either...so...just sayin...

Mr. Quilter Cook stopped at a few lighthouses that were way out in the water which meant the whole tripod experience and hiking out on a pier about a half mile away to capture the photos. My personal rule now is that if I hold up my cell phone and I can't see it even after I zoom in, forget it. Time to go back to my crossword puzzle. It's not worth my time. 

We also had a couple of fun experiences I'll share. One lighthouse. Port Sanilac Lighthouse just made my heart melt. It's the first one I've seen that's privately owned. There's a fence around it with a sign saying if you trespass on the property you are committing a federal offense, so I didn't try to challenge that warning. However, I did take some beautiful photos. I just thought how wonderful it would be to live in a sprawling Victorian with a tower attached to it next to the lake. Ahh...Well, I know for one thing I'd open it to the public a couple of Saturdays a month and on afternoons in the summertime. It's gorgeous. It's a shame to keep it all closed up.  

The government occasionally puts lighthouses up for auction that they want to sell. We actually looked into a couple a few months ago online. One looked kind of cool with a house, tower and some land. Then, we learned the land it sat on wasn't part of the deal. Ok, so let's figure that one out.  Hmm

Another one was in the middle of a lake. It had a house inside. And a rowboat. Well now, that sounded like too much fun for us. Can you imagine that? I say scratch that one off the list. 

The final jaunt of the day was the absolute best. We took a car ferry to Harsens Island, MI in search of some range lights and a tower. It was fun crossing the crystal blue Lake Huron and then cruising around in search of our lights. I took a couple of videos while we were there. I thought about how fun it would be living there also, but then we saw a guy dropping sandbags around his house foundation and thought....uh...nope. That would get old very fast. Plus, I don't like snakes. 

It was kind of cool being just shy of Canada. Too bad we didn't bring our passports along. We could've zipped over the bridge! However, Mr. Quilter Cook didn't share my enthusiasm. One time when our oldest son was 18 and Mr. Quilter Cook and his father were all on a trip here in Detroit, they ended up on the other side. They thought they'd just pop over and back. No big deal, right? Well, it wasn't a big deal until they wanted to COME BACK. They were held for questioning for some time before the officials could verify their identities. Oddly enough, Mr. Quilter Cook's mom and I were already IN Canada on our way to teach vacation bible school with LAMP missionaries. WE were smart enough to have OUR PASSPORTS with us. We sailed right on through both directions with no trouble. The guys were released...eventually. Mr. Quilter Cook and Matthew haven't been too hip on returning to Canada since. 

Tonight we are in a very nice Best Western outside of Detroit in Dearborn, MI. In the morning, Mr. Quilter Cook will take off to shoot photos of a covered bridge and two lighthouses in the area. I have decided to stay here at the hotel and just relax. I need a day to just take it easy. Later, we will make our way down to Niles, MI. He has an appointment to meet again with some people to shoot not a lighthouse, but another covered bridge in that area on Friday. 

I may blog in the am tomorrow but not sure. I am secretly thinking maybe I'll just watch tv and sip coffee in my pajamas and order room service! Shh...don't tell Mr. Quilter Cook...our little secret...

The Quilter Cook