Haven in Glenview

As Adam and I dined on Steak and Shake burgers Tuesday night in an attempt to put off our three and a half hour drive to his parents’ house in Chicago, I couldn’t help but think about how much I was going to miss all the trees. We loaded up Ella and hit the road.

Ella and Adam ready to go!

After the first hour or so, I started to deeply regret our decision to not only bring Ella but also our decision to not keep her contained and rely on me holding her the full duration of the trip. It was almost as bad as having an infant shrieking for three and a half full hours. When we stopped briefly in Michigan City, our only stop, I leaned over to Adam and whispered, “never again…” then hastily made a break for the Speedway bathroom. An hour away from Adam’s house, Ella managed to break free and maneuvered her way into the back seat of the car. This only further escalated her anxiety as the screeching cat pounced up to the back window of the car. Ella then proceeded to scutter down the side of the seat and pee on my ratty old boot. When we arrived, we quickly moved her into the basement where she would be staying and unloaded the car.

The next several days were not nearly as eventful. The following day, we decided to take a break from all the traffic and noise to get away to a little forest preserve called The Grove. This nature haven in the middle of the busy suburb of Glenview brought me back to the forests of Michigan.

I risked life and limb venturing out on an icy old bridge to get this picture!

Aside from a few stray visitors, the secluded area was empty. The snow gave the forest a new disposition. We walked along the side of the mucky dirt path, following the muddy footprints left behind by other guests. We kept the conversation flowing, in order to avoid the complete silence of the woods. After a few minutes of walking along the trail, Adam started telling me about the deer. He told me that it was very common to see deer in this area and to watch out for one. Whether it was my imagination or not, but the way he referred to seeing a deer sounded not dissimilar to the way I imagine a safari guide might refer to seeing a zebra. His reaction was unsettling to say the least.

Deer tracks are spotted!

Then, we saw it. Not far from where we were standing, something started moving in the thick, dense underbrush. As it pushed it's way through the barren bushes, a deer slowly emerged from behind the trees. However, this deer looked different from the deer I've seen in Michigan. His disposition was different. He was a small buck, completely alone, and unafraid of humans. One antler pointed upward, while the other pointed downward. While I was initially filled with joy at the first sight of him, the joy was quickly defused by the pity and sadness I felt for this animal as he slowly trotted off back into the woods.

Young deer is soon spotted!

Since the Grove closes at around dusk, promptly after seeing the deer, we turned to head out. This Thanksgiving, I'm thankful that we Grand Rapidians have more than small reserves to retreat back to whenever we get stressed out and need to get away from civilization. It makes me love the state of Michigan that much more!

Heading back home!

November is Upon Us

It’s that time of year again. I knew it had to be as I stood shivering in the freezing cold weather of 52 degrees, waiting for bus 50 to roll around the corner to pick up passengers at Kirkhof. As I hustled to get to Kirkhof, after briefly stopping in at work, I came to realize that I was the only person who looked underprepared for the weather.

As a 50 rolled up and the other students, eager to get a heated seat in the rear, jabbed and forced their way to the back I managed to snag a rear seat in the far right corner. And it was, of course, not heated and covered with God knows what. As I leaned slightly forward on my nasty seat, trying to avoid sitting on the substance, the bus started to roll out of Grand Valley and onto M-45. As all the other students on the bus sat quietly, iphone and smartphone screens inches from their faces, I put my phone away. Not a fancy iphone with dozens of apps, but a clunky little black verizon phone that has been dropped and thrown at least a hundred times.

Turning away from the bright, blinding lights of the iphones and unwelcoming faces, I turned to look out the window. Earlier in the Fall, starring out the window on the bus 50 route was one of my favorite things to do. Unfortunately, so many students are so absorbed in their technology they don’t even realize how beautiful and scenic the route actually is. The most beautiful part of the drive is when we first leave Grand Valley in Allendale. The trees in early autumn are heartwarmingly beautiful and tinted with shades of gold, orange, and scarlet red.

However, this only really applies to the first two months school is in session. As I stared out the window as we drove on, all the trees stood barren, scarcely a leave to be found. Whenever we passed by a tree that did have leaves on it, they were a crisp, ugly brown. Even the birds’ nests built precariously in the tops of the trees seemed barren and empty. All the trees we passed had the same melancholy disposition. They stood in the lonely, barren frigidness that is November as we drove on. And no one saw their loneliness but me.