So, back to yesterday - how could any day not be awesome when you start with a smiley face water tower in your viewfinder once you hit the highway?
I think I heard somewhere that astronauts are woken up each morning with a song. So, in honor of our last space shuttle flight, I've started sharing the song of the day with the McCoskey van, via walkie talkie, once we hit the road. Don't know the name of Monday's song, but it the one saying 'it's not about the money' by Jessie Jay(?). How true is that of this trip! Today's was a BeeGees song. Not that there was a message in the song, it was just a kick back to the days of our youth. I LOVED the BeeGees! Of course, Luke didn't know who it was.
Misc shots:
We drove about two hours then stopped at Burger King for a bathroom break. When we all made it back to the vehicles, we decided to have lunch so did another double-back. (We even missed the stop here!)
Our first scheduled stop of the day was at the 45th Parallel marker. Although it was on the plan, none of us knew the significance, so both vehicles did a Google on our way there. The geography lesson of the day: it's the 1/2 way point between the equator and North Pole. The sign even says so as Frankie points out below.
(And, yes, double back onto Hayes-Tower Road to get to it. Rather than keep saying this, let's just all assume that there is at least one U-turn at every stop!)
Dave seemed to be getting all sentimental at this stop, so Nikki said someone needed to get him a Pringle.
Dave + driving = constant junk food. By the end of the trip, he thinks the steering wheel may be getting in his way.
We headed out of there for our next stop of the World's Largest Bottle of Beer. The picture is crooked, not because we were enjoying the beer on the drive, but because the camera was propped on a cooler so I could use the timer and get everyone in the picture. I'm sure on one of these, it's going to show my rear as I'm running to get from the camera and into the pose. This one was quite the run.
I had to replace the childrens' beer bottle memories with more wholesome ones, so we traveled to Petoskey, MI in search of Artisan Springs on Lake Michigan. Lake #1...sand beaches and water as far as you can see; looks like the ocean. BTW - 2nd geography lesson - Lake Michigan is the only lake completely in the U.S. I won't go into the five pages of information that I have on the lakes. If you're really interested, I can email it to you! : ) We wandered the beach a bit, stuck our feet in the water (some of us), decided the hike to find the Springs wasn't worth it, and moved on.
Also in Petoskey is the Archangel Grotto at the Marian Center. While I may not be the most religious person around, this place is AMAZING and AWESOME and everyone should visit! I think it is my favorite of the trip so far.
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| Raphael, Michael and Gabriel (9 ft tall) |
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| Mark & Frankie |
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| Nativity Scene |
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| Going down the path to the Stations of the Cross |
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| Don't ask! |
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| Tomb of the Unborn Children |
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| Luke finds the World's Largest Dandelion |
Although the Center was closed for the day, the very gracious lady that manages it (Julieann?) came out to tell us the history. I know I am missing large parts of the story, but a lady named Barb Smith started the center with a vision of how she wanted it to be, and with her husband, started putting it into place. They were looking for land, and a shed on this property was light blue which reminded Barb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, so they bought the property. Barb's daughter committed that if anything happened to Barb, she would continue the Center. When Barb was 56, she had a massive heart attack, so her husband and daughter took over. Because the daughter got married and had four children in four years, they were looking for help which is where Julieann and her husband, Bryan, come in. They now manage the site. As I said, there are many details to this beautiful story that I haven't put here. I may have to pick Lisa's brain on this. Juliann did tell us that Barb Smith, always said: “Not one person comes down this driveway without being sent by our Blessed Mother.” which to is very thought-provoking. The Center became known as a place that would take statues when churches closed, and today, are able to give back some of those statues as new ones are started.
I picked up the Teen Creed while I was there, and while many teens may skip over this part, it is so true, so don't skip:
Teen Creed
Don't let your parents down - they brought you up.
Be humble enough to obey, you may give orders some day.
Choose companions with care, you become what they are.
Guard your thoughts. What you think, you are.
Choose only a date who would make a good mate.
Be mster of your habits, or they will master you.
Don't be a show off when you drive, drive with safety and arrive.
Don't let the crowd pressure you. Stand for something or you'll fall for anything.
Needless to say, I could have spent hours here, but it was time to move on. More information can be found at www.MarianCenter.org.
Going to another 'page'.
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