To Northport and back without benefit of car ferry

Yesterday was a lovely May Day, perfect for a ride around the Bay and out the Leelanau Peninsula to Northport. We got to Dog Ears Books in time for the great re-opening and I came away with my prize, a copy of Ed and Connie Arnfield’s Roadside Guide to Michigan Plants, Trees and Flowers.   The Arnfields were having a wonderful time at the author reception.  There were crowds of people.  There were treats, for heaven’s sake.  It was altogether satisfactory.

There were stimulating conversations, like this one with Dog Ears owner Pamela (PJ) Grath, who was extremely busy waiting on her flood of customers.

“Hello, I’m Gerry Sell.”
“Aaaack!!!”

Allow me to translate. “You made it! Either you’re really here or I’m hallucinating in the midst of all this chaos!” PJ and I have been reading and commenting on each other’s blogs for a good while now, but this was the first time we had managed to meet face to face. Hugs, laughter, goofy grins all around.  Satisfactory. 

It was mean of me to pounce on her when she was busy, but it was grand fun to be at the party. For one thing, PJ has many interesting friends and neighbors. Stephanie Mills (Tough Little Beauties, Epicurean Simplicity) was there, and Susan Ager, whose splendid Detroit Free Press columns have been referenced here before. Colleen Cooper was there. The organization consultant and executive coach shoots off creative sparks in every direction, and I am giving a lot of thought to her Possibility Parties concept, about which more later, I assure you.  (Colleen and I also discussed the advantages of a car ferry running from Northport to Eastport during the open water months.  Did I mention there was wine at the reception?)

On the way back home Miss Sadie, the Cowboy and I dawdled along.  We found a lovely patch of bloodroot, which we were able to identify from the Arnfields’ book.  (It’s a dandy, by the way, as it’s really about ecological succession and how plants fit into a community of trees, flowers, grasses.  Using it makes you see things from a different perspective, which is always useful.)

We stopped in Omena to admire the views.  OK, I admired the views.  Miss Sadie and the Cowboy admired the smells.  They were delirious with all the new scents to follow.  I suspect dogs welcome variety as much as humans do.

While we were there, I took a moment for a little quiet contemplation and discovered an astonishing elfin carving.  I’m pretty sure it’s a saloon and boardwalk straight out of the Old West.  I was very taken with it. 

Then we drifted on home, floating on waves of May Day delight.