If home is where the the heart is, this place, this view, is home for me. The top of the beachwalk in Birchwood makes my heart happy. I drive miles to get here. I walk to the beach in all kinds of weather. And, every time I get to the top of the beachwalk, I stop and breathe in hard.
If the Lake is rough, I may have been hearing it roar all the way from my house. But the first glimpse that I get is a reminder that I am home.
If the Lake is calm, glassy smooth as it often is in summer, when I get to the top of the steps, I can hear children at play or a dog barking.
If the Lake is frozen, I am awed by the expanse and the absolute stillness that never happens otherwise. For even calm, the water laps at the shore in gentle wavelets that make the smooth gravel at the shoreline whisper.
If I go at sunset, I see the bright path on the water, and the world is bathed in rosy light.This home of mine renews my energy. After being here, I'm ready face my never-ending list.
Carl Sandburg lived in my neighborhood from 1927 to 1945: he wrote the Lincoln biography here on the dune overlooking the Lake. Roger Ebert has a house nearby; I meet him going in and out on the ravine road and see him in local eateries. He may write his movie reviews on the dune, too. I live here. Big chunks of my two books were written in this place. It's a writer's place.
Fall Break Greetings from Birchwood Beach
Harbert, Michigan
49115
Isn't it amazing how much place can anchor us? When I was in Senegal, I often thought of how the wind sounded blowing through the tree tops in East Tennessee. I would go up on the roof of the first house I lived in at dawn so I could feel a cool breeze and be reminded of my home.
ReplyDeleteI also enjoy that same place, and feel the same way every time I walk down the beach path. I can't wait to return to Birchwood. Kathy
ReplyDelete