Oh, Motown

This morning, like many mornings lately, I am thinking about the future of Michigan, particularly Detroit and the people in the auto industry. I am finding some good articles in the Detroit Free Press, which seem to be saying that there are mixed feelings about the potential of federal aid for the automakers. Overall, it sounds like optimists (largely Democrats) are expecting some sort of relief in next week's lame duck session. But opponents (largely Republicans) are quite against any help, saying the industry should use the $25 billion in loans that were approved in September for retooling factories. Problem is, those loans were meant to be spent over 12 years and thus are not readily available - maybe they could be sped up? One Representative (Boehner, R-OH) has argued that no money should be given without "promises to reform the root causes crippling automakers competitiveness around the world."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122645159441719325.html

This article is interesting. I have little sympathy for the car companies, since it seems shocking that they continued to produce large trucks and SUVs when it is obvious that low gas prices won't last forever (let alone oil supplies period), and that when this happens a large shift in consumer preferences is likely to occur. There seem to be a lot of comments in the press that fuel-efficient cars simply can't be made cheaply enough, and that consumers don't want them, but want big trucks and SUVs, which still turn a profit...that's infuriating to me, because the companies are saying "What can we do? It's what the consumers want. We have to make money." But it's also true.

I have kind of a visceral reaction to the calls for forcing the industry to use "competitive labor," which would basically mean breaking the UAW. But I am sure concessions will have to be made by the union, and that assumes the industry is still around to negotiate with... But some are calling for a gas-tax or gas price hike to get consumers to consider the real cost of gas when purchasing cars. That would seem to be a reasonable strategy, although I hate to say people should have to spend more for gas when I know people who will be hurt by it. Still, facts are facts, and - as quickly as possible, anyway - we need to be shaping our communities around transportation options that don't require so much fossil fuels, and (imagine this) maybe even less driving. We know our current car culture can't last forever, and our health will be better off if we can research new technologies and put them to market.

Detroit Auto Makers Need More Than a Bailout

This article suggests massive restructuring of the industry, with government oversight and an eye towards re-privatization. There is something to this suggestion too, but I'd like to know how wide a range of options our public officials are considering. I don't favor a bailout (and certainly not one without performance standards for the companies), but don't want to see millions of people wrecked by the industry's collapse. But we have more than 2 or 3 options here, don't we? Could there be a combination of options, like:

- A (gradual) gas price "normalization"
- Aid or incentives for retooling factories (despite consumer preferences, which are unrealistic)
- Cuts in labor costs (but with government aid to help pay for things like pensions and health care). I hate to say it, but it could allow more people to have jobs, even if lower-paying, and may prevent the pains of straight-up outsourcing.
- A government and privately-sponsored research program, which would let people further explore fuel-efficient transportation options. It could be the next great public investment in technology (not unlike the space race), create a pool of publically-owned intellectual property that could be used by any company who wants to try bringing it to market. We know that it's new companies that create the most jobs, and they are more likely to take a risk on new products...and frankly, why not? What do we have to lose, exactly?
- A break-up of the auto industry into smaller parts, likely with new management--this might be accomplished by a request-for-proposals from existing car companies and entrepreneurs, using existing technology and any that comes from the public-private research project above. It might even be reasonable to use existing factories and tools from the Big 3 for these projects, if the old dinosaurs went out of business or had to liquidate their capital.

I think it should be less about the existing companies, and more about how to get more technology, available cheaply, and more new jobs. About people, our environment, and a broader notion of "economy." Can't we be more creative?

What do you think?

Post-election post

This morning is one of high feelings, and feels auspicious (if that is the right word). I am just dizzy with excitement over Obama's election. For the first time in my life I was excited to vote in a Presidential election, and for once I look forward to the coming years as a time which may see a rise in our nation's morale and pride (not the divisive and righteous kind), and hopefully a widespread spur to action that will help our country into the future.

While that may sound too rosy, I don't believe this will all be the product of Obama's Presidency--and besides, it is dangerous to place too much hope and expectation on any one person. But I do think that, like myself, many people have been craving something for our country that no political leaders have been offering, and this election is a big expression of that craving. Unlike the past two elections that left me a little heartbroken and confused, this is a validation of the way I have seen America for years--a more balanced mix of "red" and "blue" states, with an upper Midwest that is true to its more social-democratic roots. Still a lot of fearful people and unfortunately racism across the nation, but at the end of the day a majority of people just who want to be forward-thinking and are finally willing to address some of the huge challenges we have with our domestic politics and economy (not to mention international standing). While there is still plenty of room for disagreement, over taxes and military strategy in particular, I am comforted by the fact that we just saw the highest voter turnout in several decades, and that enough people want the changes promised by this new leader. I pray that he won't let us down by failing to do as he has promised with taxes and job creation - issues I view as the meat and potatoes of current day politics. Can we please strengthen our nation with policies like the progressive income tax, without scaring moderates with over-regulation? Some things just have to be done, ya know?

That said, we have to remember that one person can't do it all. My biggest hope: let us be moved to action in whatever ways we can, to make the progress we've all been talking about! Be it energy, jobs and innovation, public transit and infrastructure, education...do something if you want it.

This morning I also spoke with my mom on the phone, who (while I don't fully understand yet) is disappointed and fearful about the Democrats' election. I didn't call her this morning, figuring she might not want to hear from her Obama-loving daughter so soon after election day. But thankfully she called me while we were each reading the morning paper.

Naturally, we had some back-and-forth about the election, she expressing her fear and foreboding about higher taxes and Pelosi-Reid in the Senate (I believe spending was her concern). She is worried because she knows little about Obama, claiming that he has "kept everything secret" about his life, like the schools he went to, or his grades, and of course his association with that crazy, vulgar, racist preacher...gah. All I could say in response is that I think he's been pretty open about his past, and the information is out there and has been coming out for 2 years; the "evil associations" name game doesn't do much for me since both parties can play that card if they want to--and correct me if I'm wrong, but are there not plenty of crazy, vulgar, even racist, white preachers around this country? Come on now. Just come on.

But hey - can we at least celebrate the success of a pro-worker party? That record is clear, with the vast difference in union support between the candidates and parties. This is one thing that is without a doubt good for us...it's at least something to celebrate, no? mm? She seems worried, despite all evidence to the contrary, that Obama will spend tons of our money on welfare programs for the poor...which fascinates me, since (a) this has not been part of his platform and (b) she experienced the benefits of public assistance, as well as the vitriolic attacks from people who think welfare is a lazyman's easy street. (People who joked that they should quit their full-time jobs with the state and go on the rolls, since it looks so good. Until she pulled out the check stub and told them where to go.) We both know that kind of talk is absurd, but isn't that the Republican Line? I am a little baffled at where the disconnect is. I mention this connection, and my confusion there, but I don't belabor the point. We've got plenty of time to try to understand each other after all, and at least we're keeping it civil. I think we could all use more practice talking about these tough issues with people we love...even if we don't agree, the ability to have dialogue and not shut down is important. Even if you have to change the subject often.

We talked about the good, the bad, and the chill - moving on from national hopes and fears, she informed me about the passing of Michigan's Proposal 1, which legalizes medical marijuana for the severely ill - score for humanity! Even if it's just one step toward reason, I am heartened. (Especially, though I don't say it, after their anti-gay legislation the other year. Michigan, give us something to go on here.) On this victory at least, mother and daughter agree. Yay!

career opportunities

Last night I was going through some boxes to see what I could get rid of. I do this sometimes, and it's almost always a chore that turns into hours of fun, kind of like a scavenger hunt. This time was no different. Of the more interesting things I found were a few old drawings, envelopes full of cut up words and images saved for collages, and old journal pages. Oh, the world of a teenage girl!! It wasn't all that long ago, so you might think it's easy to remember what I thought in those days. But it gets me every time, for one reason or another. I found my old list of "what i want to be", as well as a page with personal life goals, obstacles to getting there, and ideas for overcoming the obstacles. Very thorough! - did I mention that I amused myself while growing up an only child? Well yeah, there you have it.

Right after finding that, I came across an envelope with old documents from high school. Letters, a National Honor Society membership card (now those were some crazy times! er...wait I'm thinking of High School Bowl), and my results from the PLAN test that we took in 10th grade. This was a standardized test made by the same people who do the ACT. From what I can tell, it's just another career aptitude survey and academic yardstick to freak the kids out. I did quite well, since I was lucky to be a good test-taker, but what takes the cake is the "Job Possibilities" results. (I'd like to scan it and put it on here, but till then I'll just share this.)

Your Job Possibilities. In the chart to the right, Career Areas are grouped by Career Clusters (major types of work). Career Areas in line with your interests are shaded. To explore your job possibilities, follow the steps above the chart.

Doesn't that sound like fun? So much for natural curiosity. Then there is a "World-of-Work Map" that resembles a sliced pizza pie, with little dots scattered in the different slices according to what I'd be most likely to enjoy. Working with Data, Things, Ideas, or People? Not surprisingly, my dots are all over among the sections. Interestingly though, many of the dots are clustered in the "Things" section - which is not an area I've pursued much in college. There are lables for the dots, such as "Medical Specialties & Technologies", "Agriculture & Natural Resources", "Construction & Maintenance" and "Industrial Equipment Operation & Repair". When I read it, however, all I could hear was Sally Struthers' voice. Which probably helped steer me away from those areas. I also scored high in "Applied Arts (Visual)" and "Creative/Performing Arts". I definitely remember asking everyone what "applied" arts were, and how they were different from arts in general. The test suggested floral designers, commercial artists, architects and landscape architects. No one could tell me much more, so I figured plain old "arts" was good enough for me.

Tangent: This test was more helpful than that given by the military around the same time, which told me I'd make a great "combat specialist". How a stoned 16 year old pacifist shows potential as a combat specialist I still do not know. Maybe it was my emerging punk anti-establishmentism? I do know I failed the coding portion, because I was in no mood to decode encrypted 5-digit numbers or whatever it asked us to do. It was first hour, and I would have rather been, uh, enhancing the illustrations in my american history textbook.

But now the real treat of the scavenger hunt emerged! I found a survey, a photocopied fill-in worksheet, with all sorts of questions about myself. Not dated, but judging by my handwriting it appeared to be from junior high. Sure enough, it was a survey from 8th grade - that our teacher Mrs. Corcoran kept for us until graduation. {Comments bracketed in italics}

NAME: Rachel
AGE: 12
NUMBER IN FAMILY: 3
DO YOU LIKE???
MUSIC? yes
WHAT KIND? pop, rap, dance, polka, TLC, coolio {you know me and my coolio! he's my boy!}
SPORTS? yes
WHICH ONES? swimming, skating, volleyball, coccer {yes, with a "c"}
IN WHICH SPORTS DO YOU PARTICIPATE? figure skating, volleyball, tennis {so, i 'participated' in tennis, but didn't include it in the first question?}
MOVIES? yes Jim Carrey, comedy, horror!
TV? no SCHOOL? yes
TO READ? yes (fun)
STUDY? no {bullshit!}
DANCE? yes, it's fun fast and slow {well alright. let's be absolutely clear about this!}
SWIM? yes HUNT? no (?) FISH yes, smelt
PLAY POOL? yes ANIMALS? Y dog, cat, bunny
SMALL SHILDREN? yes
ARE YOU A NERVOUS PERSON? yes
SENSITIVE? yes and no
WHAT IS THE SUBJECT YOU LIKE THE MOST? art, band, health {health???}
WHO IS THE PERSON YOU LIKE THE MOST? my mom & dad, (step) ken, grandma
WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE DO YOU ENJOY BEING WITH? partiers, sensitive. {this makes sense to me, but...surveys shmerveys}
DO YOU PLAY A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT? yes
WHAT IS YOUR BEST QUALITY? humor, my hair, good friend {hair huh? i guess she didn't specify what kind of quality. my hair was pretty nice...}
WHAT IS YOUR WORST QUALITY? HABIT? sort of shy, picking my nails
WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO TALK ABOUT? boys, family troubles, singing {wow. hopefully only with close friends?}

FINISH THESE SENTENCES, PLEASE:
I WISH I COULD be a great musician/singer
THE BEST PART OF BEING ALIVE IS making yourself and others happy
I DO NOT LIKE TO be criticized
I AM HAPPIESET WHEN i'm with a good friend (cousin)
I WANT TO BE a singer, successful (beautiful)
IT MAKES ME SAD WHEN a family member dies
I LOVE life, friends, guys, music, dancing
THE WORST PART OF BEING ALIVE IS hate, war
WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO CHANGE ABOUT OUR WORLD IS make it more peaceful & have a woman pres. {i think i threw that last part in there because it just came to me and i was like fuck yeah! i never cared for it to be me, but i knew then that shit's gotta change}

WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO CHANGE ABOUT MYSELF IS my shy attitude,

...And that's how it's left. Some answers embarass me, others make me want to cry because they're so simple and honest. A couple I may have self-censored because I thought she would read them. I wonder if she ever did? But how cool that I got specific on these, because it's a trip reading them today at 22. I wonder if that's why she gave us this survey, so we could have an experience like this. She was an amazing and strange woman... Well, judging by these answers I wasn't so usual myself.

Madison, Wisconsin

So I finally made the trip to Madison to see UW. A good thing, considering I've already decided to go there. Thankfully the trip was no disppointment. The town was vaguely familiar, but I couldn't tell if that was because it resembles ann Arbor or because my first usas conference was held there five years ago.

...

riding the rapid

a man sleazes on a strange meek woman on the #9. "how old are you? ... wouldn'ta guessed that...you should wear a little makeup." his arm draped across the seat back behind her, the woman responds to his questions with vague answers and withdrawn silence. her eyes roam around the bus and out the window as she mouths words to herself, mouth gaping to reveal her crooked teeth. judging by the casts, braces and conversations, most of the people on this bus seem to be going to visit the doctor or pick up prescriptions. i just feel awkward, but also thankful for the way my life is turning out.

* * *

on my walk to the bus this morning, i heard a sound i haven't heard much since i was back home - classic rock. lola, in fact - the song about the transvestite. on the bus shortly after, there is an old man sitting toward the front with a brown wig plopped awkwardly on top of his gray hair. he turns, and i see that he is also wearing a bright palette of makeup. he smiles at the woman who just got on the bus, and proudly flashes his freshly painted nails. the irony of this commute just made my day. it was really surreal, made me wonder if i was really awake.

public tells uppity landowners to fuck off

"The Supreme Court overturned a ruling by the Michigan Court of Appeals, which said the state owns land below the high water mark but owners of adjacent riparian property have exclusive use of it and can kick others out." - Detroit Free Press

http://www.detnews.com/2005/metro/0508/01/metro-264320.htm

This court ruling made me very happy. I just wish I had been following the case, because I didn't even know it was going on (in the courts) until this news! Relates to my comments below on public access to the lakes.

The plaintiffs' attorney is quoted as saying, "This is not what riparians bargained for when they purchased their land." Well, I'm sorry Mr. Strattard, but being denied a walk on the beach is not what Michiganders bargained for when they found themselves living near 1/5 of the world's fresh water. Whether you moved here or were born here, the big lakes are a public good. Someone's claim to a plot of land should not be cause to deny everyone else access to such a great resource. Why don't we just go back to the feudal system while we're at it? Firstly, the lakes are large enough that claiming exclusive access to the beach is ridiculous. But it's also pretty presumptuous of a landowner to tell others to get out, when odds are the person isn't from the area.

I'd like to research this to see what the figures are, but in my experience the pretentious lakeside landowners are from out of the area. It's really offensive when for decades the people of an area enjoy a beach, then as soon as someone builds a house on it they start telling the locals to keep away. The house is seldom on the beach anyway, but is set further back. Regardless, they bring their fear and mistrust along with their big bucks. I've seen old public beaches sealed off with fences and even armed guards, because someone "didn't want people there breaking in or stealing their things". They just can't believe that people might just want to lay on the beach, like they have for years, and don't give a damn about the million-dollar house back on the dune. I understand that I have a personal bias - not all landowners are assholes, of course. But this kind of thing happens all the time in the U.P. It hasn't given me a good impression of the upper-middle class people who build "summer homes" up north and spend the other 9-10 months of the year down the line in a warmer climate. Maybe if you spent some time appreciating the particularities of the land, and contributed something to the community other than suburban-esque land use schemes, I'd feel obliged to respect your request for solitude.

Sadly, it's also the case that these are the people who put food on the table, for the locals who are dependent on seasonal tourism and service jobs for their livelihood. This is America folks. Has this already happened all over the country, or is it a more recent phenomenon?


I often wonder how far development will go - thinking, perhaps wrongly, that it would never reach into areas with cold climates or a lot of bugs. (There will never be freeways or strip malls by my home...I used to believe) But then, the city I live in now probably used to have a lot of bugs before it got developed. Maybe it was colder too, before there were thousands of cars circling around the pavement maze. On that note...what is the ratio in this city, of pavement to green? Even where there are trees to offer shade, is there really a lot of natural turf? Looking at maps and aerial photos can be very revealing, but I wonder what the actual acreage is.

in search of (visual) enlightenment

Alright, this is just ridiculous. I'm on the hunt for grad schools, and i hear that University of Toronto has a good sociology program. Navigating their website proves to be a bit of a bitch, though - an immediate turn-off, even though i understand that if i'm to be qualified for graduate research i should at least be able to research the schools i'm applying to. (Could this be why some schools make it hard to find straight information? hmmm....)

That's an understandable hurdle, however. Not everyone can have an all-star design-team for their websites and publications, least of all academic programs. But check out the handbook for the sociology department.

Is this a joke? The typos and word-art didn't stop my quest for knowledge, but by page 11 the choice of graphics broke me. I am giggling at the clip art - who is this guy? And what is he holding, a diploma or a billy club? How can i take them seriously when this is what they offering to sell their program?

Oh, and there are other gems too... UT offers a variety of Collaborative Programs to complement that prestigious degree.

"Great minds for your great future"...and the happiest student body ever. Grand Valley's catalogs don't even have this level of happy-sunshine imagery, though there is that story of the catalog that was Photoshopped to um, convey our racial diversity. (Yes, i shamelessly use 'Photoshop' as a verb. Deal with it)

So info-shopping is fun times all around. I do kind of wonder if this criticism is just my inner art-snob rearing its head from my Foundations days. Mismatching typefaces? No visual hierarchy? What barbarism is this? It could just be that part of the brain wanting use again, as it heads deeper into left-brained scholarly pursuits. Art classes were some of the best times ever, even if the focus here on modernist design got to be a bit much. Use that right-brain any way you can, kids! ;)

where the sidewalk ends

Tonight is a good night for a walk—and I know this because I just got back from having one. Waking up from my post-dinner “nap” at 3 in the morning, I decided it was time to get up and out of bed. But to do what? I asked in my sleepy state. Seize the…night? Everyone is asleep. Are my roommates even home? Yes. Didn’t I set an alarm? (no) Hmm. Is homework a reasonable pursuit right now? These are strange questions to have to ask yourself at this hour.

Rubbing contact solution into my eyes, I set to walking around my room. I notice you’re still up, computer. Why didn’t you wake me up earlier? Sleep mode is all the same to it I suppose. I look through the blinds and notice that the dark sky is full of stars. Hmmm. Should really be outside to look at them properly; there’s just too many to enjoy from in here!

And with this I threw on my jacket (I was still fully dressed, which made the decision easy) and crept out of the house. Every window in Laker Village was dark; the only lights were the RA’s porch light and the apartments in back of ours that seem to use their living room light for a nightlight even though they are never downstairs. Despite the darkness of the apartments, the lamp lights along the sidewalks cast a bright light on the (now awkwardly loud) sprinklers. I meander about toward the back of the ‘village’, realizing that if I want to really see any stars I will have to be far from these lights.

The parking lot behind the apartments stretches out for what looks like a mile before hitting the fields of corn and cross country trails. I walk in the general direction of the edge of campus, but still wonder if I will want to go that far. Well, I know I want to, but am not sure if I will. What’s stopping me? I have to laugh, realizing I have come to where the sidewalk ends. No choice now but to hit the road! Walking down the road feels strange, I think because this is something I never do since coming to school. When I am home, it never feels strange to take a late-night walk down the road to a place where I can see stars. (I could see stars from my back yard, but would rather get away from my parents to get a feel for my own space) There I am sure that when I walk down a row of dark houses, the people in them are fast asleep and that I am more likely to run into a nocturnal animal than another person. Here, that question is up in the air. Being on a college campus, even Grand Valley in June, I am not sure that I won’t run into someone if I walk off into the countryside at night. And if I did come across someone, would they be someone I wanted to meet on a dark road? The fact that I even think of these questions bothers me, as does the fact that I am thinking about them rather than enjoying the walk itself.

I leave the road where I see a dirt entrance into an empty field. Maybe from here I can see stars? After walking several feet, I realize that the plants under my feet are in rows. Oh! Corn…of course! Not wanting to squish them, I stand in place for a while. I am standing next to a tree that, though it always stood out while driving down the road, never seemed so huge before. Really, that is one big tree… It just stands there in the night, old and massive, like an aged sentinel watching humanity flourish and grow over the land. It watches me too, or maybe simply knows I am there, this little girl standing in awe of its old tree-ness. I don’t really warrant a watch, so much as the tolerance of my being there. There seems to be trust, but it is not absolute - I am still a person, one of those who is resonsible for things like the freeway, whose dull roar is eerily audible even from here. Time to go back to the road…

It is impossible now to not notice the roar of the highway, but it is easier to see the stars here away from the parking lot lights. I pick out constellations: my Scorpio, that weird W (“Cassiopeia”, whatever)…the familiar dippers. Well, from here the dippers are a little different; the big one is divided into slices by parallel power lines while the little one is skewered by a cell phone tower. I just have to walk further down the road to see the Little Dipper un-skewered. Much better. Right then I see a big shooting star. This always makes me smile, because it’s such a treat. I wondered who else saw it, if anyone? Quickly I tried to think of something to wish for. Nothing of the standard sort came easily, maybe that means I lack nothing? That’s a comforting thought. I am ashamed to admit, though, that I used this only shooting star I saw to wish for a safe walk. Was that really necessary? Couldn’t think of anything better to wish for? Too late now, you used your wish. Gah. Turning around lets me scan the area and the road I walked, which takes one away from the campus lights. Stopping to really notice the road, I can see that even though I am far away from the light, I can still see the light reflected in the road itself. Indeed, looking down at my shoes I can see that they are still lit up ever so faintly, and tall shadows stretch from my feet out over the road in different directions. I have about five shadows, and I thought I was completely in the dark! In a move I’ve done since my walks with Kiirsten on Horseshoe Bend, I lay down on the road. It is still warm from the day before, and you can nearly see all the stars at once from this perspective. Lying in the road is one of my favorite things on these summer night walks, when you know there are no cars coming for miles. Maybe because that’s such a rare opportunity?

I can’t help but think as I’m out here, how many people really appreciate living here? These nights in Michigan have to be some of the most beautiful imaginable. While not exotic, they are amazingly pleasant – the air not too warm but not chilly, no bugs to eat you alive (unlike up north), and relative peace and quiet in the places that still allow it. Enough of my peers probably spend these precious nights 1) indoors, 2) “going out” for fun, but not conscious of the night or the wonders of outside space or 3) waiting for the day when they move to somewhere “more interesting”. To these I can only say …well, nothing really. I’m too busy enjoying myself on my night walk. The experience speaks for itself. (Despite the fact that I am writing about it – the point is that this writing captures only some specific thoughts; it cannot document or recreate the experience of the walk itself. For that you have to take your own walk.) It’s a shame that most of us will continue moving too fast to realize what we’re missing, probably up to the very point of being too late…

Walking back down the road in the direction of the lights, these are my thoughts. The old tree is far away now, still standing at the edge of its field. The very thought of being afraid to walk out beyond it seems silly to me now. Was I really afraid? I can’t help but appreciate that I can take a latenight walk, without being afraid of the things that kept me indoors while living downtown:

“What I wanted to do was take a walk after dinner tonight. What I ended up doing was walking around the corner, then turning around to walk back to my front porch to sit and smoke a cigarette…” (7.23.04)

Not that I ever wanted to be afraid, but that’s just what happens. The struggle to be free from fear is a worthwhile cause. While I am aware of the box that formal education can impose on the mind, sometimes the box that fear imposes is less obvious. And it is especially ridiculous when the former is pursued only out of the latter...but that’s a ramble for another day. Speaking of which, I could start my homework now.

life's a beach

This evening erin and i went to the beach. noticing that they are charging parking fees at Rosy Mound, we decided instead to go to this little patch of beach further south. I find the orange plastic fencing most interesting, having never seen beaches with a fence running up to the water like this. I guess the property owners here are serious about people staying out of their view of Lake Michigan...


I can find it so funny that the beach itself can be divided by plastic fencing, and that this is the public beach, a 30-foot wide strip of sand out of the thousands of miles of lakeshore we have in this state. There can be no wondering why Grand Haven beach (et al) are so crowded in the summer, as people from all over the state migrate west for the weekend only to be directed to the designated "beach" areas. Our society is so weird. More on that here .

watching little kids play in the sand was one of the best parts of the evening...

chocolate cake cup cake chocolate