Our Beloved Lake Michigan

My husband and I had a date day recently. He had originally taken that day off for us to see our son off to the airport for his trip to Europe with the German class, but with that getting rescheduled for 2021, we decided to make the most of the day and enjoy the beautiful weather! Although we had been reading about a lot of difficulties at the lake front beaches, and we were a little nervous, we decided to give it a try and head North! 

It was 90 some degrees that day, no breeze anywhere, not even at the lake. It takes us about 40 minutes to get there, and we always go early to beat the crowds and riff raff. Some times we'll stop at the Dunkin' Donuts that is along the way and we'll get coffee and a doughnut to enjoy on the beach. I'm always antsy though to get up and moving to start picking up garbage. I don't know how people can just walk right past it and enjoy their time at the beach sunbathing while being surrounded by it. I hope I never become that person. Getting to the lake early also usually means calm waters until boats and wave runners come out and then we get the lulling sound of the crashing waves.

I have a system of a zigzag walk to try and spot as much of the garbage as I can, and I walk a long distance and then turn back and do the zigzag again back in the other direction I came from. That really makes a difference, coming back the other direction. Sun, shadows, etc. I always find stuff that I missed. While I am always looking for garbage, I also keep my eyes open for little treats from Mother Nature, but I really try and focus on that when the working part is done.

I found the usual trash that day...cigarette butts, various food packaging plastics, toys, swim goggles, plastic cigar tips, lighters, a Posh vape device, bottle rocket debris, elastic hair bands, and a large chunk of broken glass from a beverage bottle. I no longer go barefoot on the beach and keep my EarthRunners on. I also had to go out into the lake to fish out a plastic food bag floating in the water but sadly had to leave another one that was too far out for me to get to. That kills me to have to leave behind what I can see. 

Once I had filled my bag up, my arms were shaking from the fatigue of carrying the bag for garbage, a little plastic toy bucket for treasures, my phone, and using the grabber to pick things up with. While hubby said all morning that he'd help me carry stuff, he bailed as usual once it began and opted for a walk and a nap. He got his though when two young boys walked by with their mother and pointed out that he was sleeping and should be kicked off of the beach because nobody should sleep on the beach, they should be playing. HA! I loved that!

I took a little break and sat down for a moment before heading out on the other side of the beach to pick up garbage. I could tell an older man was watching me, and that's not uncommon when I am out there picking up garbage. A lot of people stare, which I just don't understand, and some say thank you as they walk past me and lay out their stuff and have a good ol' time without ever picking up a piece of the garbage they walk by. I can't judge people though, I know. But it is frustrating. The man that was watching me called out, asking what I was finding. I got a little closer and we talked for a bit, him telling me that he lives up there in town by the lake, but didn't know about a clean up group that meets once a week. So I told him a little about that. 

Now, I don't need a clean up group to pick up garbage. I've been picking up garbage on that beach for YEARS, posting the pictures and previous blog postings (that have now been deleted so I can start fresh) on our FB business page. (Soapwood Carvings). I begged for people to do even just a little bit each time they are there, and nobody ever reached out to me. I will keep the rest of my comments to myself, because I don't want this to become about something other than our beautiful lake and honoring her while also planting a seed with people to help take care of her.

This nice man offered me one of his rocks that he had found. I initially refused, it didn't feel right, and if they called out to him, they should be his. But ultimately I agreed and chose a rust colored granite. I'm a sucker for granite. It was time to move on, as my arms were shaking again with holding everything and although the shoulder I had surgery on feels pretty good, the other really bothers me and I have to really think about my posture, etc. So, I headed back to hubby.

It felt good to not really be on any time constraint or to have our grown boys with us asking when we were leaving an hour after we got there. It was just the two of us, taking our time, laughing, reminiscing about how we'd take the boys there when they were little. We went for a walk out to the water, and although it was cold, you get used to it really quickly. The water is SO clear anymore! Lake Michigan used to be darker, and the clearer water--while gorgeous--isn't really a great thing for the creatures that live in and relied on murkier waters. Zebra mussels have been a big part of that issue and while I don't find many shells of them along the shore, we hear about them.

I also have a method for looking for what I call "pretties". Anything that Mother Nature and the lake offer me in appreciation for cleaning the shore. The biggest gift of the day came from seeing a Tern feeding off the shore. I initially thought it was a gull, because that's pretty much all we ever see there, and commented on the behavior that I had never seen from one before. It would circle the water, then dive down in, completely submerging itself, and then fly back up and out again. Then it started flying our direction and as it was flying, it shook the water from its wings!!! What a beautiful motion that was to witness! And then I could see that it wasn't a sea gull after all, it was a Tern!!! (which is a type of gull, though not as commonly seen around here.)

(image from allaboutbirds.org)

It had a such a vibrant orange beak and legs!!!

And then in the water, doing my method for finding pretties, I run across these beauties. Completely submerged, but waiting for me. The quartz was literally glowing, the crinoid conglomerate textures catching my attention and begging to be picked up. Don't worry, this part of the lake, you are allowed to pick up rocks, though there are places across the shores of Lake Michigan where you cannot.

Then I took our youngest son up to the lake yesterday morning to help clean up with a group that meets there, get him some fresh air, and some volunteering experience that he can put on resume's. He spent an hour, I spent about an hour and half picking up more garbage. The usual stuff, though this time I found rusty metal instead of broken glass, and food scraps (highly irritating), and water balloons (so.freaking.dangerous. to the wildlife!). Orange rinds, chicken bones and pistachio shells. The way some people rationalize that, I'll never understand.

I didn't drop this garbage, but I'm out there picking up before I allow myself to enjoy the beauty and benefits of having such an important natural feature available to us. I can only hope that each and every person who steps on its shores can adopt the same way of thinking. If you are one of the people who drop your garbage on the beach or in the water, you should not be allowed to enjoy those places.