Washington Island- The Heart of Wisconsin

Wisconsin- August 16-17 (I've been having a hard time connecting on wifi, thus the delayed posts)

Every time I am able to just drive on a ferry in a humane
manner, I remember the craziness of Martha's Vineyard and
the Steamship Authority- take that SSA!

Until Tuesday I hadn’t realized that I’d been missing the spark that I’d felt earlier in the trip, that sense of being so delighted with where I am and all that’s around me. I realized it because I felt it again, the moment I drove off the ferry. Washington Island is a small island, accessible by car ferry, at the tip of Wisconsin’s thumb, or Door County. 721 people live there, mostly of Scandanavian extraction. It sits in the cusp of Green Bay and Lake Michigan, woods and hayfields predominantly. It is meant for 30 mph driving- I drove 25.

I fell in love with Jeannie, the most engaging
octogenarian museum docent ever.

It was the quiet, rural, friendly, solid nature of the place that drew me. Like being back in Canada with those steady, straightforward folk who smile easily and are ready for a chat. Maybe there was also the ingredient of never being more than ten minutes from the water in any direction. That immense freshwater magic of the Great Lakes- pinch me.

Stated by Chief Roy Oshkosh, last titular head
of the Menominees in 1890s.

That susceptibility to the quality of a place determining my mental and emotional wellbeing has me pondering. I can find the good in things with the best of them, although the skill had worn thin my last few months on Maui. But the spring in the step and joy in the heart that comes upon me in certain settings is unnerving- delightful and cause for reflection.

The small museum I visited was started by this
Dane to share the Native American artifacts
he'd found in his working of the land. I was told
Danes don't smile, but this man is all smile. I wish
I'd known him.

I seek the ground between the realms where I can say ‘it’s all good’, and feel that profoundly. This trip is a lesson in choosing a path, out of millions, and finding it 'all good'. Each moment holds the promise of an occasion to be embraced- to find the made-for-Melanie-ness of that moment.

Another opportunity to go skinny dipping in a Great Lake-
two down (Superior, Michigan), three more to go.

And yet, these hardworking, community-oriented farmers, loggers, fishermen, and craftspeople who look at life plain and don’t expect more than they can make happen are the perfect antidote to my frustrations with my fellow peeps. And their lovely island in these clean, clear waters will be the image I will hold as favorite for Wisconsin.

I have seen a number of Bald Eagles on my journey. Special every time.