Spring break in Petoskey

Petoskey's breakwater and Little Traverse Bay, March 2008

I think there's a reason one does not see much advertising encouraging folks to come to northern Michigan for spring break! A snow storm greeted us upon our arrival in Petoskey (followed by two more during our stay), elementary schools were handing out sleds to their kiddos as they ran outside for recess, snow piles were taller than me as I ran about the streets, ice fishermen huddled out on the bay (the two barely visible dots in the picture above are ice shanties). Not exactly the tropics!

Another, more sobering, thing greeted us as we were about 10 miles outside of town - a call from Petoskey's finest informing me that my mom was being taken by ambulance to Northern Michigan Hospital in town. She is now recovering, but is proving that both of my parents filled my gene pool with a boatload of stubborn and determination (qualities I more often attribute to my pop - but ma continues to surprise). The upshot of the hospital stay was the removal of one very nasty gallbladder followed three days later with the replacement of a completely deteriorated left hip.

I was so very thankful we were in town when all this happened - and able to stay an extra week. As we headed back to Boulder, mom headed off to rehab. Plans for a party on the deck to welcome her home are already underway - with snow banished and an abundance of sunshine of course!

Party-ready deck - August 1, 2007 - PJ's Run grand finale