Tulip Time ~ 2007

'Splendor' by Catherine McClung

May 9 Wed 2:00P Volksparade (1.5 hrs)

May 10 Thu 2:00P Kinderparade (1.5 hrs)

May 12 Sat 2:00P Muziekparade (2.0 hrs)

Consider that a seat must be found no less than 2 hours prior to parade start time. Even if said seat is located towards the end of the parade route. Typically, if I plan to attend the Saturday parade, I trot my buns down to Holland High School about 7:30 Saturday morning, find a few square feet of open grass, mark my spot like a dog and pray nobody pilfers my blanket. Gee, you'd think it was the Rose Parade.

Since I no longer have a child marching with his class in the Kinderparade, I recommend the Saturday parade, with prayers for no rain. I've been fried in the sun, miserable from the heat but I've also been frozen stiff, miserable in near freezing rain. Ya never know! Saturday is not only a bigger parade, it's also longer. I always park at Aunt Trudy's, or Brother Tom's house. They both live about 3 blocks from the end of the parade, which is at Philip's school. The bad part about this is that the marchers are pooped by the time they get to us but they do rather well nonetheless. It's a good spot. Many folks in the crowd at the end of the route are there because they're picking up a parade participant -- everybody knows everybody -- fewer tourists. And, it's an easier exit.

Finding that I am frequently kicking myself for not having the camera for that 'Kodak Moment', I need to go back to a bigger purse. It's much more pleasant to include a photo of the day. Otherwise it's just blog, blog, blog.....blah, blah, blah.....

Thus, another Parrish....'Waterfall'

I went patio furniture shopping tonight. Egads is that stuff expensive. I REALLY want comfy & practical stuff on my patio but I REALLY don't want to pull the wad out of the bank right now. Timing's never right to splurge. However, the patio IS, in truth, another room of the house in the summer and it is definitely one of my personal happy places. Sunshine, moon, stars, birds, squirrel, chipmunks, rabbits, raccoon, lake sounds and scents -- SUMMERTIME! It also does NOT include a TV and is, for me, an escape. Yeah, okay, it's justified. Besides, then Connie can have my Fiskars chaise lounge, for which she has been searching the world over.

So, what do I do with the 2 really cool, perfectly good, vintage metal lawn chairs that could be wonderful if somebody chose to be handy? I really want to keep them but....I also have 2 vintage wrought iron table bases with no glass tops & 2 matching chairs. What to do with all this stuff??? I need a barn. A barn with a work bench. Someday maybe, baby! In the meantime, the shit's still gotta go. I think of 2 piles: Donate or Dump.

I've been enjoying new tunes this weekend -- Greatest Hits of Lynyrd Skynard, as well as Molly Hatchet. This brings the ipod library to 2,569 songs, or 9.66GB of files, or 1/3 consumed memory, or 40.2 days of listening pleasure. Someday I'll pop it on 'shuffle' and let er go till done. We tried this once and couldn't keep from cheating. You're not supposed to skip ahead!

Bets started a few weeks ago in my neck of the woods: Tulip Time or Stem Fest? Stay tuned.....

New schedule posted for Indacoda Blue.

Tom: Update! Hint..hint...got Thunder photos?

Julie: Your mother cooks/bakes, I clean up. I don't do dough!


Think: Evening Thunderstorms; Daily Sunshine --

Twas a picture perfect weekend. Started out Saturday AM, just me, the Jeep, and tunes, heading toward Indiana. I spent the day with my dear bud Connie, dodging Amish buggies, bikes and horse shit piles in the road. It was a gorgeous day to toodle the back roads of Elkhart and LaGrange counties. We procured baked goods, assorted bird seed, peanuts for squirrels, a Martha Washington geranium for mom, and an Amish lunch for us. The country was alive with people and critters, including a tiller pulled by 8 Belgians, harnessed 4 abreast. It was a great day but a lot of time in the car.

Are you aware that cookie dough tastes better in the rough than it does baked?

80+ degrees today with no clouds. Awesome day. I am enjoying a tingle to the pink tone acquired on the patio this afternoon. Ahhh, heat.

After spending time this morning cranking out a couple loads of laundry, as well as focusing on a couple phone calls from the office, I spent time with two of the most important people in my life, Frank and Barb. I love and respect these two people dearly. I think we've reached a resolve with each other, to some degree. As time moves forward, what is truly 'important' is what ultimately prevails, despite the delta between our lifestyles and beliefs. Somewhere, however, we ultimately find communal ground.

Looking at the umpteenth condo with them over the course of 10 years, I have a feeling that what we saw today may finally be the last hurrah for these guys. They've got more patience than I do, tis for sure. We'll see how the deal goes down but I'm hopeful that we can help move them into the next phase of domicility (is this a word?). Zeeland would suit them well.

So, why is it that my ultra conservative, Calvinist parents, virtually adopt the local baker boys who don tattoos, earrings and long hair, but yet they can't tolerate their daughter's long, kinky do? Nor can they understand same daughter's seemingly indifference to her child's rather skanky locks. Why get your tit in the wringer about something that shall pass? As the Wise CJ Oz would say, ' ya gotta pick your battles'.

This afternoon I had the rare pleasure of sharing a few hours & 2 bottles of wine with a very special friend. I had a rare opportunity to let go; to free myself of an honest reality weighing heavily within for so long. It helped.

This evening I found Petoskey, sea glass, and a few other assorted stones at Oval Beach, as the sun was setting. It was a lovely evening with a very calm lake. After 2 bottles of wine I found no issue with finding a discrete spot along the beach to do what I needed to do.

Walleye at Spectators this evening. I'm finding a pattern to Friday nights. Somehow we seem to end up here. Decent food; good music; sports bar. And close to home.

Saw deer at Saugatuck Dunes State Park again this evening.

Plans are for me to visit with my bud, CJO tomorrow in Indiana. I am so looking forward to it. See ya 'bout 10A, darlin.

All in all, a rather full day, wouldn't ya say?











Lake Michigan from Alligator Hill, Glen Lake, Michigan - July, 2006

During my formative years, this was quintessential to what life was about. Every Friday, beginning about 3P, LAV-FM played what became known as 'the Friday Song'. It took me awhile to find it. Wish I had a wav file to share.


Shanty - by Jonathan Edwards

Gonna sit down in the kitchen and fix me something good to eat.

Make my head a little high and make this whole day complete.

I’m gonna lay around the shanty, mama, and put a good buzz on.

Well, pass it to me, baby, pass it to me slow.

We'll take time out to smile a little before we let it go.

We’re gonna lay around the shanty, mama, and put a good buzz on.

Well there ain't nothin' to do and there's always room for more.

Fill it, light it, shut up and close the door.

We’re gonna lay around the shanty, mama, and put a good buzz on.

Gonna sit down in the kitchen and fix me something good to eat.

And make ourselves a little high and make the whole day complete.

We’re gonna lay around the shanty, mama, and put a good buzz on.

Every night and day!

We’re gonna lay around the shanty, mama, and put a good buzz on.

Hey, don't get excited. This is last summer. I'm just getting anxious. 60's & 70's are predicted this weekend, with sunshine. I'm looking forward to cruising my Jeep to Indiana Saturday to spend a day with my pal. We are committed to a new adventure.

I had a pang of melancholy this evening while attending a session at West Ottawa High School about transitioning to college. I found myself at my high school alma mater, though it is only 2 years old. The building where I attended high school was built in the 60's. When I arrived in 1972 it was 7th through 12th grade, representing both junior and senior high. Today it has been converted into a middle school and the high school has a new home. It's a mega-school with more technology than printed material. It even smelled good inside.

It also hit me this evening that this year marks 30 years since I graduated from that institution. Egads -- what an incredible thought!

Hey, Go Panthers!

Glen, by Maxfield Parrish

One of my favorites

There were 4 of these guys at the park this morning. Saw them on one side of the entrance road coming in. They moved across the road as we were leaving, which is where I took this photo. In all the years I've been coming to this park, it is only the entrance area where I have actually seen deer.


These dudes were brave. While the sun was shining and there were no clouds, it was chilly at the lake. I was happy to have my earmuffs but regretted that I didn't have gloves.

From Saugatuck Dunes we headed into Saugatuck to pick up cafe latte (I said toffee latte but, oh well....to make matters worse he forgot the second key ingredient to toffee latte....whipped cream). Onward ho to Oval Beach where a tiny Petoskey was found, along with a few other goodies. I'm dying here as I can see Petoskey in the lake but it's too dang blasted cold to consider venturing. I did jump the water to secure a lovely fossil I couldn't pass on.

This afternoon has been lazy and wonderful. A needed nap; a little cooking; some laundry; and a visit from my sister, which resulted in the requisite country drive. Making a vague plan for next weekend which involves men and children taking a whirlwind trip to Thunder over Louisville, by way of Butler University in Indy, while Con and I seek out a new adventure, yet TBD.

The sun this evening set like a fried egg. Lake Michigan gently rumbled, flowing dark like molten jade. It was a beautiful sunset, complete with seagulls bombing the lake, coming up with their catch of the evening. My catch was a few pebbles and a Louisiana quarter in the parking lot.

The heart and soul remain bruised by recent events. The light burns dimmer. I know the fuel generated by the hamster wheel isn't going to cut it.

Wow! I just realized I've been doing this nearly a full year. It may not be consistent but there is a regular presence.


The Boys....

April 21 - Village Inn - Be there or be square.....

No photo tonight. Just a quick post, only because I'm here.

I've been a bachelorette for the second night in a row. I could DEFINITELY get used to this. Outside of having to leave work at a reasonable time (oh, darn) to allow puppy to relieve himself after 12 hours, I am responsible to no one -- until about 10:00 tonight, that is. Dude is in Lansing all week at some building inspection tadoo, child spent 2 days in Chicago museum hopping. Including, I might add, a trip to the Museum of Science and Industry to see Body Worlds 2. If you haven't seen it -- GO! It's definitely worth it. I saw the exhibit in Chicago 2 years ago. It's amazing.

So, last night it was Cold Mountain all to myself. Tonight, it's a glass of wine and, hmmmm.....not sure which one yet.......TBD.....

You know, it's a strange feeling to walk into my house 2 nights in a row to find it exactly as I left it in the morning. Not a thing out of place. Bizarre.