Michigan

Other than the airport in Detroit, I’ve only been to Michigan once before. Many years ago I was invited by my brother to join him as his sailing team were competing in a race from Chicago (where he was based) across Lake Michigan to St. Joseph. It was super interesting for me given that I had never been on a sailboat. I realized quickly that my lack of skills would relegate me to the role of ballast. Which was fine with me. But throughout my time on the boat, I could really see the appeal of sailing. Not a likely pastime for me, however. I think that ship has sailed.

* * *

We arrived at the house early in the evening. The property is located in a gated community and after making our way through the entrance of the compound, it became clear that we were going to have plenty of activities available to us. On the left was a 9-hole golf course. After that, on the left were tennis and pickleball courts. On the right was a lake with a couple of kayakers. After the lake there were some basketball courts on the right. And so on.

We parked the car and carried our bags a short distance to the house. Decent-sized waves crashed into the rocks lining the lakefront. The air was pleasantly cool after the hotter temperatures of southern Indiana. We climbed the steps to the main entrance and proceeded to settle into our respective rooms. We were fortunate enough to have one on the lakeside of the house offering stunning views over the shimmering water. 

The house, built around 1900, had a comfortable, lived-in feeling. Family history was apparent in the décor and furnishings. It’s a charm you don’t find in more modern, sterile residences.
The house was able to absorb the twelve of us, albeit with one inflatable mattress. It’s a lot of people for a house that size but it ended up working out okay. 

As is our custom this time of day, we put on a kettle and started off with some tea while we took in the view. The early evening sun reflected off the lake and a couple of barges floated by in the distance. We had a brief orientation as to the rules we needed to pay attention to within the community, what activities were on offer (life jackets, golf clubs, oars, towels, etc.). 

Over the course of about three and a half days, we would eat well and bounce from one activity to the next. My kind of vacation. I did find a bit of time to read, but most of the time we were either on the go or sitting around catching up with each other. 

* * *

We were told when we arrived that at some point during the week, there would be a frog race. In fact, frog and turtle races. I’ve heard of such things, but I’ve never witnessed them before. This would be the last such event of the “season”. 

Apparently, this is an age-old tradition in this community, and it persists thanks to dozens of little kids (and their parents) that no doubt look forward to this each week. We were told that there are others in the community, however, that would like to see this tradition put to a halt, likely pointing out the cruelty to the little creatures. 

Having invested about a half-hour of my life observing the event, I don’t feel strongly one way or the other. On one hand, the passion of the kids for these races was palpable. I was picturing myself as a kid totally getting into this sort of thing. I also have a healthy respect for tradition. It’s sort of cool that this goes back decades and I heard parents talking about searching for frogs in the nearby swamp with the hopes of winning a blue ribbon. On the other hand, it’s not without potential carnage. I saw one frog slip through a little kid’s fingers and make his way under a nearby car The kid tried desperately to find it but eventually gave up. In all likelihood, the parking lot was the beginning of the end for the escapee. I’m guessing that others experience similar fates. Even if you don’t meet your demise under a radial tire, the whole thing involves a lot of trauma for the little creatures, even if they do eventually make their way back to the swamp. 

* * *

One evening we decided to check out the nearby lighthouse. It’s a prominent landmark featured on refrigerator magnets and local calendars. Still operational over a hundred years old after it was first lit, it sits at the end of a mile-long jetty. It was a pleasant evening, and after making our way out to the old structure, we stayed there for a while enjoying the evening. Storm clouds gathered on the horizon and appeared to be heading our way. The water was quite rough and as we look out, we noticed what appeared to be a woman on a paddleboard way off in the distance. It was hard to believe someone would be so far out in this weather. And she was heading farther out. At one point, a Coast Guard boat spotted her and appeared to offer her help. She waved them off and carried on. 

By now the storm was bearing down on us so we began to move quickly back down the jetty towards the shore. Finally, the paddleboarder also began to make her way to shore. As she came closer, we could tell she was no ordinary paddleboarder. She had some sort of special competition board with lights for boarding in the dark. Even from a distance you could tell she was a serious athlete. We worried about her for no reason. And yes, we were soon dumped on by a massive rainstorm.

* * *

Sadly, the fun and games came to an end. On Saturday, needed to get an early start for our four-hour plus drive to get to O’Hare Airport in order to catch an afternoon flight to Boise (via Minneapolis). 
All of the logistics meant a considerable amount of time on the road, maybe not by American standards. It seemed like a lot to us since we’re not used to it. But overall it worked out okay. If we have the opportunity to do this again next year, we may need to re-think the itinerary and logistics.

Indiana

It seems like years ago that we went on vacation. It was just over a month, but the relativity of time seems to be elastic. Time seems to stand still at traffic lights and accelerate on hikes in the mountains.

I’ll attempt to catch up.

Chicago

We left Nairobi on a cool night in the second week of July, though the start didn’t go as planned. The night we were to leave, we received a message stating that our flight was cancelled. After considerable confusion over the course of several hours, it was eventually confirmed that we would be put on a flight the following night. After all the stress, we woke up the next day to a day that we didn’t expect. I was already officially on vacation so we pivoted towards catching up on things in Nairobi, hoping we would indeed fly out that evening. And thankfully we did.

Charles de Gaulle airport with the Eiffel Tower off in the distance

Our plan was to arrive in Chicago, which is not something that we ordinarily do. O’Hare Airport was my arrival airport during the time that my brother lived there a few decades ago, but I have rarely passed through there since. The change this time was prompted by the fact that we would be ending up in Michigan prior to traveling to Idaho. Chicago made the most sense to be our hub this time, both logistically and financially.

We arrived early evening and the plan was to stay in a hotel near the airport before making the four and a half-hour drive to southern Indiana the following day. Heavily jet lagged, we ordered pizza, hopped in the jacuzzi during a massive storm, watched some bad American TV, and stayed awake as long as we could before falling into a deep sleep.

After a casual start the following day and lunch on the road, we were in Scottsburg by tea time.

Indiana

We would have a shorter time in Indiana given that we would be spending a few days at a vacation house in Michigan. After settling in, we smoothly moved into our routines of hanging out with family, exercising/going for walks, etc.

working off the food we are eating

We often go to a small theater across the river from Louisville. Senior citizens tend to make up a large percentage of their ticket holders, though it can draw a significant number of families depending on the production. We saw “Matilda”, a play that my daughters are familiar with having seen the two different movie versions more than once. 

the kids' table really doesn't have kids anymore

The evening begins with a buffet dinner followed by some great (albeit large) dessert options. The plays primarily make use of local talent and I’m always impressed by the quality of the productions. And interestingly, the cast also waits tables prior to the performance, during intermission and after the show. I think if I lived in the area, I would be a season ticket holder. It must mean I’m inching closer to the senior demographic.

birthday season

Of the four people in our family, three of our birthdays fall within 23 days of each other, all while we are usually traveling. I'm usually a failure and making these events sufficiently special. The girls would much rather be in Nairobi celebrating with their friends. The problem is, even if we were to stay in Nairobi over the vacation, almost all of their friends would likely be traveling anyway. But we do the best we can. 

Often when we are in southern Indiana this time of year, we are subjected to the usual hot, muggy weather. Though we did have some of that, we did have slightly cooler temperatures and a considerable amount of rain. In fact, many roads flooded and we had a few rather stressful sections where the water was up to the doors of the car.

* * * 

After about ten days, we headed north towards Michigan. My sister’s boyfriend kindly invited the family to spend a few days at his family house located on the shores of Lake Michigan. On the way, we passed through South Bend to visit a chocolate factory and an adjacent dinosaur museum. I won’t go into the reason we stopped nor the connection between dinosaurs and chocolate, but I was glad we took the time for the visit. It was much more impressive than I would have guessed.

dinosaurs & chocolate...and yes, they had chocolate dinosaurs

some people even look good in a hairnet

Kinaya helping out in the factory

After a quick lunch, we traveled the remaining three hours to our lakeside destination in Michigan.

The Homestretch

It’s not often that there are two Idaho stories on the New York Times front page. It’s not often that there is even one. Both stories involved white guys in their 20s brutally killing multiple people. Both incidents took place within an hour and a half drive of each other. Neither of the perpetrators was raised in Idaho. I’m not going to launch into any comment on these tragedies, though I think there is probably fodder for deeper reflection.

* * *

as seen on my way to the office in Nairobi

We’re now in the homestretch to vacation. I have no more travel to Somalia until August. I am exhausted and ready to have a break.

girl dad having Korean food with his daughters

The one bad thing about leaving East Africa at this time of year is abandoning the wonderfully cool weather in exchange for, what appears to be, very hot weather. It’s only for about four weeks, so I think we can handle it. I just really like Kenya this time of year. I hesitate to say that it’s chilly, since it doesn’t require a jacket (at least for me). But it hovers around the upper 50s and 60s F (14-20 C).

* * *

If you’ve been tracking international news lately, you might be aware that Kenya has been experiencing protests. Last year, on the 25^th of June, thousands of protesters stormed the Kenyan Parliament Building in response to the passing of a finance bill, part of a larger series of protests against proposed tax increases. The protest escalated when the police opened fire at the protesters. Nineteen people died during the demonstrations as a result of the police response. The president subsequently vetoed the bill the following day.

Kinaya with a cup of tea watching smoke risking from the protests in the distance

Though protests were already planned for this year to commemorate the above, and to protest broader public concerns regarding the rising cost of living and political corruption, fuel was poured on the fire a few weeks ago when a Kenyan blogger and teacher died in police custody as a result of mysterious circumstances. Outrage grew and the table was set for a pretty dramatic day on the 25^th. Many establishments across the city closed for the day in anticipation of possible violence (including my office and our girls’ school).

The growing challenge with these sorts of things is that people have a tendency to hijack protests because they are unemployed and/or bored, or because they are looking for prime looting opportunities. Violence erupts in what likely would otherwise have been a peaceful protest. It’s obviously not unique to Kenya, but it’s sad and undermines what should be a normal part of a functioning democracy.

As expected, things got a bit crazy last Wednesday. The Kenyan National Commission on Human Rights confirmed 19 deaths from gunfire, over 500 injuries among protesters, bystanders and police officers and at least 6 incidents of rape and sexual assault. It was another sad day for the country.

* * *

Aladdin
To finish on a lighter note, last week my daughter participated in a stage musical at her school. Though I was familiar with the movie Aladdin as well as the book, I didn’t know much about the musical. It turned out to be quite fun. It wasn’t Broadway (where I think it is still being performed), but the teachers and kids did a good job with modest resources. Unlike her father, Kinaya loves being on stage and our plan is to get the girls more involved in theater next year.  

For now, their year is done. Two joyous months of vacation begin. I remember it well (except we had three months). We never traveled halfway around the globe during my vacations, but I do remember that thrill of putting school behind me for a couple months. Though all the travel is stressful at times, I think we'll all enjoy a break for a few weeks.