Saturday, August 29, 2009

Pink Dragons, Shipwrecks and Freebie!


We've had a crisis in the family this week. Ashley, the Mother of my 4 year old granddaughter, Payton, called in a panic. She said there had been a sad mishap while driving on the freeway. The car window was down and Payton, who was in the back in her carseat, was playing with her pink dragon, Lonnie, when it suddenly dawned on her that Lonnie might want to be set free. Lonnie is one of those mystical dragons with the tiny, little wings on her back. Makes sense, I suppose, that if those giant bumblebees can carry the load, a mystical, pink dragon could as well? Payton gives Lonnie a good hoist. Out the window she goes with Payton squealing, "Fly free Lonnie!" It didn't take her more than two seconds to realize the consequence of that move and that's when the world fell apart. She was inconsolable. "Lonnie is my best friend." "I miss Lonnie." "I want Lonnie back."

Payton is by no means a spoiled, temperamental child. She's really very sweet and loving. A little bossy now and then but she's a good soul so we all try to accommodate her. Unfortunately, Lonnie is a 2008 Webkinz release meaning you won't find a replacement in the stores. Grandma to the rescue! I found one on Amazon and had it shipped pronto. To soothe the broken heart in the meantime, we told Payton that Lonnie had flown to my house all the way to Michigan and she was very tired. She would come home after a few days rest. All is well. For now anyway.

Moving on... The Captain and I took a little day trip earlier this week to the upper peninsula. We went to the Tahquemenon Falls and Whitefish Point. It wasn't raining when we left but as soon as we arrived at the T. Falls parking lot, the skies opened up and really let us have it. Don't you just love those little glove-box sized umbrellas? We were prepared with one a piece so our day was not to be spoiled by wet, sticky clothes.

After the Falls and a little lunch, we headed to the Point. This area has the sad misfortune of having the most shipwrecks of any other point. It's said to be haunted. We concluded our tour in the boathouse where a gentleman from the Arther M. Anderson was answering questions. The A.M.A. was 7 miles behind the Edmund Fitzgerald when it went down in the '60s. He said the waves were 30' high. We're talking Lake Superior here folks, not the ocean. Imagine! Anyway, the boats were in radio contact with each other because the E. Fitzgerald had reported some problems and they were taking on water. The last transmission from the E. Fitzgerald was the Captain saying, "We're holding our own." Two minutes later, it dropped off the A.M.A.s radar. Ten minutes later the storm broke and the waves settled. The A.M.A. never saw any signs of the E. Fitzgerald.

Just as the gentleman was wrapping up his story, the fog horn started to blow. I thought this must be for affect but the fog had actually rolled in and you could no longer see the water. Have you ever heard a fog horn in real life? It's a sad, eerie sound. If anything could pull ghosts from the water, that sound could for sure. It was an interesting day.

Now on to lighter fare... I have a wordart freebie for you (as seen in the photo)! Click on the title of this post to go to my 4shared account to download. Photo was taken at the Tahquemenon Falls Park when the rain had slowed down a bit. Enjoy!

Happy Sails!