The Occasional Update

After fostering a sassy and intelligent German Shepherd named Belle, my wife and I quickly adopted her, and she became a deeply cherished part of our lives through years of hiking, water sports, and steadfast emotional support. She loved me unconditionally through every up and down, and I will forever miss her after her sudden health decline and passing.

A trip to the North Shores has been five years in the making. If it was up to Pauline this trip would have been made four years ago (or more maybe), but I have been dragging my feet. My biggest issue with making plans to go north was in regard to traffic. My plan was always to leave town during the middle of some weekday other than a holiday to avoid the traffic.

Our final full day on the North Shore started off wet and breezy. We spent the morning catching up and sipping copious amounts of coffee. Pauline suggested a late breakfast to get the day started. She made us chorizo, eggs and hash browns with warm tortillas. The meal was filling and would haunt me later climbing the hills at Temperance River State Park.

Having not fully recovered from day one, Pauline was an early riser as she wanted to get a view of the sunrise from the shores of Lake Superior. I struggled to get out of bed and in my haste I put on the clothes from our previous days hike. No coffee or snack before we exited the door. Just harness the dogs and hit the trail off the back of the camper for the short trek across the road and up the shore to the picnic area.

For many seasons of my life, I supported a conservative agenda. While proclaiming to be a man of faith and conservative values, my actions were everything but those of a true conservative. I let others explain the contents of the bible instead of guiding myself through the good book. Instead of saving money, it was spent foolishly on pleasures. I failed to give my family the time and support they needed.