Day 8

Saturday. And I don't work. That is enough motivation to get me out of my bed and dance. Truth be told, there was no dancing though. I'll repeat that. I did NOT dance. Spent some time around the house, skyped with my good friend Pat who is living in the motherland, and was able to give in to nerdom and play Call of Duty.

The afternoon was a delight. Mowed the backyard, and then departed for one last final visit to the beaches of Grand Haven, accompanied by Melissa, her friend Olivia (who is Hungarian), and Melissa's brother Michael. The waves were behemothic, which I crave for our tiny state to have. It reminded me of California.... being able to dive into a wall of water that is pushing you in a similar liquid form to two sparring football players on the field. Took a walk out on the pier and was even more agape by the prodigious pounding of 15-20 foot waves. Absolute awe. The entire time there I spent thinking how we as humans are still at the mercy of the earth. The water, the seas, and the oceans are always retaining power over us. NYC is about to experience this truth with Irene swiftly approaching. Even when I was lying on the beach, the winds were so wild, that the tiny grains of sand that were flying fortuitously threw the air, gently piercing your skin in thousands of spots reminded me that this is not our home. This is Earth, and she still runs the show.

Ended the night with a end of the summer bonfire at my good friend Noah's house, which is a regular haven for bonfires in general. Lauren, Chad, Alena, Melissa, and Heather were all present, and we just sat around a fire, drank (I topped off the bottle of Lucky Duck wine. Thank you, thank you), and just had fun. Simple night. So thankful for my friends..... so thankful. Whatever the future brings, your friends need to be brought along with it.

- The bonfire gang. thank you all for your friendship. Sincerely -