Mr. Grinch
The parade had several Mr. Grinches, this was the ‘furriest’. He was more popular than Santa!
Happy Float
These girls were happy and eager to get the parade started while one of the moms gave last minute instruction.
Jingle Dogs
In America we love our pets. We dress them up and and parade with them.
There were so many happy dogs, ‘good boys’ in the parade. These two looked confused….but well behaved and festive.
Edit: After looking at the post I realize I *did* take photos of dogs that were thrilled to be in the parade. These are the shy ones.
Christmas in a Small Town
On the first Saturday in December our neighbor to the south, Grand Haven (Pop. 10,500 ?) holds their annual Jingle Parade. The parade has grown over the years and it seems the whole town turns out to be in the parade. Actually, the entire Tri-Cities area, Grand Haven, Spring Lake and Ferrysberg participate.
I’d like to post a couple of these happy, seasonal photos every day leading up to Christmas. I found so much joy that night of the Jingle Parade, despite the chill rain. Even if you celebrate Christmas it can be quite difficult at times to keep the cheer of the season. These photos of happy people made me happy. May they be my gift to you, a ‘lift’ for Yuletide.
Santa Cookies
Morat’s ‘get’s’ Muskegon. They are new to town but know their new home well. We are diverse.
Morat’s ‘gets’ Muskegon.
Morat’s bakery, awesome bakery, was also a fun concert venue up in New Era. Their concert days ended when an insurance lawyer got involved and shot the price of a Blue Grass gathering or a Rockabilly celebration through the roof. Their concerts were amazing, it was like having a party with your friends and family in your kitchen. The venue made for happy Ghosts of Christmas Past.
Good things did come out of that pushy lawyer. To make up for the loss Morat’s moved to Muskegon. They are doing very well. They still embody small town service; last week we were late, they saw me through the locked door, “Oh, I know her she wants her cookies!” and they let me and my friends in. We bought up the remaining stock of breads, turnovers, fritters, bars, etc.
The sugar cookies are my favorite because they nailed the flavor of the cookies of my childhood. And those Santa’s, kids come in different colors. These are the happiest Santas ever.
Snowman
“It snowed last year too: I made a snowman and my brother knocked it down and I knocked my brother down and then we had tea.”
~ Dylan Thomas, A Child’s Christmas in Wales
The earth rotates and the russets of late fall give way to white. And it is good.
Delicious Autumn
“Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the Earth seeking the successive autumns.”
~ George Eliot
Michigan is such a big state that you can really dig in and stretch out your prime autumn experience. Peak color starts in the Upper Peninsula in late September/early October and takes a good 6-8 or so weeks to promenade, to strut it’s stately stuff in a truly magnificent processional south to our border. We’re talking the prime of fall, that week where the very earth is saturated with gold and scarlet and the clear air fair hums with it.
Hmm. Does autumn herald winter? Heck no, it is a glorious reason for ‘being’ on it’s own. It is winter who is carrying fall’s coat tails. I digress.
Anyway, it has been a near life long, lazy day dream of mine to get in a car, take a tent and follow fall on its grand tour south. It would be awesome, and expensive but we’re dreaming, to start in the UP* and just take my time going south until I hit the peak of fall where Apalachia ends down in Alabama. That, my friend, would take about two months but what a glorious two months.
It would be delicious.
Coda:
* As a Michigander I am peeved with the person who wrote the word processor for Safari. They obviously have a pet peeve (pet peeve over-rides peeved) with kids who text the single letter you when they mean you. Argh. We refer to our Upper Peninsula with the capital letter you followed by a period, and that is followed by the capital letter p in turn followed by a period. Safari has a problem with our UP the way we want it. Safari simply will not allow the letter you to stand alone whether it’s lower case you or upper case you. It. Is. Maddening. Hey, Safari, bite us!
Yeah, my ADHD is dancing on the keyboard. The top photo is the road that travels along White Lake, past the White Lake Yacht Club and the White Lake Country Club on out, past Wabaningo Station (I like to say Wabaningo Station.) to the White River Light Station. Cool. The next post will be the White River Light Station reclining in autumn finery. The second photo shows the correct way to honor the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Peace out.
Galena Gold
This beautiful autumn scene is in Galena, Illinois. I had lost a family member. The trip home was going to be hard and so I made the trip as marvelous beautiful as I could by visiting places new to me. I see this photo not in sorrow but thankful that we had him as long as we did.
Pentwater
I got nothing to say…somebody wrote something that…”I’ll never see a poem as lovely as a tree.”. Double ditto for a tree in fall.
This poetic tree is along the channel that runs from the heart of town out to Lake Michigan. Sweet place is our little town of Pentwater.
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