Not the ocean, a lake

Drove west on Saturday until we hit the Great Lakes. Lake Michigan, in fact. Didn't look like a lake ought to look - it was huge, for one thing. And it had waves, a sandy beach, and a horizon. The town of South Haven, where the above photo was taken, is full of sprawling summer houses with decks and porches. Can't imagine what it looks like when snow meets the beach. A few miles further north is the cutesy resort town of Saugatuck - unfortunately packed with way too many slow, dopey Americans, but one has to expect that here. Its a sweet little harbour full of ice-cream parlours, fudge shoppes, homewares boutiques and art galleries, given its reputation as an artists' colony. Most likely the 'artists' are talentless hobbyists who fled the cities for tourist towns where they can fleece the unsuspecting and drink in the sun all day.

Rural Michigan is quite picturesque - think red barns, cornfields, and u-pick fruit orchards (chiefly berries, peaches and cherries). And then there are the Goodwill stores and Family Dollar discount supermarkets, and the ubiquitous pizza joints and liquor stores. Even trailer homes fly the American flag. In these parts you're hard-pressed to find anything on the dial other than Christian radio stations.

Returned home to Ann Arbor by midnight, and cruised through downtown to see how the city amuses itself on a Saturday night. Seems the students have returned to town, as the streets were deep with tables of diners and drinkers all making the most of a balmy night. Parties spilled outdoors of the student houses, with groups of kids in inflatable pools or hanging out on their front porches, paper cups in hand.