Cherry Capital Without A Single Pit

We fell into a bit of a cocoon as a family after arriving to the Great Wolf Lodge in Traverse City.  I had intentions of going into town to run some errands, but the motivation escaped me as the time in the sunshine and water progressed.  On our second and last evening there, I browsed through the city’s tourist magazine and felt somewhat guilty.  Traverse City looked very charming.  There were lots of beaches, foodie eateries, and cherries.  Apparently Traverse City is the cherry capital of the state.   Earlier in the week before we departed on this journey, I had canned twenty three pounds of cherries.  (My boys love them during the winter)  I had even packed my pitter in hopes that we would be able to have some.  So, it was a bit disheartening to know that I was in the cherry capital during prime season, and didn’t even get one cherry.   Traverse City, you are one place that I hope to return to and see more completely.

After once again loading up the van, we set off for our return to Canada.  It’s strange how even though we were entering on the Eastern side, nowhere remotely close to Kelowna, we still felt like we were coming home.   We crossed at Sarnia en route to Cambridge, Ontario.  Luke would be the first of three brothers whom we would visit.

I had not seen Luke in 30 years.  Needless to say, we are not exactly the closest of families.   As I knocked on the door, I noticed that  there were several toddlers shoes, which struck me as odd as their son Christopher is in his 20's.  Something seemed amiss, and an Indo-Canadian man opened the door.  Now, it may have been 30 years since I had seen Luke, but I knew the man standing in front of me was not my brother!  He had no idea who Luke Nichols was!  Thank goodness for cell phones!  My oldest brother, Mark, had given me the incorrect address.  On purpose as a joke?????Apparently knowing your neighbors isn’t a priority in the city, as Luke ended up being only two doors down and neither of them knew the other.

There is something about family, though; even family that you don’t know.  Luke and his wife, Carol, and their son, Christopher, welcomed us warmly.  It was muggier than we’re used to, so the pool was a godsend.  Luke and Chris started a fire in the evening, and the boys enjoyed their first s’more.

Ahhhhhhh!!

                                                                    Theo all bundled up

Luke is the third of four boys that my mother had in her first marriage.  While I grew up fairly middle class, my mom was a single parent to the four boys for a spell and they grew up very poor.   Poverty is a very hard cycle to break.  A capitalist society is set up to promote wealth at the expense of the poor.  I am beyond proud of what my brothers have accomplished.  Mark, after a successful career in the military, is now a priest. (I’m sure he’s moved up to Mom’s favorite)  Matt went back to school as an adult and received his degree; a feat not easy by any means.  Luke is a self-taught tradesman with his own home-renovating business.  He does amazing work.  Bobby is also a self-taught animator doing special effects with Disney.  All four have broken the cycle.  I often hear young adults bragging about how they’ve made it on their own in the world.  They neglect to mention the education that was covered for them or the room over their heads until sufficiency.   My brothers had none of that, yet have all foraged successful careers and raised remarkable children of their own.  They are the poster boys for rising from the ashes and creating something beautiful.  I love them all.

My brother, sister-in-law, and nephew

                                                              The Ducs -- still smiling!!