Fall is “birthday season” in our family. Karen’s birthday is October 23, and mine is October 21. Our parents’ birthdays are one day apart in November. Karen and I are exactly two years and two days apart, which meant a lot of shared birthday parties growing up. These days, we share a business. Make of that what you will.
With another birthday approaching, I’ve been thinking about how many people we’ve introduced to Drummond Island over the years.
Right now, my friend Amanda and her fiancé, Mike, are visiting from Athens, Texas, and staying at our Willoughby Island rental home, just down the road from my house. My friends Riley and Tony have made the trip from Austin twice, and so have my old neighbors and pals Gergo and Emily. What can I say, we’re doing a good job recruiting Texans.
For many years, my cousins and their kids came to Willoughby Island, too. Those kids spent a good chunk of their teenage summers here, from their early teens into their late teens. I wonder what they remember most, and whether they feel as lucky as Karen and I did to have this place be part of their growing-up years.
Karen has done plenty of recruiting herself. Her friends Nicole and Tanner bring their little ones from Grand Rapids every Fourth of July weekend, and her group of girlfriends has made the trip for euchre and side-by-side riding. A little friendly competition, some trail dust, and a lot of laughs.
One of my favorite things about having people visit is how excited I am to show them around. I want to take them to my favorite views, get them out on the trails, and sit down together for a good meal. There’s something about seeing Drummond through someone else’s eyes that makes me appreciate it all over again.
When you live somewhere, even somewhere this beautiful, everyday life has a way of taking over. There are houses to clean, phone calls to return, errands to run, and the occasional problem that needs fixing right now. Some days I barely notice the scenery on my way from one place to another.
Then somebody comes to visit, and suddenly I’m looking around again. The views I’ve passed a hundred times deserve another stop. The trails I’ve ridden for years feel like an adventure. And I get a renewed sense of wonder at this place I call home.
I don’t know how many people Karen and I have brought across the ferry over the years, but I hope we’ll keep adding to the list. Not because everyone needs to fall in love with Drummond Island the way we have, but because sharing it with the people we care about is one of our favorite things to do.
That, and share a birthday cake – hint, hint.
