At the age of 19, I enlisted in the Army. By the time I finally got shipped out, I was 20 years old and ready for the adventure of a lifetime. After finishing boot camp and AIT (Advanced Individual Training), I decided it was time to go back home and visit my parents. I’d like to say I was a bit smarter and wiser at that point, but as you’ll soon see, I was still really naïve.
I was fairly happy to be home again. It had been two years since my mother had dared me to leave, and of course, I had been all too eager to accept her offer. On this particular day, my parents left to go shopping and so I decided to tidy up a bit and surprise my mother like old times. I began cleaning and scrubbing the entire house from top to bottom, and when I was finished, I wondered if there was anything else I could do to improve the place.
I noticed a cinnamon scented spice broom over by the hearth and remembered that I had sent it to my mother for Christmas. I picked it up to see if it still smelled as good as I’d remembered, and was somewhat disappointed that the scent had mostly faded. Around the top of the broom handle, was a small tag; and I was happy to see that it actually provided directions for maintaining the cinnamon scent. After reading the directions over, I decided to give it a try.
The directions said to hold the broom over a pot of boiling water, in order for the steam to refresh the cinnamon smell. So without any worries at all, I proceeded to the kitchen to steam the broom. I was so excited, because I love the scent of cinnamon, and I knew my mother would be pleasantly surprised when she returned. I hadn’t counted on what would happen next.
Continued here.
Lake Superior is surrounded by three different states (Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota) and Ontario, Canada as well. Lake Superior is also the world’s largest freshwater lake and I was surprised by how large it really is. In fact, when you are standing near the waters edge, it gives you the illusion that you are actually looking at an ocean instead of an actual lake. The only difference was the lack of a sandy beach from where we were.
I recently learned that Lake Superior has over 400 islands. The apostle islands are a group of 22 islands off the Bayfield peninsula in Northern Wisconsin, and this is where we decided to spend our first day. We chose Madeline Island in particular for our first destination. Madeline Island is located in the Chequamegon Bay area of Lake Superior. To get there, we had to drive to Bayfield, Wisconsin and then take a 2.5 mile ferry trip in order to reach the island.
We took our car with us on the ferry ride over and because of this, we were able to drive to the state park which is in more of a remote area of the island. I was quite impressed by how serene it was there. I felt as if I had stepped into another world, since there were hardly any other people around. Don’t get me wrong though, there are still quite a few people that live on Madeline Island. During the winter months, access to the ferry is impossible. So I am not sure how people live there during the winter season. I suppose all of their supplies must be flown in. I could actually imagine myself living there someday. I think it would be the perfect place to be flooded with inspiration.
After exploring Madeline Island, we made our way back to Bayfield, Wisconsin and found it to be quite a charming place. The shops were bustling with tourists and there were quite a few places to eat. As the sun began to set, there was a live concert down by the waters edge and everyone in the town seemed to converge upon the scene all at once. Avoiding the crowds, we opted to eat at a restaurant in a less crowded area and the food was amazing! After dinner, we walked around the town for a little while longer, just enjoying the sights and sounds of this amazing small town. We stayed until most of the shops started to close.
On the way home, we pulled off the road into a viewing area and stepped out to look at the night sky. We could clearly see the Milky Way. It felt as if we could almost reach out and touch it. Such a breathtaking sight, and then we witnessed a meteor shower as well. The only disappointing part, was that we were not able to see the Northern Lights while we were there. I have only seen them occur once in my life and so I had hoped for the opportunity to see them once again. Oh well, it gives me another reason to go back again. Here’s a 
Putting My Feet in the Dirt 