Sharing Crazy Passions

View of Lake Huron on a Beautiful Autumn Day
(You can see Mackinac Island, behind mooring Catamaran)

Snorkeling in Lake Huron has been a passion for me while I’ve been up in St. Ignace, this month.  I plan a lot of my days around the wind direction,  exposure to the sun and small jobs I’ve been doing for my mom around her house.

I’m petrified of some of the behaviors I have, when I’m anxious to get back to the shore, and I'm in the cold water and swim solo.

Some of the behaviors are:

•  silently talking to the little fish
• using the sunken cribs as my bounderies versus of looking above the water line
• loss of fear of dark shadows under water
• spending more time coasting under the water after I duck-dive   

Another obsession , lately, is watching the little, metal “thingy” on top of the flag pole, in my mom’s backyard.  I can see it through the large windows, when I sit in the living room.  I’ve started to announce the wind direction out loud, several times a day!  

“It’s blowing out today.”  

“The wind changed again, now it’s blowing in the bay.”

“It’s coming from the North-West, uh-oh.”

If you haven’t lived in the “Cronan Clan”, you probably won’t be familiar with the term “It’s Blowing Out”. My family used it to describe the wind direction which causes the water in Huron Bay to become cold.  When the water currents change and so does the temperature of the water.  If we were referring to the Sand Dunes and wanted to go swimming in Lake Michigan, “Blowing Out” in the Huron Bay meant it was “Blowing In” at the Sand Dunes of Lake Michigan, perfect for beach-bumming. Warmer than usual water at The Dunes.

Part of the "Cronan Clan" (the girls)
Jeannie, Mary, Karen, Kathy and Me, in the front

The other reason the “Cronan Clan” habitually studied the wind in the summer, was to check sailing conditions.  We always had some type of sailboat when I was growing up.  Getting as many sailing days in before, Labor Day, was something all of us remember.

Dad and Mom use to watch the wind direction to predict whether they might go sailing.  Dad grew up in a sailing family.  He was in the Navy, as a young man and became a boat builder and sailor all his life.  He seemed to know what the weather/wind patterns were, in order to spot a good day to be out on the water.  

More than likely, Mom was the one who said, “Lets just go,” when Dad counted reasons why it wasn’t “Perfect” for sailing. 

Mom still helps me remember the winds directions that can predict weather patterns.  She seems to know the ones perfect for storms brewing. Ones that bring warmer weather and winds that are unpredictable.  I can attest to her passion for wanting to be close to the shore, too.  When it’s autumn we receive every gorgeous day as a gift.  A gift way beyond any monetary value!  

Mom and I have spent hours on the rocky beaches of Lake Huron.  She’s pretty vigilant while I’m in the Lake, snorkeling alone, to make sure I’m safe.  She keeps my cell-phone close by, in case of an emergency.  She can see the pink snorkel, I use, bobbing in the water, disappearing and coming back up again, with a big burst of water pushed out when I surface to breathe.  She doesn’t worry about me, but she’s there.

Mom, on the shores of Lake Huron
(Baggie of Treasures in her left hand)

I love to have her there, too.  When I look up to see if I am getting too far away from shore or in a dangerous area, (I have to be careful of the Mackinac Isand ferries making their many trips a day from St. Ignace to Mackinac Island) I look for her, too.  I love seeing her engrossed in her own world, as I am in mine.

 She’s been using her mud boots now.  After getting three sets of sneakers wet, in a row, she thought of using those instead.  When strong waves wash up on the shore, it’s hard to be able to dodge them without getting wet.  I hope I’m as able to dodge them as well as she does when I am 87 years old.

Mom's Defense Against Waves Washing Up on the Shore

To avoid too much sun, we go at about 4 p.m. When we hear the 6 o’clock church bell chime, we voice our good intentions, to each other,  to leave. We know we need to head home to make dinner, but many times we stay until we see the sun slanting at an angle. 

It shouts at us, “Enough, it will be dark soon!”  Even as we walk away from the shore, head for the car, our heads are down, looking for one more possibility of spotting a cool-shaped rock, or beach glass.  We can hear them begging us to pick them up. 

I believe we’ve accomplished more tasks around the house just knowing our reward, near the end of the day, is to walk out the door, jump in Mom’s Ford Escape and spend time at the lake.  We probably could put the car in neutral and coast down to the lake, it’s so close.  

Passions are healthy.  Especially when you're with someone who is as crazy as you are to share them with.  I appreciate it is far and few between to find someone as crazy, as Mom is, to spend time by the big lake of Huron.

Mom's Autumn Shadow on the Boardwalk