Part 1

The next morning, I got up early to fly the drone. Because I flew the drone straight upwards the night before, I felt like I was ready for more advanced maneuvers. As the drone went behind the cabin, I figured my piloting skills were good enough to use the video the drone relayed to my phone to fly it, in and out of the trees...

I think you can see where this is going. Below is the second and final video of the drone. It's titled, “The Drone's Final Voyage.”

https://cinnamon.video/watch?v=426944481816741872

After letting out a child-like yelp, I ran over to the crashed drone and assed the damage

One of the propellers was broken and some of the others were chipped. The LED light was busted off and the motor underneath looked pretty banged up. I tried to initiate take off to see if it would fly. Three of the propellers started turning, but the damaged one wouldn't. The drone lifted off the ground, but then would crash. It reminded me of a wounded bird trying to fly.

I yelled out a very loud cuss word. The one that starts with a, “F” and ends with a “K.” Grace and the kids rushed outside to discover what the commotion was all about. Grace looked at me holding the broken drone in my hands.

”...Everything okay?”

“Great, although I think we may owe my brother four hundred dollars.”

No matter how great a relationship is, there's always an annoyance when one feels like they are not being heard. Grace had voiced her reservations about borrowing my brother's drone and camera for this vacation and I had assured her that I would take the best care of it. I expected her to go in the, I told you so routine, but she didn't. Instead she replied in a very understanding tone.

“Well, let's not let it ruin the vacation? It's only money, and who knows, maybe you can fix it?”

There is something about being on vacations in nature that makes people take a step back and evaluate what is really important. I realized that she is trying to display how grown ups handle problems as an example for our children.

“Yeah, when I get a signal on the my phone I'll look up some videos to see if it is fixable.”

“Are you gonna come in and fix one of your, 'PB Breakfasts' for us?” The “PB” stands for Paul Bunyan. For those who don't know who that is, he's this guy.

The fence is there to not let Paul or Babe The Blue Ox out. Really smart thinking on the care taker's part.

“Sure thing, be right in.”

This really set the tone for the entire vacation, which was a life saver. In my opinion, the whole purpose of a vacation is to relax and clear your mind. That can be rather difficult when one is stressing over problems.

I went back in the cabin and cooked the family up eggs, hashbrowns, sausage, and toast aka, the 'PB Breakfast.' After the family filled up on protein and carbs, we all got dressed to hike the trail behind the cabin.

How awesome to have a nature trail from your own back yard?

Before we walked across the bridge, Grace pulled out an orange hunting vest. She motioned for me to put this on.

“What is this?” I asked puzzled.

“A hunting vest. The lady who owns the cabin informed me it's hunting season, and if we hike the trails, it would be best for at least one of us to wear it.”

I grabbed the vest and put in on as we crossed the bridge. It wasn't long before I came to the conclusion that it wasn't necessary. After about twenty minutes on the trail, Desmond informed us that he was done with hiking and wanted to go home in a very loud voice. After awhile I started to feel bad for any hunters in the forest because I could picture them in their deer blinds trying to be quiet, and hearing a four year shouting through the forest, “OKAY.... IT'S TIME TO GO BACK TO THE CABIN!!!” It took awhile to calm him down, and start to take in the scenery...

When Desmond finally calmed down, we asked him what he was so scared about.

“Monsters and skeletons.”

“Dez,” I replied, “There are no monsters or skeletons in this forest. I checked on the map, it specifically stated there are no monsters or skeletons in this forest.”

“No monsters or skeletons gonna get me?”

“Not a chance, big guy,” I assured him.

Sometimes I honestly believe I wronged someone in a previous life because I'm convinced karma likes trolling me. No sooner I spoke those words that we took a few more steps and came up upon this...

Now, I really haven't discussed death with my four year old, and I sure haven't talked to him about how we handle our dead

...but he knew what the crosses meant.

“SKELETONS!” He squeaked out, and then he shot me a look as if to say, I will never trust you again father.

“What are these doing in the middle of a trail?” Grace asked.

“You know I'm not up on my Mesick, MI folklore, but I believe Donald McClish survived out in these woods during a frigid winter by carving a shelter in a tree while he was a teenager. He also befriended a peregrine falcon who he named Frightful.”

“What?”

“Nothing, that was the plot to, 'My Side of the Mountain,' I have no idea who Donald McClish was, but now I'm creeped out as well.”

As the rain started to drizzle down, we made our way back to the cabin. The weather was mostly gray and rainy for the rest of the trip, but we didn't let it dampen our moods. That night for instance, when the kids went to bed, I snuck out to the gazebo and recorded these two songs:

This is how greatness must look like from other people's viewpoint.

Slip Sliding Away (Paul Simon Cover)

I had never played this song before, nor tried to learn it before recording it. It was all from memory, so my apologies if I hit a wrong chord. There was no internet so I had to recall the melody and lyrics from memory.

My favorite verse is the 2nd, the one that starts with, “I know a woman...”

https://cinnamon.video/watch?v=426858281772778577

And...

Storybook Love (Princess Bride Theme)

A couple weeks back, John did a series about the greatest movie of the 80's. It was such an enjoyable series; I hope he does another one in the near future. Anyway, he did a video at the end and said his favorite movie was, “The Princess Bride.” If I must confess, I had an obsession with this movie growing up as well. I rented it so many times from the video store that I wore out their copy.

On my first date ever, I replied with the words, “As you wish” when my date asked me, “What are we doing tonight?”

...there was no 2nd date.

You get the idea.

https://cinnamon.video/watch?v=426926794931701269

The rest of the vacation was spent with hikes during the day, and family time during the evenings. One day we did a long hike that went through a dense forest that opened up to a beach on Lake Michigan. It was such a wonderful vacation that if you're ever looking for a great nature/family/meditative getaway, I'd strongly recommend this cabin.

NickelNDime out!

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