The Enchanted Forest

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep. ~ Robert Frost

If you ask people who have lived in or visited Michigan about their favorite place there, most will mention one of the many lakefronts. Some might point out the historical sites or the great small towns. But my very favorite spot in ALL of Michigan is a place called Wildwood. No trip home is complete without a stop there. 

My beautiful momma in her natural habitat - harvesting something!

My love affair with Wildwood started before I was even born, when my dad and mom got their Pontiac convertible stuck in a sandy spot in the road. (Did I mention that none of these roads are paved?) Yes, I was along for the ride! As I grew older and gained siblings, many family outings took place in Wildwood. Part of the allure of the place was the traces left by early settlers. Old houses were scattered here and there, and foundations were plenteous. The best thing that the settlers left, though, continues to flourish, and that is their orchards. In any season except winter, there was always something to harvest, and it was free for the taking. We picked mushrooms in the spring, berries in the summer, and apples, pears, and nuts in the fall. The beautiful mix of oak, elm, maple, birch, fruit and nut trees put on a show of color that I still miss. 

Once in a while, after an evening church service, my dad would slow down as he rounded the corner just before pulling into our driveway, then go right on by the house. Yay!! a night-time drive through Wildwood "shining" for deer. My dad lived to hunt, and many of our forays were thinly-veiled scouting trips. He harvested many pounds of meat from Wildwood over the years. This was also the place where I got my first taste of hunting, sitting in a blind with my daddy. (All I really remember was being SO cold!)

I could ramble on much longer... about the nest of baby field mice, about the sandy hole in the side of the hill that Daddy said was home to fox kits, and about climbing the trees. And of course, Dan and I did much of our dating driving around Wildwood in his big, green Chevy pickup (much more suited for two-tracking than a sports car, Dad & Mom, haha)! Who needs a lakeshore? A day spent in Wildwood is, to me, a day of heaven on earth!