Laowai

I took Bea up to Michigan Tech this weekend so she could go to to a week long robotics camp. I'm home now and I'm just realizing what an emotion filled weekend it was. We drove up on Saturday morning. Bea drove part of the way – first time driving on the highway even! After we arrived we checked into the Super 8 hotel – the same hotel that I stayed in when Brian graduated from Tech. Then we walked around and I showed her Brian's old dorm and the rest of the campus.

Thimbleberries and Lupines:

Here's Bea looking at a big chunk of copper:

I think I forgot, or I didn't realize how pretty Houghton and the Keweenaw Peninsula are. I was flooded with memories of being at Tech with Brian and his parents. And I told Bea all about it. We had such a good day – lots of laughs. And then we watched a David Attenborough nature show and fell asleep. I woke up early the next morning and did some knitting outside along the Portage canal while Bea slept. I saw three sea planes take off right in front of me. Then we had breakfast at the Finish Cafe where Brian used to eat.

And then it was time to check her into her camp and find her dorm room. Why didn't I realize this would be like a trial run for all the emotions of leaving her at college? It hit me like a ton of bricks! After she got settled in her room and got all the essential info there were still several hours before the welcome orientation meeting. I felt funny leaving her for four hours and she felt kinda unsettled too. So we went for a drive to a beach on Lake Superior. It was extremely windy – so we crouched by some sun-warmed rocks and looked at little stones. It felt nice. A sweet moment.

So then it was time to leave her – after a quick hug I hit the road and I had six and a half hours to think about the weekend.

Now I'm home just hoping she gets enough to eat, sleeps well, enjoys her classes and hangs up her wet towel.