note: i grew up in grand rapids, michigan, and of the six sibs john is the only one of us who remains true to our birthplace. when i went to visit a couple of years ago he and his wife pam, a kindred spirit, took me to the Fredrick Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, created long after i'd grown up and moved away. what a glorious, stunning place, 132 acres of gardens seeded with 160 sculptures, wildly different from the salt marsh but another kind of paradise. i couldn't get enough of it. in response to duck dreams john wrote about their weekly excursions to the gardens. i asked if i could include his words in duck dreams and if he'd write after their outing each week, and he graciously agreed:
Pam and I just returned from our Tuesday night date at Meijer Gardens. They keep adding a few sculptures here and there but the enjoyment comes from walking the park as the seasons slowly change from Tuesday to Tuesday. We took Pam's friend An An from China on a visit a month or so back. It was a beautiful winter’s night with a heavier than normal snow falling on an already deep white ground cover. It was so peaceful and quiet - yet all the sculptures seemed to come alive in the silence and awe of the beauty. Tonight shared a magnificent clear sky, brilliant half moon and a warm spring air. The contrasts are what make our dates so captivating and enjoyable. We will continue to share our little journeys around the park each week. Love, John
Life on the Salt Marsh is a journal of what i am learning and experiencing in this breathtakingly beautiful place, where the Dyer and Sheepscot, both tidal rivers, meet and merge.
Sweet Last Days of Summer
Author
- Rev. Mary
- Midcoast Maine
- Rev. Mary is a Unitarian Universalist minister who served congregations in San Francisco, Sonoma County, Houston, Marblehead and Winchester MA, and New Orleans, in a variety of ways. She is President and co-founder of Gulf Coast Volunteers for the Long Haul and has led 14 service trips to Louisiana and Mississippi since a few weeks post-Katrina. She has 3 children, Sam, 22, Julia, 26, and Jason, 41, and the best spouse in the universe, Marty. She was diagnosed with ALS/Lou Gehrig's disease in 2006. Rev. Mary can be reached at duckdreams at gmail.com. Due to her illness her ability to reply is unlikely but she would enjoy hearing from you if that's OK.
From Mary's Journal in December
after simple surgery turned into a nightmare: "the pain has been excruciating and for 3 days was unrelenting, even breathing was an agony. i tried to picture our mallard in maine who i studied one day when it was freezing cold, windy, pouring down rain and he was in his spot in the grass all tucked up and i tried to imagine how he could handle the elements. i decided he must go very deep inside and have duck dreams. so i tried to emulate him."