It’s always hard to leave the parental compound.

Always is.

That’s what the scene looked like as Leigh and I pulled away. Mom and Dad waving goodbye to us.

Thank you for hospitality, parents. Thank you for the meals. Thank you for the cold, dark basement perfectly suited for sleeping wayyyy in. Thank you for all of it. Love you guys with my whole heart.

Here’s a couple shot from the moment before we left:

01. “Jim and Lauren Draplin.”
02.“The ass that made Traverse City famous.”

We drove up and over the bridge, and then all the way to Escanaba where we crashed out for the night. Had a good supper downtown at the Ludington Grill where the bartender had this to say about his hometown of Escanaba, “Not too much going on up here. Some times are tough, and then some times are good. We always seem to make it through both.”

There you go. Escanaba.