Wandering

sunrise on northern shore of Lake Michigan

I could spend hours just walking the shoreline—
exploring that space where two worlds converge.
While one foot skims the cool water of this great lake that extends to beyond the horizon, the other stands upon the finest grains of sand, their own sea of sorts, in dunes windswept to the tree line.

vegetation on the dunes spreads by underground rhizomes
which anchor sand in place

Lake Huron Tansy (?)
state-listed as threatened

And, though many would place greater value upon this sandy beach and pay handsomely for a lakefront lot, smooth and prime, my choice would easily be the other, the more rugged--
the rocky shore.

small shells in pocket of rock

Here, as water levels fluctuate with the season, seeds settle into the smallest crevices, emerge from within pockets of small shells held between the stones. At times very dry and at others abundantly watered, the plants surviving at the rocky shore are tough, yet simple and lovely. In keeping their low profile, they are sheltered by the very rocks their roots struggle against to take hold.

asters and lobelia

Shrubby Cinquefoil planted in bed of small shells

goldenrod
Houghton's goldenrod (?) if, so, also state-listed as threatened

I walk on sandy beaches.
And wander, stone to stone, flower to flower, along the rocky shore.

a million of the smallest shells

sunset on northern shore of Lake Michigan