Ocean and I ran the 3.22-kilometer Bessemer, Michigan, Hometown Road Race. She doesn’t like distance running and getting up early in the morning, but Ocean came along because she loves me. I loved running with her and we finished the race in under 18 minutes. Bessemer is a little town (1,805 people) located northwest of Caspian, in neighboring Gogebic Country. The race started at the new town hall downtown and finished on the main street. I wanted to run the 10-kilometer, but I could only get her to do the 2-mile run. We went for coffee and chai lattes at Contrast Coffee in Ironwood and explored downtown. Ironwood officials have done a good job in preserving their downtown buildings amid population decline. They also market the outdoors of the area well. I think having Gogebic Community College in the town helps. They are closer to Lake Superior and get a lot of snow so year-round, it is a very cool place to live. It is a 1 hour and 17 minute drive from my driveway to the race start. I played baseball against Bessemer High School in the early 1980s. Visiting their beautiful Massie Baseball Field brought back a lot of memories.
My priority this week is supporting my son in getting his driver’s license. We completed the paperwork on Friday and the Secretary of State (Michigan’s version of the Department of Motor Vehicles) issued him a driver’s permit. After July 28, he can take the driving test to get his license. He wants to be a Michigan resident and is using our home in Caspian as his official address. He is shown below getting his photo for the license. He is becoming an adult! A special thanks to my friend from high school Amy, who is in charge of the office in Iron River for helping us. It is always a bit tricky for us as global nomads.
One of the nice things about a UP summer is the availability of tennis courts. I played three times last week at Nelson Field. The courts are open to the public, free-of-charge, and without many people playing, there are always courts available without a reservation. I am getting excited about Wimbledon starting this week. Oliver and I played two sets (6-2, 6-3) and we had a great time. Tennis is one of my loves and am happy that Oliver is still around to the play with me. Nadia and I played a couple of times as well.
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