Eat the Blue Line
- Thomas Doggett
- Jul 28
- 4 min read
When you spend any amount of time with someone traveling, you develop your own language. "Eat the blue line" was our new way of saying "follow the directions." Nothing deep or articulate, just a comical way of making a statement.
Our road trip began by driving to Madison, Wisconsin. After we arrived, we logged-in to hear the GardenComm awards announcements. Lisa submitted materials for six categories and won in all six! A great way to begin our vacation!
We celebrated by walking down State Street and a wonderful meal at Naples 15.
The next day, we boarded the SS Badger to cross Lake Michigan. The air cooled as we left the shore and we had a delightful slow-moving trip across the lake. Four hours of daydreaming, conversation, lunch, and Bingo!
After we arrived in Ludington, Michigan, we drove to Interlochen.
We immediately fell in love with Interlochen; the place is the definition of idyllic. When we booked our room, we were asked if we wanted a view of the lake or if we wanted to stay in an Artist Room? We chose the Artist Room and I imagined framed art work on the walls...I was wrong...the room was the art!
The next morning, we explored the campus. There were young people all around us studying visual art, music, dance, and creative writing. One of the many buildings we explored was the Music Library. I found a display case of historic musical instruments and proceeded to tell Lisa what I knew about them. A woman walked by and said "follow me, I'll show you more." That woman was Eileen Ganter, Archivist and Curator of Historical Archives & Greenleaf Collection. Eileen gave us a full tour of their musical instrument collection along with many beautiful stories behind them. We profusely thanked her for the tour and she said "the instruments love visitors, it gives them something to talk about." Eileen was full of joy and enthusiasm about music and history. Despite having to leave for a meeting, she continued to show us more and more. We visited more rooms that contained sheet music and recordings. We exchanged our contact information, said our goodbyes with the hope of visiting again.
Well, if that wasn't special enough, after lunch, we had two surprises. We walked outside to hear St. Vincent rehearsing with the Interlochen Festival Orchestra. The concert was our destination but who would have thought we would get to hear the rehearsal also! While listening, we spoke to the gardeners and landscapers. They immediately heard in Lisa's questions her knowledge of plants, so they suggested we visit the green houses. How fun!
And finally, the moment I had been waiting for for 12 years; seeing St Vincent in concert. When her self-titled album was released in 2014, I knew she was never going to play a small venue again. Like a dummy, I didn't go to her show in Omaha at the start of her 2014 tour. After that, it was east coast, west coast, Europe, or the Minneapolis/St. Paul or Chicago show that conflicted with my school schedule. This time, I had no conflicts. Hearing her with an orchestra was very grand. I still want to experience the rock show in a smaller space and I'm willing to wait another 14 years...but hopefully it won't be that long.
And with that, we started our journey home by driving north and crossing the Mackinaw Bridge and following the coast of Lake Michigan until we entered the north woods of Wisconsin. We stayed with a close friend at her beautiful cabin.
And the next day, we were home sleeping in our bed. I think traveling is important and when I say that, I don't mean big grand adventures. It can be a different route home from work. We just need a different perspective. We need to talk to strangers. We need to get lost and pay attention to our surroundings. We need to see the beauty that is everywhere. And then, we we experience a stressful moment, we can remember that road or that bridge or that water or that concert and be centered again.
As always, thanks for reading.
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