I got a very rude, 7:20 am awakening, no thanks to the sun. Because my window faces east I always end up with sun in my eyes, even with the blinds closed. This was my first unplanned summer day and I wasn't completely sure what to do until I checked the weather report. WOOD radio called for thunderstorms today. So I immediately scarfed down my oatmeal and headed for Grand Haven.

Every area of West Michigan has it's pet laketown; Kalamazoo has South Haven, Cadillac has Manistee. For Grand Rapids, it's Grand Haven, an excellent choice. Unlike some towns that look like kitschy wastelands (ahem, Saugatuck!) Grand Haven is blessedly free of being taken over by touristy stuff. Of course it has a Harborwear on Washington St. But next door is a grocery store that's stood in the same spot since 1907. And right across from that is the Courthouse and church. People stay year round. You've got balance.

My goal was to see a thunderstorm roll in off the lake. Surprisingly, although I've lived my whole life near the lake, I've never seen a storm. Sure it's clouded up, but I've never been able to witness the impending terror of the blue nimbus billowing toward's the quaint harbour, churning up the waves, bringing fear in its wake. Nope. Haven't seen it. And I didn't see it this time either. Oh there were moments of hope, like when I got to the edge of the pier and saw the gray clouds, or when I saw the waves get higher and higher. But in the end, the sun came out...and so did a million high schoolers, celebrating the end of the year. I even ran into a couple of my students. But I decided it was time to go.

But the trip wasn't all a waste. The beach was cool, the water colder numbing my feet as I walked along the edge of the beach. And across the Grand River I could see people water skiing attached to kites. Pretty sweet. I also got to walk up and down Washington Street (The main road) and got the great priviledge of watching the town wake up. Washington St. is one of those places that could easily have been the backdrop of some 1940s movie. While walking in Central park I could almost picture Jimmy Stewart giving a speech in front of the town hall, or some paperboy named Dennis throwing papers at the storefronts (always missing the door). And even though the stores were more trendy, you could still picture a time when that gift shop at the corner was the after school hangout, and the men walked to work from their houses. It was just that wholesome. Grand Haven, by the way, is still a fantastic, family oriented community. I'd live there in a heartbeat.

A couple hours of wandering (and an AWESOME gelato!) later, I began to feel the heat of the sun, and decided it was time to head home. And get this, a few hours after I got home, the windiest, most intense storm of the season blew through. The outside looked like those news shots they show when a hurricane hits. I frowned. I missed it again. "One day" I thought. "One day I'll see the fearful churning lake storm" Then I went back to watching the Simpsons.