The Dunes

Posted by Melissa McEwan at Monday, June 22, 2015
I had the good fortune of being visited by a friend this weekend, with whom I got to share excellent conversation, garbage television, lots of laughter, ice cream cones that made us feel like kids, and a visit to the Indiana Dunes. It was beautiful and breezy weather after a lovely dinner on Saturday night, as the sun set and a storm slowly rolled in.

image of the beach and lake, with seagulls flying against a darkening sky at dusk

I have seen spectacular places in other parts of the world, though not nearly as many as I'd like, and the Indiana Dunes are among the best. Just a short drive from my home is one of my favorite places I've ever been, which I realize not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to say.

image of a huge sand dune, covered in green trees, against a bright blue sky

They feel like home, and there are few things that center and rejuvenate me like putting my feet in the waves of Lake Michigan, with the lake stretching out to the horizon before me and the dunes reaching up to the sky behind me.

image of my feet in the water, half buried in sand

The Indiana Dunes are to the Midwest what the Grand Canyon is to Arizona and Yosemite is to California.—Poet Carl Sandburg.

image of the lake with gathering clouds above

image of a gull flying low over the water

image of the dunes in the fading light at dusk

image of the sun setting over the water

We strolled across the cool sand to the edge of the water, where the three of us waded in with rolled-up jeans. We talked, we took pictures, and we went still and silent with our thoughts.

image of me from the back, standing with my hands in my pockets, looking out over the water
[Above photo by Iain.]

Me, with my signature slouch, my saggy-assed jeans, my tattooed leg, looking out across the water, thinking about how much I love this complicated place.

There is something particularly special about being in this place I love, lost in my thoughts alongside people I love, who are lost in theirs. Alone together, on an ancient part of the world, carved by time.
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