Beaver Island - That's a Wrap!

Last Saturday, we finished all of our packing and cleaning, sent out final packages to our new home in the Alaskan bush, and boarded an airplane that would take us off of the island. We were, as we have so often been on the island, very blessed to know such wonderful people.  Friends stopped by our house in the morning and more met us at the airport to say one last goodbye. It was odd to leave the island and know that we probably won't be back any time soon.

This year was an interesting one on the island. There are many things I will miss about Beaver Island, like the sunsets over Lake Michigan, or cruising around the island with friends.  As a reflection of my time on Beaver Island, I've compiled a pros and cons list for living there (just like I did when we left Juneau).

Pro::The Beaches:: Beaver Island has some of the most stellar beaches in Michigan...maybe even in the United States.  The beaches are completely pristine  with crystal clear water and perfectly smooth sand.  For the most part, you can have these beaches completely to yourself, except maybe on a packed weekend in the height of summer. Cody and I used the beaches for recreation in every season.  We swam in the summer, went snowshoeing in the winter, and watched sunset over Lake Michigan all year.

Con::The Cost of Travel:: Traveling off and on Beaver Island is pricey because it has to be done by boat or plane.  The ferry is a slightly cheaper option, but it also takes 2 1/2 hours to get to the mainland, has limited run times, and isn't available year round.  Flying costs about $100 round trip, which adds up for two people and two dogs. This made it difficult to go visit family. Even though we were thousands of miles closer to our families than we were in Alaska, we still didn't see them very often because of the sheer cost.

Pro::The People:: Some of the best people in the world became part of our lives while living on the island. I met best friends and people I know I will keep in touch with for a lifetime.  There was also no shortage of incredibly helpful people on the island who would, and have, dropped everything to help Cody and I when we really needed it. I also had the opportunity to work with some of the most caring and wonderful teachers in the world, and in turn got to work with some of the most amazing children and families too. We couldn't have asked for a better experience with making friends, interacting with coworkers, and finding a support system.

Con::The Gossip:: Beaver Island is small and isolated, which can occasionally breed some nasty gossip.  I personally was pretty affected by gossip after finding out that, before I even moved to the island (or met anyone that lived there), a post had been made about how I shouldn't have been hired to teach at the school on the public forum.  Parents, students, and community members that I had to face daily gossiped about me before even knowing me (and they did it publicly where I could easily read it) and that was tough for me to swallow. The gossip was a pretty consistent part of our lives there for the entirety of our two years, especially in the winter when there isn't much else to do.

Pro::The Outdoor Activities:: The recreation on the island is pretty fantastic, especially for the Midwest. There are abundant hiking, birding, and biking trails and numerous inland lakes for fishing and boating.  Cody and I took advantage of the recreation most weekends.  We climbed dunes with the dogs, biked to the beach, and kayaked on inland lakes.  The wildlife was abundant on all of our outings and we had a blast getting to accidentally sneak up on the occasional turkey (and even a coyote once).  It's a great place for outdoor-oriented people to visit, or even to call home.

Con::The Cost of Living:: Coming from Alaska I was expecting our move back to the Midwest to be a great chance to cut some costs (especially considering I took a 50% paycut to leave my job in AK). Unfortunately, that just didn't happen for us on Beaver Island.  Our housing costs went down by only a couple hundred dollars a month, and our grocery, gas, and travel costs stayed sky high. On top of that, our first winter on the island saw temps in the -20's, which caused us some horrendous utility bills that made the difference in rental costs disappear entirely.

Overall, I loved our time on Beaver Island.  It's as beautiful geographically as it is community-wise. For the right type of person, it is truly an island paradise.  For Cody and I, it was a fun adventure, but it was also lacking a few of the things that we had grown so fond of in Alaska, which is why we chose to return to our beloved 49th state. In the future, I really believe we will return to the island, but this time just as tourists.

Your turn...What are some of the pros and cons about your current city/town?
Currently listening to...Doin' Time - Sublime

The Faux Day

School was cancelled one day this week because of a Faux Day (at least that's what I am calling it). As some of you may know, there are certain policies and laws in place in our public education system that call for 75% attendance in order to receive funding for the school day. In bigger schools, this would mean a huge number of students out for the day.  In our tiny school though we run the risk of losing funding for a very small number of absent students.  Unfortunately, with fourteen ill students on Monday, we hit that number. Small school problems.

My very empty classroom on Monday morning. 

The administration and school board made the decision to send us all home roughly fifteen minutes into the school day, which caused much grumbling among parents and staff, but much less grumbling among students.  This meant that Cody and I had suddenly found ourselves with a whole day to spend as we pleased.

We left school relatively soon after the students went home and we headed out to the one breakfast place in town for some tasty treats.  I feasted on apple pie stuffed french toast (seriously delicious) and Cody went for a classic egg, toast, and bacon dish.  

After breakfast, we spent most of the day doing little projects and lounging around the house. It turned into a seriously nasty day (ridiculous winds and snow), which probably would have gotten us sent home from school for the day anyway.  Hence, the reason why I started referring to the day in question as a "Faux Day" instead of a "Snow Day." 

Your turn...Have you ever had your job/school close for an unexpected reason? 
Currently listening to...White Winter Hymnal - Fleet Foxes

Feeling Like Fall

I really love the feeling that goes along with fall on the island.  The colors are vibrant and beautiful, making the world seem bright for a time...and then everything quiets.  The tourists who scuttle to the island for our very short summer season have all cleared out for the year, their houses empty and buttoned down tight to survive the winter.  Those of us who brave the island year round begin to settle into our regular routines.

As the colors change, so do many small things on the island.  The one grocery store has cut back to winter hours, which means on Sunday it is only open for two hours. The grocery store has also closed-up some of the shelves.  During the winter, a small fraction of the store disappears under plastic wrap and we won't see it again until May. Winter hours also cause new inconveniences in banking because the bank is only open two days a week for a small handful of hours (all while I am working). There are also adjustments to be made by the boat company, and all of the other small businesses around the island. It takes a lot of work to transition into winter in this little remote corner of Michigan.

Fall also means lots of work for islanders.  The summer-only crowd hires like crazy to have locals close their houses for the season, or to fix last minute things that can't wait the winter.  Roadwork is at an all time high because any little, leftover projects have to be finished quickly. The school is buzzing with end of the quarter insanity and the beginning of basketball season.  And, for many of us, the firewood can no longer be put off and we must cut and stack in all of our free time.

Like all good things it must come to an end though.  The trees shed their last leaves and ice has been coating everything the last few mornings.  Snow is in the forecast, which is unavoidable this late in the year.  I am always (secretly) a bit excited for the first big snow though.  I don't think it'll be too far off now.

Your turn...What has fall been like for you this year?
Currently listening to...Summertime Sadness - Lana Del Rey