Questions And Answers...

Pictured Rocks

"I brought snacks so we can push through....unless I need to pee...which of course you know I will." Stella was leaning over, rummaging in a bag on the back seat, holding up bags of chips and candy bars.

"Any fruit in there.... or anything remotely healthy?" Kelly asked smiling drily.

"No, of course not! Who goes on a road trip with healthy snacks?" She scoffed as if he had said something offensive. "Well, except you, I guess." She teased, reaching over and tenderly kissing his cheek. " Anyway, it's your birthday...live a little!."

Putting the snacks back, she played with the dial on the radio, finding Radio Chicago.

"Oh, I love this song!" She cried, starting to sing along to Ed Sheeran's "I don't care.", slipping off her sneakers and positioning her feet onto the dash, winking at him, knowing he was giving her a look for the feet!

"Cause I don't care.... when I'm with my baby, yeah.

All the bad things disappear.

And you're making me feel like maybe I am somebody....

I can deal with the bad nights...

When I'm with my baby, yeah."

Kelly glanced over at her, her feet tapping, singing out loud and an unconscious grin spread across his face, Her vibrancy was contagious, and with each passing mile, he became happier that it was his birthday than he had ever remembered feeling.

Munising was the biggest of the Pitured Rocks Nationaĺ lakeshore towns located off the H- 58, which was at least a five hour drive from Chicago, hence the early start to make the most of their two nights there.

They made decent time without too much traffic and arrived mid afternoon, after two pee breaks, animated debates on the merits of truck versus squad, Springsteen over Rhianna, and Stella intermittently feeding Kelly potato chips until they finally followed the handpainted wooden signs down an unmade road three miles outside of Munising.

"Where are we staying? A cabin?"
Kelly parked the Mustang under a designated timber car port, stretching his stiff limbs and looking around the clearing in the woods for some sign of accommodation.

"Something like that." Stella said, non comitally, spotting an arrowed sign and heading down a dirt path through the woodland. A short walk down the path and the trees all of a sudden opened into a clearing where Stella stopped, and Kelly almost barrelled into the back of her.

Kelly whistled, and Stella squealed in delight. A swinging bridge welcomed them to what was unbelievably a house set up some twenty feet high in the trees, surrounded by native abundant hardwoods. A treehouse!

She had found the perfect place for them, a secret adult playhouse built from timber and glass. After a few seconds of overawed silence, he slipped his hand in hers, leading her along the swinging bridge and up to a wraparound deck.

"Oh my god.. It's even better than the photos! .....It's magical, babe." Stella's voice was childlike, her eyes spinning around.
Kelly wasn't going to disagree.

The interior of the treehouse was as stunning as the outside, wide oak plank floors with thick grey rugs and pale whitewashed timber walls. A huge skylight let in the light and the sky in equal abundance. It was one open but cozy space with a king-size bed against one wall dressed, crisp white linens and big fat pillows. A small kitchen area located to the left-hand side and on the other side behind a glass opaque wall was the bathroom. Everything was so Nordic and simplistic in the middle of this lush green oasis. There was even a home baked birthday cake sitting on the counter with a figure 3 for Squad candle in the middle, making Kelly smile.