Mich Again

Cathy and I went to visit my parents one last time before our wedding. Among other things, I helped fix a couple screen doors, removed a mud dauber wasp nest, went on a six mile trail run, found a yellow jacket hive in a Foreman grill, and ate some ribs, clams, dumplings, sushi, and dim sum.


Apparently this is a "Florida Room." Kinda like an outdoor room I guess? The Dad patched up the roof so for the first time in years we could actually hang out in it, talk, relax, drink some brews, etc.


Speaking of brews, my Dad strongly supports Michigan microbreweries. These days its all he buys so there's always an interesting selection every time I visit. This weekend he had some nice pale ales from the Michigan Brewing Company.


The gloaming from the back deck.


Ate breakfast out on the deck on Saturday morning. It was a fruit-filled morning.


Obligatory plant photo from the backyard. No idea what this is.


You know, I originally thought this was a yellow jacket but it's actually a European paper wasp. Related but distinctly different.

Speaking of yellow jackets though, here's a little story:

Years ago I went on a solo backpacking trip through Shawnee National Forest. One morning I accidentally stepped on a large nest of yellow jackets and was swarmed within seconds. Thankfully it was early morning, I had not taken my tent down, and I was nearby. I ran straight to my tent with a literal cloud of yellow jackets following me. Even after getting in my tent, I had to deal with the 10 or so that had followed me in.

In the end, I counted about 40 distinct areas I was stung and I was stung multiple times in most of those spots. For the next couple hours, I had trouble moving my left arm and leg (most stings were localized there) and pain resonated throughout my body for the remainder of the day. Despite this, I still think I was extremely lucky in an unlucky situation.

This was also the same trip I got bit by a 6-foot snake but that is a story for another day.