Lake Erie

Last Monday Jim and I traveled up to Lorain to visit Jim's dad, who is in a community hospital literally across the street from the lake. Dick is getting better and will likely be discharged soon to go back home. We got to visit with Jim's 3 brothers and his sister as well. Having not seen any of them in a long time, this was a good thing.
As soon as I saw the lake so accessible, I decided to take a walk to get up close and personal. For some reason, I thought that once I crossed the street I would be at lake level with sand. (OK, I have no claim to being lake smart!) I left the hospital grounds and crossed a busy 4 lane road. After that, there was a marshy yard belonging to a new home that was not yet occupied; I tried to make my way across, seeking the "high spots" and was fairly successful. Then there were train tracks to cross and finally I stood at the lake. However, I was significantly higher than the water level, as a steep embankment with trees and brush was in front of me. The day was gray and the water was frozen out to about 100 yards or so (?) from where I stood. Only a few seagulls kept me company, flying gracefully above where I stood, surrounded by the sleeping, brown tree branches. To be honest, it was sort of spooky. I felt vulnerable and alone and decided that it was time to retrace my steps and join humanity again.