Bill's Blog

We missed the poor air quality in my home in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan last week. Above left is a photo I took from the airplane on Monday showing the hazy skies over Marquette, Michigan. The photo (right) shows the vast forests of the Upper Peninsula surrounding the Marquette Sawyer Regional Airport in Gwinn, Michigan.

Wildfires in northern Ontario and other parts of Canada generate smoke that the Westerlies (the prevailing wind patterns) bring over the Great Lakes. The thought that came into my head is that this is another sign of the impact of climate change. I don’t remember Canadian forest fire smoke causing poor air quality growing up here. Here is what Claude and I found regarding data for Canadian wildfires. It is a big country, and there were some conflicting data sets, but below is a summary table.

Historical Average Area Burned Dating Back to the 1950s	3 million hectares (UN Food & Agriculture Organization)
Ten-Year Average (2015-2025)	4 million hectares (Farm Week Now – Canada)
Twenty-five-Year Average (2000-2025)	3 million hectares (Deseret News – LDS media Salt Lake City)
2023 Fire Season	17.3 million hectares (Statista – nice table)
2025 Fire Season	8.8 million hectares (Farm Week Now – Canada)
2026 Fire Season (so far…)	2.78 million hectares (Medical Daily)

The fire seasons of 2023 and 2025 were huge outliers to the historical average. The amount of precipitation and lightning strikes annually determines the amount and intensity of forest fires. Global wind patterns are also highly variable, so it is bad luck this summer that put the smoke right over the Great Lakes. It will be interesting to see how future fire seasons go over the next 5 to 10 years. I sense that a drier North American West will cause more fires and hence, more smoky summers for the Upper Peninsula. This is a direct result of too many byproducts of fossil fuel consumption in the atmosphere causing long-term climate change. I fear for the forests of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in the future. Ezra Klein’s conversation with Bill McKibben is a good listen for people wanting to learn more.

Thankfully, thunderstorms, steady rain, and winds the past couple of days have cleared the skies, so today’s range is between 11 and 19 AQI in the Western Upper Peninsula. I love the fresh air of the UP! Oliver and I took advantage of the changed conditions and played a set of tennis (6-1 victory for me). After playing poorly against my son Owen in Costa Rica, I want to play more tennis this week to improve my game. Oliver’s tennis game is strong, and we had a great time yesterday!

We booked evening flights on our last day in Costa Rica so we could maximize our time with Owen. It was a great decision, and we had a delightful day with our eldest son. There were heavy rains most of the evening on Saturday evening, and we woke up to a cool and cloudy Sunday in Zarcero. I loved my morning yoga workouts on the patio with clouds coming up from the valley and whizzing by me. It was like those fast-motion cloud formation and dissolution videos, but in real time. The cool breezes, bird calls, and lush, tropical foliage made for a both a soothing and invigorating environment for my daily yoga practice. It would be an ideal place for a yoga retreat.

After packing the car, saying goodbye to our Uncle Jack, and tidying up our Airbnb, we drove the 90-minutes to the San Jose suburb of Alajuela. Nadia wanted to buy a speaker for Owen and pick up a few things, so we went to Walmart. Yes, Walmart is in Costa Rica, one of 19 countries internationally where they have stores. They are strong in the Americas, but in the last 10 years, they exited 8 countries, including the UK, Japan, and Brazil.

We found Garage 69, a sports bar to watch the World Cup Final. As one headline trumpeted, “Football Won!” as the Spaniards outclassed Argentina with their superior play and sense of sportsmanship. Argentinian behavior and dirty play were disgraceful. They were constantly complaining to the officials, purposely flopping to draw fouls, and grabbing, punching, and pushing Spanish players who were outplaying them. The atmosphere in the bar was fantastic, and the waitress gave Owen and me free shots of Chiliguaro. Guaro is Costa Rica’s national spirit, a liquor distilled from sugar cane that is a bit lighter than rum. Bartenders mix in tomato juice, cilantro, lime juice, and lots of Tabasco sauce to come up with the Chiliguarao. It tasted like a Bloody Mary and locals see it as a rite of passage for visitors.

This was the first time Nadia and I returned to Costa Rica in around 30 years. Nadia completed her freshman year of college at the Universidad Latina. We visited her old apartment, which has been converted to government and University of Costa Rica (UCR) offices. Her university is thriving, with Arizona State University purchasing it and offering a dual degree program, similar to the American University of Technology in Tashkent. I lived in the nearby Apartmentos Tairona and was studying botany at UCR and working at the Tropical Science Center. We didn’t meet then, but shortly thereafter, we met when we both worked at the Santa Cruz Cooperative School in her parents’ homeland of Bolivia.

My address was “50 metros oeste de Taco Bell” so we stopped at the famous (at least to us) Taco Bell for a photo opportunity. San Jose addresses start with a known landmark (Taco Bell, Fig Tree, etc.) and then use units of 50 meters (I thought of it as a 1-block) how far away and in which direction. The government has been moving trying to formalize their mailing and physical address systems since 2010, but the Ticos are slow to take it up. It is estimated that millions of dollars are lost annually in misdirected mail and driving around trying to find a location. I would think Google Maps has helped, but it is a quaint idosyncrocy that I hope stays. The locals joke that it is why they are always late for events.

The suburb of San Pedro in the mid-1990s was a cute area, and with the San Pedro de Monte Mall and the students of UCR making it hip. It was an up-and-coming area. 30 years later, it looked a bit dilapidated with crumbling roads and lots of graffiti. It was a bit sad that areas like San Pedro become worse over time. Both the Universidad Latina and the University of Costa Rica are doing well, however, and it was nice to revisit the area after so many years away. We finished the night by cruising through the City Mall in Alajuela, a large and beautiful commercial area near the airport.

It was bittersweet to say goodbye to our eldest son. It was such a fabulous week reconnecting with him and experiencing his life in the Peace Corps. We may not see him again until Christmas or next summer. We are proud of his development as a person and a professional.

I feel fortunate to still be able to play tennis at the age of 59. I no longer give my son Owen a decent game, but he humors me, and we get a good practice in. Officially, he won 6-3, 6-2, but he could have blanked me 6-0, 6-0. I didn’t play at all this spring or summer, but I will make a point to play at least weekly in the 2026-2027 academic year. I love tennis; it helps with my balance and coordination and is a good workout. Tennis also connects our family together.

Owen continues to play often and is good enough to play NCAA Division II tennis, in my opinion. I struggled returning his serve, a rapid, high-spin ball to my high backhand. He has textbook groundstrokes and good strength, stamina, and OK agility. Owen is left-handed, which also gives him an advantage in matches.

We played at El Cafetal Sports Complex in the town of San Ramon, Costa Rica. The complex has paddle ball courts, a sand volleyball court, and a couple of tennis courts. The lush tropical foliage behind the complex made for an exotic tennis experience for me. We could feel the heat and humidity of San Ramon, which has a lower elevation than Zarcero. The city itself has about 11,000 people, and the canton or county has a population of 97,000. It is the nearest town to Owen’s village, being only 19 kilometers by road from Zarcero. However, the trip takes between 30 and 40 minutes because of the narrow, windy road through the coffee and dairy farms of the Central Cordillera mountains.

We had a snack and lunch twice at the Nectandra Cafeteria in San Ramon. The sandwiches, coffee, and juices were delicious. The adjective that kept coming to mind when describing the towns and villages of Costa Rica is “sleepy”. The Ticos are super relaxed and casual. I can see why North Americans a moving to Costa Rica to avoid the uptight and busy North American lifestyle. Owen confirmed that he rarely sees someone wearing a suit and tie. The dress is very casual, lots of shorts, t-shirts, spandex and tight tops on women. I also noticed lots of tattoos and everyone being very subdued and generally smiling and content. The “pura vida” catch phrase aptly fits the culture. I guess with such nice weather, lush plants, blue skies, and a fairly small population, it makes for a sleepy, happy vibe.

One of the perks of working in the education sector is being around young people. They keep me young at heart and hopeful for the future. We hosted Owen and his Peace Corps friends, giving them a short break from their daily routines at their sites and offering them a slice of the Americana lifestyle. Will, Jillian, and Marcelo are impressive volunteers. Kind, poised, articulate, and having a desire to do some good in the world. The media has been a bit pessimistic about the future of the USA and the world in general, but anyone who spends a bit of time with young adults like these can’t help but think the next generation is alright, and we should be optimistic about a brighter future. It is a huge change in lifestyle to serve in the US Peace Corps. Volunteers are dropped off at their site and expected to adapt to a much different culture, integrate themselves into the community, and play a part in improving the lives of people around them. That is not an easy thing to do! Owen and his friends dived right into their service and are doing just this. I am proud of them and the US government for keeping the Peace Corps.

Owen and I drove a loop through the Central Cordillera Mountains here in north central Costa Rica and collected the three volunteers. They are all about 1-3 hours away from each other, although public transport options make the travel time longer. We met Will and Marcelo in the plaza of their nearest towns. We drove out to Jillian’s village, which is about 4 miles from one of the main highways. It is a world away, a collection of buildings amidst dense tropical forest. It felt very rural, and Jillian showed us the community center project she is helping to develop. The change from her former life in downstate Michigan to this is profound. My son Owen’s post is in the picturesque mountain village of Zarcero, which is a bit more developed, but in many of the same ways, a big change from what he was used to growing up in cities around the world.

My Uncle Jack prepared a gourmet breakfast and dinner for us. It was a refreshing change for them from the typical Costa Rican cuisine they regularly dine on at their sites. We also went for a nice walk in the hills around Guadalupe, the village next to Zarcero where our AirBNB is located. We got to know them and had a lot of laughs. Nadia and I are thankful that they are good friends and take care of Owen and each other.

Last night, Owen’s host family treated us to a family dinner. Lorena, his host mother, and her sister, Aida, prepared a Tican feast for us, her two sons and their families, and two of their cousins and their girlfriends all came to dinner. It was a full house! Nadia and I feel much better after this trip knowing that Owen is living with such a loving family that has embraced him and thinks of him as one of their sons or grandchildren. Owen is fortunate to be with such a loving family and friends. We leave Costa Rica with peace of mind that the next 15 months will continue to be a positive formative experience for him.

I llistened to this audio book during the long day of travel. I discovered the importance of breathing over the past couple of years through my practice of Power Yoga (Vinyasa). Travis Elliot, the founder of Inner Dimension Yoga and many of the instructors include breathing techniques in their practices. The Indian Embassy Cultural Center instructor who did a session at TIS in June also focused on breath. This led me to find this book.

Most health advice focuses on food and exercise. Nestor’s argument is that the thing we do 25,000 times a day, breathing, gets almost no attention, and that how we do it shapes nervous system function, heart rate, blood flow and blood pressure, and sleep quality more than we realize. Some of the “pulmonauts” he met claim it also prevents tooth decay, promotes weight loss, decreases chronic diseases and increases longevity. I do it now to clear my mind and relax my nervous system (slow breathing) and forced deep exhales to energize my brain (pranayama) during some yoga workouts. I took several pages of notes while listening and asked Claude to convert them to text and summarize some of the chapters.

Nose Breathing – The physiology backs this up. Mucus in the nasal passage captures debris and transports it down the throat, and the nose warms, humidifies, and filters air before it hits the lungs. That is a lot of unseen work the mouth simply cannot do. I want to look up George Catlin, an 1800s painter who did anthropological studies of Plains Indian Tribes. This connects to a modern practice that sounds strange until you understand the logic, mouth taping at night. A dentist named Mark Burhenn and a Stanford researcher named Ann Kearney both back the idea that taping the mouth shut during sleep keeps you nasal breathing, which is linked to higher nitric oxide levels and better sleep quality. The practical version is surgical tape placed at the center of the lips, not sealing the whole mouth.

Chewing Built Our Faces: A section I found genuinely surprising traced how our jaws and airways changed with agriculture, starting roughly 8,000 years ago. Softer, processed food meant less chewing, which meant smaller jaws, crowded teeth, and more breathing problems over generations. Compare that to accounts of people eating rougher, unprocessed diets who reportedly kept strong, straight teeth without any dental care. Nestor compared ancient skulls to today’s skulls. The culprits named were the modern staples, white flour, white rice, juices, jams, canned vegetables, milled and softened foods generally. The fix isn’t exotic, it’s chewing tougher food more.

Exhale and the Case for Breathing Less: Lung capacity and size are tied to longevity, and things like walking and cycling build that capacity over time. But the more counterintuitive idea in this section is about carbon dioxide. CO2 builds up in confined spaces. An eight hour day in a closed office, a classroom, or a gym all showed meaningfully different CO2 concentrations, with the classroom sitting somewhere around 800 to 1500 parts per million and higher levels linked to fatigue, headaches, and reduced cognitive performance. Flights are worse, CO2 levels on planes can run three to six times higher than fresh outdoor air, especially while boarding with the engines running. Airports themselves are not as bad, generally around 1000 ppm, but hotels recycling air instead of pulling in fresh air to save money was called out specifically.The takeaway that stuck with me is to open a window, and consider getting a CO2 monitor for spaces you spend a lot of time in.

There is also a nice mental model here, the body as a branching set of tubes, from the large ones (the throat) down to the smallest (alveoli), which act like docking stations where oxygen crosses into red blood cells (hemoglobin) and CO2 comes back out to be exhaled. The notes even mention that a meaningful portion of fat loss happens through exhaled CO2 rather than sweat or urine, which reframes exhaling as something with real physiological weight, not just a passive afterthought. Oxygen alone “does nothing for a person” without that whole exchange system working properly.The practical exercise from this section was slow, paced breathing, something like six seconds in, six seconds held, six seconds out, working toward roughly five and a half breaths per minute. That rhythm apparently echoes the pace of ocean waves and resting blood flow, and it’s the same cadence some meditative practices, like reciting the rosary, land on almost by accident.

Less is More: This section pushes the CO2 idea further. Most of us over breathe, and simply limiting inhales to around three seconds while stretching exhales to four to six seconds raises CO2 levels in the body, which in turn allows more oxygen to actually be released into tissues. Two examples anchored this for me. Emil Zatopek, the Czech distance runner, trained by running fast while holding his breath, a form of hypoventilation training that mimics high altitude conditions. And John Councilman used a version of this with the US swim team ahead of the 1976 Montreal Olympics.

Hypoventilation training works by teaching the body to do more with less, and one drill mentioned was inhaling for two steps while walking and exhaling for five, described as painful. On the other end of the spectrum, asthma rates are up roughly four times since 1980, at around 8% of the population, which the book frames as connected to this broader story of breathing too much, too fast, through the mouth. A detail I keep coming back to, animals with the slowest resting breathing rates tend to live the longest.

Reading this alongside noticing my own habits, a few things feel worth testing for myself.

• Nasal breathing as the default, during the day and especially at night.
• Getting a CO2 monitor for my office or bedroom, and just opening a window more.
• Practicing slower paced breathing, aiming toward that five and a half breaths per minute rhythm.
• Being more deliberate about chewing tougher, less processed food.
• Looking into mouth taping at night, cautiously and after reading more on how to do it safely

There is a chapter about yogis and the remarkable things they can do with their breathing, body temperature, heart rate, etc. Yoga developed in the ancient Indus Valley along the border with Afghanistan and northwest India. It started as motionless postures, breathing and meditation.

In the summary, Nestor goes over his findings.

1. Close your mouth and breathe through your nose. – Humans were not designed to take in air through the mouth for long periods of time. It should be used only as a backup, for example, when you have a cold or are exercising heavily. Sleep tape is good for controlling snoring and sleep apnea.
2. Fully exhale. – Clearing your system of CO2
3. Eat food that requires chewing. A strong mouth and jaw improve breathing. Modern diets of soft, processed foods are not good.
4. Breathe more on occasion.
5. Hold your breath. – Steady breathing calms the amygdala and controls anxiety.
6. How we breathe matters. – The perfect breath is 5.5 seconds inhale, 5.5 seconds exhale – 5 full cycles per minute. Practice this daily.

Below are links to videos demonstrating breathing techniques described in the book.

Buteyko breathing is a method developed in the 1950s by Ukrainian physician Konstantin Buteyko, built on the idea that many people chronically over-breathe (take in more air than the body needs) and that this contributes to problems like asthma, anxiety, and poor sleep. When you chronically over-breathe, you exhale too much CO2, which can actually make it harder for oxygen to reach your cells and can trigger airway constriction.

Other videos can be found on James Nestor’s website.

One of my favorite places in Marquette is Presque Isle Park. “Presque” in French (pronounced presk-EEL, which rhymes with desk-wheel) Isle means almost an island. The 323-acre wooded peninsula is almost an island and is a beloved place of relaxation and exercise for generations of Marquetters. Thanks to one of the founders of Marquette, Peter White, the federally owned island with a lighthouse on the point was preserved by an act of Congress on July 12, 1886, ceding the land to the State of Michigan to be used as a recreational park.

Earlier this summer, Nadia, Ocean, and I spent an afternoon in Central Park in Manhattan. Reading about the history of Presque Isle Park, I found that the designer of NYC’s Central Park, Frederick Law Olmsted was visiting Marquette in 1891, travelling up from Chicago’s World Fair. Marquette officials asked him his thoughts on the future design of the park.

“It should not be marred by the intrusion of artificial objects… Preserve it, treasure it, as little altered as may be for all time… We beg to congratulate Marquette on having one of the most beautiful parks in the world, and to earnestly advise that its natural beauty be religiously preserved at whatever inconvenience, as it will be worth far more than everything that art and wealth can create in a park.” Frederick Law Olmsted 1891, in his letter of recommendation to Marquette on Presque Isle

I couldn’t agree with Olmsted more! I wish more shoreline in Michigan, both on the Great Lakes and inland lakes and rivers was preserved, instead of being sold to private landowners. I don’t like seeing people’s homes cluttering a shoreline.

Nadia and I went for a sunset walk while Oliver and Ocean went to the cinema. It was a glorious evening, with the sun setting in Marquette in the summer after 10:00 PM. I enjoy simple pleasures more and more as I get older and a walk through the woods along the mighty Lake Superior with my glamorous wife is all that man can ask for in this life.

Thank you, Peter White, for your tireless efforts lobbying Congress to grant Michigan the land. Thank you, Fred Olmsted, for the wisdom to preserve the “almost island” as it always was.

Nadia and I are visiting our eldest son Owen in Costa Rica. He is a United States Government Peace Corps volunteer posted to Zarcero, Costa Rica. We last were with Owen on July 12, 2025 when we dropped him off at the Rhinelander, Wisconsin airport to have him start his Peace Corps training in Miami. It is such a joy to see him again and spend time with our son! He is such a wonderful young man. We talk to him via WhatApp daily, but it is special to see him in person again.

Zarcero sits at roughly 1,736 meters (about 5,700 feet) above sea level, up in the mountains of Alajuela Province, about a 90-minute drive from the capital San Jose. It is a gorgeous little town and the valleys are dotted with dairy farms and strawberry fields. It has a cool, misty climate with clouds rapidly moving up the ridges from below in the afternoon.

We had a great first day with him. It started with breakfast at the home of Owen’s host mother. Peace Corps volunteers can either live alone or with a host family. Owen wanted to have a family environment and meet more locals so he chose to stay with a family. Lorena is a retired resturant employee whose three children left.

I enjoy reading the local papers, and I picked up the Wednesday, July 15, 2026, edition of La Nación. It is the paper of record in Costa Rica with a long history of outstanding investigative journalism. I read of the US State Department revoking the tourist visas of the La Nación’s Board of Directors because they reported sexual harassment allegations against the current outgoing Costa Rican President, Rodrigo Chaves. The editorial staff of the paper also is against Chaves’ cooperation with the US government regarding illegal immigration. La Nacion board feels the visas were revoked in retaliation for this.

• A motorcyclist swerved into the lane of Costa Rican media personality Carlos Álvarez and was severly injured. Alvarez was innocent of any wrongdoing but was dealing with trauma of accident. The roads are narrow and not well marked in Costa Rica, especially where we are in the mountains, so I would guess there are a not of traffic accidents.
• Ian Martinez is the first “Tico” to play in the NBA Summer League. In his debut with the Cleveland Cavaliers he played 1 minute and 44 seconds, scored 2 points, had 1 assist, and 1 rebound. No Costa Rican has played in the National Basketball Association yet.
• There were a couple of articles about players in the professional soccer league. It is the most popular sport in the country.
• In the letters to the editor section, readers complained about the lack of sidewalks in San Jose that makes it dangerous for pedestrians and complaints about trash collection. I was impressed with the lack of litter and garbage in the village of Zarcero. Costa Rica is a more tidy than other Latin American countries I’ve visited.
• The crime section of the paper was quite extensive. I sense the country has a bigger crime problem than when I was here 30 years ago. The drug traffic police arrested 5 members of Los Gery Gang. Two men were arrested for the murder of Yustin Pérez who was killed in plain daylight on May 7 on the Paseo Colon, a busy street in San Jose. A 23 year old gang member was arrested for violent robberies.

I had an unforgettable day summiting Hogback Mountain with my son Oliver. He is growing up fast, and it was special for us to do something together in the rugged Huron Mountains of Marquette County overlooking Lake Superior. The Huron Mountains are old; the granite and metamorphic gneisses and schists are part of the Canadian Shield and are an estimated 3.5 billion years old in places. They have resisted erosion, including the glaciers. The pristine old-growth boreal forest of hemlock, yellow birch, sugar maple, and basswood are so cool and peaceful to walk through on a hot summer day.

We took about 3 and 1/2 to 4 hours round-trip hiking to the 1,220 feet / 375 meters summit. Thanks to the private Huron Mountain Club, the area was preserved and shielded from the widespread logging early in the 20th century. Combined with the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness further west, the area could easily be a National Park.

I had an optometrist appointment in the morning at Shopko Optical. I got a stronger prescription as my vision is deteriorating. The doctor said this is normal and I should plateau over the next couple of years. It had been three years since my last appointment.

We drove back in the afternoon and watched the end of the England versus Norway game. It was exciting but players flopping to get a foul or penalty drives me crazy! Can’t the referee see these guys are falling on purpose? I also dislike the offsides rule. I would set the rule based on the feet, not the entire body. Now, a finger, hand, shoulder, etc., nullifies an exciting play.

We spent the past two nights in the dormitories of Northern Michigan University. Our daughter Ocean will be starting in the nursing program next month. We were delighted when NMU scheduled an Orientation for families in July, which allowed us to participate! Our eldest son graduated from NMU last May and we are happy that Ocean will also become a Wildcat. NMU gives us in-state tuition and is one of two major universities in the Upper Peninsula. We have a home in Marquette and would eventually like to retire there, so it is good that our kids will love Marquette as well.

The orientation was well organized with sessions for both parents and students. I attended several sessions which touched upon finances, supporting your first-year student, and we even heard some opening remarks from the President. We slept as a family in Maple East, one of the new dorms in the Woods Complex, and ate at Northern Lights Dining Complex. We became familiar with the campus by walking to many of the events.

Ocean was a bit shy in meeting people, but she eventually got into the spirit. I hope she takes advantage of everything NMU has to offer. Young people today often tend to stay in their rooms watching screens instead of getting out and meeting people and having experiences. The university has invested a lot in infrastructure since my brothers attended the university in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They also improved their marketing by emphasizing the outdoors and the beauty of Marquette and the UP. Since the UP is sparsely populated, the university targets Chicago, Milwaukee, and downstate Michigan, where there are more potential students.

Nadia and I spent as much time as possible with Ocean during the three days. We also met with housing and admissions staff, as we are considering transferring Oliver to NMU to be with his sister. I would like to thank the NMU staff for an informative and engaging welcome.

I listened to the audiobook, “The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmond Fitzgerald” by John U. Bacon. The University of Michigan graduate was a journalist for many years at the Detroit News and writes non-fiction books about sports and history. I highly recommend his latest book! It gave me insight into the world of freighters on the Great Lakes, the economic history of the Great Lakes, and some touching stories of the sailors and their families. Below are my takeaways from the book.

• From World War II to 1975, the Great Lakes were the Silicon Valley of their time. It was the economic powerhouse of the USA with the most populous and richest states (PA, NY, IL, OH, MI, IN, WI, MN), besides Texas and California, being on the Great Lakes. I now better understand the term “The Rust Belt” that describes the economic and cultural decline from 1975 to 2026, with people and money leaving the Great Lakes for the American West and South. I predict a renaissance of the Great Lakes with climate change being favorable to them.
• Shipping is the most efficient way to move goods. It is 600 times cheaper to use a large freighter instead of trucks. This does not take into account the cost of maintaining highways.
• A Great Lakes freighter is designed much differently than an ocean freighter. Because the Soo Locks are shallow and narrow, ships need to be long and thin. This makes them harder to move in storms. A freighter can carry the equivalent of 17,000 automobiles’ worth of taconite.
• Great Lakes storms are more dangerous than ocean storms. The salt in ocean water dampens the force of the waves. Great Lakes freshwater waves are higher and closer together.
• Taconite is a lower-grade iron ore that freighters transported in the 20th century on the Great Lakes. Mining companies crushed rock and used magnets to draw out the diffuse iron in the ore. The powder was then rolled into small pellets for easier shipping.

During the school year, I used the image of the Edmond Fitzgerald in a presentation to the school community. I was using a ship as a metaphor for the school, and the Board of Trustees sets the course for the ship and looks out for storms, but does not load cargo or steer the boat daily. No one in the audience knew about the Edmond Fitzgerald. The ship sank in 1975 off the east coast of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, so of course all Yoopers know about it. Canadian musician Gordon Lightfoot released a 6 and 1/2 minute ballad about the tragedy in 1976, and it reached #2 on the pop music charts in the USA that year. I guess referencing a ship that sank 50 years ago would not be a common reference for an international and younger audience. 🙂

I was thinking about the Edmond Fitzgerald yesterday while I was swimming in Lake Superior. We visited the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park and “hiked” to the Presque Isle River Beach on the far west side of the park. We were in mixed company (non-hikers) and got off to a late start, so needed to keep our walking distance to a minimum. People who have never seen one of the Great Lakes doesn’t understand their size. They have the power and vastness of oceans. Walking along the shore and taking in the intense greens of the trees, the red of the rocks and soils, the blue skies and the never-ending grey horizon of the water always invigorates my soul. The water was cold but not too bad and Jimmer and I managed about 10-15 minutes in the water. We collected some beautiful rocks and driftwood and had a great late afternoon/evening by the water. The sun does not set until 10:00 PM at this time of year.

We stopped at the Northern Waters Casino and Resort to watch the Mexico versus England match. The Ojibwe tribe owns a nice casino/hotel on their reservation just outside of the town of Watersmeet, a 30-minute drive from Caspian. I see that European teams are the majority of the quarterfinals with five teams already in and a sixth, Swizterland, taking on Colombia.