The Mackinac Bridge Wrote Me a Letter: And Rabbits Fall from Trees

By Frank Hill

I want to turn up one of those
seasonal roads which lead off of M-119
fronted by rectangular white signs
warning that the roads are not plowed in winter.
I could drive far enough off the main road
that no one would see us when we stop.
You might not even ask why I am doing it.

In The Mackinac Bridge Wrote Me a Letter Hills glimpses into life vary from humorous to poignant to fanciful to observational. Topics include a drive on M-119 through the Tunnel of Trees, a hawks posture, mouse coffee, the last swim of the year, and the opening of deer season.

Hill also reminisces about watching Johnny Green and the Michigan State Spartans play the Indiana Hoosiers at the old IU Fieldhouse. Hill recalls wondering if he would meet another Frank Hill and he revisits canoeing across the Straits of Mackinac to impress a girlfriend his first summer on Mackinac Island. Hill even admits to some of his nighttime dreams, thereby lending credence to his wifes claim that he may not be as normal as pumpkin pie.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jun 19, 2015
• ISBN: 9781504913461

Frank Hill

Since retiring as a teacher a few years agoFrank has completed two creative writingcourses with the Open College of Arts,become involved with a local writing groupand attended script-writing courses at a localtheatre.He has had several pieces published. A shortstory in Carillon Magazine, a piece about theHuddersfield Canal in Yorkshire HistoryQuarterly and an article about local railtransport in The Huddersfield Examiner.He also won a poetry competition organisedby Huddersfield College. He has had twoshort scripts performed at Lawrence BatleyTheatre in Huddersfield, and helped adaptthe Victorian novel ‘Ben O‘ Bill’s’ byD. F. E. Sykes into a five-part serial for ‘TwoValley’s Radio’. He also writes theatre reviewsfor a website called Remote Goat.

Book preview

MACKINAC BRIDGE

Wrote Me A

LETTER

AND RABBITS FALL FROM TREES

Frank Hill

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AuthorHouse™

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© 2015 Frank Hill. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse   06/15/2015

ISBN: 978-1-5049-1344-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5049-1345-4 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5049-1346-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015908155

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

It Was Not Love At First Sight

I’m OK With That

Swept Up In The Current

Going With The Flow

How Stupid Was I?

A Letter From Dad

Whatcha Thinkin’ Dad?

That Was Then

One Size Fits All…Sort Of

One Of Life’s Gambles

A Sign Of The Times

The Tunnel Of Trees

The Mystery Of Creeks

Mouse Coffee

Closing Time

Just A Dream, Nothing More

Good Posture

The Mackinac Bridge Wrote Me A Letter

The Butterfly Stroke

A House Once Stood Here

Birthdays

A Familiar Voice

Not Everybody Can Be An Astronaut

Being Braced For Life

The Sentry Beside The Stairs

Time And Time Again

The Last Swim Of The Year?

When It Is Too Cold To Swim

Opening Day Of Deer Season

The Introspective Deer Hunter In His Tree Stand

Escaping Cabin Fever In November

November

Depends On Your Point Of View

Imagine That

Water And Ice

Wrapped In Thought

A Chickadee In Winter

Putting One Foot In Front Of The Other…Or Putting It Elsewhere

The Warmth Of Snow

Sometimes Winter Is…Well, It’s Just Winter

The Ides Of March

Twilight In Late March

Rabbits Falling From Trees

Morris

Improbable As It May Seem

Organized Fun

Options

Noticing While Trying Not To Be Noticed

Florence Ensle

The Grasshopper

Dedicated to my wife Becky

Many years ago, when we worked on Mackinac Island, I purchased the Mackinac Bridge as a gift to you. In doing so I renamed the bridge as Becky’s Bridge. For reasons not clear to me, the State of Michigan has ignored my demands to change the highway signs and maps to identify the bridge as yours. Soon I may have the money to correct this oversight.

Poetry books are known to be big sellers, producing lots of profit for the authors.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

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The painting on the cover was created by June Hill, oldest grandchild of the author.

The interior illustrations were drawn by the author’s three oldest grandchildren, Birk Hill, 10; Sullivan Hill, 6; and June Hill, 12. Their drawings have the approval of the author’s youngest grandchild, Hadley, 3.

Thanks to my wife, Becky, for her assistance in proofreading and editing the manuscript. Any grammatical errors are because I refused to accept some of her advice.

IT WAS NOT LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT

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I suppose my awareness of Michigan began

at Broadview Elementary School when my teacher,

Mrs. Wooden, required us to learn the names of

all of the state capitols.

So, somewhere in the recesses of my mind,

temporarily pushing aside thoughts of basketball or

Roy Rogers, the King of the Cowboys,

was the name of a city called Lansing.

It was in a state which proclaimed itself to be a pleasant peninsula.

To this Hoosier boy, Michigan then went into hibernation

until Michigan State’s basketball team and its star,

Jumping Johnny Green, visited Bloomington to play

Branch McCracken’s Hurryin’ Hoosiers