Here in Michigan our summer season comes and goes quicker than in most places. I think maybe that is the reason why all of us who live in the state shaped like a mitten cherish this time of year as much as we do.

I've traveled around the country and the world my fair share, yet I've never witness a connection to the summer months which we have just entered like I do here in Michigan. Sure, people enjoy the warm air and more laid back pace which comes with this time of year, but in Michigan it's different.

When I was young, as with most people who grew up here, every summer we would head up to northern Michigan and spend our time out at on of the thousands of lakes, campgrounds, rivers, or cabins. We all had our different spots, but they were sort of all the same. From Mackinac, Tahquamenon Falls, Traverse City, Alpena, Rose City, these place are vastly different but all have a familiarity which connects them to all of us.

Hot, sticky days spent at the lake would inevitably morph into a cool evening and we would all go to the local store for ice cream. This was the social epicenter of the up north world. Boys and girls would meet, flirt, and maybe get their first kiss. (If they were lucky)

This was how we grew up and it shaped who we are today. Next week starts my three week vacation where I will once again be heading "up north" In the year 2016 there is no place I couldn't go, but the older I become, the more I want to go to where it is familiar, and that is what I'm going to do.

In my stories Michigan is always a character. That is because Michigan is part of me and I am apart of her. We are connected on a level which is almost mystical. I hope you have a place like this, because for me, it has been truly life defining.

- London Rae