There's a ton going on in this photo. Its a picture shot by a photographer for the Lansing State Journal. It appeared front and center of the Society section of their Going Back to School Sunday issue.

The photo is meant to depict my brother Paul heading off to kindergarten. He's shaking hands with our dog Susie as our mother, purse on the ground, stand watch. I am on my way up the stairs of the Skywalk that spanned Saginaw Highway a couple of block south of Bretton Woods school. I have the half smile/sneer that kids my age had when they're last few days of summer vacation included monkey suits and picture posing.

The photo was taken about six weeks after my dad died. My mother was good friends with the society editor of the paper, and as a result, family members had appear before and would appear again in the society section. My mom had a thing for society. My dad didn't but society was quite fond of him. If you look at the picture carefully, the only two who seem to be enjoying themselves are my mom and Susie.

Susie was a gentle Golden who'd had a few litters and had mellowed except for when it thundered. Then she'd panic and shake and hide and/or jump through screen doors. We had no idea how to work with the poor girl. She had a son named Mike who lived a few blocks away. During that time, most family pets would occasionally roam the neighborhood. Our neighborhood was an unincoporated suburb with large lots and gravel roads. Mike was a monster-sized Golden. His head was the size of a large pumpkin. He come to meet Suzie with great leaping affection. They'd roll and nip and chase and, once in awhile, someone would let Mike in the house by mistake. Mike and Suzie would romp in the house and it drove my mother crazy. Wonder who it was that use to let Mike in the house?

The Skywalk was all about progress. Saginaw Highway was a four-lane racetrack. There were few stop lights. Speeds were high. Left turns were dangerous. Crossing on foot or on bike was a high-risk proposition. The Skywalk was the answer. Pedestrians were now safe. However, check out the steps on the Skywalk. Think any kid hauled his/her bike up and down the steps? They didn't. I didn't. Parents thought we were safe. We weren't. We back to the high-risk stuff. It beat wrestling your bike up and down the step twice a day.

However sneery-faced I was, it's hard to match the look on my brother's face. He looks as if he's just taken a bite from a lemon sandwich. I am not sure if he was all that jazzed about going to school. I know for a fact that I wasn't. Heck, who was?

What really grabs me about this photo is that there is no one else around. Those are my most lasting memories of that time. I went to Saint Gerards. I walked or rode by Bretton Woods evey day. Our starting time differed from theirs. I didn't have anyone near me who went to StGs. So, I rode, or walked, alone. I can still remember the sound of the wind whipping high and cold through the elm trees. It sounded like an angry Lake Michigan. Couple that with a low, gray, spiteful sky and you had a recipe for lonliness. Those were cold, lonely days even with my mug in this Society section.