<p>
	<img alt="Alexis says her favorite color is rainbow!" class="border-left" src="{filedir_5}Au-Sable-Field-Trip-014-200pxl.png" style="float: right; width: 200px; height: 243px; " />Greetings! My name is Ellen Whitehead, and I am blessed to have Au Sable &ndash; Great Lakes as my neighbor. I hope to write this blog periodically to share my thoughts and perspectives on what it is like to live so close to this natural gem in Northern Michigan. I&rsquo;ve recently started to volunteer at Au Sable. What a blessing this partnership has brought to my life!</p>
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	First, here is a little summary of what brought me here. I worked for 30 years as a secretary for Clarkston Schools in northern Oakland County. Having raised four children, my husband Dave and I had always dreamed of retiring to this area. We bought a lot on Little Twin Lake in 1999 and enjoyed many years camping with our family until we were finally able to realize our dream. Last year, we built our home on a wooded hilltop overlooking this beautiful, pristine lake. I like to say we are &ldquo;diving, soaring, living&mdash;amid the eagle and the loon.&rdquo; If I had to choose just two passions (Boy, is that hard to do!) that have weaved their way throughout my life, they would have to be nature and spirituality. What a perfect fit Au Sable has been to feed my passions!</p>
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	Recently, I began helping Paul and the college interns with the elementary school field trips. When an extra hand is needed with larger school groups, I wander on over and get to be a teacher for a day. Of course, this is after receiving expert training from Paul on &ldquo;<a href="/k12programs/curriculum/all_programs/#Senses">Exploring our Senses</a>,&rdquo; &ldquo;<a href="/k12programs/curriculum/all_programs/#Plants">Plant Studies</a>,&rdquo; &ldquo;<a href="/k12programs/curriculum/all_programs/#MichiganHistory">Michigan History</a>,&rdquo; and &ldquo;<a href="/k12programs/curriculum/all_programs/#Mammals">Mammal</a>/<a href="/k12programs/curriculum/all_programs/#WildlifeStudy">Wildlife Studies</a>.&rdquo;</p>
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	So far, I&rsquo;ve been a pioneer woman in the Michigan Territories who knows how to make candles over a campfire; hiked the porcupine trail (check out the song &ldquo;<a href="http://ruthbloomquist.com/">Michigan Girl</a>&rdquo; by Ruth Bloomquist to get a sense of what this is like); pretended to be a red squirrel; found worms under a rotting log; and used a paintbrush to help spread pollen. I don&rsquo;t know who learned more along the Au Sable trails&mdash;the children or me!</p>
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	One thing I know I have learned . . . God has led me to this heavenly place near Mancelona, Michigan. As the psalmist said long, long ago . . . &ldquo;He lets me rest in fields of green grass. He leads me beside the quiet waters . . . I have everything I need.&rdquo; (Psalm 23: 2, 5c), New Life Version.</p>
