Paiva! (Hi!) I’m Mary Hanson.
Have you ever felt that there’s something you “just have to do some day,” but something in your psyche blocks you from doing it? Me too. For me, it’s writing for the fun of it. I’m a lifelong professional writer and it’s taken me years to feel able to write just for fun. So here it is — my first blog. It shares my journey from my “learned” identity as urban professional boss-lady and Navy captain back to my core identity as nature-loving rugged girl with Finnish genes.
I’m taking this journey by creating a rustic waterfront camp in the far north, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (U.P.), where I was raised. It’s called Camp Many Moons in a nod to my childhood nickname and to the American Indians who found this waterfront long before I did. While developing the camp, I also encounter a boat of the same name and help create its history too. That’s why the menu for this blog includes The Camp and The Boat. I added a third category called Reflections, for those items that don’t fit the other two…my general ruminations on humanity and meaning. My mind works like a pinball machine, and when the ball settles, I often get an “aha!” That’s what Reflections is for.
Many Moons means “a long time.” The journey of self-discovery has no schedule; it takes the time it takes. As you take your own journey here, you’ll meet my partner Jeff, who helped create the camp with his hands, skills, knowledge, equipment, and vision – and also introduced the boat. Thanks for joining us, whether for a brief visit or for many moons!
Note: Except for a few stock photos to introduce a post, all photos are mine.
Clarification: In the north, “camp” simply means a personal get-away, not a place to host visitors — although I do that also, on a limited scale.
PS: Wondering about my published (Google) name? MarjaSisu comes from my heritage, which is 100% Finnish. Yes, 100%, according to Ancestry.com! Marja – pronounced MAR–ya – is what my Dad called me. It was his way of saying Mary in Finn-glish. (It also means strawberry.) Sisu is a Finnish word that means grit and determination, which definitely applies to this venture. Tervetuloa (welcome), and pidä hauskaa (enjoy yourself)!
For Many Moons 