The House in the Pole at the End of the Driveway Up North

At the end of our driveway, loosely termed because it is really just two tracks in the grass, is a very tall pole that was once one of two marking the entrance. The other pole long since fell over. There used to be a gate that swung between the two poles to lock up access, which was silly because anyone with a decent truck would just drive around all of it. When the two poles were intact, there was a sign overhead which said BIG WATER. We didn’t put that there; it was there when we showed up.

So, the first pole fell several years ago and since then, I’ve been waiting for the second to keel over, but it’s hung in there despite rain, snow, sleet, and the terrific wind that comes off Lake Superior. It’s sturdy like a lot of things in the U.P. but we thought that about the other pole and look what happened.

We love the pole for its faithfulness even knowing its clock is ticking.

Anyway, today, as we were driving down the driveway, not backing out as we usually do but going forward to avoid some emerging soft spots in the sand, we saw a remarkable looking bird fly in front of us into the pole.

So, we stopped and watched. There were holes in the pole, several. And two birds that flew in and out. Big hefty birds with serious beaks, grey herringbone feathers and a red splotch on their heads.

Our pole had become a home.

Later, I walked around the pole, saw holes made years ago, and realized that I’d never looked or I would’ve known that our pole was loved by other creatures – red-bellied woodpeckers to be exact. Yes, all this time unbeknownst to us, they lived here, had little families, and let us come as guests to their place.

Never making a peep. Never asking questions, commenting, complaining. Just living their lives. In our pole which, at some point, had become theirs. It was a revelation.