Summer to the Max

Haha.  I guess the only time I take to write a blog is when I'm at my in-laws' house in the Wisconsin Northwoods because here I sit again on their couch.  Always too much to do at home, you know?  Hopefully my little man will sleep until I finish this.

Oh, my little man.  Can I tell you how he is?  He is amazing.  I mean really.  He is so stinkin' cute.  He steals the hearts of all the ladies (and even some men) at the grocery stores when he smiles.  He makes us laugh til our faces hurt.  He is so healthy after his heart surgery.  He tries so hard to do the things that other kids do.  He can walk about 4 steps and stand up on his own.  He is on Braeden time, but that is just perfect for everyone because he will teach us so much more than milestones in this life.  He is a gift to the world, and we are grateful.

He loves practically anything with a motor, so here is a picture of him with Dad in the CAT.  Aaron is working on a new campground in Copper Harbor.  It's called Trails End Campground, and they should have sites up and running by August!  That Aaron.  He never has enough to do, but at least he loves to spend time with his little boy.

Brady P. and Aaron digging big holes

So life is just wonderful right now.  I actually have time to go mountain biking!!!  Hooray!  I can slowly introduce death-defying sports into my life again.  I feel so ALIVE!  I even got my season shuttle pass from the Keweenaw Adventure Company, so they can take me to the top of the mountains, and I can ride down and practice my skills.

What else is great?  The berries are starting to come!  I ate a couple blueberries and bilberries before I left, so those should be raring when I get back.  Thimbles are not far off and I bet razzies are about ready too.

The wildflowers are beautimous as usual.  I found a couple new species this summer when I visited a new spot.  Bog rosemary and buckbean, which is a protected wildflower.  Oh, I was so excited when I saw the buckbean because I knew what it was from the  pictures in my books.  I also found a couple new ones here in WI.  I am a junkie when it comes to identifying flowers.  I just HAVE to know what it is, or I get all itchy and can't sleep.

Another amazing thing is the Copper Harbor community garden.  I meant to take a picture of it for you, but who brings a camera to the garden?  Perhaps when I have tomatoes and peppers hanging I'll snap a shot for you.  It's encouraging to see all the plots in the garden.  Quite a few people really take the time to work their spot.  It's something to be proud of, and it's nice to share good food with others.

I have jumped in Lake Superior twice so far this summer.  She's starting to warm up -- especially since my first dip in April!  Talk about invigorating!

And guess what else I haven't been able to do since I had a baby in my belly.  Go kayaking.  But in June, Tim the hawk-counter and I paddled the sloughs at Bete Gris.  Oh, man, it was a picture perfect paddling day.  Luckily I took some photos!

A view of Mt. Bohemia from Lac La Belle

A lone trumpeter swan on the lake

The opening of the Mendota Canal in the distance

We parked at the end of the road in the slough zone and paddled to most of the dead ends, turned around and paddled to the next one.  It was great exploration.  Our plan was to paddle to the Bear Belly Bar and Grill for lunch.  What we didn't realize was how far it was from the channel.  

Luckily we are both positive, go-with-the-flow kind of people because we were huuuuungry way before we were even close.  We almost clubbed the swan to eat for lunch.  (Okay, some of my jokes are terrible.)  But just before we gave up hope, I smelled french fries!!!  Suddenly we were renewed, and my blistering hands paddled a little faster to the shore.  Mmm, french fries.

Other than that, we all survived the Independence Day festivities.  And now it's July, so all my friends are busy working.  Well, at least they got a break!  Mama don't get a break!  But I don't mind.  I think I'd rather hang out with B than make fancy cocktails at the speed of light.  Everything has its season, you know.  

And now that I'm not serving tourists, I like them much more.  I even go out of my way to help them when they look confused.  I take interest in where they came from and what brought them here.  I wonder what they like to do while they are here.  Yes, Brady P. has taught me that we are ALL people, and we all deserve respect.  There is some good in everyone, and that is what I look for.  Life is a struggle enough without having to feel judged by others who have no idea what you're going through.  Maybe he will be president someday.

Down Under the Bridge.

 Though I have travelled over 700 miles since I left Copper Harbor, I am still in Michigan.  Man this is a big state.  I did go the Wisconsin route, however.  I have to get my fresh cheese curd fix. 

So, I don't mean to get all sentimental on you again, but it was really hard to leave this last time. Probably because I knew how great I felt while I was here.  Even though the town was overrun with visitors, my spirit was overcome with peace and inspiration.

Plus, the choke cherries were amazing.  For a wino, ahem, winemaker, choke cherries are a prime fruit.  Imagine bunches of cherry red grapes hanging from the trees -- almost ready to pick.  Sooooo close to being ready to shuck off those branches.  And I had to leave.  Choke is some of the best wine I have ever made.  Well, next year, I hope.  Just look at these babies.

Whopping bunches of chokes... for the birds

As odd as it may sound, this picture was in my mind as I turned up the hill on Highway 41.  Then I looked back at Lake Superior in my rearview mirror, and said See you later beautiful lake.  Sniff a tear.  Oh, she is such a beauty.  My heart longs to be there still.  Probably much like yours if you are not there right now.

Do you want to know where I am 700 miles away still in Michigan?  Sitting in a hotel in Ann Arbor.  It's not so bad.  I'd be a bit more adventurous if I wasn't so afraid to drive in cities with actual lines of traffic and stop lights.  We're here for Braeden anyway, my mother and I.  Don't worry.  He's doing fine.  Just needs some check-ups and testing, and Mott's is worth the drive.

I've been longing to tell you about something that I've seen lately.  Maybe others have seen them more too, but I haven't really heard anything.  

Wolves.  

Okay, so two wolves on two separate occasions.  That's really more wolves than I've seen in my whole entire life.  And what they were doing is what gives me that goosebumpy feeling.  Both times were in the U.P.  Both were while I was driving with my little boy in the back seat.  And BOTH times the wolf came out of the woods and stayed there, staring.  

The first time I was driving south just south of South Range.  I thought it was a deer at first because, well, that's what usually jumps out of the woods.  Then I saw that it looked more like a dog.  A huge prancing dog with no collar.  Oh my gosh, that's a wolf, Braeden!  He was probably sleeping by that time.  But the wolf, in it's tall tan and gray glory frolicked across the road, made a U-turn back across the road, stopped on the yellow line and stared at me.  Not a glare or anything scary, but a gaze as if to say, "I am here for you."  Then it trapsed off back into the woods where it came out.  Has this ever happened to you?  I think it's pretty strange behavior for such a beast, and though I thought it a bit incredible, it instantly put my mind at ease, and I knew everything was going to be all right.  Kind of like a sign of good luck.

The second time was less than two months later.  I was cruising north just north of Mohawk.  I noticed brake lights on the car ahead of me.  Slightly annoyed because this is where we get to speed up, I saw why they slowed down.  A wolf stood on the driver's left side of the road just looking around calmly.  You know, it watched us as we went by.  That same calming feeling filled me as we passed, and I hoped the car behind me got to bask in its majesty as well.

Now, when I think of wolves in the wild, I would be a bit more scared.  Especially if I was walking on a trail somewhere and there it was -- looking at me.  Yeah, I know I was in a car, but this was really different.  I think Braeden's energy is behind it.  Call me a kook if you want, but I try to listen to my intuition, and that's what it said.  That sweet little boy has already led me on quite a journey.  We'll see where this one goes!

Happy September, by the way.  I know you're probably biting your fingernails because I'm way far away from the Keweenaw, and I can't give you a good color report.  Oh, I bet you have other resources, who am I kidding?  But, if you like my report, I should be back by September 13th or so.  I am excited to show Braeden the colors in the trees.  When he was born, they were already brown on the ground.

Well, I'll see you when I'm back up Nort, eh!

Back to Myself

Last week I drove back to Copper Harbor.  After 5 weeks of somewhere else, I was eager to return.  But I didn't realize how much I missed it until I got back.  I'm sure you can relate to this.  It may sound cliche, but it's true.  Here it goes.

Once I got just south of Houghton, and I crested that hill, I got goosebumps.  I felt like I was truly back in the Keweenaw.  Coming over the hill into Copper Harbor, though, wow.  I saw the sign and the lake, and I cried.  Real tears trickled down my face.  I didn't even care as long as I could still see the road.

When I pulled into my driveway, I opened my car door, hit the ground on my knees and kissed the rocks and sand.  If I would have kissed it the way I really felt, I would have had a mouth full of dirt, and that didn't seem like fun to wash out, so I just kissed it with my lips.  When I looked up, I saw my thimbleberry plants bursting with magenta orbs of tang.  I ate as many as I could one right after the other until I remembered I had a sleeping baby in the car.  He was still sleeping, so I looked out at my little town and took a deep breath.

That's when it hit me.

I felt two feelings at that moment.  One was like someone inserted my "missing piece" somewhere in my body and soul.  A piece I didn't even realize was gone until it got put back.  I felt whole again.  The other feeling was like someone plugged me back into life.  I didn't realize I was unplugged until the electricity of the air energized me and made me feel alive.  Hello, Amanda!!!  There you are!!!  I missed you!!!

I am not exaggerating this.  I bet you believe me.  

I know that most people come here and feel like a weight is lifted off their shoulders and peace fills their soul.  That is wonderful too.  I would feel that way if my life away from here was stressful, but it's not.  It's just, well, to be polite, not here.

So there I was.  Completely Amanda again.  I jumped and cheered and Braeden woke up.  I tried celebrating with him, but I don't know if he fully understood my elation.  I showed him around the house and checked his reaction.  He was more observant than reacting.  Pretty typical for him.  He takes it all in, that wise little man.

Like at Hunter's Point.  He loves to sit in the rocks and chew on them.  Here he is picking out a tasty one.

B finding his next chew toy

That boy is tough, I tell you.  And just darling.  

We've gone quite a few places since we've been home.  Great Sand Bay where he took his first dip in Lake Superior and ate his first fist-fulls of sand.  Up and down Paul's Plunge.  Along the first part of the Keweenaw Point Trail.  Lake Manganese and Fanny Hooe.  Through Fort Wilkins campground on a busy weekend in August.  Atop Brockway Mountain for his first time.  Clyde's field.  Docks along the harbor shore.  Brickside Brewery where the bartenders always give him free beer.  Kisses!  I mean they give him kisses and hugs.  

So here is a picture of the beginning of the Keweenaw Point Trail.  I have told you this before, but this trail is destined to loop around the tip of the Keweenaw (hence the name) and Phase I is now complete.  It starts on Manganese Road just above the falls and comes out just east of Lake Fanny Hooe by the Mandan Loop near the beginning of Highway 41.  Got that?

KPT Trailhead!

I was intrigued by the suspended rock at the beginning.  Cool, huh?

And here is a part of the seasons that you may not have fully compared in your head.  The difference between the bottom of Manganese Falls in the spring and late summer.  Can you guess which is which below?  Hint: it's the same order I just mentioned.

Can you believe it?  It hardly looks like the same spot!  But it is.  I am not a liar.

The berries are pretty amazing right now.  Yeah.  What a tease this year.  I mean, here I am, actually here with all day to pick, and someone won't sit still in the bushes for hours at a time.  I don't blame him, though.  When he's ready to pick with me, I'll have him make up for it.  Tee hee!

So here is a bit of blatant truth into my life.  Raw Amanda.  I can't get out to pick berries to make, um, wine, so I just bought rice to make sake!  Ha!  I will find a way to make wine!  I think it will be a nice experiment.  I'm all about  fermentation experimentation.   See also: I like to make and drink wine.  

Guess what.  It's Art in the Park this weekend in da Harbor!  If you're coming up and you don't have a place to sleep, you'll be sleeping in your car.  Or on some nice person's beach, I don't know.  Sleeping on a pebbly beach is quite wonderful, actually.  Even if you don't have a tent.  Unless the bugs are out...

So, if you come up this weekend, stop by the bake sale.  That's where Braeden and I will be!  I'm running it again this year.  Bring some baked goods or buy some!  If we get to talking and I like you, maybe you can try my wine sometime.  See you in September!

Switching to September Mode

Yesterday, around 6 pm, I walked down the main drag to tend to my garden.  Suddenly, I was stopped in my tracks.  I couldn't believe what I saw.

Or perhaps it was what I didn't see.

Cars and people.  Bikes and dogs.  Gone, gone, gone.  I could have stood on the yellow lines of U.S. Highway 41 without a passing car for quite sometime.  Even the parking lots were empty and sparse.  What a contrast from the weekend.

Labor Day Weekend.  The big shebang.  The final final for this little town.  And it's over.

Sunday, for the Bell's Beer Copper Harbor Trails Fest, I was in charge of (among many other things) hauling coolers, cups and tables to the aid station up at the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge.  To accomplish such a task, I had to drive my car -- something no local wants to do on such a day.

Putting through town in second gear, I felt like I was in a parade.  Speed was slow, cars were bumper to bumper and kids were running across the road.  I just took deep breaths and enjoyed the chaos for what it was.

On the way back down, the cruisin' was pretty smooth until the last 1/4 mile before the blinking light.  Keweenaw County's sheriff's officers were orchestrating traffic as the racers crossed the highway there.  I was in no big hurry, so, once again, I just enjoyed the hubbub and watched the racers pedal vigorously.  

Once I parked my car in my driveway, I wiped my brow, grateful not to drive for the rest of the weekend.  My traveling from then on would be by foot... and my feet were sore by the end of it all.

Sunday's weather was surprisingly spectacular.  The sun dried some slick spots on the trails and kept people's spirits up throughout the day.  The event went well.  Again, a HUGE thank you goes out to our dozens of volunteers, donors, racers and everyone who helped make this event successful.  It's a big undertaking, but it seems to be worth it.

So now what do I do with myself?  Take a nap.

But first, I'll share a couple pics my hubby took of the downhill event.

Racer launching over The Flow

Crowds cheering on the riders

Did I take any pictures?  Nope.  I was too stressed out running here and there to make sure this and that were ready to go.  And I couldn't even reward myself with a Bell's Black Note Bourbon Barrel Stout.  I suppose the smell of it was rewarding enough.

Before I exit this topic, I should inform you that if you are interested in seeing more pictures and stats from this weekend, go to CopperHarborTrails.org or visit them on facebook.

So I'm not working full-time right now.  I have plenty of little jobs to keep me busy and lots of volunteer work to do, but I'm not "tied down" six days a week for 10 hours a day like usual.  You would think that I have plenty of time to pick berries.

Sadly, that is a farce.

Picking berries with a lead-filled basket ball on my tummy is no easy task.  I pretty much gave up at the end of July.  But here is the kicker: people look at me and say, "I can't believe the bilberries this year.  They are like nickels, and there's so many of them!"

Yeah, yeah rub it in.  My picking days are done for the summer.  I got what I could already.  And besides, the berries give me instant acid reflux.  But I eat them anyway.  Ah yes, life it is a-changin'.  But it's a good change, and I am excited for it.

Well, Happy September.  This month brings different clientele to the area: older couples, couples without kids and the like.  Table occupancy in the restaurants goes from a "party of 12, no wait, 11 and a booster seat" to "just the two of us... can we sit on the main floor?"  But nonetheless, the weekends will be busy.  Especially when the leaves turn more.

Color Report

I would say the Covered Drive is still only 1% color.  It's beautiful color too.  I'll let you know more as the weeks go by!

Little Gifts

Oh, boy.  I must have been tired this week.  I feel like not much happened, and I can't even remember it.  Good thing this is a free blog; you can't have high expectations!

But I do remember that I have to tell you about the rare plant species that was found.  It's the same one I found this past winter while descending one of Brockway's cliffs.  And it's the same one my wildflower enthusiast friend, Harvey Desnick, and I rescaled one of Brockway's cliffs to find -- only to find no new growth.  

Well then a friend was walking her dog along the Fort Wilkins trails, and she found it, asking out of curiosity.  Pinedrops.  Pterospora andromedea.  It's a parasitic plant that doesn't make its own chlorophyll.  Here are a couple shots I took of it.

Pinedrops

Up close and personal

My wildflower friends and I were geeked.  I'm so glad that I am among others who thoroughly enjoy this sort of thing.  And now we don't have to scale the mountain side while being eaten by mosquitos again!

Way back in the 1800's, Fort Wilkins had a garden behind what is now the Grant Township Park and Copper Harbor Trailhead.  This plot, that used to grow potatoes and probably other roots, is now the community garden whereupon you have watched me groom my plot.

I am pleased to say that section of fertile soil is treating us quite well.  I just picked my first ripe and delicious cherry tomatoes yesterday.  I've been eating cucumbers for weeks.  The bell peppers and heirloom tomatoes are waiting for some midnight warmth so they can turn red.  The zucchini is blossoming.  And the salad greens are more than I can eat -- even eating for two.

Yesterday, as I stepped back with the watering can after giving the plants a good dousing, I just took a moment to be grateful.  Grateful that I was gifted this plot to work, the seeds to sow, the plants to tend and the food to take back home with me.  I didn't realize how much I missed having a garden.  It is truly a blessing.

Okay, sorry for getting all sentimental on you.  But it is a magical part of da Harbor!

I had some friends visit me this weekend.  One thing we did that I haven't done in years was play mini golf at Into the Woods.  It was fun.  Lots of laughter both at ourselves and each other.  If you are up, and have some time to bide, I recommend it.  Staci, the owner, is always trying to keep things fresh and progressive.  It's a beautiful spot to spend an afternoon.

I could go on about the events in town, but do you know what?  CopperHarbor.org  already does a darn good job of that.  So if you are curious, click that link or the one above in the left column (if you don't read this on a mobile device).

Honestly, I wish I had an adventure to share with you.  It's just getting harder for me to think of one and then actually execute it.  Incubating another person is hard work enough.  

So contrary to my usual pictures, here is one of me with that little energy-stealing bundle of joy in my belly.

The Little One and me, 6 1/2 months along

That baby is getting a good taste of the wild berries.  I'll have to pick some blues, thimbles and a few more bils this week.  Just a some more little gifts in my life.

See you next week!

Shades of Pink

Sorry it's Tuesday already.  And why did I miss Monday this time?  I had to go to town.  The following excerpt describes how a Copper Harbor resident feels during and after one of these excursions.  This was originally published in the Fall 2012 edition of the Copper UP.  I particularly enjoy this humorous piece.

Going To Town

By Amanda Wais

Living at the “end of the road” in Copper Harbor certainly has its perks.  You get to stare at Lake Superior.  You don’t have to see anyone except your neighbors four months out of the year.  Nature supplies you with yearlong beauty in wildlife, vegetation and scenery.

            But then you run out of milk.  Whew, the Gas Lite general store sells it.  Then your exotic muffin recipe calls for fenugreek (what the heck is fenugreek anyway?).  Luckily, your wacky neighbor has some.  Soon you realize you need to stock up on toilet paper, vegetables and that herbal smelling shampoo you like so much.  Oh, crap.  Now you have to go to town.

            Going to town.  It most often involves traveling to Calumet or all the way to Houghton.  It’s the dreaded phrase for most Harborites because it sucks two hours of your day just driving there and back.  It turns your hair gray maneuvering through cars and traffic lights.  And the fluorescent lights in the stores soon start a dull buzzing in your brain.

            If you are going to town, you usually ask other residents if they need anything because they don’t want to go either.  Often their first response is, “Well, how far are you going?”  Then they’ll name a couple items they need.  Otherwise you might get, “Nope, I have to go on Friday anyway.” 

“Good,” you think to yourself.  “One less stop for me.”

       Going to town should be fun.  We should think, “Oh, wow.  I am going to experience a beautiful drive.  I am going to see a different part of society and the world I live in.  Perhaps I can go out to lunch or take a walk along the Portage Canal.  Maybe I will even hit a few gift shops.”  No, no you won’t.  You will be so exhausted that by the time you get home it’s hard to enjoy the rest of your day.  “Oh, cripes.  Now I have to put all these groceries away before I go to work, and I just want to take a nap!  Whimper whimper.”

            Why is going to town so difficult?  So stressful?  So draining?  My guess is that we are not used to the hustle.  Sure the summers are busy up here, and we become programmed to run around in a frenzy, but it’s a different kind of frenzy.  Town is a lot of driving in traffic.  Copper Harbor doesn’t have traffic with lights and lane changes and police officers.  You drive this way or that way and watch out for pedestrians and people on bikes (I suppose that is good practice for us).

            Town also involves a lot of planning.  “Okay, I need to get groceries in Calumet, but my appointment is in Houghton, and I have to stop in Dollar Bay on the way back, so I’ll take this route, or I’ll back track.”  You don’t want to back track in town.  You want to make a nice easy loop.  Most people make detailed lists that they follow, or they’ll go crazy.  “Shoot!  I forgot to get dog food at the top of the hill!  Now I have to go back through Houghton, and downtown is a one-way street, and the bridge might go up soon, so I might not make it back in time for work  Oh man, I need a drink!!!”

            See what I mean?  Town is stressful.

Most people in the USA live in a city.  They drive through traffic lights without a second thought.  They know short cuts around one-way streets.  They go out to eat and enjoy a beer because they don’t have to drive 50 miles to get home.  Their heads are already buzzing with fluorescent lights, so fresh air gives them a headache. 

What do they do when they come up to Copper Harbor?  They hold out their phone, and look for reception.   It takes them a while to adapt to our pace, just like it takes us a while to adapt to theirs.

            Going to town.  Some Harborites love it.  They get to go some place different.  They get to listen to their music on the drive.  They get some retail therapy.  Once in a while I remember to appreciate these silver linings.  But usually, going to town is a chore, and I simply don’t want to do it.

            If you see your Copper Harbor friends in town, just give them a little shoulder rub and say, “You can do it, buddy.  It’s all going to be okay.”  And you know what?  It just might be… until you have to go next month.

Fair enough?  Okay, then.

The weekend wore me out too.  I worked Friday, Saturday and Sunday taking photos and notes at Ladies Weekend's Copper Harbor Bike Clinic.  It was awesome.  Those women were so stoked to learn how to shred on their bikes with confidence and new skills.  Over 80 women participated and 16 coaches taught.  It seems like they preferred the coolness and sometimes rain over hot humid weather.  Here is the group shot.

Copper Harbor Ladies Weekend!

My goal is to publish some articles about that.  It was inspiring, energizing and just plain amazing to see these girls learning and having fun on their mountain bikes.

Know what else is awesome?  The berries!  I've picked just about 2 gallons of bilberries, and I'm not done yet.  Thimbles and rasps are just popping enough where you could start to pick.  Blueberries need a little more time to quanitify, but they are available to nibble along the trails.  The cherries are starting too, but I may have to skip them this year.  I'm sure people will yell at the pregnant lady on a ladder picking cherries.  More for you!

We may get a sweltering afternoon here and there, but for the most part, summer has been pretty cool lately.  Especially during the night time and early mornings.  But, quite honestly, we all complain when it gets really hot and humid, so it's probably better this way!

I found some friends who like that weather.

More pink water lilies!

So lovely.  And as I wander the edge of this pond, I always see frogs dunking under to avoid the human and her curious dog.

Upcoming Events

This weekend, on Saturday August 2nd is the annual Copperman Triathlon.  No I will not be riding in it this year.  It's getting harder to get my knees up to pedal a bike!

The following weekend is Eagle Harbor's Art in the Park.  Does it need an explanation?  I have never been able to attend myself, and this year, I am leading the kid's Creative Writing tour in nature (if I get any takers) that I posted about earlier.  The latter is Saturday, August 9th from 1-4 pm.

Also that weekend (it's going to be nuts), Copper Harbor is hosting Single Speed USA.  This is a traveling race for crazy people who will pedal over 40 miles on the CH trails with only one gear on their bikes and wear goofy outfits while they do it.  To each their own!  We are honored that they chose our town for their annual event.  I will take pictures and volunteer at a trail crossing... maybe in a goofy outfit too.

Oh, and Sunday August 10th, if it's not raining and cold, the Harbor Haus will be cooking Breakfast on the Flow!  It goes from 8-9 am that morning at the picnic tables on The Flow trail.  All for a donation to the CHTC.

Now let me leave you with this picture of a beetle I saw the other day.  I'm sure the features on its face are not really its face, but what a neat looking creature!

The buck-tooth beetle

(That's just what I call it)

Ooh.  I've also got news and photos of a rare plant species, but that will have to wait for next time.  See you then!

A List of Firsts

I keep realizing how stubborn I am.

Early last week I went on a hike to a spot I haven't been to in a while.  Nothing far or strenuous, just neglected.  Boy am I glad I went when I did because look who was in prime season!

A blooming wood nymph

Now I have seen the wood nymph for years in my wildflower guides, but this was the first time I saw it in real life!  I knew what it was instantly, and I'm so glad I actually had my camera on me.  When I knelt down to capture it, the aroma stunned me.  Its fragrance for a tiny flower is at least as potent as arbutus is.  And quite similar in smell.  I will return each year to see my little wood nymph friend.

So here's where I got stubborn.  This route that I took didn't really have a cut trail through to let me out.  I didn't want to backtrack and I didn't want to take the road, so I took the power line which consisted of a deer trail.

I don't even know why the deer take that way.  The ground was mud and the grass was over my head.  It was like I was swimming in thick grass and mud with no end in sight.  Plus the mosquitoes chewed up every part of me that wasn't covered.  AND, I thought I was walking through poison ivy!  The latter has yet to be determined, but I did not get a rash.  Thank goodness.

Why didn't I just take the road??? I kicked myself as I wondered when the heck I was going to get to a trail again.  I had been this way before, but never drowning in grass and mosquitoes topped with the fear of poison ivy.

Well, I was glad to get out of there.  And I guess it taught me a lesson.  I always need those, you know.

On a tamer walk through Clyde's Field, I finally got to see the pink water lily when I had my camera, so you can see it too!  That's it in the bottom right corner.

A lily among the pads

And the morning that my friend Hannah and I went out to clean up our stretch of Highway 41 for the Copper Harbor Trails Club, I found two more species new to me!  I saw sidebells, and also knew instantly what they were from pictures.  But the next took me a bit longer.

It looked so much like a raspberry, but there was only one berry atop each set of leaves.  They were mixed in with the wild strawberries that we were already eating.  It was kind of odd when I thought to myself, I don't know what this berry is, and then I ate it.  Not good practice, people, but I must have had a good inclination.  

A few yards down the road, the name dewberry came to mind.  That must be it!  Dewberry!  I looked it up when I got home, and sure enough.  Dewberries are edible, so don't worry.

Later that night, our band, Power of Air, debuted at Open Mic at Zik's.  The funny part was that it was nearing my bed-time and past our keyboard player's.  Plus it was past snooze time for many of the people in the audience who came just to see us!  (Can I admit it wasn't even dark yet?)

We had that place pretty packed.  All the chairs and stools were taken, and the audience was quite captivated.  They all had high compliments when we were done.  Well, I guess now we are rockstars!  Just kidding.  I prefer to be a writer, but that was pretty fun too.

Yesterday was Lake Superior Day.  It was the first celebration I was able to attend, but I guess it was only the second annual in Copper Harbor.  Lots of people came to check it out!  I came to take pictures, and I stayed for the food and entertainment.

Here are some highlights.

An educational boat ride on the Agassiz

Canoe race rounding the buoy

Hot dogs and corn... yes, please!

Speakers in costume

As I hung out, a strange feeling crept over me.  Kind of like guilt.  I realized that it was the first event I attended in Copper Harbor that I had nothing to do with besides dropping my donation in the bucket and enjoying myself.  I didn't bake anything, collect prizes, volunteer for a shift -- nothing.

So I thoroughly thanked those people who did help out.  And they thanked me for coming.  Well, I guess I had an important part anyway!  The festivities, speeches, food, live music and activities were all well done.  I think I'll go again next year!

And here are a couple shirts that represented the topic of celebration.

T-shirt #1

T-shirt #2

Thanks again to those folks who let me take an anonymous picture of their chest.  Go Lake Superior!

And then we make it to today.

This morning I suited up to pick some bilberries.  I was hoping to find enough to fill a gallon bag.  When I got to my spot, I was overwhelmed.

They were all over, big, juicy and ripe.  I picked for some time just over an hour to get my gallon.  Then I stopped.  I stopped even though I was still surrounded by those succulent jewels.  I was hot and hungry, and my big black dog was hot and thirsty.  I was grateful for my loot.  It was glorious.

I got to eat another of my first berry of the year today too: thimbles!  I found three ripe ones in the sunshine.  Delicious.  Oh, and I had my first cherries of the year too.  What a berry berry day!

It was berry hot, too.  Oh, man.  I thought my dog and I were both going to overheat, so we went swimming in Lake Fanny Hooe.  My first time fully swimming for the year too!  Except for the biting sand flies that latched onto us at the shore, it was quite enjoyable.  Much needed to bring the body temp down a notch.

Well, no telling what life will bring this next week, but here's to the best!