Love Note

Hello.  How about a love note?

It has been two months since your eyes feasted upon my words.  Two months since I have tickled the keys for your pleasure.  Has your heart grown fonder?  Or has it turned away, feeling neglected and hurt?

My love for you has not dwindled.  It is always there, whether I reach out or not.  May this unconditional love set you free from expectations.  Free from feeling fault.  It's not you.  It's me.

Well, that was kind of corny, but I like to spice it up, you know?

As I look out my window or walk through the woods, I see the green and brown of the ground.  Yes, green and brown.  Maybe some red and gray, but you get the drift.  No snow yet.

I hear there's a storm a-coming, so perhaps things will look a little brighter soon.  Until then, I'll just enjoy the days where I can push a stroller on the damp pavement with ease.

Maybe we will have snow for Winter Wonderfest this weekend.  That event is Saturday, December 10th in the Grant Township (Copper Harbor) park and community building.  It starts at 10 am with crafts and a bake sale.  Santa comes with presents at 4 pm and the park lights up at 6 pm.  Who knows what will follow after that? 

Snow or not, it is always a fun time.  Maybe I will see you there.

Then guess where I am going after Christmas.  Arkansas.  Yup, going to try it for a month with Aaron and the Rock Solid crew.  They are building trail in the middle of the Ozarks.  It sounds like a beautiful spot.  We'll see how long Brady P. and I last; it will be an adventure.  I'll take pictures for you!

My memoir is coming along very well, thanks for asking.  And yes, that's still why you've been neglected.  Brady P. only takes one nap a day, and I want to get that baby ready to be published.  I'll let you know when it's ready.  Probably a few months yet.  But, boy, I am addicted to it right now.

That's kind of it.  The bell buoy is gone.  The garden is pulled.  The house and yard are ready for winter.  Brady P. and I are just enjoying each day together.  Good thing he likes me!

So, I'll probably catch you down south next time.  Remember you are in my thoughts.  Be well.

Love,

Amanda

Ground Porn

One of the first things I got to do after my last post was get out to my rock.  And luckily, Aaron was still home, so just Duce and I went while B napped.

Without a squiggly little boy on my back, I can be more nimble.  I am also able to hold a camera steadily and not get kicked while I snap the photo.  This particular day, wet and warm, I was interested in ground cover.  Here are some of the shots I took on the way out.

A tiny ecosystem grows on an old stump

If I didn't have a one-year-old,

I might have this as my carpet at home

For some reason, I have always been intrigued by these tiny ground covers.  They turn something old into new life.  Their structure seems simple, yet effective.  Like how those light green stems in the top picture have a dent in the top, so water can pool there, and they can stay moist.  Genius.

Out at the rock, my soul was on fire.  I scampered all around like a child, exploring all areas of this magnificent geological beast.  One of my favorite parts was the lichen.  Guess I was still on that kick, hey?

Lichen on my rock

White, gray, green and orange all in the same spot.  Pretty spectacular.  And once my own heart settled a bit, and I could hear beyond myself, I heard this woh woh woh woh sound.  In not too long, I knew it was a freighter.  For some reason, I got really excited.  Probably because I couldn't see it, but I knew it was there.  I could almost feel it.  So I sat on that rock, and I waited.

Enjoying my view again

The woh woh woh woh kept getting louder, so I figured it would poke out from behind the lighthouse point at any moment.  I tried not to stare at that spot and just enjoy myself, but it seemed to be taking quite a while.  And my excitement just built.

Then there it was.  Haha.  It was pretty anticlimactic.  Yes, there it was: a freighter in the mist on the horizon.  Seen it a hundred times.  Got lots of pictures of it.  So I thought for a moment how the anticipation was more intense than the actual delivery.  Kind of like a kid opening a present on Christmas, you know?  Life is like that.

Now I will forget a lot of incidents in between, but here are a couple more of note.

Winter Wonderfest was a blowout despite the fact there was no snow.  The grass was lush and green.  People hung out by the fire because the air wasn't even too chilly until it started to drizzle.

Okay, but let me back up.  B and I worked a shift at the bake sale that day.  During that time, we saw lots of people come and go.  I always wonder where they come from.  Then around 3:30, before the ornament decorating was about to begin, the kids came in droves.  Holy crap I was almost claustrophobic!  Where did they all come from???  Were they here to make ornaments?  See Santa?  Well, I still don't know the answer to that, but they came.

And after the park lit up at 6pm, they all ran into it to play around the lights.  That part was pretty cool -- mostly because we weren't all in the same room.  Thank goodness for the great outdoors.

Well, HERE IS A VIDEO OF THAT GRAND LIGHTING.   Just click that underlined part.  Oh, you know what to do!

It was pretty sweet, I tell you.  Nice job to Donny and all the helpers.  Maybe you'll be there next year!

The other cool story happened yesterday.  I was out on a walk with my friend Annele (thank goodness I have another adventure buddy for the winter!!!), and while we stood on Jamsen's dock, this freighter scooted by.  It was so close, but we didn't hear it -- just barely saw it in the mist.  Now this photo is heavily edited, so you can actually see the freighter.  But it looks cool that way anyway.

Freighter in the mist through the gap

I mean, how perfect is that?  It's half the length of the gap!  If the wind was from the north, we probably could have smelled the fuel.

Oh, see? Now I'm remembering some other things.

One day I walked along Lake Fanny Hooe, and she was soooooo still.  I mean look how still she was!!!  A perfect reflection!

A perfect Fanny Hooe reflection

Can you tell where I was standing?  That's the resort on the right side.  Pretty cool, if I do say so myself.

And lastly, I recall a day when I wish I had my camera.  I had just gotten back from a hellacious drive from town.  It was a day that I wish someone had told me how horrible it was going to be, so I just wouldn't have gone!  But I did, and we didn't die.

So I got back, and often times, instead of turning right at the blinking light, I'll go straight  through and take Brockway Ave. along the lakeshore.  Man, we pulled up to the Jamsen's dock, and I couldn't believe the gap!  It was a constant whitecap!  The water level seemed to be higher than the rocks out there!

When I stepped out of my car -- getting pelted by freezing rain and sloshing through a huge puddle -- I noticed the waves in the harbor itself were breaking over people's docks!  I don't know if I've ever seen that before.  A lot of elements had to be aligned for that to happen.  And it did.  And I got to see it.  But I didn't have a camera.

Let me leave you with the fact that we are in the middle of a lake effect snow storm.  I'd say approximately 3 inches of fluff has built up on my porch so far.  It's beginning to look a lot like the Keweenaw!

On the Verge of Winter

Well, I was right about one thing: the bell buoy got stolen from right under my nose.  But today, as the sun shines brightly and the lake is calm, there is plenty of freighter action on the lake.  I saw three, and that's when I wasn't even trying!

That means winter is coming.  Sometimes, by now, we are already buried in snow.  Not this year!  Look what's on the ground in the woods on the last day of November!

Snow cover in the woods as of 11/30/2015

Not a whole lot.  But there are other signs of winter.  Just looky here at the frost I saw on my hike today.

Ground frosties!

And take a look over here at the potential first ice skating rink!

Clyde's pond icing over nicely

And wouldn't you know it, Donny K. Jr. is out in the park putting up Christmas lights so "we can have the best light display in the U.P."  Looks like he had some help from the big boys today.

Don sending lights to the top of that cedar

If you are up, feel free to help him out by decorating a tree.  He always needs volunteers.  We'll see how cheery things look this year.  Actually, you can see them too at Winter Wonderfest.  This year it's December 12th.  Crafts, gifts and goodies in the community building all day, then the park lights up at dark!  It's always a lovely time.

Know what else was a lovely time?  My parents came up two weekends ago.  One day my mom volunteered to watch Braeden (bless her heart), so my dad and I could get out for an adventure.  

On that blustery day,  we hiked the south shore of Hunter's Point.  Then we sat on the point for some time while we took it all in.  We hiked the north shore back, and each time we could jut out to the beach, we did.  We stood at each outlet and watched the waves crash.  It was neat because at each spot, the waves hit the shore differently.

Now I must say that my dad is really awesome because not everyone will stand there at each outlet on the beach and watch the waves crash on the shore and love every minute.  Thanks, Daddio.  We'll have to do it again sometime.

I also got to take my parents out to my new favorite rock.  That day was sunny and not as windy.  Though ice covered the stones up to the rock, and waves flooded the path between the icy stones, I timed it out, so I could sit up there and bask in the wonder of my spirit.  I just love that spot.  Here you can see my boots overlooking the eastern edge of Porter's Island in the distance.

The view from my rock

Now my goal is to get out there as much as possible this winter and take this photo. What will be different each time?  Lighting, ice, snow, my boots, my pants and whatever else will surprise us!  Now it may not be easy getting out there with little man and Duce through the blowing cold days, but I'll do my best.

So yeah.  I am pumped for winter.  Excited to see what it brings.  Hopefully I can show Brady Boy some ice skating moves before too much snow falls.  But I surely won't bet on that!

And want to know what's extra cool about this winter?  December 13th marks 10 years since Aaron and I moved up here.  Ten years!  I'm so excited, I just might have to celebrate!

Post Holiday Report

Happy 2015!  Hopefully I am another year wiser.

Remember how I mentioned the Winter Wonderfest last time?  Well, I thought it went pretty well.  The weather was warming up, but we still had snow.  And quite a few folks came out.

Folks and crafts at Winter Wonderfest

One of our local artists Donica created and donated this huge wreath for a raffle.  Those are life size doors, people.  What a honker!

Donica's massive wreath

And outside stood the snowmen, tall and proud.  Most of them were made by Staci, the one who decorated her mini golf course with them one year.

These two found the mistletoe

These two know how to party

Donny: the jolliest of them all

The leader of the light brigade

The lighting of the park was also lovely, though I didn't see it first hand.  Lydia took this picture, thankfully.

A pan of the park 2014

And the next day it rained.  I thought, well, there goes all that hard-earned snow.  But I won't lie.  Personally, a little break in the winter was nice considering what we went through last year.

The following day it snowed again anyway, so we were once again fluffy and white.  The trees were absolutely gorgeous.  I mean I stared in awe at them.  I realized that we live in a post card up here.  Everywhere I looked was picture perfect.

If you plan to come up to see this living post card, be aware that the Portage Canal lift bridge will periodically be closed.  The next predicted time for a prolonged closure is January 17th from 9pm to 7am.  I think this is pretty cool, actually (yeah, now watch me get stuck on the side I don't want to be on).  I mean, we live on an island up here.  That bridge is out, and the only option to the other side is a cold swim.

Otherwise you can expect short delays while work is being done on the bridge.  Just be prepared for that!

Since I talked to you last, a few places have reopened: The Pines Resort, Bear Belly Bar and Grill in Lac La Belle and Mount Bohemia Ski Hill.  Winter life has started here with snowmobilers and skiers, so that is promising, I suppose.

Aaron and some of his buddies are out on the east side of the harbor ice fishing for their first time this winter.  I heard there's 4-6" of ice on that side.  And they're actually catching some today!

Braeden needs to get bigger before I can take him out on winter adventures, so just be patient with me on that.  But when he is ready, we are going to have a blast.

I'd like to thank Grandma Mary for being here today, so I can actually get to this computer and focus long enough to write to you.  You should thank her too.  She keeps the little man entertained, that's for sure.

Thanks for your patience while I keep him entertained for all the other hours of his sweet little life.  I'll be with you soon, I hope!