Oh, Baby.

Good thing it's raining today because the blackflies and mosquitoes would be horacious otherwise.  And it's also a good thing because the world was starting to dry out up here.  One more reason it's good (and I speak for myself) is because after 1,000 gray winter days in a row, hot and sunny days tend to fry a person right off the bat.  The cool, wet, grayness is a nice balance every once in a while.  Besides, it's Monday, and those usually feel gray anyway.  Okay, well, I like Mondays.

In my last post, I emphasized the fact that blood-sucking insects were at bay.  I knew they would be here by now.  My doggie can't even lay peacefully on the porch; he's too busy biting at the swarms around his body.

But, 'tis the season.  We knew this would come.  Of course, they can go away anytime now.  I think we've earned ourselves a pleasant summer.  I'll keep you posted as it progresses.

A few days ago, just before the bugs got bad, Duce and I went up to Lake Manganese.  After the "spring," that pond was a welcome sight.  Duce ran right in to swim.  I tested the water with my hand, then kicked off my shoes to wade a bit.  Pretty tepid, actually.  I would have to be beading sweat to want to swim in it, but it will be an option -- when the bugs die off a bit.

Speaking of sweating, have you noticed that I haven't been doing much of that lately?  I've traded my death-defying, hear-pumping adventures for wandering wildflower walks.  I'm currently not allowed to do the former because there is a baby in my belly.

That's right.  I'm incubating a mini adventure buddy!  This little person should make their appearance to the world in late October, so I've got all summer to give tours and write and garden and pick berries and paint a baby's room.  Aaron and I are really excited to be parents.  It must just be that time in our lives!

So, yeah.  No mountain biking or cliff climbing (or descending) or anything crazy like that.  But I tell you, I can't wait to take my kayak out.  The inland lakes should warm up a bit soon until I get a wetsuit.

But this weekend I'm going to a new place.  Mackinac Island.  Have you ever been there?  Talk about a tourist destination.  I'm going to the Annual Summer Conference for the Michigan Outdoor Writers Association.  Last year I went up to Canada for that, remember?  I sure am looking forward to that trip.  Something different, you know?

After that trip, I'll have some pictures for you.  But this time, well, I'm not really sure how it happened, but I have nothing current to share.  My apologies for this round.  And don't hold it against me; I'm a little sensitive these days. 

Well, have a great week, and I'll see you when I get back from the little island!

This and That

We now have fragrant blossoms of all sorts.  We have wildflowers spewing forth their vibrant colors.  We even have blackflies to the point that Aaron just came home to bring back bugnets for the trail crew.

What we don't have are people.  Yeah, there are a few here and there, but this town is still quiet and peaceful.  If potential visitors are watching the weather, they may just be put off by the 40 - 50 degree temperatures.

Don't take that as a complaint.  I know they will come and consume my energy in a couple weeks.  I am grateful for this time.  It's just a little different than past years.  And yes, we are blaming the weather because this place is awesome.

The Isle Royale Queen began her journeys to the rock.  I stood on the dock and snapped a shot of her maiden voyage three weeks ago.

The Queen IV's maiden voyage 2013

I have danced the cancan twice for her already on the Harbor Haus patio.

The sunsets have been quite stunning lately.  Monday's lit the sky a deep magenta.  I stood along the shore and watched it change colors (without my camera).  As I stood still, the mergansers and geese swam around me to dive and feed.  That was a moment of serenity for this girl.

The biking and hiking trails have been lovely.  Just a couple spots are still muddy, but I don't care.  The mud is a small price to pay for the joy of the experience!

I fear this post may seem a bit scattered, but I have no main idea besides current events.  

Speaking of events, BINGO is starting tonight in the Community Building.  The balls drop at 7 pm sharp each Wednesday, so get your cards before then!

You can see the progress of the Copper Harbor Playground Project at this site.  (Can you tell who writes those posts?)  We plan to build it August 24th of this year.  Yes, in one day.  Volunteers are needed.  Check that site for details on how to help!

Back to the grind for me.  Catch you next week!

Battle Wounds

I was back in the bilberry patch this morning.  This time up by the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge.  It's my favorite spot to pick up there, so I was pretty pumped the day had come.  

So there I was, bucket around my waist, looking for little purple globes of glory.  I found some right away, and then the mosquitoes found me.  Grr, I thought.  But I picked last time in the skeeters.  I knew I just had to ignore them and smack them when I felt them land.

Soon I found some glorious patches.  I knelt right down in them to pick away.  Before I knew it, I had blackflies up my nose and in my eyes.  Just swarming me.  Okay, I can do mosquitoes for the berry trade, but blackflies too???  It's almost August!!!  I wanted a bugnet.  But even more so, I wanted to get the hell out of the woods.  Whimper whimper.  My neck was swelling up from all the bites.  I could feel bumps forming around the edge of my bandana.  Are the berries really worth all this???

Yes.  Yes they are.  I stayed and picked and blew those nasty little flies out of my nose and picked them out of my eyes and smeared berry juice on my face as I tried to swat them away.  But berry picking is a two handed job, so free hands were hard to come by.  My gosh.  I picked about two quarts of bils and some thimbleberries on the side.  

Since my allotted picking time was dwindling, I made my way toward the bottom of the Keweenaw Ridge.  I kid you not, as soon as I stepped down 12 feet in elevation, the bugs were gone.  All of them.  The sun was out and the bugs were completely gone.  Thank goodness.  I even ran into the trail-working crew, and they said they hadn't seen any bugs at all.  I showed them my bumps and continued down the trail.

Ah, home safe and sound with berries in the freezer.  The swelling will go down soon enough.

By the way, it's really nice and cool here now.  Lots of visitors are coming up to escape the heat, and they are finding much relief.  It's only been in the 70's lately.  We sure are lucky!

Escaping the Flies

It’s blackfly season.  And it’s in full swing.

But I know how to escape them.  So do you, if you have one of my black market F.A.Q. pamphlets about Copper Harbor.

The key is to keep moving.  I went on my first roller blade of the season today, and I forgot they existed until I got home and took my blades off at the bottom of the steps.  Oh, they were swarming me!  In my hair, on my neck, in my mouth.  Patooey!  They must love my sweaty goodness.  I grabbed my gear, though some if it was still on me, and ran up into the house.  There.  I escaped.

Today I also needed to burn some cardboard.  At first, while standing at my fire ring, they began to swarm.  So I lit my lighter and sent that cardboard up in flames.  Bye bye, blackfiles!

A couple days ago a friend and I were searching for morels in the woods. Morels I did not find, but the bugs found me!  Here’s where the mind game starts.  When forced to be among them, you repeat over and over what your main objective in the woods is.

I am looking for morels.  I am looking for morels. Oh, the blueberry bushes are blossoming!  I am looking for morels.  I am looking for morels.  Ooh, a fiddlehead.  Yum!  I am looking for morels.

Then the blackflies don’t seem so bad.  Soon enough (and especially because I found zero morels) the bug bites were becoming more apparent.  I bet you are wondering how I escaped that scene.  I ran out of the woods, hopped on my bike and pedaled away.  Whew!

But as a whole, the swarms have been on and off.  The wind really takes care of them, so thank you, Lake Superior!  Too much sun and hot makes them hide under cover, and too chilly of weather (like today) seems to keep them under cover.

I have no expectations.  I know some tricks.  But most of all, I know when to stay inside until it gets dark!

A Stroll to the Lighthouse

I haven't walked to the lighthouse in a couple weeks.  Since the bell buoy has been brought back, I've had a suspicion that it's in a different spot.  I strolled down there today to see what I could find out before the ferry boat starts taking tours.  

At first I thought, Yes!  It's closer to the shore than it used to be.  But after I watched and listened to it bob for a few minutes, I thought, No, that's where it usually is.  Huh.  I would imagine that the buoy itself is attached to a spot on the bottom with some sort of clasp or hook.  I tried finding out how bell buoys are attached for you to no avail.

So I'll go back to my second opinion.  The buoy is just where it always was.  Good.  That's fine with me!

But I realized a couple things on my walk today.  As I was clearing branches out of the culverts from Lake Lily Creek, I stirred up a swarm of... the inevitable... blackflies.  Yes.  Blackflies are here.  Get out your bug nets if you plan to do yard work, people.  They are feeding.  Oy.

I also found some more flowers on my walk too.  Some I forgot to mention last time, and some like that area.  They were barren strawberry, bearberry, purple violet, dandelion and blueberry -- all very short plants.  I also noticed that the red flowers of the red maples are falling off to make room for the leaves!

And a few of my favorite little green friends that are lush, but not yet budding are the yarrow, roses, St. John's Wort, bilberries, thimbleberries and raspberries.  Really now.  How could you not love the spring?  I have one full week, starting today, that I can enjoy the peace of this land.  Then it's back to work full-time bartending!  I can do it....