Pete's Lake, Upper Michigan

Last Thursday night Jeff tied the kayak unto the roof of the car so we could have an early start for the Munising area the next morning. Of course a thunderstorm moved through and the tied down kayak held water while we traveled through the heavy fog at dawn.

We stopped for eerie swamp photos along the way where dead trees jutted up to the sky, reaching for something they knew long ago. But no longer remembered. With the fog photos taken, I hoped the brown mist would lift so I would have a clear photo day for the rest of my needs! But the pea soup followed us on and on. When we arrived at the Munising area, however, the sun began burning the sky clear blue. YAY!!! Now it was time to find a small lake. Jeff chose Pete's Lake, which on Forest Highway 13. He had worked on the lake in the past and wanted me to see it for the first time.

Pete's Lake is a scenic sandy-bottomed lake that begged for a kayak to slip across it. :D We only saw one fishing boat across the lake in the distance and didn't see any other activity until we glided by the state forest campground. Then we heard laughter and saw a family enjoying the water. Bikers appeared following trails and I was happy to see people enjoying the last of the summer. It was idyllic.

The photo above shows the thickly forested shoreline around Pete's Lake. The trees lean toward the light and when they die, they fall into the water, making bleached skeletons which is good cover for the fish. Water lilies decorate the edges of the lake here and there and Jeff took me around to them for some shots which I'm saving for my projects. :D The only sandy shoreline was in the camping area and it was most inviting. We'll haul our tent to that campground some time in the future.

On Friday, I was on a mission to snap fog photos, greenery, water lilies and rock formations. I found all but the rock formations and even snapped some waterfalls. :D Have to stock up my photos for my projects and blogging before the deciduous leaves fall off the trees in early autumn. Will be fortified with images before the winter whiteout happens. Last winter was hard blogging because the landscape looked the same for five months. LOL The only times of excitement were right after snowstorms, and who wants those?

All is well. Tomorrow we'll enjoy barbecue chicken with Jeff's parents for Labor Day...and we will begin planning our next adventure. :D

What are you doing for Labor Day?

Hugs, JJ

Lake Superior Last Evening

Last evening Jeff and I decided to travel to the Upper Peninsula after supper and kayak on Lake Superior. While Jeff raised the orange kayak to the rack on the top of the car, I gathered my cameras and made sure the cats were okay. We were off on adventure then, happy to have the freedom to do so.

It was a balmy August evening with low winds, perfect for kayaking on the large fresh water lake. After a long car ride, we disembarked at a boat ramp and Jeff paddled us to our favorite island. We don't know the name of it but call it Mouse Island because of its shape. We love toodling around this fascinating spot and have always been drawn to it. There are fallen bricks lining the lake bottom around it as well as metal objects. The old pier pilings in the photo are standing on the north side of the island, looking like tombstones of drowned sailors by the way their varied and ethereal shapes meet the sky.

On the way to the island zillions of white mayflies fluttered around just above the surface of the water. Soon seagulls, fifty of them or more, rode the air currents above us, then dipped down for a mayfly meal. It was fun watching the sky full of circling, feasting gulls. We also saw a Great Blue Heron standing in some willowy reeds along the shoreline.

We delighted in saying hi to the forested small island again - discussed how fast 22 years had gone by since we first explored it - and wished we could had stayed on our idyllic water oasis for a while longer. But two hours passed by too quickly.

When the the bright sun dipped low in the ebbing blue sky and shone brightly through the spaces between evergreen branches that stood along the shore, Jeff and I returned to the dock. As we came in for a landing, a woman was videoing us as Jeff's sure strokes skimmed us over the tannin waters and back to safety before the night turned black. Perhaps we are on her blog now. :D

I used my photo editor to add lighting to the top of the pier pilings photo. I'm having fun learning my photo editor software program.

The best part of the evening was the great time Jeff and I had. And I also came home with several great shots that I can use for the proposal I am working on with my agent's approval. :D I'm going for contract number two. :D

Hugs, JJ

Who's winning? Jeff or the Pool? LOL

Do you ever look outside once and awhile and then do a double take? Late yesterday afternoon I glanced outside and saw our cat watching something with rapt attention. My eyes followed her vision and then I saw the draining pool had turned into an ever changing bumping mountain. A bulge of heavy vinyl shot out here and there and underneath the heavy covering I heard heavy respiration as I opened the door and stepped outside. (I wish I would have thought to put this incident on video. :D) It was so slapstick I started laughing. Then I said, "Jeff, is that you under there?" I don't know what I would have done if a bear had growled back.

"Yes, it's me," Jeff said.

"Don't stop. I'll grab the camera!" I said as he fought with his heavy foe. Back outside, I snapped a few pics and then Jeff came out from underneath his makeshift tent.

"They say in the instructions to drain the pool, dry it, and store it away....WHY don't they tell you how to DRAIN it easier?" he said, his face reddened from all the pushing and shoving.

ROFL

Anyone recommend an easier way for next year's draining?

"Did you drain it like this last year?" I asked Jeff, biting my lip, knowing how much energy that must have taken.

"Yes, I did."

I'm on the search for an easier way. If you know, please tell me so we can save Jeff some intense exertion. :D

Hugs, JJ

Photo of a Freighter from the Mackinaw Bridge

Today I have a photo of a freighter that was snapped while we traveled over the Mackinaw Bridge. I used the freeze action setting and loved the results. On my other camera, the railing would have been a blur and tilted. The freighter is on the Lake Michigan side, and as soon as it passes under the bridge, TADA, it's on Lake Huron. The Mackinaw Bridge divides the two Great Lakes in the Straits Area. The scariest time I had driving over the bridge was years ago during a blizzard. I held my breath the whole way and sang at the top of my lungs but I made it across fine. :D Then I had to face the freeway where only the posts alongside the road told me I was on the pavement. That was frightening too. Who wants to end up in a ditch during a blizzard? When you have kids waiting, you keep plowing your way through.

On this trip, Jeff and I enjoyed a fun in the sun day in the Upper Peninsula and searched for places we can kayak where we haven't been before. Life is all about exploring the world around us. :D With the price of gas, it's the closest havens to us that interest us. Never have I seen so many sunbathers and swimmers using the the roadside parks as I have this year, so it's great Michiganders are enjoying the beautiful resources this area offers. Sticking to home is great for the economy. :D

Now for a Meme. I have been tagged by Stella to list six unspectacular facts about myself.

1. I read the fewest books of my friends a month, but carpal tunnel limits that. I make sure they are SPECIAL books. :D

2. I usually don't wear make up.

3. I am a middle child. Can't you tell. :D

4. I don't have a cell phone and find no need for one.

5. Loved stilts as a kid and still dream about walking on them and would love some bouncy moon shoes. :D Don't think I'll ever grow up. Let's add on a pogo stick!

6. I am wanting a new couch but haven't convinced Jeff we need one.

I tag anyone who wants to participate. It's a fun Meme!!!

Hugs, JJ

Golden Winter Squash and Autumn Signs

Golden winter squash brightens our late summer garden, the vines stretching across one half of it and even creeping onto the lawn. We've never grown squash before but the vegetable likes our soil, so this will make for a great winter staple. We'll sure have enough of it. :D Will have to find some recipes.

Don't you love it when your garden produces more than you expected. :D One year we had a great supply of dried tomato slices. Those we ate like chips when the wood stove was burning bright and frost made patterns on the windows.

As the squash grows and ripens, signs of autumn are everywhere. Ferns are dying, opening up the trails again, fallen leaves are scattered here and there and an occasional tree branch has all golden and red leaves. The rich green of the forest has turned lighter and more pale, and the golden grasses have seeded.

Our thermometer reads 67 degrees. In Michigan this will signal a drop in the humidity and it will be easier to exercise now without having sweat pouring off you during little exertion. The hardest part of the summer for me is the high humidity. I will use my elliptical trainer again. :D Have vowed to lose 10 pounds, so I can gain a few during the winter and not worry about it. That would be awesome! I don't know about you, but when the colder weather creeps in, I gain four pounds. It never fails. On top of that, I have had to switch to a wheat gluten-free diet and that has forced me into making food choices I don't like. LOL Still am not used to the taste of the flours I can eat: soy, sorghum, rice, etc. Haven't found a brownie recipe yet that tastes good, but that doesn't sound like something I can eat to lose weight anyway. LOL

Off for a walk along the lake. :D Please pray that Jeff is better soon. He has been ill since last Thursday. It may be a combination of inhaled cedar sawdust and the flu. Whatever it is, his respiratory system took a good hit. But his fever has broken and now it's a matter of waiting it out, which is hard for him.

Hugs, JJ

Update on Jeff's Kayak Building

I have an update on Jeff's wooden sea kayak building. The deck is almost completed and he will begin work on the cockpit soon. The summer has been busy with distractions and he has cleared his schedule in the hope of working on the vessel more. I can't wait until Jeff's applying the epoxy and fiberglass finish! And you KNOW I can't WAIT to snap photos of Jeff gliding through the Lake Superior waters in it, with nothing but the wind in his hair and sound of a loon in the distance. The quiet of nature speaks of serenity.

We both enjoy the water without the sound of a boat engine blasting the air and without inhaling gas fumes. For us, the lake adventures are not about speed, but about becoming one with our surroundings. Inhaling the sunny pine aroma along the lakeshore, watching a mighty eagle land in a huge nest, enjoying an otter pop its head from the water, and also living, breathing, and feeling one with God. Knowing His blessings are here in this world to enjoy. That's what makes an outdoor adventure special for us. We love the pureness of it. We have the tandem kayak where we can enjoy nature adventures together. :D

Have a super day, dear friends.

May God Bless All of Your Tomorrows!

Hugs, JJ

Honey, Do My Knees Look Bad Under This Kayak?

"Honey, do my knees look bad under this kayak?" LOL Jeff and I FINALLY made it onto Lake Huron in his birthday present. Angry thunder and lightning kept us from our Lake Superior moments this past weekend, but we will catch some good rays and velvet waters and venture to the Upper Peninsula soon.

Today kayaking on Lake Huron was fantastic with the glittering waters that flashed like a thousand mirrors, sleek rolling waves, and the sound of the kayak slapping the water as Jeff picked up speed. But his kayak paddle was too short and we ended up with water inside the vessel. Glad we're working the kinks out before we take a few hour journey in it. I wish good summer weather would last forever, and we could rack up some good hours on the water. Autumn will also take us to more rivers and even to smaller lakes where Jeff and I can toodle around, and I do look forward to the autumn color. It should be breathtaking. Cold weather, stay put for a while!!! We just bought the kayak.

In the kayak, I lifted the small camera over my head and took a shot of Jeff as he paddled. If you look in his sunglasses, you can see me. :D The shot was taken facing the sun, so I am glad it worked out. I was asking Jeff how to aim the camera and he told me I had it aimed rather low ... woops. This photo is better. :D

Hugs, JJ

Nature Art

This time of year I love rearranging nature. Here I have a piece of birch bark that Jeff has left over from his wood chopping, garden coneflowers, and purple knapweed wildflowers arranged together for a pose. :D

It's fun making nature art. The memory stays fresh later to what bloomed together during a season. That's important for writing description.

We're seeing more colored leaves now and heard the weather will drop to the 60's next week, so Jeff and I made use of the pool today, while the water is still warm, floating around on a makeshift raft that had us thinking of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. I bought him a tandem kayak for his birthday and we were practicing. LOL We're going to head up to Lake Superior one of these days and try the tandem kayak out. Jeff will paddle and I'll snap photos. My carpal tunnel keeps me from enjoying the paddling part, so I am glad I can enjoy the experience. Jeff and I began our relationship by boating on Lake Superior and we continue to enjoy our adventures.

The craziest thing we ever did was travel in our canoe to an island four miles out in Tahquamenon Bay. We had a trolling motor and I must admit to being the one to say, "Let's go." The lake was calm as a swimming pool and the water beckoned me to explore that haze in the distance. We could only see it on certain days and on this day the island was clearer than it had ever been, even though little more a ghostly form. As we traveled, I slung my feet over the canoe and enjoyed the ride while an airplane kept a good check on us.

The island didn't even look like we thought it would. It was gravel and treeless, except for some scraggly trees, and inhabited by a huge colony of cormorants. It smelled of bird droppings and we circled it with our shirt sleeves covering our noses. Didn't disembark to check it out. On the way back, the sky turned angry and dark and waves kicked up. Rain pelted down on us as we pulled onto the shoreline. When we turned on the radio in the car, thunderstorm warnings had been issued AND small craft advisories. "That was close," I said. "We've never done anything like that again, but it was an adventure to remember.

Hope you enjoyed my nature art and the island story. Jeff is on vacation, so I am going to spend quality time with him. :D

Hugs, JJ

The Blueberry Patch - a fiction scene

I have written a fiction scene to go along with a photo I snapped. Love doing this! On the whim.

The Blueberry Patch

“I’m going to see if the blueberries are ripened,” Callie said as she swung open the creaky back door.

Sarah lifted the iron from the collar of her husband’s white dress shirt and steam hissed. Setting the iron down on the wobbly board, she looked at Callie. “If they are ripe, we’ll have to go blueberry picking,” she said. “I’m all out of blueberry jam from last year. You can help me can it.”

Smiling, Callie said, “I love blueberry jam would be glad to help." Then her smile dropped. “As long as you don’t mother me too much when I’m stirring.”

Crossing her arms, Sarah said, “I don’t do that.”

Callie nodded her head. “Yes you do. You just don’t realize it.”

Placing her hand on her hip, Sarah said, "I don't mean to mother you, but I have been worried about you since you showed up here. You didn't leave the couch for two days."

Shrugging, Callie said, "I'm up and around now."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Sarah's eyes looked sympathetic but Callie couldn't respond to her sister's offer. "Nope," she said, letting the screen door slam shut as she bounded down the steps, glad that conversation was at an end. She headed down the drive to a pathway that led to an open field that was edged by blueberry bushes, then thick forest that stretched on for miles. How lucky Callie was to be in the fresh country air where one deep breath filled her lungs and smog was non-existent. It was great staying in a log cabin, even though it was a bit cramped with her intrusion, and spiders tended to find their way into the house on any given day. Callie hated spiders. Sarah just laughed at her freaking out and picked them up on the edge of a sheet of paper and let the little buggers go outside. Callie could never do that, get that close, because of the spiders fast moving legs. They could climb onto her in a second. And bite. The thought made her shudder.

Callie squinted in the sun's bright rays and wished she would have remembered her sunglasses. Her eyes were drawn to the tops of the whispering poplar trees that were in the shade, telling their stories in the breeze that moved only the tops of the trees. As she stood still and listened, she realized how much nature could soothe a person’s weary soul. If only she had taken the time to visit the country before she was so stressed out. Maybe she wouldn’t have taken leave from her supervisory job and wouldn’t have a strained relationship with the man she was engaged to for five years. Maybe she could have made the decision to marry him and life would have moved on, but every time Ben had asked her, she had backed away like marriage was some kind of disease. That was why she had bolted and ended up at her sister's place. It had gotten so she couldn't breathe without panic seeping into her pores. What was wrong with her? A hiatus from life had been the result of her mixed feelings. And the quiet life had been working, getting her to think rationally again.

With the golden grass seeds tickling her bare legs, Callie made her way across the field to where the blueberries grew. Disappointment ran through her as she saw that the berries were still green. But they were plump and full of promise. They needed a little time yet in the basking sun. Another week or two.

Perhaps that was all she needed to figure out why she wasn’t ready to marry Ben, who loved her with all of his heart. He was waiting for her to return to New York City in a month with her final answer. She tenderly touched the diamond and emerald engagement ring that gleamed from her finger, remembering all of the good times she and Ben had shared in the past.

She stooped down and touched the berries. She knew they would ripen to a delicious deep blue and fulfill their cycle on this earth. Would she ever be ready to take a step into her future? If she could put the days on hold, she would.

Callie sighed. She loved Ben and enjoyed the comfort of his arms, but….but what? What was holding her from beginning a married life with him? If only she could see the future, then she would know what to do. But right now, she couldn't even predict how she would feel in a day or two. Dragging her hand through her long hair, she vowed to figure herself out in the next few weeks. Ben deserved a life too. She couldn't keep his life in limbo forever.

***

End of scene. Hope you enjoyed it.

On another note: we had a FANTASTIC Wisconsin trip last weekend and loved our daughter visit. :D Did you have a good weekend?

Hugs, JJ