Musings

As near as I can tell, no frost…yet the ferns are cycling to winter hibernation.

I took a wander, enjoying that the knee feels pretty steady, even on uneven ground. Without a doubt, we’re having a mushroom year, although the assortment on this log is denser than elsewhere.

On the north edge of the field I even found this enduring, unexpected, lone, leggy oregano plant…I suspect it’s essentially a weed (durable in poor soil and other conditions) in its older forms and in its original landscape.

Posted at 5:36 PM | Comments Off on Surprises

We ventured out to do errands, and found these deer beets. They’re sugar beets used by hunters as bait. They look like brown lumps.

Then, we took a long loop back, checking out the color in the woods. I love it when the tree tunnels get autumnal….

And even the pines are losing some needles, creating a golden carpet.

Posted at 10:22 PM | Comments Off on Autumn in beets, leaves, needles

Yes, the leaves continue to get more colorful, but right here there’s still plenty of green….

We watched several birds wheeling above the field, and were pretty sure one was a bald eagle. The others were a bit smaller, maybe crows? (I did not count them.)

Windy today, and the foam is lapping the beach. It’s natural, but I’m not sure if it is from the chemistry of the cedar swamps that drain into the lake or something else. NOT pollution.

Posted at 5:03 PM | Comments Off on Farm notes

Tonight we dined on fresh applesauce, delivered still warm by chef Cousin M.

While she was here, we chatted for a bit on the front porch, nicely sun-warmed to the low 70s after a low this morning in the upper 30s (brr). I thought at first there had been no frost, but I did spot some on the roofs—but the field seemed untouched.

Posted at 7:11 PM | 1 Comment »

We ventured over to the wildlife refuge to check on critters and color.

I got distracted by a tree skeleton…

…and a stump skeleton…

…as the bird count was low, and most we saw were far away. We did see a loon (near the loon overlook, of all places), a very few Canada geese and mallards, a wood duck, and this family of swans. The mostly-grown goslings cygnets, to the left, still have slightly brownish-grey feathers; I do not know when they become white.

Posted at 5:41 PM | 1 Comment »

Much of today became about images to me. Our day dawned without dawn, just a lightening that followed rain in darkness. That’s Lake Superior, our witness throughout most of today’s adventures.

This is today’s most image-y image. That’s my patella, upper right, and I am told I have loose knees. One has been ailing, got a shot, and I think at least temporary recovery is in sight.

Recently, I got my book club to read “Anatomy of a Murder” and see the movie. This is the tavern were the movie scenes were shot. It was a wing built onto the hotel for the shooting of the movie in 1959. The book is based on a real murder that happened in this town.

The stuffed peacock upper right is a nod to the present owners, the Peacock family. No peacock was on the menu.

You can stay at this lighthouse B&B. Prepare for a windy time.

The sun was out (briefly) as we toured by this stunning maple.

Then we found what we called mushroom beach. Mushrooms peppered the forest floor under the (planted pines) and we even found them among the (planted) beach grasses.

This is an active ore dock just north of Marquette proper, and quiet today. Last time we visited, there was an ore carrier docked but no loading happening.

We had a most excellent meal. The cheesecake with marinated cherries did not last….

And, then, appropriately in our rearview mirror, sunset….

Posted at 10:22 PM | 1 Comment »

These are two outbuildings in Blaney Park. This alley is mostly ghost town, but some of the buildings on the main road remain in use. Blakey was quite the resort in its day, with a landing strip and swimming lake, golf course and dance hall. Now, the dance hall is mostly closed, almost no one swims in the lake, and the others are…archaeological.

Then I went industrial, and saw this hanger, larger than its denizens.

We ended the day at a loverly restaurant, all very yummy—beet salad! whitefish salad!—and more…. Even better was the company, of course.

Posted at 9:58 PM | 1 Comment »

It may not be clear what this is. It’s an ancient maple (relatively speaking), with a rust-orange lichen(?) painting the bark. Below it is a stand of lilacs.

Later, we had several spates of rain. So far, the first was the strongest, although it tapered off quickly. Those white streaks are raindrops; the largest ones are falling off the roof. I like the arcs that the barberry branches make.

Posted at 5:01 PM | Comments Off on Sun and rain (repeat)

I went to town today. This is downtown. Lake view…an empty tooth amidst a row of cottages.

Among the errands on my list was laundry. These are the facilities behind the “mat.” This may be proof that this community is really a village.

I recall posting a shot of this infestation when all was green. The PI is now assorted reds and oranges. The greens and yellows are milkweeds. Imagine how difficult a jigsaw puzzle with this mosaic would be to piece together.

It may not look like it from these photos, but the sun came out for long enough after my erranding that the sun porch warmed up nicely.

Posted at 4:56 PM | Comments Off on To town

As I looked toward the woods (yesterday’s first photograph), when the sun was just up and shining through just above the tree-bases, I could see a light fog in the lowest places. As the sun rose higher, the fog nearly disappeared. Then, surprisingly, the landscape became full of fog, obscuring what had been clear. It didn’t last, but while it persisted, my views were magical.

Yesterday, I pondered making today laundry day, but it was too beautiful. The sunporch temps reached the upper 70°s. I basked.

Posted at 5:26 PM | 1 Comment »