Musings

We arose to dense fog. By the time we came across these wind turbines, just the up-tips were obscured.

Part of our route was along the present interstate incarnation of Route 66, and we found lovely displays in a rest area that included many metal logos.

The crowning event was socializing with a bride and groom and their loved ones at a pre-wedding barbecue at a brewery. Great combination! The B&G are both scientists, geneticists in fact. Perfect cupcake decoration, ¿no?

These three images are just a sample of the variety in our interesting experiences this day.

Posted at 10:42 PM | Comments Off on Variety all day

On the road recharging—watch, phone, us (fabulous garden carrot amuse-bouche; “bar” entrée).

Posted at 7:18 PM | Comments Off on Assorted recharging

The day began with bright promise. The sun crested the trees and I photoed and smiled.

After coffee and a sort-it-out pause, I fired up The Beast one last time, and slew grass here and there until the 2023 fuel was gone and gone. Then I stashed it in the garage for the winter.

Right at six we met up on the famous deck, across the road, for potluck. The sun was cloud-obscured and the wind kicked up. But we had stellar apps, shown, and later a lovely meal. Goodbye looms. Fall is more than merely in the air.

Posted at 8:42 PM | Comments Off on Apps can mean appetizers

Strange flash shot of the fern bed by the back door, with the fronds mostly removed (my late afternoon chore), and the not-fronds mostly left to stand tall. I didn’t snip them because I think they are interesting and rather otherworldly.

Posted at 8:33 PM | Comments Off on Preternatural plant parts

Autumnal subsistance agriculture activity day…we made cider, which is unfermented, fresh apple juice. We all agreed that this was the most cider we had made at one time, at almost nineteen gallons.

We used this machine. Here’s where the apples are loaded. Not shown is prior apple collecting and washing. Also not shown is cleaning all the containers, and this mill.

Cranking the handle chips the apples. Gravity is crucial to depositing the chips in the bin inside a heavy-duty filter cloth.

Then, more cranking to squeeze the juice out of the chipped apples.

We created several wheelbarrow loads of compressed, dry apple chips.

The last major step is filtering the cider. This involves multiple washings of the filter cloth, as it gets clogged.

* Note that this is very different than yesterday’s Apple processing.

Posted at 7:01 PM | Comments Off on Apple processing*

Waiting for the sun to rise. Note fallen apple limb; smells like cider out there. Didn’t go down to the lake to see how spectacular the sunrise was; I could see orange through the trees, so I think it was rather sensational.

Waiting for the UPS guy to bring the Guru his new phone…and watching the moon. He arrived about ten minutes after I took this; we were not quite in despair. Yay!

Posted at 8:37 PM | Comments Off on Waiting day

The fog today was dense and lingered, and seemed like it must extend to the oceans, east and west.

I heard droplets falling from the trees for hours, and saw them festooning spiderwebs and asparagus fronds. Aesthetic.

By afternoon, the sunny, clear, and warm conditions made it seem impossible that the morning had been fog-shrouded. It became so dry that I raked leaves under the maple, and now the compost pile is so large that I have too little “green” to temper that amount of “brown.” First world problem.

Posted at 7:56 PM | Comments Off on Just wait

I went out very early this morning, before the fog burned off at all, and before the light increased beyond a hint.

That’s because last night we received a text from ATL friends that they were in Manistique! Were we nearby, they asked. Why, yes! So we arranged to meet them there for b’fast, and so it was. Since they were on a clockwise loop around Lake Michigan, from/to Chicago, we persuaded them to stop by the cottage afterward. Of course, I’d say the highlight was that we took them down to the lake/our beach before sending them on their way to cross The Bridge and head south. They’re doing 200mi/day, very civilized; that pace leaves time for exploring.

Posted at 7:05 PM | Comments Off on Serendipity: fog and vistiors

As the light increased, looming cloud-cover muted the beauty and I knew the ground fog would not appear. Yet, it was very still, no breeze, so I went to the lake before coffee (again) to see the mirror-lake.

The stillness began over a day ago, so that my new tracks and my old tracks co-existed. That is rare—that no waves erase tracks at the water’s edge in days. [You can’t see it, but the lake is just out of this image, left.]

The rest of the day I was in the cottage or doing outdoor chores nearby or in the field. The ferns by the door a fading, and I clipped some brown fronds, but left others that were merely brownING, as I often find the full pruning saddening…it means autumn and our exit is looming.

Posted at 9:49 PM | Comments Off on Enjoying the North

Before I had a chance to fire off the coffee maker, I saw the fog gathering.

I spotted this spider web and looked for more. How could there be none? Yet I saw no more.

I followed the quiet to the beach, and saw the color changing in the sky, but no fog on the water.

Come afternoon, I ventured across the road to the Hunter-Gatherer-Fisher-Farmer’s garden for a bouquet of lettuce. Opening the gate, I spotted this colony of Cladonia cristatella, so lovely with their dramatic red caps ornamenting the top bar.

Posted at 8:50 PM | 2 Comments »