Musings

On our last half-day with our houseguest, KB of Minneapolis, we visited the locks and the metro lock area. In the locks visitors’ center, we perused a display that asked people to write about what they liked most about their locks viewing. This writer liked the ACTION, and I concur; it’s wonderful to watch when “the boat gos out.”

Here, however, the car ferry goes out. Right at the Clyde’s lunch stop. Over to Sugar Island; sometime I will take that ferry.

Then we waved bye-bye to KB and dropped in on KW and GG and P___ and M___ at their windy Gitchee Gummee beach. We opted to stay indoors safe from the breeze and the biters, and whiled away the afternoon with non-stop laughs and great stories. Such fun fun fun. 🤭

Posted at 8:51 PM | Comments Off on the boat gos out

We trekked to Manistique and parked by the historic water tower and a cozy, small historic house that was the home of a friend of my grandmother’s.

Quelle surprise! Both were open! This is the view from the window at the stairs next to the small bedroom under the roof. I liked the pattern from the lace curtain very much; however, I don’t think it is “antique.”

Those two buildings are right next to the famous siphon bridge, which only did the siphon thing for about eight decades. The surface of the bridge was below the surface of the water (yes, it’s possible), and beneath the bridge the water was deeper, and this “sucked” the water beneath and past the bridge, and removed much of the pressure of the water level being higher than the deck of the bridge. If I understand correctly.

Despite the date on this plaque for construction of the siphon bridge, 1918, the centenary was celebrated this year. All other info we read indicated the bridge dates to 1919. These discrepancies happen with historical archival info.

Posted at 9:37 PM | Comments Off on Manistique news

Loving the low-angle morning light. And this rug. It’s seen better days, but we both like the color, so it stays (for now).

Stunning flower arrangement for the table…all from the garden and field. Great party followed!

Bumper crop of tent caterpillars this year. Friends are picking them off by the five-gallon bucket full. Yikes! I have heard of scat 💩; turns out that the same sort of output by insects is frass. I knew you wanted to know that.

Posted at 10:36 PM | Comments Off on New vocab: frass

Two skippers; I think of them as “everyday skippers.” One daisy. Definitely an everyday daisy.

Posted at 8:34 PM | Comments Off on Two and one

I spotted this super-tall grass (upwards of seven feet!) amidst the other grasses in the field and orchard the other day and I’ve been revisiting all the grass names that I remember Dad using for the ones on the place. I remember orchard grass, fescue (but maybe not here?), brome, and today I remembered reed canary. Aha, I thought. I think I know what the others look like so cross-my-fingers that this is reed canary. But, right at the moment the internet is choke-cough-cough, so I’ll have to search later.

The mystery continues.

Posted at 7:37 PM | Comments Off on Grass detective

Last evening, post-posting, we drove to the other side of the lake to hear live music by AnnMarie Rowland, who has a fabulous voice that is complemented by her guitar-playing. As we listened, we watched the sun set. [Read more about Ann here.]

Between sets, she sat and talked with us. We heard about how the song “Lovely Agnes” became a pivot in her life, and how, for a guest-artist gig, she wrote eleven songs about aquifer groundwater. She did play “Lovely Agnes” last night, but none of the groundwater songs. [BTW, singer/songwriter Sally Rogers wrote “Lovely Agnes” in honor of her grandmother’s 92nd birthday.]

Far less of a story here: parsley from the neighbors’ garden, and chives from the gone-wild zone north of the cottage. Local greens?

We tempted fate by leaving the property this afternoon to do a few errands, without closing the windows. Fate became a low-grade downpour. Fortunately, there was almost no wind, so almost no rain/rain-spray came in.

Next chore: to plant the leggy basil plants we got in town for the greatly marked down price of $1.50 each in the now rain-moistened plot…probably set into the flank of the hillfort—where I put the basil seeds during the last trip, and some have germinated!

This hoptoad was hoping for hunting success after the rain from a well-camouflaged location by the hill fort.

Posted at 7:10 PM | Comments Off on Bit of a story-telling mode

I took a swamp walk today…which means I took a “real” walk and went down the road to the swamp…and stayed on the ROAD the entire time. I did not walk in the swamp, rather I passed through and slightly above it.

I did step tentatively off the blacktop to get this shot; love blue flags.

Later, after doing chores/yardwork, I set off for my first swim of the year. En route to the beach, I found this pair, with the dragonfly wildly dominant and in control. One less butterfly…shades of Ray Bradbury…I did NOT step on either of them. Descending to water-side, I discovered the Annual Engineering Project was underway, the one that results in a dock. I admire those who undertake it greatly.

After my leetle swim-ette, while I was toweling off my feet, I noticed this cicada husk…a piece of art. Discarded and forgotten art. Insect trash.

Posted at 6:46 PM | Comments Off on Deconstructed swamp, kinda

Love it when the sun comes up bright, there’s been no wind overnight, the dew is heavy, and the light and dew begin their misty dance in the orchard and the field.

A little later the mist had thickened and the spiderwebs became little silvery apparent light sources.

Here’s a damaged web, not so brilliant out of context, yet still compelling. I feel badly for the spider.

Later we took a couple of truck trails through the woods. The first section was in terrible shape due to the small angular limestone chunks that were used as fill (way larger than large gravel), and how this camo beast had stirred them up. Well, the ride was terrible and the tires got a workout, but the mud holes were filled, so maybe not totally terrible. Most of the route was sandier, and one place I had to back up twice to get a run and better line on a low sand dune the road went over that was just plain soft. After the backup reconnoiters, we came through just fine, no spinning, on the third try. Triumph! (In a Nissan. 😉 )

Posted at 7:48 PM | Comments Off on That morning light; that morning mist

Three times I tried to photo the vetch blooms, and none were in focus, but the fly was in this one. Couldn’t have done that if I tried.

Trying to photo the leaf and flower parts of this American hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana), and look who snuck into the background, cousin of the one above, I’m pretty sure.

Took me quite a while to figure out what kind of tree this is…half-dozen bird and wildflower ID books, but no good tree ID books. Hrrumph. And I do not need to BUY any more books!

Posted at 9:03 PM | 1 Comment »

Before I get into the day’s details, have you ever seen an interstate rest area that includes a long-distance path? Milemarker 52. New to me, that mix. !!

Farther along, hmmm, cars in motion. Not new or new-ish cars, but historic vehicles, that means silvery and chrome-y and not-new. Here’s a Rebel. Who wouldn’t find a “Rebel” being a temptation? Me, sorry, I get sidetracked by the Dodge part. Old history, not present, yet….

Soon, we crossed The Bridge. With the usual lane closure at the top of the arc. We soldiered through, then waited our turn through the toll-booth section…and off to a late lunch at Clyde’s.

Sigh. Life is darned good!

And there at Clyde’s, I dunno, maybe a half dozen of the cars (roadsters? I think so) in town (StIgnace) for an upcoming old-car parade. I think we’ll miss it; we are westbound!

Here at the farm, the grasses in the orchard are TALL this year, almost tall enough to overwhelm the lupines with grassiness. Still, I have to say, we are here and we are ready…to do chores and to relax, in a mindful mingling and mixing.

Posted at 9:44 PM | 1 Comment »