Oh, man…
Sunday, 24 June 2018
Cooking down some Zin and fresh sweet cherries to make a sauce to go with the (charcoal) grilled lamb….
Oh, man, it was so tasty, it made the moon rise.
Luv.
Musings
And…
Saturday, 23 June 2018
Train and…reflections.
Fern and…forest-floor floral friend.
Waterfall and…reflection.
Stars and…you know.
Lovely day to take a long, slow train trip, a slightly hustling walk (The Foot, of course) during…intermission(?), and the same long, slow train trip back. Not a loop; instead, an up-and-back.
In a foreign country!
Great fun!
Sault story
Friday, 22 June 2018
I’d like to think I’d recognize the names of several of the large freighters that use the Soo Locks, but not the smaller ships. We climbed to the top floor of the viewing platform to get a great angle on the lock-action.
We could see the huge Edwin H. Gott freighter rising ponderously in the second lock over, and watched the Sam Laud prepare to enter the lock (up/westbound) right in front of us, then ease in, staying close to our side. The Gott I’d heard of, but the Laud I don’t remember. The disembodied voice on the speaker said the Laud was smaller (river class, I believe) and thus was used for the smaller harbors, and consequently repeatedly has grounded. Oops. Downside of smaller harbors….
Started chatting with the folks on both sides of us and a lady by herself to our right said she was there to pick up her husband the captain of the Laud going off a 60-day shift (for 30 days off!). Sure enough, on the deck, as the Laud slowly rose, we could see a guy with a backpack and duffle waiting for the deck to reach the level of the sidewalk. Then he debarked, showed papers to an official, then walked through the fence-gate, and he and the lady were smiling and in each other’s arms.
Appearance and disappearance
Thursday, 21 June 2018
Pretty sure this is the Heracleum that is not friendly to the skin–sap makes the human skin photosensitive, causing blistering and burning (wild/cow parsnip).
A couple of years ago I saw one flourishing over the hill, but this one is by our beach!
Pondering how to carefully remove the plant with no…downstream negative effects…no burns, skin blistering or brown streaks that can last over a year!
Moon over Whitefish Lake. Which used to have whitefish in it, I have read. Most people don’t call it that anymore…because? no whitefish? I prefer the old name to the modern one: South Manistique Lake.
Evening stroll
Wednesday, 20 June 2018
On a quiet evening, a stroll can be so rewarding. The lake was quiet. [Last night we heard a loon.]
But not too quiet. Doe and fawn also out for a stroll….
And the peonies are beginning to open. Just yesterday they were closed buds.
And the lupine field remains gorgeous. Look at the color variation. I think this year my favorites are the dark purple-blue ones and the bicolor variants.
Quack reference (no ducks)
Tuesday, 19 June 2018
We began the Plant-the-Enchanted-Basil-Forest-Project in earnest today. We got the plants, three big pots, yesterday. Today, we removed most of the floral flotsam and jetsam that had reoccupied the Botanist’s garden mound. And the quack roots. Many quack roots. Given how dry the soil was (need rain!), I also dumped half the rain-barrel water that’s accumulated since we arrived on the mound, to de-dustify the soil. It’ll wait overnight for completion of prep, then….
Tomorrow we will plant!
Because the plants are so lush, we pruned them back to allow the roots to develop when they get in the Real Earth, and used the “clippings” to make pesto for our (dry) mini-raviolis.
Life is darned good.
Slapped a deer fly, too
Monday, 18 June 2018
Lake Michigan was quiet (for it) yesterday when we cruised by, and our lake was relatively quiet later today…after rain last night and breeziness mid-day.
And, this evening, plein-air dining…with birdie pepper/salt shakers! And rhubarb spice cake! Yum!
Moving right along
Sunday, 17 June 2018
Yeah, pure Michigan. Like the idea, but I haven’t yet been willing to put this stuff in my gullet. Not likely to change that opinion, either.
Moving on, yeah, the fish-flies are still here, and this one wanted to be my best friend. Pooooooooof, I exhaled, and it was gone, off to find another sponsor in this hard, hard world.
Droney captured a lovely, still-sunny moment. Lordy, lordy, the lupine are lovely. We are enjoying them to the n-th degree!
And, we reunited with our good friends (sigh; love them!) who have looked after our place through the winter doldrums and captured-and-eliminated many rodents who sought to reside in Our House (aka cottage), against Our Wishes, through the winter quiet. We reoccupied The Cottage without much competition from Rodents or Bats, in great part thanks to the efforts of ukelele-playing Puppet-Woman, whom today we recognized as Saint UPPW….
Mingling and meeting
Saturday, 16 June 2018
We began the day with a few errands, then squeezed in a few minutes in a walk-in historic mill village.
Then things really kicked off, as I attended a luncheon baby shower while the Guru did his own thing. So great to see family again, and even people I’ve met before!
Then we drove a good piece of the infamous 8 Mile Road. Turns out every other business (if not those side-by-side) is a pot dispensary. Some had cute names like Tastebuds and Starbuds. Heh.
Our next social engagement was not quite presided over by this head case. Great fun! Tons of laughs. Droney even made a short run between looming overhead limbs.
Beneath a glorious sunset glow, we cruised into (yawn) our overnight lodging (yawn).
Happy, happy day!
Word or phrase
Friday, 15 June 2018
The ATL overhead signs perhaps have begun their summer vacation? We weren’t sure; this morning all we saw read “MESSAGE 3.”
Above, the ninth doctor of course refers to the Dr. Who played by Christopher Eccleston, in thirteen episodes broadcast in 2005. This plate requires less decoding.
Is it stainless or china was my first thought. Obviously stainless. And made in China.