Pure Michigan, as Always, 2012

Are we ever blessed to have relatives in Michigan, so that we can visit with family AND enjoy one of the most spectacular states in our nation. We had an easy, interesting drive to Bruce's sister's in Lewiston, near Gaylord, then took off the next day for the Soo Locks.

The Canadian  Soo Locks, at Sault Sainte Marie.
Our charter cruise is on the St. Mary's River in the middle of the lock, Canada to our left,
the US further to the right.
We will leave Lake Huron, beyond the locks, and enter into Lake Superior. 

A Canadian steel mill, just past the locks.
 This operation really put the commerce of the lake into perspective.
Armco Steel also had a presence on the lakes, with two ships being named
the Armco and Middletown. They were actually on the lakes the night the Edmund Fitzgerald went down.
I happened to be reading  library books on the state history of Michigan and the shipping industry.
Made it all so meaningful.

The million dollar view from our Holiday Inn in Munising.
We were on the third floor overlooking the bay and Grand Isle to your left.
The Pictured Rocks and National Lakeshore Trail are on the right,
but not visible due to the front that moved in.

Grand Dunes Lighthouse, an hour hike from Hurricane River Camping Area, where we parked.
This was our only full day without car travel, other than the hour's drive to the camping area.
We actually welcomed the periodic showers, as we heated up in the middle of the day,
and the showers cooled us down.

Our goal was to hike to the Log Slide at the beginning of the dunes in the distance.
We were able to reach them, although the hike became progressively challenging,
with what we call  'root steps,' which are hard on the knees and hips.
Supplied with a package of trail mix and water, we reached our goal.
The log slide was historic, but not picturesque. The overall hike with return was 4.5 hours.
I think that will be our max when we visit Zion and the North Rim this fall. Those are all vertical heights.
Maybe two hours?

Nature simply does not get any better than this.
I had to pinch myself, as we walked this incredible trail.
We heard orioles, vireos, and hermit thrush, and could follow our progress with overlooks such as this.
The noise I can't get out of my head, which we thought was thunder, but way too rhythmic and regular,
was the sound of the freighters' engines way out in the Lake, not visible to the eye.
I shall never forget that haunting noise. It will always be with me.

We look like such babes in the woods.
You should have seen the through hikers, who were carrying their tents and gear on their backs.
Some were our age and older, and never broke their pace. The customary trail 'hello' and they were past us.
I was able to hang in there, knowing that the whirlpool and sauna at the Holiday Inn Express awaited us.

We checked out of our hotel the next morning, then boarded the 'Shipwreck  Cruise'
that worked in the bay  and around Grand Isle. We opted for this tour in lieu of the 'Pictured Rocks' tour,
because the morning sun hit Grand Isle, and Pictured Rocks were in shadow.
As Arnold says, "We'll be back."

The 'Shipwrecks Tour' operates with a glass-bottom boat. Once they locate the wreck,
they actually pass sideways over the wrecks.Wasn't sure if we'd be able to see much,
but hopefully you can make our the anchor in the center of the grids.
The locals had been unaware of this wreck, until one day, one of the guests pointed it out.
This was probably the most interesting of the wrecks we viewed.

Another short drive and hike to this 50-foot cascade 'Miners Falls.'
Makes us miss hiking the Appalachian mountains and their waterfalls.
Can't wait to much closer to them. And don't have to go Pigeon Forge to get there!

We don't see Lake Erie on the way up, but how cool to see Lakes  Huron,  Superior, and now  Lake Michigan
on the way back to Cathy's from Escanaba.  Bruce reported that the water was very, very cold.
The End.

Oconee Weekend 2012



I am so fortunate that my family loves the outdoors, and we all love Oconee State Park, nestled in the Appalachian Mountains. This is where the boundaries of Georgia, North and South Carolina come together. In the midst of the Great Depression, South Carolina had the good fortune to donate land for the Civilian Conservation Corps to live there, reforest the area, and build a recreational camp for the public to enjoy.
The girls gave us our reservation for our Christmas present, and we had three cabins on the point of the lake. I've posted some photos on Facebook, but have reserved these photos of more architectural, historical, and picturesque interest for the blog.

Commemorative plaque outside Oconee office.

Oconee office building and commemorative statue



Our sweet cabin, with wide pine plank flooring and original features.
Fortunately the bathroom and kitchen are somewhat updated.
The girls' cabins were on either side of us.

  

View from our cabin.



This is Julia's cabin, seen from my back door. In the morning the kids could run right over to our cabin.

Paul rented a rowboat for the weekend, and took the kids out on the lake to fish.
Need I add that he could get his  cell phone to connect when out in the open.

Chris's cabin is on the other side of ours, which is on the point.
There is one cabin between ours, but we can run back and forth fairly easily.

This is one of the fantastic structures crafted by the CCC.
There is seating built into the supporting exterior, and a gorgeous rock fireplace on the left.

Now you can understand why I so love, love, love Oconee State Park.
These old structures, the woods, the mountains, are all so authentic and historical.
When our country was struggling, young men were roaming the rails in search of work, someone had the
bright idea to provide work and skills for these men, and leave us this lovely legacy to better enjoy the outdoors.

I am so intrigued with the windows of the cabins. They lock with that piece of wood in the center.
It is held in place with a screw, and one closes the windows and simply turns the wood to lock them into place.

View from my kitchen window.

Our grandkids having old-fashioned fun on the Chatooga River, bordering GA and SC.

Winter Painting

When we're not traveling, I while away the gray, damp winter days painting downstairs in the basement. I crank up my boom box or listen to NPR, then am totally surprised when 2-3 hours have passed. My greatest pleasure comes from painting landscapes, particularly from my favorite snapshots of Camp Colegate. How delighted I was when Julia asked me to paint her favorite view of Lake Rabun. It now is hanging over their bed in Greenville, SC.

Dobb's Point, Lake Rabun, GA

I had snapped an adorable photo of Bruce's niece and nephew, Addy and Colin, at The Garland Country Club outside of Lewiston, Michigan. We had gone there last summer to have a family dinner and bless them, celebrate my birthday. We had such a wonderful time, and the children just looked so cute. I know, I have some issues with proportion, color, and heaviness of the paint. I was talking with David Mays this morning, and the recurring theme in our conversation was, "I learned so much from this painting." I hope Addy and Collin's parents enjoy this painting, because I had so much fun and challenge with it - my first human figures in painting.

Addy and Colin at The Garland



 While we were in Michigan last summer, we visited Jamie and Amanda up in the Upper Peninsula, in Escanaba. We were particularly taken with their Montgomery Ward catalogue home. This is the bungalow of the '40's, maybe, that I adored as a child in Middletown. My friend, Pam Sloan, lived in one, and I loved to go there and sit on her porch. Jamie and Amanda are planning on repainting thier home, so I painted it in the colors that they picked out. Amanda was so gracious as to mail me her paint chips, and after several phone calls and emails, I hope I got the colors and combinations correct. I took artistic license with their landscaping. This is the first structure I have painted, other than the boat houses in the Lake Rabun picture.




Escanaba Bungalow



Winter Dawn at Camp Colegate

I have held back on painting from this photo for several years, but finally felt that I could paint the vibrant rays of the sun. Oh, no. This painting started out great, but try as I might, I could not quite get the vibrancy. I tried yellow, orange, then white, and every time I added white my colors simply went flat. This painting is all snow and ice, not blooming flowers. I was so frustrated at the end, that I used my palette knife to indicate the shimmer of the weeds in the foreground. Maybe one should stick to what one feels one does best?