Monday, March 30, 2009

Sand Dune Safari


We took a day trip to see the sand dunes west of Traverse City on Saturday. What a pleasant drive! Gentle rolling hills, stands of trees and orchards, and finally.... the great Lake Michigan!


The dunes are b-i-i-g.... lots of climbing and exercise for those hiking types. Here's a couple of photos to give you a perspective:



Then.... on Sunday we got 7+ inches of snow. Goodbye dirt... at least for a while.....

Thursday, March 26, 2009

A Blatant Cut and Paste


Nope. it's totally not original. But fun. And... need I say more?


Waiting.....


This last month has been interesting. Dan's had a heavy travel schedule, so I've had a lot of time on my hands. We're in a holding pattern waiting for our house to close, and there is not much to do until that happens. Other than keeping our current house clean and doing daily chores, it's been a time of 'limbo'.

I've spent most of my life having lots of activities and little quiet time. I have to admit, I like this spell where I can do as I please. Sleep until 10:30 am (oh my!), spend 6 hours at a scrapbook store playing with paper, go for a walk down a new street and path, sit and watch TV reruns of MonsterQuest...... spend time thinking about my place in life and the path that I'm on.... I can definitely say I have more balance and less stress. I truly appreciate the lull in the road.

At the current house we're renting, there's a big palladium window where I look out the top part in the morning when I wake up. On the tree branches is a solitary leaf that blows in the breeze, waiting for the change of season. I start the day with a smile.....

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Time to Play


Since I've had a bit of time on my hands, I've been spending time nurturing my creative side. I discovered a great web site that allows you to convert photos into 'instant art'... needless to say, I've been having a blast with it.



Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Swan Lake, Michigan Style


As you can see from the post before this, Traverse City sits at the bottom of Grand Traverse Bay. This flows south in a small river into a lake, which the city folds around on all sides. At the south end of the lake is the Medalie Roadside Park.

I took a walk there today along the paths, enjoying the water that had thawed and the wildlife (the bay is still frozen). Besides Canadian geese and seagulls, there were about 40+ swans floating about.

Year-round swans are part of the habitat up here. There are both Trumpeter and Mute swans. And for a short time in the spring, the Tundra swan swings by during it's migration.
The Trumpeter swan has an all black bill, and are the world's largest waterfowl. They were one time plentiful, but human development and over-hunting paid a heavy price, and by 1933 there were only 66 trumpeter swans left in the west and Alaska. Michigan started an active re-introduction program in the 1980's, and by 2000 there were 400 birds in the wild.
The Muties are non-native and are bullies- they tend to take over and push all the native birds out of the way. They have an orange bill. While their babies (cygnets) are still in the nest, they can be quite agressive towards humans, pets, and boats.

Elk Rapids even has a giant swan statue for tourist photo ops. Say 'cheese'....

Monday, March 16, 2009

I See..... DIRT!


The last 4 days we've had temps in the 40's and 50's. There still lots of snow cover AND the bay by the city is still frozen, but there are ALSO fields where the snow has melted and the brown dirt is coming through. The acres of cherry trees branches in the orchards have the slightest shading of red as the buds begin to grow.... Spring is around the corner. Hurray!

Now that I've been here a bit, let me share what I've discovered. The picture at the top shows the bay (in summer) and the peninsula in the middle of it. I'm told the bay is full of boats in the summer, including a couple of large schooners for tourists to give tours of the bay.
On the peninsula and the land to the west, there are about 19 wineries, along with tasting houses, B&B's, and a number of fine restaurants (also many good restaurants in town). Further west are huge sand dunes in a national park (we're talking 200 feet high). Many of the little towns along the way are dotted with art and craft shops- there's an active artistic life here. There's an annual Cherry Festival in July, and also an annual Movie Festival that is gaining acclaim.
To the east of the bay are a number of lakes, including Torch Lake (which National Geographic has labeled as the 3rd most beautiful lake in the world, believe it or not). There are miles and miles of fruit orchards and gently rolling hills. I can't wait to see all the trees in bloom.
Within an hour's plus drive of Traverse City are at least 8 ski slopes, and many golf courses. There's also 2-3 casinos. Fun for everyone!
There's a big movement up here for 'local sustainability'- basically, support your neighbor and what they do, so we can all make a living and survive. Unemployment is pretty high, and a number of businesses have closed, so it's a good idea.
It's going to be fun watching the world green up.....

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

"I Used To Have A Handle on Life, but it Broke"


There's an insurance office in Traverse City that has a sign where they post cute quips and sayings for passers-by. I laughed when I drove past the above statement a week ago, and could definitely relate.

The last couple years were a roller-coaster of ups and downs. It was a time of discovering what was believed to be rock solid was often sitting on a shaky base. Making it through those earthquake-laden times and the aftershocks were interesting, to say the least. Learning to do it with a sense of humor was invaluable.

Most people don't like change. It's unsettling, nerve wracking, and the fear of the unknown is stressful. Personally, I don't mind change as long as I have a stable home-base.

However... moving that home-base three times in one year and moving to an entirely new area of the world has (to be honest) tipped the stress-o-meter scale several times.

My saving grace has been to search for the humor surrounding the setbacks and obstacles. A little laughter goes a long way.....

Monday, March 9, 2009

A-h-h-h Cruel Winter.....


We had a warm-up over the weekend, and for the first time since I got here in January, I was able to see dirt and patches of brown grass among the snow. The promise of Spring was dancing among the breeze. The evening news talked about how the snowmobile riders had retreated south, and the ski slopes held vigil with icy crusts and a few lonely skiers.

Then, last night around 5:30 PM, solitary flakes of snow started to fall. Within the hour the snow increased quickly. These were the teeny, tiny flakes that accumulate illogically before one's eyes. Dan and I watched, cozy in our home while dusk fell.

This morning I peeked out the front door while Dan got ready for work- yep, there was snow out there, but it didn't look too bad....

Until Dan went outside, and faced about a foot of snow. Then got the car stuck at the end of the driveway. Then had to shovel around the car, trying to get it loose. And then, after I bundled up to come out and help push the car, finally got free before I got to him....

Never say Nature doesn't have a sense of (sick) humor.....

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

B-r-r-r-r-r-r.....


It's a bit nippy up here.....

The Grand Traverse Bay has frozen solid for the first time in 6 years, and Monday morning's temps ranged from nine to twenty degrees below zero.

There are ice shacks on the lakes with snowmobiles sitting next to them with men (mostly) sharing stories and catching fish- remember "Grumpy Old Men?"

If it's seventeen degrees and sunny, people walk around with their coats unzipped- it feels toasty!

It's fun to watch.....
(photo courtesy of the local Record Eagle newspaper...)