I did a little playing around in the sketch book before Rick arrived. Who knows -- maybe it will manifest into next year's Christmas card!
That said, we are safely isolated in the cottage, neighbors more than six feet away and two out of three really good neighbors, including the one two doors down that brought us gorgeous strawberries and took out the rest of the weeds on the beach with his tractor!
Rick arrived after a horrendous two-day bike ride from Lansing to the lake in 90-plus degree weather. I met him halfway with a picnic, after which he sprawled on the picnic bench at the campground to rest before pitching his tent.
It was tough saying goodbye and leaving him there, Covid hair and all (which to be honest, I really like and I hope he doesn't want it cut too much.)
I was very happy to see him wheel in on Friday night!
He was ready for snacks...
....and a good dinner!
While he took a nap I did a little reading and spotted this wonderful bird which Rick told me was a flicker. There were two of them at least. This one was high-up but so pretty. And very chatty.
Then came the fireworks. We were one of the few counties or areas to have them here in Michigan because they shoot them off over the lake. The boats gathered early on and the lake parties started. (Fortunately the good neighbors on one side have a fun group but not obnoxious!)
They weren't bad this year but you know, after awhile they got boring.
I remember when they were the most exciting thing in the world. Now I think mostly about the cat quivering in the linen cabinet. I wonder what the flickers thought of it.
Ah well. The third went out with a bang. Today is the fourth -- I suspect Lizzie will be back in the cupboard tonight.
I'm a fortunate woman. I'm here at the lake. I can isolate easily. Rick made it safely. We have food in the fridge for two weeks. And hopefully most of the crazy people with their own fireworks will go home tomorrow afternoon, the lake will be calm and quiet again. There is much for which to be thankful.
Things are looking up!
50 comments:
Glad things are looking up for you. Good that you have a safe place to live. Hope it soon gets quiet again! Stay safe, Valerie
That looks fabulous. You really have a great place to be isolated. Keep having fun!
I heard just a few big bangs last night, not too close. When we had a lakeside cottage the fireworks situation was also pretty dire. I think the explosive sound gets amplified over the water, which probably attracts more firebugs to do it there. One year out there the next door neighbor and his buddies went absolutely crazy with fireworks. They left little wrappers and other fireworks debris everywhere. Soon after that we learned that his wife had left him. I don’t remember if she actually left before or after July 4. Just sayin’
be well... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Hello,
I am glad Rick arrvied safely. I am sure all the furbabies across the country will be upset tonight with the fireworks. I guess having the fireworks over the lake is safer than over someone's house or trees. Your art work is beautiful, I love the house and the Santa. Nice shots of the Flicker. Your dinner looks delicious! Have a safe and happy 4th of July weekend.
Beautiful photos! Happy Independence Day!
Tractors are a wonderful invention. I LOVE Rick's hair, and I LOVE his t-shirt. The two day bike ride in heat does not sound like anything anyone might want to do unless it was absolutely essential, like to fetch the village doctor or something.
whew
We have flickers in our tree and on our roof, they are most striking to see, fancy!
I love your work, fabulous watercolors, Ms.!!
The flicker bird is beautiful. We don't have Independence Day but we do have Guy Fawkes on 5th November with fireworks. The big display near us is beautiful but for weeks before and after the 5th we hear fireworks going off from homes or on the street. The animals get so upset. If they just stuck to the one night it would be ok but you never know when they will go off.
Have a safe and sane 4th!!
I love, love, love your cottage. What a dream and fresh strawberries to boot. Yum. The lady next door gave us some of hers. They were sooo good.
Nice artwork and photos. Happy Fourth of July!
Happy 4th of July Jeanie. Not my favorite holiday either, but when I was a kid, it was a blast! Just going over to Nel's house for lunch and spending time with Mia for awhile. Glad Rick got to the lake house safe and sound. I do hope your cat does alright with all the noises. A beautiful bird you saw. Have a pleasant time on the 4th, Jeanie, and be safe. : )
~Sheri
*I really like that first painting of the house and red, white, and blue. : )
I was surprised that Squiggles didn't flinch when the fireworks started several days ago. A couple of loud booms caused him to jerk, but not run. Bleubeard on the other hand, heads for the lowest place he can find. Every little noise scares him. I usually don't see him until the 6th when the noise begins to abate. I am not sure he even eats during these days, since the fireworks are constant in my neighborhood.
I still enjoy the night works, but haven't seen anything new in at least five years.
I like Rick's hair, too. I feel for him biking to the lake. I have a friend who biked to work for awhile. It was over 30 miles one way, then home after work. I admired him for that. I admire Rick for his efforts, too. I hope he is now well rested and the two of you can enjoy the lake after the "weekenders" go home.
Happy Independence Day, dear Jeanie.
❤️
Happy 4th, Jeanie. It's storming hard here so I guess Mother Nature is putting off fireworks. I'm glad you're at the cabin, Rick and Lizzie are with you, and you're set with supplies. SO MANY people in Breckenridge over this holiday, but our neighborhood is quiet (so far). Was traffic bad for Rick's bike to the cabin?
Haha, Jeanie, I have to tell you, a friend of mine used to saying only the "Adams" family on his block let off fireworks after the holiday was over. He was naming his neighbors after the old TV show Adams family. So happy Rick is home with you and you both are set for some nice days at the lake. Blessings to you both. xoxo, Susie
p.s. love the painting.
So glad Rick made it OK and is safely tucked there at the cabin with you. Love your Christmas painting beginnings.
Oh Flickers usually come in pairs and mate for life. We get pairs in our yard, but one day a hawk killed one of them and the mate just cried and cried. It was the saddest thing. We tried to rescue it, but it was too far gone.
Like you, Fourth of July is my least favorite holiday, and this year more than ever. All official fireworks have been cancelled here, so people have started shooting off their own fireworks two weeks ago. Every night there is some boom! keeping us awake - it is so annoying, especially when you consider that they are illegal here because of the wildfire hazard. It doesn't prevent people from being stupid though - two devastating wildfires in the past three years here obviously weren't enough.
I love your flicker - we have them here, too (the Northern Flicker), they are noisy birds and I simply love them. They visit my yard in the winter, but in the summer they're deeper in the woods and up in the hills. Beautiful birds. They tend to rip up lawns and therefore are often not popular. Since I don't have a lawn I don't care at all.
Have a lovely, quiet Fourth, Jeanie!
Your first photo of the house decorated is amazing. You are talented.
We're not allowed any fireworks here this year, because it is too dry and could start some fires.
Happy July 4th. Stay safe.
I have to confess that I have never been a big fan of fireworks, and if they were to disappear completely I would shed no tears. Let me say that I think Rick looks very dashing with his new hairdo. He could easily pass for a nineteenth century German composer. Maybe we will call him Ludwig, or Wolfgang from now on. Even when I had hair I didn't have that much! Kudos on the ID of the Flicker - Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) if you want to be really accurate (which you probably don't!). Now here's the thing with this species. Unlike other woodpeckers it feeds on ants on the ground, and even uses them to sanitize its feathers. There are two colour morphs of Northern Flicker, yellow-shafted in the east and you can clearly see this in your pictures, and red-shafted in the west. It is a wonderfully enigmatic species with a great voice too. You have the tranquility of your cottage, Jeanie, the unrivalled company of your own Ludwig (aka Rick), and Northern Flickers in the neighbourhood. For my money, it doesn't get much better. Let them have their noise, fireworks and glitter, you have what really counts.
Love your art work, and always enjoy seeing your photographs.
Pleased that Rick arrived safely.
Have a happy and safe 4th July.
All the best Jan
I agree. Even in this crazy time, there is much for which to be thankful.
Your Flicker matches the Northern Flicker in my Birds of Michigan book and says it's in the woodpecker family and is 12" in size. Your photos doesn't make them look that big, but the coloring and patterns match perfectly A beautiful bird!
Love, LOVE that first painting of the blue cottage.
I, too, am way over fireworks. I hope you have a great summer at the lake.
I'm glad you and Rick will have a few weeks of respite together. I love fireworks but don't like the homegrown ones. Where I live these are only done on Halloween even and they go into the wee hours of the morning. Your water colours are looking wonderful. Have an awesome week.
I hate the fireworks each New Years, too, but, ohhhh, your drawing is just superb!!!
You are so talented, beautiful!!
Lovely picture of Rick taking a time-out! (Sweet, if I may say so).
Love the T-shirt and the "wild hair".
The lake pic is so beautiful.
I agree. Let us be thankful.
We have crazy "leaders" and it´s up to us to be happy and safe.
The 4th of July and the Santa drawings are so pretty Jeanie.
I enjoy watching the planned fireworks in Perth (usually twice a year), but I know pets have a hard time.
So nice that Rick arrived safely from his long ride.
The fireworks look beautiful even if they are a bit boring for you now! We don't have a lot of fireworks displays here so they are quite a novelty! I think the last time we saw fireworks was at Disneyland Paris last year, as we didn't do the new years fireworks to welcome in this year.
Hope you are having a nice weekend :) We were out at the park again today :)
Away From Blue
Glad you are both together in what sounds like a wonderful and relaxing place, Jeanie. There were lots of unofficial fireworks displays here as well on the 4th. Some were quite beautiful, but others a lot of noise. I liked your first sketch of the cottage decked out for the holiday.
I must admit, I missed the parades, music celebrations of the 4th.
It was quiet, different, “covidfied,“ is my best guess.
We took a drive to see how quiet Twin Lake might be
because we heard there would be fireworks.
Shocked, Surprised . . . it was 8:00 at night and there were
cars everywhere, 2, 3, 5, 10, 12 at each house!
People on the beaches, boating, water skiing, no masks, no social distancing.
And this was at EIGHT O’CLOCK . . .
Like I said, we were in the car . . . drove to downtown Muskegon, very quiet and
Pere Marquette Park was jampacked! There were lcars, sun bathers everywhere.
No masks . . . No social distancing, except for those of us in our cars driving through.
Home by nine o’clock and the booms were happening, kept on until way after midnight!
Happy Rick is out of the heat and relaxing.
I like his hair too. Nice you met up and shared a picnic together.
Great of your neighbor to “weed free” your beach.
Happy the quiet has returned . . .
Enjoy your lake time!
That cute cottage..MV? Well done,,wow what a cyclist he is..I get the mail up the street and hate coming back because of the slight incline..
His hair is GREAT.
Have a great time.
I'm with you on the fireworks, Jeanie. Our city sponsored them over the river, just two blocks over from where we are. We could just look our living room window to see or step on the balcony for the noise too. The best part was how the full moon and city view church steeples stole the show in the same frame! People were out along the boulevard that runs parallel to the river, the majority without masks. What will it take?? I think people are, in general, about to go from being naive to just being plain stupid.
That's really nice that you can see fireworks from your lake house. Nice way to enjoy the holiday without worrying about social distancing. And good for Rick to make that bike trip. He is a real biker! Kudos to him. And I must say I love your festive house painting and your gnomes. They are a lot of fun! You need to show more Jeanie. Sounds like you had a good 4th. Enjoy the rest of your weekend. Hugs-Erika
I can't get over the fact that Rick does those rides with it that hot out there. Course a lot depends on the humidity too. Here...we suffer from the humidity really bad. Great pics from the lake...
What a perfect way to spend the holiday. Dinner looks SO good. Your cabin is the epitome of peace to me.
love, love, love the watercolor of the house with all the bunting. I'd be happy to send you a copy of Peterson's birds to help you out with ID-ing them, but on the other hand, with Rick there, maybe you don't need a book... Happy Summer!
What a perfect place, the lake, for you to stay safe. Glad Rick made it safely. HIs "Rona" hair looks like my husband's hair! Our son and grandson on mountain bike teams and did practice runs yesterday in dreadful heat and humidity. I don't know how anyone does that! Love your artwork. I do love the Fourth, one of my favorite holidays (lol, I think all are) and it was certainly a different one this year having to stay home! We did FT calls and cooked all the Fourth traditional food.
He's an adventurous soul :) I wouldn't have the stamina for a bike ride that long. Your snacks were a welcome sight, I'm sure, along with that cottage coming into view. I haven't seen a flicker in years. I always did think they were striking birds. Beautiful photos!
Your pictures are wonderful, and I specially like the little house at the top all decorated up. You convey the feeling of being at the lake really well - even though I know the fireworks aren't typical (and that's a better photo of a firework than I could ever take). I love good fireworks shows but I think it gets a little tedious if people are trying to outdo each other. Immensely impressed by Rick, and bet you're glad to have him back. that looks like a very tasty supper you cooked him by the way - I am imagining some kind of chicken with mustard sauce.....
Your lake posts remind me so much of our summers at our cottage on a lake in Maine. Thanks for the good memories.
I love that you started with a watercolor - your art is so wonderful and happy. Hope you had a great 4th and I'm wishing you a wonderful week!
I can not understand why people won't wear masks. I feel safer and more secure when I wear one and I do when I go to the grocery store or anywhere else.
From the comments here today it is very sad that lots of people are not wearing them.
I am afraid things are getting worse. We need to restock food and be ready to hold up again.
Glad you have a lake house and can feel as if you are on vacation. I am thankful for a big yard and back porch to watch the birds.
Praying for our country.
Your cabin looks so cozy! Yay for such a long ride for Rick! Wow!
Have a wonderful time!
No fireworks here, but the neighbors had their own displays. Noisy for sure. Love your watercolor of the house done up for the 4th. Just beautiful! Janice
It was pretty quiet around here on the 4th and I think I kind of liked it. You can see how ours went on Tuesday. Love the painting of the lake house and glad Rick made it back home. Enjoy the rest of the quiet summer there. Stay well..xxoJudy
Jeanie, I love seeing your watercolors and photos. Rick's Covid hair looks pretty cute!
It sounds like you are having a lovely time! And way to go Rick! I am loving my son's long hair too... we may keep it this way for a while.
I don't mind fireworks on the fourth, but I would like them kept to the fourth. Lol. Wyatt thankfully sleeps through them but my Maggie the Cat runs in fear and hides. :( Hopefully you get your peaceful retreat back soon.
You are so fortunate to have this wonderful lake cottage to enjoy, Jeanie. It looks and sounds so idyllic. I'm glad Rick was able to spend time with you for the 4th. We did not have many fireworks here--too dry and we are in a stage one fire restriction.
I always feel happy to see you doing your art.
Lovely flicker,maybe a family?
Everything looks yummy and welcoming and yes, yay to Rick making it home safely. That is hot weather for biking or anything!
I’m not a fan of the fireworks either. I am so glad they didn’t wake Paul. We had them for several nights leading up to the 4th and there were more last night. I hope tonight is quiet. It was sad to not be at the lake with family but it just wasn’t possible. I am looking forward to our trip up there in August. We will be there during the week. It’s always pretty quiet around my parents, though, even on the 4th. There aren’t many partiers around us thank god!!!
I love your flag draped cottage Jeanie! Rick's bike ride sounded brutal for sure...sorry you don't like the 4th, I love the festivities and seeing all the flags. I hope you have a wonderful summer at the lake!
Jenna
I'm glad Rick made it there safely, and you were able to enjoy each other's company and a nice picnic together. I hope the whole thing didn't upset Lizzie too much.
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