Rick had a follow-up with his kidney surgeon in Petoskey, so we did another road trip!
It was a beautiful day for the drive. The color wasn't peak but when you see a spot like a field of sunflowers, you've got to smile!
He dropped me off in town where I did a little shopping -- cheese from Symond's General Store...
...window shopping...
...and my favorite spot, the hardware store, where at least half the store is not hardware!
I bought a small piece of the Polish pottery I love! I'd been thinking about it since our visit earlier this summer.
I also noted some of the beauty of the city, which is set on Little Traverse Bay in northern Michigan.
The city park was quiet and peaceful. The crooked tree was part of a war memorial honoring a man named Walter Estes (and other prisoners of war) in 1973.
After stopping at the Crooked Tree Arts Center to see their new exhibit (a future post!) I went to the library to meet my friend Susan for our afternoon adventure (yet another future post!). This library is so inviting, I can see why one might not like to leave!
After Susan and I finished playing, we met her husband Pat, and Rick, at Petoskey State Park, where we enjoyed take-out on an absolutely gorgeous evening.
The beach is set on sand dunes and with the golden light from the setting sun, the colors were gorgeous.
I can't describe enough how breathtaking that light was! I don't think I could ever paint it.
The temps were warm and the beach quiet. After dinner, we walked the shore, looking for Petoskey stones.
The Petoskey stone is Michigan's state stone. It is a fossilized rock that has a pattern of ovals, or soft-cornered squares or rectangles. You'll often see them polished and made into jewelry or other items in Michigan shops.
The easiest way to find them is when they are wet and the pattern shows.
Susan was an ace at it! And Rick was pretty good at it, too!
The sunset was glorious. We looked out the wide expanse of Little Traverse Bay, the night perfectly clear.
It felt wonderful to be with friends, doing something outdoors at a lovely spot, celebrating the beginning of fall and feeling so very grateful.
It was a wonderful to wrap a very good day.
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What a marvelous adventure. It looks so normal. I didn't know about those stones. Very interesting.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it fun to be able to take these little road trips again? It looks like you had a lovely day out. The hardware store with the antiques and other items sounds like a great places to visit. We have a few places like that around my home. And nice beach too. I'll look froward to your other road trips. Happy new week Jeanie. Hugs-Erika
ReplyDeleteSounds like an Awesome day! And I hope Rick got good news from the Dr. ~
ReplyDeleteYou found one! 😊
ReplyDeleteVery beautiful light at the beach indeed. And hopefully all fine with Rick. Scary... every time.
ReplyDeleteWow what a BIG BRIGHT BEAUTIFUL SUNSET!! and gorgeous pictures. Looks so peaceful there, and the stones are fun!!---looks like y'all found some?? that is a very pretty spot, even better shared with friends and good food!
ReplyDeleteLooks like you had a great day out. That#s a very pretty place you visited. Love those stones, too! And the sunset is glorious. Have a good and safe week, hugs, Valerie
ReplyDeleteIt looked almost like Covid never existed in your world, Jeanie. What a beautiful time the four of you must have shared on a perfect day and evening.
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteI agree, seeing a field of sunflowers makes me smile. Your road trip sounds really nice. The hardware store sounds like a fun place to explore, I like the pretty Polish pottery too. The beach and dunes are my favorite, what a lovely sunset. Michigan's state stone is pretty, it has a neat pattern. Take care, enjoy your day! Have a great new week!
Beautiful colors, and gorgeous stones. Your day sounds wonderful. Topping it off with friends and stone hunting is fantastic.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a wonderful day. I've heard about those Petoskey stones; I hope we'll see more about them here. The pottery looks very pretty, too. It got my dish-collecting juices flowing, but I've got to get those dammed up pretty quickly. I need to rid myself of pottery, not get more!
ReplyDeleteI would love to go hunting for Petoskey stones. Eating from styrofoam contains and plastic bottles not so much. When are we going to stop doing this? Never, I guess is the answer.
ReplyDeleteyour picture and words made me feel as I was there walking with you on your adventure. What beautiful sunset photos. Happy Fall Jeanie to you ad yours!
ReplyDeleteA nice bit of almost normalcy!
ReplyDeleteDays like that are good for the soul. Sounds like you made the most of every minute. The sky looked glorious! You think of your paints; I think of my camera. Oh, if I could be there to photograph that magnificent orange glow! I enjoy tagging along on these little adventures of yours - it's fun to get a glimpse into these small town areas that I've never heard of. Happy October!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a perfect day. There is a golden light that comes only in the fall that makes my heart sing - I don't think it can be captured; only enjoyed.
ReplyDeleteIt looks and sounds like a wonderful day!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love walking on a beach searching for a pretty stone or shell. This time together with friends looks just magical. Love Polish pottery too, enjoy your new piece of it. What a lovely adventure.
ReplyDeleteI hope the follow up went well, and Rick is okay. What a nice day it was for you and your friends! Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteHope Rick's appointment with the kidney surgeon went well.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a delightful way to spend the day.
I had never heard about Petoskey stone.. how intersting.
What a delightful outing, such fun and varied activities. I look forward to the future posts :) The beach scene is gorgeous, and I'm thinking maybe living "up north" (my daughter recently moved to Minnesota) would be nice even considering how cold it gets.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos! That looks like such a charming town. And again, by the water! I’m a sucker for any cute town along the water. It reminds me of some of the areas of Minnesota. Paul would enjoy the rock hunting. He loves rocks and often collects them when we go to the creek by our house. He’s not discerning yet but if he keeps this interest, he will be in a couple of years!
ReplyDeleteHard to imagine a more perfect day... hope the news from Rick's dr. was all good!
ReplyDeleteJeanie, your day looks absolutely perfect. The light is amazing and I know you could capture it on canvas. There is something really special about autumn days. Happy week to you!
ReplyDeleteLovely, lovely!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing such a lovely day. The pictures were beautiful and you conveyed the journey in a way that it was easy to be there.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful day.
ReplyDeleteOh, I love that shop. I would have browsed in there for a long time. Sometimes these hardware stores have the coolest things. Looks like a lot
ReplyDeleteof antiques in there. I absolutely LOVE the Polish pottery, Jeanie. My
Polish cup broke and have been wanting another one, but these pieces can
be a bit pricey. It always brings me back to my heritage, as I'm part
Polish. Would love to see the pottery you bought for yourself. The Petoskey
stones are lovely and look so soft. What a nice day with friends, and a
beautiful sunset at the end of a delightful day.
~Sheri
What a lovely day shared with friends!
ReplyDeleteWe have many of those rocks. I even have one here at the LakeHouse. We are RockHounds and we gathered them a few years ago when we were on a visit up North.
Looking forward to your post of the playing you did with your friend!
Happy Fall!
ps.....the dessert on my post is a cheesecake. It was the best cheesecake
ReplyDeleteI've ever had. : )
Never heard of those stones but thank you for sharing. I love beach glass but since we have no beaches here I have never found any, however a friend in Mass. found a bunch of little pieces that she sent to me. Pretty cool. Hoping Rick is doing well.
ReplyDeleteWhat a glorious day. Love those stones.
ReplyDeleteTake special care.
What a treasure hunt... those stones are just beautiful!!
ReplyDeleteDo you collect Polish Pottery? I like all the colors (I love navy blue) and patterns. I will have to tell Shanley Belle about the Petoskey stone. How special!
ReplyDeletePetoskey is a cute name, and Petoskey stones sound fascinating to me!
ReplyDeleteI love stones and minerals. I got on the table a small round ceramic bowl with minerals that I believe give energy. My lucky bamboo plants are in tiny containers full of pebbles. I've got a round, dark cute basalt stone from the Golan Heights.
I'm not familiar with Polish pottery, but I fell in love with Bulgarian pottery while visiting Sophia several years ago.
This looks like a beautiful day! I love Petoskey. :) My cousin got married there, and so did one of my friends. Both weddings were awesome. :)
ReplyDeleteI hope Rick is doing ok! I need to catch up on my reading!
I was told it is illegal to pick up Petoskey stones in Petoskey. Hopefully you will be fine if it was true. I have found many in Lake Huron. Janice
ReplyDeleteLove a General Store that carries more than hardware! So nice you combined so many nice things into your day. The stones are quite beautiful. You are right the golden hour light was beautiful--love it when that happens!
ReplyDeleteKnow it has been said before . . .
ReplyDeleteIsn’t this a beautiful time of the year.
Looks like a good spot for finding Petoskey Stones
A nice time together with your friends!
Road trips, a little shopping, and meeting up with friends for some treasure hunting - how absolutely lovely. I have enjoyed my wander with you today Jeanne.
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely week
Wren x
What a lovely day! I quite enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteOh, Jeanie, I don't know where to begin. I must disagree with you, I do believe you could paint the gorgeous beach wearing such a magnificent color.
ReplyDeleteYour outing looks like the best. I love the Polish pottery but stay away from it. I do not need another single thing to collect. But I do believe I could be tempted with the amazing rocks, my head twirls with the many things that could be done with them.
I will end with the glorious sunset - maybe the most beautiful I have seen.
Enjoy October!
LOVE those colors right at the top, the orange and teal being so friendly together!
ReplyDeleteJeanie, it certainly was a wonderful day to wrap up the season. Those quiet times are so very special especially when you can share them with friends. I wish most would celebrate that way rather than being crowded in airports or at ball games. Enjoy the remaining lake time..Happy Tuesday..xxoJudy
ReplyDeleteA wonderful trip.
ReplyDeleteYour photographs are all so beautiful, especially your second to last one, it's breath-taking.
I do hope Rick got on ok and he's doing well.
All the best Jan
You've caught that gorgeous golden sunset light! Thank you for visiting my blog (it's good to know that Blogspot's not blocking me from all other Blogspot blogs, only two).
ReplyDeleteWhat a great outing. Loving the colors of those pumpkins. Big ones too. Looks like you had a great time.
ReplyDeleteThat golden light is magical.
ReplyDeleteYou had a truly beautiful day here, and that sunset at the end is the cream on top. Nothing beats time spent with good friends.
ReplyDeleteSounds like another fun road trip. Glad you're able to catch up with so many friends now.
ReplyDeleteWell, that rose coloured light means that rose coloured specs would be unnecessary, even if you wore them... because it really WAS as perfect as it looked! This is a lovely post, with all of you looking really happy, relaxed and full of enjoyment of life. There's very little nicer than that. I know already that Rick's surgeon was happy with his progress which I am sure made a special evening, even better.
ReplyDeleteMy husband is a huge rock and mineral collector. Maybe we will look for this site the next time we visit our son and his wife in Chicago. I don't think my husband has ever collected this fossilized coral.
ReplyDeleteOoooh, the stones look very interesting, and beautiful!
ReplyDeleteA road trip of the best kind and you captured the day beautifully.
ReplyDeleteFun road trip. I'm envious of your adventures. I'm ready to go somewhere!
ReplyDelete