Ambling through Old Photo Files: Autumn Images

Among the things I did to amuse myself during my (very cold) few days at the lake in early September while Rick was still on his cycling journey, was go through old photos on my computer and take a look at some I'd forgotten. I wanted to finish this post during my most recent visit -- but with no computer, it had to wait. But now, the first of several collections to pop up here in the future -- "Fall Favorites."

Near Charlevoix, Michigan

Now-gone tree at the Otsego Lake Public Beach. I miss this tree.

At the lake

Reflections at the Ditch

One of the Ditch ducks

Near Charlevoix, Michigan

Maple tree near the cottage

 

 

Gaylord, MI farm market

Wah Wah Soo Drive, Gaylord. My favorite road. Ever.

September Monarch at Southern Exposure, Battle Creek, MI

The Greenhouse at Southern Exposure, October

The Ditch, October

A garden in London, England

Shop on the grounds at Kenwood House, Hampstead, England

Green Park, London, England

Gunnersby Park, London England

 

 

 

Rick's Yard (probably!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

The woods near the cottage

Near Kellogg Center, Michigan State University

The Gardens at Southern Exposure

Roadside Color near Gaylord, MI

Treetops Resort, Gaylord, MI

 

 

Waiting for Winter at Treetops, Gaylord, MI

Lonely Chair lifts, Gaylord, MI

Taking Care of the Fields, Outside Gaylord, MI

Reese's Pumpkin Carts, Lansing, MI

Southern Exposure

Otsego Lake Reflections

Southern Exposure, Early November

Complimentary Colors, Southern Exposure

Michigan State University Radiology Gardens

From Ghoultide Gathering, Northville, MI

 

 

 

 

Thanks for walking through the Autumn memory book with me! It's fun to rediscover old favorites!

Postcards From the Lake: September Flies!

What happened to September? It's like a magician's trick -- Now you see it, now you don't! Well, we still have some time but boy, it's flying by!

 

I headed to the lake to welcome my new refrigerator. I suspected Rick might want to sit this trip out, having been away from his own home for so long. The new fridge is lovely and the delivery couldn't have been better. Right on time, two very strong guys managed to get it in without having to remove my heavy wooden door!

Good Things

It's been a busy week since I've been home, with doc appointments almost every day. And the rest of the time? Bringing my house up to "code" -- it's amazing how many spiders start webbing when you aren't there for a huge chunk of time! And, a groundhog has dug two holes under the house. Now looking for a compassionate way to get him to leave!

 

Postcards From the Lake: Art Camp Ends, Rick Continues!

Sigh. We wrapped up art camp last weekend, after 18 days of friendship and creativity. And a good 18 days it was, filled with lots of painting, walks, good summer food and some good nature sightings. And, I might add, some pretty nippy weather. Even Lizzie hunkered down by the heater!

 

Our weather turned cool (no, cold!) and we found painting on the porch was no longer a possibility -- well, at least till the last day or two. It didn't stop us but it's not nearly so much fun! Here's some of the stuff I did. These are some cards.

The Books of August

Given that it's summer, I probably should have gone through more than six books -- but I was doing a lot of painting! Still, the ones I read were very enjoyable. Again, mostly mysteries, but two good novels were part of the mix, too. 

Postcards from the Lake: Art, Cold Days (and Rick Update)

Art camp usually brings warm sunny days and it certainly started out that way. Painting on the porch was a joy -- the sounds of the lake punctuating our foray into color, pattern and image.

 

More than once we've seen Harry North, our resident heron, stalk the beach for his early morning or twilight meals. And, we had another sighting of Eddie the Eagle, perched high in one of our pines. 

Postcards from the Lake: A Quick Catch-up

I'm enjoying my blog break at art camp and am popping in with a bit of a post to update you on things, before I disappear again. And I also have an update on Rick's bike ride. Being north, with very little media/computer involvement has been a very good thing for me. I've missed visiting (though on occasion I've lurked a bit in the morning before we get going!)

Postcards From the Lake -- Energetic Guests!

The morning after my ear procedure (thanks for the good wishes, too!), Rick and I headed to the lake to await the arrival of our guests later in the day. And arrive they did, with ten times the energy I had! One seven year old, one eight year old, and their lovely mom! 

 

It was a steamy hot weekend and that meant plenty of time for beach play! The lake water was warm and I enjoyed swimming with the boys (though, keeping my head out of the water, I was actually on my floatie!) Then there was a lot of construction going on!

Postcards From (Mostly) the Lake -- Art, Eagles, Harry and Tomatoes!

It has been quite a week! The day after Rick's baseball birthday gig, I took off for the lake solo, to spend a few days in the north before my ear procedure. It is, as always, lovely -- but also very smoky and hazy from the Canadian wildfires. It was a little hard on the eyes, the sinuses and the lungs with air quality falling well into the high yellow and sometimes red zone. We had our share of foggy mornings, too. 

 

So, there were times I was inside when I would have preferred to be out! I suspect many are feeling this here in the US. But certainly our Canadian friends and neighbors are having it much worse -- the smoke, the haze and the damage.

The Books of July

Gee, I love a good summer for catching up on reading! At the lake there are fewer distractions and for whatever reason, I don't feel overly guilty if I read during the day! Not surprisingly, mysteries make for good lake-reading fare but I also enjoyed a couple of memoirs and revisited a childhood favorite. 

 

This is a long one (ten books), but if you enjoy reading, onward!

At Home: Let the Merriment Continue

I can't say coming home for a few days was great -- it was beastly hot for much of the time (like so many other spots here in the US) and without air, I relied on fans in the evening, the car for quick air-con cool downs and ice beanbags to take to bed. Fortunately, a rain came through with a bit of a cool down -- relief at last! Rick stayed at the lake, cycling home just in time for some fun. But a broken bike had me on stand-by for a pick-up, just in case the repair made didn't hold. 

The high point of being home was seeing that my front yard no longer looked so bleak. The Black-eyed Susans and Sweet peas (above) came out and still look lovely. (The rest, not so much.) And the Annabelle hydrangeas have passed their white stage and are already turning green, which I actually prefer.

Postcards From the Lake: Roadside Blooms

Our days have been relatively temperate this summer. Sunny, warm (on occasion stifling hot after a few dances with the heat dome sweeping the country) and for the most part, lovely. We've seen a lot of haze from the Canadian wildfires so the sky hasn't been terribly blue and we've had a couple of rain storms but overall, a good time to be north. 

 

I have two or three walking loops, basically around the same area. There is a basic one-mile circle, another that is 1.8 miles (round trip), and another that is 2 miles even. (Back and forth to the cousin cottage is about a half mile each direction.) Every year I pay attention to the roadside blooms.

Postcards From the Lake: Rick -- 70 Years and Counting

Rick has not been looking forward to turning 70. I can relate -- I remember feeling somewhat the same. What is it about those zero (and to a lesser degree, the "five") year birthdays that can get us in a funk? At any rate, I was determined it would be a good time.

That said, how do you have a good time at the lake when all your friends and most of your family is elsewhere at the moment? Well, you extend the merriment!

Postcards From the Lake: Fortune Smiles

Every day in summer is a gift -- at least, it is for me. It's my favorite season -- or rather, it is when I'm at the lake. Apart from a couple of rainy days, the weather has been lovely. Warm, but for the most part, not too hot. Sunny, but even the cloudy days are comfortable. 

 

We've had a couple of major temperature drops, which was actually refreshing. And it gave us the opportunity to have a fire in the fireplace. First of the season.

Postcards From the Lake: Road Trip -- Leelanau Peninsula

Our road trip continued as we left Strings by Mail and headed to the Leelanau peninsula, which juts out from Traverse City and is bordered on the west by Lake Michigan. We were off to have an afternoon with our friends Mark and Jan, who have returned for several years to a resort called Jolli Lodge. It was a beautiful spot and I could instantly see why they returned.

 

Postcards From the Lake: Road Trip -- Strings by Mail

What looked to be a rainy day at the lake turned out to be a beautiful one when we did a road trip to Traverse City and later to the Leelanau peninsula. This post is about our first stop to Strings by Mail, an international mail order business in Traverse City for what has to be the largest collection of strings for all kinds of instruments including (not surprisingly) the classical guitar! Naturally, Rick had to stop!

Postcards From the Lake: Summer Days

If all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, does mostly play and not much work make Jack (or Jeanie) more interesting? Or just mellow? Or just plain happy?

 

Yes, there has been some work -- the earlier mentioned beach is a project! But here's how it's looking so far.

Postcards From the Lake: "Same" Can Be Wonderful

Truth of the matter is, life at the lake isn't particularly exciting. There are rarely dramatic moments, major crises. It's just good. And very much the same as it has been in years past. Quiet. Unscheduled. Productive. Lazy. Relaxing. Fun. And sorely needed.

 

When we were kids spending our summers at the lake, every day was full of fun and full of play. We'd be up and out of the house -- maybe enjoying the beach and most likely enjoying the water. We were back and forth between my house and my cousins, a half mile away, singing show tunes at the top of our lungs as we walked the same stretch of roads I walk now. Whenever the sun was out and the water reasonably calm, we were in the boat and on water skis.