June 8, 2013. Happy Birthday and Anniversary, Annie Farkley.

June 8, 2013.  Happy Birthday and Anniversary, Annie Farkley.  Forty-five years ago tonight Annie Farkley got married.  She was beautiful then and she is beautiful now.  She also has a birthday today.  It is a big day for Annie Farkley, so I cooked dinner for her.  We reviewed all the restaurants in St. Ignace and the best one we found was the Harvey Diner.  So, Chef Malachi fired up the grill and grilled steak and potatoes.  Annie tossed a salad and, bingo, there was her anniversary and birthday dinner.  And, not too bad, if I do say so. 

Today's pictures are yesterday's, taken on Mackinac Island.  Some will look familiar, some not.  Mackinac is a beautiful, peaceful place.  I hope you have a chance to visit some day.

Today was a rest day.  We slept late and lounged around Harvey until after lunch. We then scouted the restaurants and did the laundry.  After our anniversary dinner, we biked about an hour.  It has been a good day. 

June 7, 2013. Grandchildren's Quiz from Mackinac Island.

June 7, 2013.  Grandchildren's Quiz from Mackinac Island.  We had a fun day at Mackinac Island.  I took over 100 pictures, some pretty, some inspiring and some puzzling.  Today you get to see the puzzling pictures.  Are you ready, kids?  Here is another Grandchildren's Quiz.

There are eleven photos, ten of which constitute the quiz.  The eleventh picture is the tie-breaker.  Families can team up.  Lauren and Paige are one team, Emory and Miles another and the Cobbles are the third team.  The winning team gets $15 in prize money.  Second place gets $10 and Third, $5. 

The last time we did this, we had some adults trying to horn in on the prize money.  None of that this time.  Anyone over the age of eleven is disqualified.  You can play for fun, if you want, but no money for you.  You probably couldn't beat the kids anyway.  I have the smartest grandchildren in the universe.  So, play if you like, but make no false claims on the prize money.  What a bunch of money-grubbers you are!

So, here's how it will work:  you must provide your answers to the quiz by email before midnight, June 8, a date known to most of you for other reasons.  We will announce the winners and give the correct answers in Sunday's blog.  Got that?  I thought so. 

We plan to stay around camp tomorrow and perhaps have a nice dinner tomorrow night.  Annie is a little tired of Harvey food.  And, she deserves a nice meal just for putting up with me for the last half-century.  I am not an easy keeper, you know. 

I will post some of the other pictures tomorrow.  We plan to go back to the island Sunday before departing Monday.  Don't ask me where we'll go from here.  If I knew, I wouldn't tell you.  You might try to find me and make me do something different.  I like what I'm doing now, nothing. 

June 6, 2013. On the Road to St. Ignace, MI - Straits State Park.

June 6, 2013.  On the Road to St. Ignace, MI - Straits State Park.  Another gentle six-hour drive today brought us to St. Ignace (pronounced Ig'-nace).  We are a short ferry ride from Mackinac Island.  And we managed to get here the week of the Annual Lilac Festival on the island.  The competition for fudge should be furious.  I promise that I will hold my own . . . and then some. 

We passed through Christmas, Michigan.  If Christmas, Michigan is all there is to Christmas, there will be a lot of disappointed believers Christmas morning.  It is a small hamlet on the shore of Lake Superior, population about 400.  The two main attractions to Christmas is a Casino and a thirty-five foot tall Santa.  Each Christmas season, people arrange to have letters and cards postmarked from Christmas.

Pasties (pronounced past'-tees) are not what you think.  In the Upper Peninsula, they are a battered pie, commonly filled with minced pork, onion, potato and seasoning.  It is deep fried and usually served with fried potatoes.  A pastie was the usual lunch for miners working is this area.  Most of those miners originated from Cornwall, England, and brought the recipe with them. 

The Straits State Park is on the straits between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.  Aptly named, don't you think?  It is a lovely park, with open areas, shaded and private campsites and many campsites located on the water.  We opted for the less crowded area away from the water.  We took a walk tonight and discovered areas of the park we didn't know existed, though we have been here two other times. 

We plan to go to the island tomorrow with our bikes.  There is an eight-mile road around the island and we'll ride it once or twice, depending on how much fudge we eat. 

June 5, 2013. The Monks and the Berry Bushes.

 

 

 

 

  

June 5, 2013.  The Monks and the Berry Bushes.  We drove about 60 miles to Copper Harbor today.  The entire area was once rich in copper, hence the name of the harbor.  The drive up Highway 41 was very pretty in places.  Along one stretch of road, the maple trees arched over the road and created a tunnel of green.  Above Copper Harbor there is a lookout on Brockway Mountain which gives a majestic view of Lake Superior and Lake Fanny Hooe.  While on the mountain, Annie spotted a lone eagle.  Soon, the lone eagle was followed by ten companions, all soaring purposefully to a common destination.  I tried to capture all ten in one photograph, but succeeded in getting only seven.  I have never seen anything like that, even in Alaska.

We took an even more scenic drive back to McLain State Park.  Highway 26 follows the shore line of Lake Superior.  It offers splendid views of the greatest of the Great Lakes with water falls, blooming trees and even a lighthouse or two.  However, the reason we chose Highway 26 was the stories we've heard about a monastery along the way. 

Monks of the Society of St. John, a Catholic Monastery of the Byzantine Rite established their small community on the Lake Superior shore in 1983, where they have built the onion-domed Holy Transfiguration Skete.  Originally, there were just a few monks on the site.  They supported themselves and the construction of the Skete by picking wild berries and converting the berries into jams and jellies.  They expanded their enterprise to include a bakery.  Now, people drive long distances to purchase their jams, breads, brownies and other tasty delights.  The monk who took my money appeared to be about thirty years-old.  His brown beard was untrimmed and he wore a brown, hooded cloak.  I wondered what caused a capable young man to leave family and friends for a life of nothing but labor and prayer. 

We saw the Skete from a mile away.  The Jampot, their roadside outlet, isn't pretentious, but seemingly, it serves its purpose.  There was a steady flow of customers while we were there, notwithstanding the slow traffic on the highway.   The purchases were pricey - $12.00 for a lemon pound cake - but, we were happy to donate to the cause.  And, but for the pound cake which was soaked in brandy, the things we bought delighted the palate.

Tomorrow is another move day. We just don't know where we're moving to. We'll figure that out in the morning, about the time we start Harvey and coax him out of the campsite. 
                                                                                                                                                   

June 4, 2012, FJ McLain State Park on Lake Superior.

June 4, 2012, FJ McLain State Park on Lake Superior.  We bid farewell to Peninsula State Park last night as the sun settled over the Green Bay.  You know today was a travel day by the picture of the barn, above.  You will be happy that I selected only one barn of the dozen or so that I shot.  I really like old barns, if you haven't guessed by now.  It is an affection that stems from the hours and hours of playing in the old Renard barn near Dixie, Arkansas.  There is nothing quite so good for a young boy as a barn to work and play in. 

It was a gentle six-hour drive to McLain State Park.  A moose posed for us along the highway while he was lunching in a bog.  It was a juvenile moose or his antlers just haven't grown to full size yet.  I am inclined to think the latter, because he was packing some pretty good size.  He responded to my horse whistle and gave me a full face shot before we pulled away.  The moose was never nearer than the length of a football field from the car.  You'd have thought he was tapping on the windshield the way Annie carried on.  "Those things are dangerous!   Malachi, you get in this car immediately.  Look, he's dropping his head.  He's going to charge!! Get in here, you knucklehead!!!"  That Annie, she's such a hoot.   

We are camped right on the lake.  We walked the length of the campground tonight and struck up a couple of conversations with other campers.  One couple is a retired engineer and retired botanist.  Another was from Grand Rapids.  Both were camping in Roadtreks.  Both were gregarious and interesting.  We picked up some tips for camping in the north.  It is beginning to look more and more like we may stay in the States rather than cross over into Canada.  We have a few days to decide, so there's no rush.  That is one of my favorite things about road trips.  There is always no rush. 

June 3, 2013. Final Day, For a While, Door County, Wisconsin

June 3, 2013.  Final Day, For a While, Door County, Wisconsin.  Two churches at Sister Bay, a Dogwood in bloom against a perfect blue sky, two of Al Johnson's goats and a tugboat pushing a barge sum up our last day here.  Al Johnson's is a Swedish restaurant in Sister Bay.  Its iconic goats graze on the roof.  Several of these goats may look familiar from last year's trip to Door County. 

Al died in 2010, but the restaurant is run by his widow, children and grandchildren.  The menu is Swedish which is to say that it is anything but spicy.  Breakfast is served all day and the specialty is Swedish pancakes.  They are more like crepes than pancakes.  I had the pancakes and stayed full all afternoon.  They look light on the plate but wear heavy. 

The afternoon was topped by another bike ride around the park.  The bikes have held up well, as have the riders.  We are in for the night.  As I began writing this, a trailer began setting up in the adjacent campsite.  People kept coming from the tow car.  It was like watching a clown car at the circus.  First, a woman got out.  Then, two little boys, probably twins, scampered out followed by several dogs.  Another boy got out and then, the driver.  The space which was empty and quiet twenty minutes ago is now abustle with activity and sounds.  The boys are exploring excitedly and the dad has been setting up and plugging in.  Mom and the dogs have disappeared.  Our television isn't working here.  The activity next door is a good substitute. 

The people we meet in campgrounds are invaribly nice and talkative.  They want to know about your RV, where you're from and where you are going.  Most are very young or old timers, like us.  The young are like the couple next door.  This is a cheap get-away for them.  The old timers drive more expensive RVs and move with a slowness that suggest they are in no hurry.  Time is what they have and so they take it.  But, all are nice and all make up the fabric of America.  The young ones are more fun to watch.  The older ones don't get terribly excited and aren't terribly exciting. 

So, that closes out Door County for now.  Who knows, we may be back in a couple of weeks, on our way home.  I think we owe Sweetie Pies another visit.