Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Quilts!

I am selling a couple year's worth of winter projects. Will probably sell them locally but if you're interested let me know. Otherwise, Just enjoy the pictures! They were all fun to make!
Bargello, 34 X 50, $90

Cattails, 32 X 56", $50

Ferns, 23 X 46", $40

Green and Gold, 31 X 31", $40

Browns, Blues, and Greens, 41 X 41", $50

Red, White, and Bluejeans , 36 X 56", $60

Spice Train, 42 X 55", $70

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Home at Last

Got home last night as planned. It's good to be home, and I plan to spend today in front of the fireplace cuddling with the cat. 

Here's a picture I forgot to add yesterday. This is in Badlands National Park. There were two of these beauties hanging out right on the road shoulder.I stopped and they did not seem to mind at all, although it seened unwise to actually get out of the car. 


Bighorn in Badlands National Park

Monday, October 29, 2012

On the Home Stretch

Caffeine fueled, I drove nearly 600 miles yesterday in a push for home. Just after sunset I crossed the continental divide at over 6000 feet, and this morning I'm in Butte, MT. It's just about that far from here to Seattle, so another big push should get me home sometime tonight.


Here are a few pictures from my journey:

.
 Badlands NP color

Badlands National Park

Devil's Tower

Devil's Tower

Goodbye to the beautiful Chippewa River, for now

And goodbye to Lake Michigan

My favorite tree, nearly shed of all it's leaves



Forest around Devil's Tower
Badlands














Sunday, October 28, 2012

Badlands, black hills, and devils tower

Lunch in Gillette, WY today. I haven't made it far this morning because I took a side trip to Devil's Tower NationL Monument. It's impressive, rising close to a thousand feet above its surroundings, and I took the mile and a half walk around it, through open ponderosa forest and huge rocks that have fallen off the tower.

Yesterday i took a beautiful drive through Badlands National Park, and then through the Black Hills, with just a drive-by sighting of Mt Rushmore. Not fond of the area leading up to Mt Rushmore, as it is filled with every ticky tacky tourist trap known to Man... Reptile museums, mystery spots, "gem" collections, "genuine indian artifacts" etc....pretty much all closed this time of year, thank god, can't imagine what a mess this area must be in the summer.

However, once past the presidents, the scenery is spectacular. Hills and sharp curves, ponderosa forests, big rock formations.

Past that was the town of Wall, home of Wall Drugs, perhaps the most billboarded business in the known universe. Aside from the hundreds of billboards throughout south Dakota, I remember seeing a sign for it in Amsterdam years ago, so I had to stop. Did not stay long.

Im beginning to question whether I will make it home by Monday. Too many interesting places to see, and I'm now at the point in my life where I realize I may not be back this way again.

Pictures of much of the above coming soon.....

 

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Westward, ho

Having breakfast in Mitchell, SD, home of the Corn Palace. Me and about a fifty guys in orange caps and camouflage. Hunting season, I'd say.

It's cold here! I left souix falls before sunrise this morning, and had to put on my winter coat to scrape ice off my windshield. A couple of days ago they had an inch or two of snow, and there are still bits and pieces of it along the freeway. The morning light made me wish I was on my bike, or at least not on the freeway, so I could stop and take pictures...gold fields of stubble dotted with black cows.

The hotel I stayed in last night was hosting the AWPGA show...not golf, as you might expect, it's the American Wire-haired Pointing Griffon show, handsome dogs that look a bit like small Airedales, and I got to pet a few.

Yesterday I went through Austin, MN, home of The SPAM® Museum. This is from their website:

"Few experiences in life are as meaningful and meaty-filled as those you’ll have at the magnificent SPAM® Museum. Referred to by some meat historians as The Guggenham, Porkopolis or M.O.M.A. (Museum Of Meat-Themed Awesomeness), the SPAM® Museum is home to the world’s most comprehensive collection of spiced pork artifacts.

The family-fun packed museum features 16,500 square feet of tastefully presented SPAM®-filled history. You won’t have to fight for tickets because admission is free. Visit and you’ll be tinkled pink by the SPAM® trivia and vintage SPAM® brand advertising. Plus numerous SPAM® displays including the World War II exhibit, SPAM™ Game Show quiz, Monty Python tribute and more. There’s even a SPAM® store so you can stock up on priceless SPAM® collectibles on your way out.

But you can’t truly ever know how great the SPAM® Museum is just by reading about how great it is. You have to come here to experience this life-altering pure pork bliss for yourself. So pack the family car for a meat-packed day of fun at the Eighth Wonder Of The World: The SPAM® Museum."

I didn't stop, as I don't really need to have my life altered.

 

Friday, October 26, 2012

Goodbye to Michigan, for now.

Range of colors in the oak leaves

My favorite tree in its autumn best
 Brrrrr! When I left Michigan yesterday it was close to 80 degrees. After driving under a scary-looking black cloud in western Illinois, it had dropped to the 50’s, and this morning in Davenport, Iowa, there’s frost on the ground.

In southwestern Michigan I stopped in New Buffalo for one last look at Lake Michigan, and a half-hour’s barefoot walk on the dunes and beach. Couldn’t take much more than that because I was getting sandblasted by the wind, and my neck still feels gritty this morning.

I fought that wind most of the day, made more interesting by having the kayak on top of the car. At one point I had to make an emergency stop along the freeway to reposition it and tighten up straps.

Once I got out of the pine forests of Michigan, the oil-tank forests of northern Indiana, and the big-truck forests of greater Chicago area, the landscape changed to rolling farmland. Like driving through a sepia-toned photograph, all shades of brown and gray and black, bare trees, fields done for the year, big old hip-roofed barns, cattail swamps scattered here and there.

My last few days in Michigan were pleasant. I managed to get in a bit more kayaking, paddling about 2 miles up the river from home. The river is up probably at least a foot since September, with a lot more current, and this was quite a bit harder than it was back then. Getting through some of our little rapids was a workout, but at least there was (barely) enough water to paddle in now. The float back down was quiet and peaceful, and I even managed to get out without falling into the water or sinking into the mud.

And here are a few more pictures:

closeup of my favorite tree



Tuesday, October 23, 2012

And now, a brief historical interlude....

So, I've been reading "Salt of th Earth", the history of Midland, Michigan, my home town. A few fascinating things I learned:

This whole area was originally founded on lumbering. Just a few miles up the road from my dad's place is the ghost town of Averill, which in logging days was a "rollway" (where the logs were rolled down to the river for transport), the largest in the world according to the book. Logging took place in the winter. They spread water on the logging roads to form ice, so that teams of horses could pull sled loads of logs to the river... In some of the pictures these loads must be 10 feet high or more! All winter they rolled logs down the rollway. By spring in some years the pile of logs on the river was up even with the top of the rollway, 30 feet above. Then when the ice went out and the water rose, some brave ( or foolhardy) souls had to go down there and release a few key logs to let the avalanche loose. There are pictures of the entire river covered with logs for as far as you can see. At one time there was a logjam that extended up the Tittabawassee from Saginaw to Midland, some 30 miles.

The pictures of the countryside after it had all been logged are pretty heartbreaking. And Midland was about running on fumes when Herbert H. Dow appeared in 1890. His first big ideas were to extract bromine, chlorine, and magnesim from the brine underlying much of the county, and at one time there were many brine wells around here. About a half mile from my dads house, one of them supplied the post-date "parking" spot for many happy teenagers of my generation.

Say what you will about Dow Chemical Company...I'm sure Styrofoam, Saran wrap, napalm, and agent orange all seemed like a good idea at the time. At any rate, Midland is a pretty nice town, and would not be here without it. Dow's legacy includes Dow Gardens, the Grace Dow memorial library, the Dow Diamond (baseball), and major financial contributions to nearly every other aspect of the community. There are also close to 200 buildings designed by Alden Dow (Grace and Herbert's son), many inspired by the style of Frank Lloyd Wright, with whom he studied. These include the library, the Midland Center for the Arts, the Midland Community Center, the hospital, at least 4 churches, many local homes, and his own home and studio which still offers tours.

 

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Musings in Midland

I had forgotten (or possibly just never appreciated ) how beautiful the oak trees are here in Michigan this time of year. Most of the other leaves are down, but the oak leaves hold tight until mid-winter. Now, these big, graceful beauties show off every shade of gold and brown and rust imaginable, highlighted by the skeletons of their stark black trunks and branches. The gray sky today just adds to the beauty. It's like an alternative version of all those shades of green we see in the spring.

Yesterday I played tourist in my home town, visiting, for the first time, two museums. The Midland Center for the Arts had a beautiful exhibit of glass art by David Huchthausen (from Seattle!) Check it out at www.huchthausen.com. Good enough that I will definitely seek him out back in Seattle.

Then I went to the Midland Heritage museum. I've been by there many times, as it's right on the bike trail, but never got further than using their restrooms. This time I spent close to two hours looking though the Midland history exhibit, and ended up buying a book to learn more. I ran out of time so I will have to go back again to go through the Dow Chemical history exhibit. This is where Dow originated, and is still its corporate headquarters. This town quite literally would not exist without Dow.

On a less pleasant note, OMG I AM TIRED OF LISTENING TO FOX NEWS which plays during all waking hours at my dad's house. I am especially tired of them harping ENDLESSLY on who knew what, when, about the Libya attack. Give it up! It's a dead horse! Dead, dead, dead!

Musings in Midland

I had forgotten (or possibly just never appreciated ) how beautiful the oak trees are here in Michigan this time of year. Most of the other leaves are down, but the oak leaves hold tight until mid-winter. Now, these big, graceful beauties show off every shade of gold and brown and rust imaginable, highlighted by the skeletons of their stark black trunks and branches. The gray sky today just adds to the beauty. It's like an alternative version of all those shades of green we see in the spring.

Yesterday I played tourist in my home town, visiting, for the first time, two museums. The Midland Center for the Arts had a beautiful exhibit of glass art by David Huchthausen (from Seattle!) Check it out at www.huchthausen.com. Good enough that I will definitely seek him out back in Seattle.

Then I went to the Midland Heritage museum. I've been by there many times, as it's right on the bike trail, but never got further than using their restrooms. This time I spent close to two hours looking though the Midland history exhibit, and ended up buying a book to learn more. I ran out of time so I will have to go back again to go through the Dow Chemical history exhibit. This is where Dow originated, and is still its corporate headquarters. This town quite literally would not exist without Dow.

On a less pleasant note, OMG I AM TIRED OF LISTENING TO FOX NEWS which plays during all waking hours at my dad's house. I am especially tired of them harping ENDLESSLY on who knew what, when, about the Libya attack. Give it up! It's a dead horse! Dead, dead, dead!

Thursday, October 18, 2012

On the river again

My new kayak arrived at 10:30 yesterday morning, and by 12:30 I was on the water for yet another repeat of my usual 3 hour paddle. The river is up about 8 inches from when I did this a couple of weeks ago, which cut about a half hour off the time. It was nice not to have to spend quite so much time searching for floatable channels. The downside was getting back out of the river at my dad's house. What used to be a nice set of 3 concrete steps leading down to the water is now a jumble of loose concrete blocks snd weed- and mud-covered slabs at odd angles. I managed to end up fully immersed, twice, getting my stuff out of the kayak. It was, shall we say, bracing.

The new kayak is just what I wanted for paddling the river. A stubby little 10 footer ( an Old Town Vapor 10), it turns on a dime, and at about 40 pounds is light enough for me to carry for a few steps without severe back pain. The huge cockpit (hmm, not sure thats the correct term...) makes it relatively easy to get in and out of, and affords a nice variety of sitting positions. I will need to get a spray skirt for cooler weather, as I was sitting in about an inch of water by mid-trip. Luckily yesterday was a marvelous Indian summer 70 and sunny.

I am amazed that these pretty guys posed for me before sliding off the rock and under the water.

 
 

Monday, October 15, 2012

Yearning for home, a little bit

Not too much excitement here in Michigan the past week or so. Another kayak trip, from Chippewa Pines into town. A little biking. Some walks in the woods at the Chippewa Nature Center. Cooking and cleaning for my dad: another carload of stuff to the thrift store.

First frost was last week, so I'm starting to yearn for home. It's been raining here the past few days (making me even more homesick), and I got to see a pretty good thunderstorm last night.

At the same time that I am yearning for home, I am wishing I could stay here longer. To see winter set in. To see the river freeze up, and everything covered in snow. And then to see the ice go out in the spring. And to see spring arrive. And then the fireflies, and soft summer nights. Perhaps one of these years I will just have to spend one whole year here. More and more I think that my future must include dividing my time between Michigan and Washington. I love both places so much. Wish they were closer together! 

I'll be leaving here October 25th, just a little more than a week away...

 Here's a whole passel o' pictures for your enjoyment.

My swamp, at the edge of Chippewa Pines
The Old Curry Bridge over the Tittabawassee... the only remaining bridge of this style around here...

One of Princess' favorite spots

My favorite tree


Kayaking under the Tridge
An Oak Bouquet

Orange!


Pond at Chippewa Nature Center

Pond at Chippewa nature Center

Peering into the pond
Fall, mostly fallen. 
whole bunch of pictures

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Blustery

It's a blustery fall day at Chippewa Pines today, leaves going every which way. The ash trees are mostly bare and the ground is ankle deep in ash, oak, and maple leaves. We had our first frost a couple of days ago... Time to think about starting home. But I will wait another couple of weeks.

My dad has decided, sadly, that he can no longer go canoeing with me, ending a longstanding tradition going back as far as I can remember. I'm happy to have my kayak here with me, as a canoe is just too unwieldy for one person, especially given the wind we've been having. But of course my kayak will be going back home with me, and I doubt if I'll be making this long driving trip again anytime soon. So I've just ordered a little 10-footer from REI to keep here. Should be here next week so I'll be able to try it out before I head home.

Today I went into town for a haircut, and stopped at the upscale kitchen store on main street to buy a garlic press. They wanted forty-five friggin' dollars!'!!! And I don't think it was gold plated or even silver. Why in the world would anyone pay $45 for a garlic press????? Got one at good old Kmart for $6.99 ...

 

 

 

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Cruising down the river, and lots of pictures

The Big Rock on the Chippewa River
Earlier this week we loaded my kayak in the 35-year-old pickup and my dad dropped me off 7 miles up the river, for a pleasant 3.5 hour paddle back home. I have paddled this stretch of river countless times in the past 50 years, and never tire of it.


Wow! 

And a big Heron

Fall color and clear blue skies. Can't be beat!

Nice reflections


I couldn't resist these red and yellow leaves on the blue lawn chair

Fall color is already fading at Chippewa Pines
We went up to the family farm in Standish for Uncle Louie's 80th birthday celebration. The house was FULL of kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids. The farm has been in the family for well over a hundred years, at least back to my great-grandfather. Cousin Tim runs it now. He grows quite a bit of organic stuff, milks about 400 (?) cows, and farms somewhere around a thousand acres. Cousin Doug grows a great vegetable garden there and I got to take home a big bag of rainbow chard and sweet potatoes.
3 farmers: Cousin Tim (currently in charge), Uncle Louie, and my dad

Uncle Louie and Aunt Gin's grand- and great-grand kids on the trampoline.

Uncle Louie turns 80, with some of his grand and great grandkids

More pretty river

and yet more...

Cabin at the old boy scout property next to our land

more color

sunspotted woods

Color by the pole barn at Chippewa Pines