I wonder...

what makes certain trees fall at certain times. I know there is rotting going on at times, there could have been damage done by wind, disease, bugs, or birds, but the beauty of fallen trees is different than those that are standing. I wonder why.... Just my thoughts today.

First Snow of the Season

Okay, this is not my favorite time of year, but here it is anyway. Snow in October. It is a surprise and people usually aren't ready for it quite yet. Around the end of November, you usually start to expect it a bit, but October, not so much. The earliest I've ever seen snow around here is October 10th, so this isn't totally unusual. The good news? It is supposed to be 57 degrees here tomorrow!! Just in time for my sweet girl's birthday. Hooray!

Out of Town...

I was out of town a few days this weekend, a short getaway for ladies. It was nice and quiet (most of the time!) and lots of fun. We went to a nearby city, Mackinaw City, for our getaway. One of the main attractions of the city is the Mackinac Bridge, which is pronounced the same way as the city (and the Island as well). Here are a few pictures. I took several close pictures, walked back to my car, turned around, and saw that a freighter had just gone under the bridge sometime within the last 3 minutes! So, I raced back and took the second picture as well. The freighter went from Lake Michigan to Lake Huron just that quickly.

The Mighty Bear

Of course, some might not think that it is mighty, but the Bear River does get strong in some areas with the water a loud torrent. Especially here near the bridge, it can look like rapids. The water is quite deep here in places, and the salmon swim here as they spawn. It is fun to watch them suddenly jump out of the water as they're trying to get further up the river. Hopefully one day I'll get a picture of them jumping, but they are hard to catch, as the fishermen around here can attest.

A Compass to Guide Us

This was a place we spent quite a bit of time this summer, the library. This is the entrance that is a really beautiful rotunda and has a gorgeous compass rose in the center. My daughter loves to read, almost as much as I do, and we were there at least once a week, sometimes more during the summer. I'm so proud of her. She was in the Summer Reading Program and came in first for reading 271 books! And she was gone for 2 weeks this summer! She worked really hard and learned a lot about new places and things in which she was interested. So, visit the library and you might meet us there!

We have something new!

I saw this sign being put up a few weeks ago when I was in town, but only saw "gourmet eatery". I thought it was a little strange that another gourmet eatery was coming to town, as we already have several that are awesome! (Roast & Toast, Julieanne Tomatoes, Feast, among others) So, imagine my surprise when I drove by again and found out what this gourmet eatery really was! I don't have any pets, but I imagine those of you with pets would love to bring them here for a nosh once in a while. I wonder though... do they have separate areas for dogs and cats? Or does everyone get along well? Might need some more investigation

Winter interest

It may not look like it now, but these are very good to have around in the winter. They create interest in the garden, they are a bright spot of color in a very white world (which can go on for several months here), and sometimes they are food for the birds. Right now, they are just beautiful berries that don't show up well against the red leaf backdrop. But their time is coming!!

Can't get enough..

of all the fall colors? Then you're in the right place. This is for all of you who don't have the yearly change of color outside their windows and yet still enjoy it. Maybe this weekend we can actually make some piles and do some jumping!! More of the leaves are off the trees and on the ground now, so we'll have to see if it stays dry.

Serene and still

I just love black and white photos of trees, especially tree roots. They are so intricately formed and have such great lines and shapes that they are a joy to view without the distraction of color sometimes. Enjoy these today.

Adrift

A lonely red leaf lies on a fallen log by itself. I'm sure it will not always stay there, the wind will take care of that, but it is beautiful as it resides in its new setting for a brief time.

Things Get Dark Earlier in the Forest...

Believe it or not, this photo was taken at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. I've always loved how things seem so dark when you're in the woods, even though it could be a beautiful sunny day in a meadow. This is a picture of the Gateway Trail in Bay View, where just the edges of the trees have turned color, but the rest will soon follow. And then they will quickly leave the tree and be cradled on the forest floor. Then the fun of scuffling your feet through crunchy leaves can follow!! My favorite sound of Autumn!

The Colors are Still Bright

It is normal for the good color to last about 2, possibly 3 weeks here in the fall, and this year is no exception. Last Sunday was my favorite day, with all the red trees just glowing in the sunlight, but all the other colors are still bright and beautiful. It is great to live in a place where seasons change and the trees give us a glorious show every year! Although this does mean that winter is coming....

Old and New

I love the way these buildings downtown advertise both old and new businesses. The one on the left has only been in that building for a few years, while the one on the right has been an advertisement there for 75 - 100 years. It makes you wonder what this space will look like in another 100 years!!

Pumpkins!

Today was our annual trip to the Bill's Farm Market to get pumpkins!! They have lovely pumpkins and we always have a good time going there. We also got some new veggies to try. Tonight the kids had brussel sprouts for the first time, and they were okay with them. That's a good thing. I love to have them try new foods and have a great time exploring the culinary world. Now for something with the pumpkins we just bought....

Hope you all explore your world today!

Calm Waters

It is unusual to have calm water on the bay with absolutely no waves, but it was a still night on Sunday; beautiful, warm, and still. That has since changed as today it was cool, windy, and very windy, but a great picture of the marina nonetheless.

Just can't resist....

showing you another picture of the gorgeous leaves right now! They are beautiful this year, lots of yellows and oranges, with several reds sprinkled about. And of course there are still green trees as well to show off those with color so well. This last weekend was the peak weekend, but the colors will probably last another 2 weeks now before most of the leaves have fallen off and created a new groundcover for us. Enjoy the sunny day!

Relaxing this weekend...

This weekend has been the nicest weather of the entire year. It is warm and sunny, with a nice breeze. Not exactly shorts weather, but very beautiful. It helps that the trees are all robed in their gorgeous new colors for fall, and they are doing their best to look great this year. They have a great Designer, don't they! This picture is my backyard, relaxing in my hammock (or hamik, as my son spells it) and working on my relaxing skills.

My favorite cake!

In honor of Lynn of Cheltenham's series on scrumptious and yummy delectable treats, here is a picture of my favorite cake in the world. It is a caramel cake, with caramel frosting. It is very rich and sweet and absolutely heavenly. (And I may state that it is an award winning cake as well. I won first prize at the county fair last year with this cake!) It was my birthday this week, so I made it to celebrate with family and friends who came to visit this weekend. Yummy!! If you would like the recipe, let me know, and I'll put it on here somewhere. Also a thank you for the beautiful plate from our Dear Friend!!

Flight of Fancy

I just love to watch birds in flight. It is fascinating to see how they ride the air currents, especially down by the water. Sometimes it seems that they can just hover in one spot if the wind is strong enough. To me, that really looks like fun!!

Another gorgeous picture of the water as the season slides toward autumn. The leaves are starting to turn and this weekend they should be at their peak. (If you want to see some incredible shows of color, this is the weekend to see them here!! Make your plans now.) I do love this time of the year and I hope you have a great fall!

..And the Rest of the Wheelway Mural

After the wooden wheelway, came the railroad that wound around the coastline, providing great views for the passengers. Next, came the area around the waterfall that was beautified and the wheelway (now a bicycle path again) is a great place to go for family fun. The Present is the last part of the wheelway. The Bay Harbor Tunnel (which I have yet to go through) connects Petoskey with points west, including Bay Harbor and Charlevoix. If you rode the length of the wheelway, it is about 25 miles or so from Charlevoix to Harbor Springs, mostly along the bay or Lake Michigan. I have heard that there is a man and his wife who ride it every day--during the non-snow season, of course! (which lasts about 7 months usually)

A Look at History

On the back of a storefront on the other side of town, there is a mural of the Little Traverse Wheelway from Pre-European times to Present. Over the next few days, we'll look at what this artist thought of this area.

In the first painting, this area was populated by the Odawa Indians and this area was used as they migrated with the different harvests all along this coastline. The second section is a painting of the wooden wheelway that they had along the coast for bicycles of the type shown, but it was not for horses and buggies--they had to use the road.

A Gorgeous View

Here is one of my favorite pictures I've taken for the blog. It is the end of Little Traverse Bay, actually the sand beach and dunes of the State Park. It is October now and the water is starting to get chillier since the air is cool. It is a beautiful view nonetheless, but I wouldn't want to go swimming now!

My favorite trees

I just love weeping willow trees. There was a huge one in my grandparents front yard and they may just be my favorite tree ever. (If only they flowered, then they'd be perfect!!) I saw this lovely one down near the waterfront, with plenty of branches to walk through and have a curtain fall behind you too. So fun!!

The weather is getting colder...

The water in the bay is still warmer than the air, (we've been hard-pressed to reach 50 or even 60 lately), but that does make for interesting cloud formations over the water. Living near water, the viewscape is always changing, and that, I believe, is a good thing!

October's Theme Day: Lines

October's theme is "lines", so of course I thought of Petoskey's history and the train lines that used to drop people off here in this health resort in the early 1900's. There were several trains a day that came from either Chicago or Detroit and dropped off tourists or those needing a "rest cure". Although the trains come here very infrequently now, it was a huge part of the city's history, so that is why I'm featuring it today!

To see the other participants of theme day,Click here to view thumbnails for all participants