The Suite Life

There are some who visit Petoskey from another angle, the water. There have been sailboats anchored in the bay for several weeks this summer and it is a relaxing way to spend a vacation I imagine, if a little small. Quarters on a boat may be small, but you can sleep, eat, and relax all in the same place! I hope these visitors had a wonderful time, I know they had a wonderful view!

t

Glorious Gazebo

I do love a good gazebo, and this one in East Park is really beautiful. It is on a detour of the bike and walking path, overlooking the bay and it quite a wonderful view. A quiet and peaceful stop for the foot-weary (and a great place to walk down to the bay as well!)

Fit for a King

We were down at the water today, and found this "chair" looking out over the bay and ready and waiting to be sat upon. I haven't been in town of late, so I haven't been there to take my daily pictures! So sorry! I try to take pictures whenever I'm in town, but I've been doing some projects at home and haven't been in town this week. But the projects are done and things are back to normal, so we should be good to go! See you tomorrow!

Get all your Ducks (Or Geese) in a Row

These Canada geese looked like they were taking a break on the bay. They were on the beach area and swam our farther when they heard us coming. There were plenty of goslings in the group, so perhaps they can't stay as close to the beach as they normally would. They are quite pretty, but loud and when they are at a beach, you really should watch where you walk!

Open Water

Finally, at long last, there is open water on the bay! That means the ice is melting and Spring is just around the corner. What a wonderful thought!

Yep, Still Snowy!

The ice is still on the bay and the fishing shanties are still solidly out there near the lighthouse. Hopefully they will be gone before the ice begins to melt. The ice should be there for at least a few more weeks, although the temperatures are supposed to be warmer this weekend--in the 40's!! I'm just looking forward to being outside with a warm breeze and the sun on my face. Soon...

Waterfront Snow

Just another view of all that snow at the Waterfront. Hopefully it should be warming up in about 2 or 3 weeks and the snow should start melting. I hope. The spring in Petoskey should be cold though as the bay will be frozen for quite a while while the land warms up. And since the wind comes off the lake most of the time, it will be a cool spring around here.

Cold, Snowy, and Windy

It seems like that has been the theme of this blog for months now!! But today is another day, a new picture of the bay in all its white glory, and snow blowing around yet again. Actually, it is not snowing as much as it is blowing today. The winds are VERY strong, with some gusts up to 50 miles per hour. The wind actually kept me awake for quite a while last night howling through the trees and around the house. Thankfully, the wind is supposed to die down by this evening, and the wind chill is supposed to drop as well. Then it will just be cold.

Ebb and Flow

The ice on the bay is thinner than it was a few weeks ago, but it hasn't thawed yet. It looks like the top layer had thawed just a bit, then was water was pushed by the wind to make those interesting patterns. Happy Friday!

Lots of Snow!

Some of the houses in Bay Harbor are really fun. They are brightly colored and in the summer, there is a beautiful bay to look at out the windows. I especially love how all the colors are the same hue, so nothing is jarring to look at. The houses are expensive, and most of them are only summer or vacation homes. When the lots between the bay and their lake/marina were being sold, they were priced at $1 million each. That was just for the lot. Yep, a little out of my price range. But a very nice place to go and visit.

Completely Frozen

The temperatures have been well below freezing for a few weeks now, so the bay is completely frozen. In fact, the first ice fishing shanty is up on the ice. It is in the picture--that tiny dot on the right hand side out in the middle of the ice. Not a speck on the camera, but an ice shanty. Not my idea of fun, but there are those who think this is the best time of the year.

Almost Frozen

I took this picture a few days ago. It shows a little bit of open water yet, which has now since closed. I tried to take a picture yesterday, but as my camera's battery was low, I couldn't. So, you'll have to check again soon to see it totally frozen!

The Icing on the...Bay

I took a picture a few days ago of the bay with mini icebergs floating in the water. Those icebergs have merged and frozen together to form a solid sheet. The whole bay hasn't frozen yet, but the temperatures are supposed to be a high of 10F today and that's the highest it is supposed to get until this weekend. Brrrr. Which in turn means that the bay will most likely freeze all the way across by the end of the week. (FYI--it is 7 miles across the bay to Harbor Springs on the other side!)

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.

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!

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!

A Rainy Morning by the Bay

Yesterday we went on a bike ride in the morning. There was a cloud hovering over the center of the bay that didn't touch either side-and it was cool and there was a breeze. (I wish I had gotten a cup of coffee before we went down there!) But it was quiet, at least until we all went down to the shore and threw rocks in the water. Skipping stones or making them splash as much as possible are always fun games for our family. And all this before our bike ride!! Such fun!

Wind and Waves = Fun!

Today we were driving by the bay and saw a few guys out windsurfing! On our way back through town, we didn't see them again, but they were out of the water switching sails, so we got to see them take off and then return about 15 minutes later. They were flying across the water--it was quite windy today. They looked like they were having a great time. You have to have strong arms and good balance for this sport, but they were experts, so it was not a problem. Something I may have to try someday!!

The Last Weekend of Summer!

Around here, Labor Day marks the last weekend of summer and there is just nothing better than nice weather as everyone is out and about for the last hurrah before school starts again. (Yes, most schools start earlier in other places. Actually, I started my kids this week since we homeschool, but we'll take off later for a weekend when everyone else is busy!) And this last summer weekend is supposed to be beautiful!! Yippee! See you later!

One more for the Trifecta!

Here is the last section of the mural wall in the Clifton Hotel parking lot. This one makes you think you're overlooking the sunset on the bay, which you might actually see if there weren't 3 blocks worth of buildings in the way!! Another gorgeous sunset.