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Freighter abstract
Wordless Wednesday
Tag Archives: winter
Patterns abound
If you’re on FB you’ve already seen this one; cherry trees, Lake Michigan & sand dunes
Quick! What’s the first thing you think about when I say northern Michigan? Does it include snow? Woods? Lakes? Well, you’d be right, but the western edge of the northern lower peninsula is also a beautiful patchwork of farms, orchards and vineyards.
Leftover apples
Every time I’m up here I’m fascinated by the intricate designs and patterns of the orchards and vineyards that dot the hillsides. I’ve always been attracted to repeating patterns, especially in nature. But the orchards in particular have been difficult to capture.
Cherry trees under heavy sky
When you’re on the same plane as the orchard, and perhaps too close, it’s hard to show the symmetry of the tree trunks, the shadows interlocking, the sheer beauty of the trees marching in step. Trust me I’ve tried.
Cherry trees glow in a bit of sun
It’s the same with the row upon row of grape vines. The scale is often so huge that I just couldn’t get the image that truly represented what I saw. But failure has never kept me from trying again.
Hillside of hope for next year’s vintage
Today I’m sitting in the warm living room, listening as waves of Lake Michigan pound the shore, watching clouds scuttle in from the west and white caps racing across the lake. Noting the temperatures dropping; there is a prediction of snow. A perfect day, it seems, to sort through the past two days of photos.
Grapes and cherries share a hillside
While wading through a number of failures I see there are quite a few orchard and vineyard photos that are worth showing you. So that you can see ‘up north’ isn’t all about snow and woods.
Cherry orchard tucked behind a corn field
I drove around aimlessly on Friday, even got lost a few times. But it’s hard to get truly lost on a peninsula. If you go far enough you’re eventually going to run into a large body of water or a small village and you’ll be able to get your bearings. I also had a map.
Young trees next to old and a spot of sun
On Saturday I had a specific destination in mind, but saw more along the way, not related to my quest, then I did when I finally arrived. I think I will have to go back and try again.
Brand new orchard in the making
Meanwhile, this morning I culled a few photos (OK a lot of photos) to share with you. I hope you enjoyed the tour of Leelanau County’s beautiful fruit producing farms! I feel a lot better about my collection of orchard photos now. But that won’t keep me from looking for the next perfect shot.
Turkeys in the orchard!
Merry Christmas
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Mama! This hat is too big for me!
Katie and her family wish you and yours a wonderful Christmas!
Ho ho ho!
Wordless Wednesday
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Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Faraway
I went on a photo hunt earlier this week, looking for my favorite things…barns. Turns out it was a rainy, misty, windy, cold day and I barely got out of the car. I wasn’t looking specifically for Cee’s ‘faraway’ challenge, but heading back home I realized many farms are photogenic from faraway.
So just before I hit the city freeway I snapped this farm, off across the field, in the misty faraway.
On a farm far, far away…
I like the black and white combined with farmland; it lends a vintage feel.
I’d go out and see what else I can find but it hasn’t stopped raining here. I guess that’s better than snow. Right? Because when it starts snowing everything turns black and white!
Thanks Cee, for the challenge!
Take that walk
I won’t lie. It’s easier to go for a walk every day when the temperatures are warm and the sun is shining. It’s hard to get outside when it’s cold and wet — the kind of day when you tuck your fingers up inside your coat sleeves and your chin down under your collar. On those days the world seems to be shades of dreary brown and spring seems a distant dream.
Drippy
But if you force yourself out there you might just find a few fun, maybe even colorful, things to keep your mind occupied long enough for your fingers to warm up.
Come along with me on a walk somewhere in the chilly Midwest. At first everything seems sort of grey. Or brown. Damp. But keep your eyes peeled. You never know what you might find.
Dreary
For example, park employees have been building a raised walkway. Don’t you wonder where it goes? Are you in a hurry? Because if not we could go check it out.
Wonder where this goes?
This is a brand new walk, put here just in the past day or so. Turns out someone else has already been walking on it. Isn’t that cute? Little raccoon feet! (Click on this photo to see the footprints more clearly!)
Tiny little feet.
It doesn’t look like the walkway is quite finished. But it’s kind of pretty back here.
Someday we’ll explore on the other side.
Back on the damp pathway you have to notice the cool reflections in the puddles.
Woodsy reflections.
And since it’s not raining anymore you can throw back your hood, untuck your chin and notice the color that is everywhere back in the woods.
Green is everywhere if you look.
And the textures on the trees.
Added texture.
This sign always makes me smile. Keep right.
Which way should I go?
But the path clearly heads to the left.
Even in dreary, misty weather this pond is pretty, tucked back into the trees. Wonder what lives there?
Pond tucked back behind the trees.
And look at this! At about eye level is the latest remodeling of the local pilated woodpecker.
New bird condo in the making.
I guess this wasn’t such a dreary walk after all!
So tell us, what will you see when you head out the door today?
A walk starts with one step.
Foggy reflections
We are careening toward the end of the year, no stopping it, can’t even slow it down. People are crazily trying to get everything done in time, working toward their perfect holiday. Stores are open 24 hours and many folks are losing sleep. Cooking themselves into a stupor. Exhausted.
Me? Not so much. The few gifts I needed to send are sent. The cards were in the mail last week. I think I’m done.
Foggy horse barn
I wonder if I’m missing something by avoiding the stores and malls. Avoiding the frenzy. I guess I could go shopping for nothing in particular just to experience the ‘holiday joy,’ listen to the music, look at decorations. People watch.
But I don’t think so.
I’m participating in a challenge with some of my runner women friends. We have committed to walking or running at least one mile every day, starting Thanksgiving Day and ending New Years Day. So far I haven’t broken the streak and I find I like being outside a bit every day.
Waiting for snow
We had a streak of foggy mornings recently. It’s been unseasonably warm here, with only one snowstorm now long since gone. It’s peaceful to walk in the fog.
So my gift to you this holiday season is a reminder to take a bit of time off from the craziness that is your life and take a little walk. It doesn’t have to be long. It doesn’t have to actually go anywhere. Just get yourself outside and breath, a little bit every day, between now and the New Year.
And have a wonderful holiday with your families.
Gift for the birds
Birthday girl recaps
Katie here! HEY! I know you all wonder how I spent my glorious birthday yesterday. It’s not every day a princess turns nine, right? Right!? So there should be celebrations! Parties! Extravagant gifts! Crowds of cheering fans! Piles of yummy treats!
See our library way over there behind the pond?
Or at least an adventure.
I can always count on my mama to take me on an adventure and I was not disappointed. (The gifts and treats and parties were a bit lacking though I did appreciate all your adoring fan comments on mama’s blog yesterday!)
I’m the copilot!
So anyway, Mama broke the car early in the morning and it had to go to the shop for repairs. That was OK because we got to do my adventuring in daddy’s truck! I used to be scared of the big truck but now I like it cause I get to see out the front window. And I get to smell the breeze coming in the vent. When I ride in the truck I have to wear my harness and get connected to the seat belt. But that’s OK, it’s worth it to be close to mama.
Our first adventure wasn’t much of an adventure. We just went to my park. But this time mama said I could choose where I wanted to go and I took mama on a different path and we ended up over at the library! I took her all the way around it and then back to the car. She said we hadn’t quite walked a whole mile; she’s doing some sort of silly challenge where she has to walk a mile every day, so we also walked all the way around a softball field. And over to the playground.
I’m the birthday girl!
I figured that was all I was going to get but nooooo! Mama asked me where we should go next! Cause it was my BIRTHDAY! Happy happy day! I said….’remember that park we went to a couple of years ago in the winter mama? With the little creek?”
Just a muddy little creek this time of year mama!
She said OK,let’s go there baby-girl! So we did! All these pictures, except the first one, are from the second park — it’s actually a nature trail and I think they do cross country skiing there in the winter when there’s snow.
Come ON mama!
When we got there we noticed a big storm knocked down a tree on the bridge across the creek. That didn’t bother me, we just walked around it. Mama was a bit worried about the safety of the bridge but it was just fine. She’s a worrier, my mama.
This is actually a cute bridge.
Then we got to a wooden bridge over a low wet spot. I ran right up it and across. I told mama it reminded me of my agility days, it was just another dogwalk to me! She said it was slippery and I should be careful but I told her not to be such a scardy pants. Geeze.
It’s just a dogwalk mama!
I was very happy at this new park. There was so much good stuff to sniff! Nobody was out there but you could tell lots of people and dogs had been there earlier. Even though it was getting colder and mama was starting to tell me to ‘leave it let’s go!” I stopped to sniff a lot.
Good smells here mama!
After all…it was my birthday.
We even got to run down this big hill! I thought that was a lot of fun and wanted to go back up and do it again but mama said no way was she climbing back up there. Mama is a wimp.
Hi there mama!
We walked another whole mile in the new park and I had a blast. I even sat on this stupid bench for mama to take a picture. She forgot the treats in the truck and I didn’t get anything the whole time we were in this park even though I posed about a hundred million times for her.
She said she’d make it up to me later.
I didn’t protest, sitting on this bench gave me a chance to rest!
I’m still waiting.
But I’ll forgive her because we had such a lovely time together. Those worker men were at my house again yesterday, and they were still there when we got back from our adventures. But I didn’t bark at them or anything even though they were noisy. I just went inside and took a birthday nap. For a really long time. It’s important to get my rest you know.
Cause they’re going to be back today, and I expect my mama and I will be heading out in daddy’s truck for another adventure any moment.
I have the best parents ever!
Where are we going next mama?
The best, fun, most extraordinary day
This is all for me!
Katie here. I know, I know. You just heard from me at Thanksgiving, right? But I have to tell you about the wonderful day I had with my mama yesterday! And heck, she’s still sleeping, so I figure I get to blog as much as I want. She’ll never know.
So anyway, mama said some guys were coming to work on the house and it was going to be noisy and she figured I would just make it nosier and stress everyone out so she told my daddy that she was taking me to the park.
All day!
Of course my daddy was up early and whenever that happens I usually end up at the groomer or the kennel or the vet, so I was very nervous and tried to skulk away to hide in the bedroom where no one would think to look for me. But mama told me not to worry and put me in my car.
Going for a walk.
Well I was still worried so I remained very still and very quiet as she drove all over running errands. We did stop at my park but it was just for a moment and only to let me do my business because mama knows I always do all my business there right away. Then she put me back in the car without walking all the way around!
I was upset!
And I was right! We went to the groomer! How could you mama?! OK, it was just to get my nails clipped and I got to sit on mama’s lap and I got a treat, and my favorite girl was there to do it, so it wasn’t all that bad, but I told my mama off when we got back in the car anyway.
I love this time of year!
So to make it up to me mama took me to a park I’ve never been to before that is over on the groomer’s side of town. No one was there! We got to walk through the woods and play in the deep oak leaves.
Get the ball mama!
And there was a fenced in space where some other doggie left three tennis balls. I got so excited when I saw those! Mama threw them for me and I ran and ran and ran and spun around in excitement. I never actually touched the tennis balls (they might have boy cooties) but I’d race out to where the ball landed and then spin in circles. It was so much fun, especially since that made my mama have to go get the ball to throw it for me again.
Run mama, run!
And do you know what we did next? We went back to my park! I couldn’t believe it when we got there and mama got me out of the car! A second park in the same day! Boy oh boy! I was sooooo happy I grinned almost the whole way around the park.
But about three quarters of the way around I sat down and smiled at my mama. It was time for a rest. So we did! Mama didn’t tell me to ‘lets go’ or anything. She said it was a big day and it was OK for me to rest. But then I saw a chipmunk and we were off again! I can always count on chipmunks to revive me!
Got any treats mama?
When we finally got home late in the afternoon guess what? There weren’t any men working on my house and daddy said they are coming today instead.
Mama was not happy.
She says she doesn’t know how she can top yesterday and keep me busy all day again. I told her I was up for anything, especially if it involves walks and rides and parks and treats.
I could just run all day!
Yesterday was my favorite kind of day. Whatcha going to do with me today mama?
I’ll pose once mama.
Wordless Wednesday
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Change Is Hard 