A video to commemorate my 70th birthday.
http://youtu.be/Ru_i4dtXhZo
Sunday, August 3, 2014
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
The Last Day
This is the morning view that we see from the dining table in the big room of the Cook House. This is a view I will miss so much as we drive out tomorrow morning and begin our three thousand mile trek home. The water was cold this year - only the children were brave enough to swim, except Aunt Ada joined them once, exclaiming that to put her head underwater gave her a headache from the cold! On the rainy days the kids did crafts, and a boat ride to Cedarville for ice cream after dinner was often a special event that encouraged the kids to "clean their plate". It's been a wonderful summer for all the family, and we look forward to next year. love Liz
Monday, July 14, 2014
Lost Tooth
It's traditional. Every child loses at least one tooth at the Island,
but six year old Hannah O'Connor (Angela and Derek's daughter) raised
the bar. When I was her age, my dad tied a thread around my very loose
tooth, tied the other
end to the door knob, positioned me the appropriate distance from the door, said, "OK, on the count of three.... " Then, on the count of two for the surprise factor, he slammed the door. The tooth was left dangling by the thread on the door knob. Fast forward a generation, and I supervised the same event on one of Jeff's teeth, and yesterday, yet ANOTHER generation, I assisted Hannah in liberating a loose tooth by way of a door knob. Many cousins were there, and Hannah was hailed as the brave soldier she was, and we will all remember the day Hannah lost her tooth.
Love Liz
end to the door knob, positioned me the appropriate distance from the door, said, "OK, on the count of three.... " Then, on the count of two for the surprise factor, he slammed the door. The tooth was left dangling by the thread on the door knob. Fast forward a generation, and I supervised the same event on one of Jeff's teeth, and yesterday, yet ANOTHER generation, I assisted Hannah in liberating a loose tooth by way of a door knob. Many cousins were there, and Hannah was hailed as the brave soldier she was, and we will all remember the day Hannah lost her tooth.
Love Liz
The Cook House
The Cook House has a life of its own. Located about the distance of half a football field from the Main House on a winding wooded path, this house was built over one hundred years ago as one of the first homesteads in the
Upper Peninsula. It was dragged across the frozen lake to its present site in about 1908, and has served as the place where the family cooks and eats since then. Heated with the wood cooking stove, the kitchen is the warm morning site of everyone, as they make their way to the coffee pot, the toaster, and the hot cereal or eggs. Each family group is "on their own" for breakfast, left-overs or sandwiches are offered for lunch, and family "teams" take turns serving the sit-down dinner meal on the historic Blue Willow china
each night. This house is where we watch all the sailing yachts go by; the endless shopping lists are developed; where the plans for the day are decided; where countless birthdays have been celebrated, and memories are made.
The Boat House
OK, OK! I have been getting
hints and requests and complaints that no blogs have been forthcoming,
and my disclaimer is that life here on the island, with all 16 of us
here, is so full of activities that I have not taken time out for
writing. Today I will attempt to make up for it! Let's start out with
the boat house.
The attached picture was taken this morning, while the lake is at peace with itself. On the horizon you can make out the shape of a freighter out on the "big lake", Lake Huron. The freighter is headed up to the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie ( pronounced "Soo Saint Marie) where it will be lifted up to the height of Lake Superior to continue its journey to ports in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Meanwhile, back at the dock, the kids have been fishing with worms for little fish who hide under the dock crib. The fish are easy marks for catch and release, and I think the kids have more fun with the worms (who is brave enough to put the worm on a hook, who can tie one in a knot, etc.). In setting up the drop lines so that each of the 7 kids could participate, I accidentally dropped my fishing pliers off the dock and into the lake! After a word of exclamation (which I had to apologize to the kids for saying) my granddaughter Katelyn offered to go swimming to get the pliers. That would be a kind offer to the ears of any Grandma, but considering that the lake has only been thawed out for two months, and is COLD, that made her offer all the more generous. So Katelyn climbed down the dock ladder, entered the water, went out to the site of the lost pliers, and was able to bring them up with her toes! she is my HERO!! My 18' Boston Whaler stays tied inside the boat house, and is a boat that Dave bought years ago for all the generations to use and enjoy. As I am writing this, generations four and five are out on the lake in the boat. Stay tuned for more on "Life on an Island". Love, Liz
The attached picture was taken this morning, while the lake is at peace with itself. On the horizon you can make out the shape of a freighter out on the "big lake", Lake Huron. The freighter is headed up to the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie ( pronounced "Soo Saint Marie) where it will be lifted up to the height of Lake Superior to continue its journey to ports in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Meanwhile, back at the dock, the kids have been fishing with worms for little fish who hide under the dock crib. The fish are easy marks for catch and release, and I think the kids have more fun with the worms (who is brave enough to put the worm on a hook, who can tie one in a knot, etc.). In setting up the drop lines so that each of the 7 kids could participate, I accidentally dropped my fishing pliers off the dock and into the lake! After a word of exclamation (which I had to apologize to the kids for saying) my granddaughter Katelyn offered to go swimming to get the pliers. That would be a kind offer to the ears of any Grandma, but considering that the lake has only been thawed out for two months, and is COLD, that made her offer all the more generous. So Katelyn climbed down the dock ladder, entered the water, went out to the site of the lost pliers, and was able to bring them up with her toes! she is my HERO!! My 18' Boston Whaler stays tied inside the boat house, and is a boat that Dave bought years ago for all the generations to use and enjoy. As I am writing this, generations four and five are out on the lake in the boat. Stay tuned for more on "Life on an Island". Love, Liz
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Trip Update
Mitchel is driving, and there are too many bugs on the windshield to see out, so I'll catch up on our trip. Today is Thursday and we are just West ofSioux Falls SD. Two days ago we had a wonderful stay with the Carnines at their ranch in Nebraska. Dan, the third generation Carnine to run the ranch, generously took the afternoon off to show Mitchel and me around to his enormous sheds to see the amazing rolling stock of cultivator-fertilizer-planter machine, harvesters , stackers, semi trucks, etc,and even a Piper Cub plane to check on his cattle. Between the cattle, alfalfa, corn, and beans they are farming 6,000 acres. Forrest, Dan's Dad grew up doing all the work on horseback, now Dan and all his kids who are old enough drive ATVs. Forrest's dad homesteded in the early 1900's in a sod house. It is wonderful to see a family holding and successfully farming the land to their fathers'. We left the Carnine Ranch on Wednesday, drove up to see Mt. Rushmore, and camped in a lovely campground last night in the town of Wall, SD, famous for its featured Wall Drug Store. This morning we toured the Badlands, and we are headed to a small town of Jackson, SD for tonight. Tomorrow we are looking forward to visiting with Jim and Carmen Loveland in Mason City IA. Jim was a Law nforcement Professional (LEP) who stayed in my guesthouse a couple of years ago, and we became good friends. Time to stop for fuel and clean he bugs off the windshield! Love, Liz
The low end of campsites
My good campsite Karma REALLY didn't work for us last night (Monday ). We had planned a long driving day - 450 miles crossing the Rocky Mountains, driving through Denver, and camping in Fort Morgan, CO. In the gathering darkness we followed the directions to the Only RV park mentioned in the Woodall's Camping Guide. The place turned out to be a road worker's camp - dusty, dirty, a small "office" locked up tight, and old, beat-up restrooms, also locked. Driving along that afternoon we had learned of severe storm warnings for the Fort Morgan region, and the growing black sky was confirming the news. What to do? We stopped at a Comfort Inn and they had one room available (for $135 + taxes) but the young girl at the reception desk told us about a campground in the next town of Brush. We decided to keep camping. Off we drove into the darkening storm to Brush's Municipal Park and Campground, which turned out to be only a small step up from the last dive! We hurried to set up the van, and hunker down to stay dry as the storm hit. Boy did it hit! Remember the leaking window over the bed from last year? Yep! It still leaks! Morning found us drying out towels, blankets, and sheets, but better off than the homeless family who spent the night in their pick-up truck backed under a picnic shelter roof nearby. Much to be thankful for!
Above the River, under the stars, deep in a canyon
My usual campground Karma wasn't holding. Following two days with Ada in Page, we planned to get as far as Moab, Utah by nightfall on Sunday night. What we didn't account for was that Moab is the stepping-off place for six National Parks and Monuments (Canyonlands, Monument Valley, etc.); the staging area for countless rafting trips on the Colorado River; Dude Ranches offering trail rides; and the Off Road vehicle capital of the region. Thus, the campgrounds were packed, and arriving at 5:30 PM didn't help the odds. Travel on, we must, and no other towns were near. As luck would have it, there is a winding scenic road up a deep canyon, following the Colorado River going East, the direction we are heading. The BLM owns the narrowest part of the canyon , and has little campgrounds along a twenty mile stretch. The further we went from Moab, the more campsites were available. We ended up in an isolated little camp that featured the brightest stars above, and the sound of the River flowing by. It was rustic- no water or electricity, but we are self-contained and easily settled in for the night.
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Eataly, Chicago
Eataly, a popular establishment on 5th Avenue in NYC, has a flourishing sister in Chicago, near N. Michigan Ave. When the O'Connor family is yearning for a touch of Europe, they go to Eataly, where great cakes of French and Italian cheeses; olives and olive oils; a great selection of wines; pastas in many shapes; crusty French and Italian breads, baked on sight; seafood, meat and sausages and sauces, all from the "Old County" abound. This two-story Italian marketplace not only offers grocery shopping opportunities, but stand-up bars and tables are placed around the preparation areas for the pastas, seafood, meat cuts, wine market, etc. so you can wine and dine, as well. After a wonderful afternoon repast, we selected unique food to take home. As recent transplants from Switzerland, Hannah and David each got to select a favorite cheese. They know their cheeses! Angela commented that it would be less expensive if they picked candy! It was a great new adventure for me, and another special "find" in Chicago. love, Liz
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