Sunshine but Cold

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October 28, 2017

I left the house today around 5:00pm to give our daughter a ride over to Gladstone. Rachel and her daughter, Charlotte, had plans with a friend and her daughter and her car decided to have a problem. As I was getting in the Jeep I thought the Stinger "B" looked so nice with the sun reflecting through our tree out front so I snapped a picture. My brother came over earlier in the week and helped Tom winterize her so she is ready to take on the cold weather, which has arrived. I see two things left to do in the next couple of days take off the tire covers, we do not want those freezing to the ground if we get rain and or slush snow which can happen any time now, and put the stairs in. The little carpet has seen better days and will be tossed when we leave.

Gladstone is about 8 miles northeast of us; the ride is along Little Bay de Noc. Usually at this time of the year the bluff along here is bright with reds and golds. This year there is just a few patches of golds.

Looking ahead we can see Gladstone in the distance.

Across the bay we can see the Stonington Peninsula.
Looks like they are getting some rain.

After dropping them off I decided to take a ride through Van Cleve Park. The first home we ever owned was in Gladstone. It was a very small house but at that time there was only two of us and our dog Brandy so we did not need much room. The last time we rode by the house was gone, next time we are in Gladstone we will have to ride by and see if they have built a new house on the property. Brandy and I used to take walks down to the park and I would let her loose on the small island below. Since, she did not like going in the water, as long as I stood on the bridge, she could just enjoy the running around and not be on a leash.

Small island in the park with a lovely little pavilion. Weddings are held
here in the summer.

Looking across the Bay at Escanaba.

Surprisingly, there are still a couple of boats in the harbor. 

There is a walkway out to the fishing pier. The statue below is along the walk.

A small lighthouse near the fishing pier.

The fishing pier.
I had taken a walk this far and suddenly realized, if it was not for the cold
wind, I would have been enjoying the the walk all the way to the end.
Nothing hurt, having two good knees is a great thing
and makes walking so enjoyable.  

Back at the Jeep I turned on the heat and noticed the outside temperature.
No wonder I was freezing out by the pier.

On the way back to Escanaba I stopped to take one last picture. The soft grey
in the upper right is, I hate to use the word, snow. Not landing on the ground
and staying snow but snow just the same. For the next few miles a slushy
snow was hitting the windshield.

It was a good day today. We are settling in to the fact that we are not going anywhere for a while. Tom is feeling better every day and is slowly getting back into the swing of things. So I am going to start going through more stuff and as he feels up to it Tom will be doing the same. 

Hope you had a wonderful day and we are glad you stopped by to read our blog. 

If you decide to leave a note we would enjoy hearing from you.

Wind and A Ray of Sunshine

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October 24, 2017

We had wind and rain today. Though, not as bad as about 60 miles north of us on Lake Superior. They were experiencing winds up to 70 mph coming down across the lake from the north creating 20 to 25 foot waves. Lake Superior is beautiful in its furry but needs to be respected at all times even when it looks peaceful. As the man who took the picture below stated, "Many people have lost their lives by not respecting Mother Nature...

This was posted on facebook and taken by Dan Wilson in Marquette, MI
According to the post he shot it from the cove and it is at the Black Rocks in
Marquette, MI. He described the rock height as 20 ft. and the winds gusting
60 to 70 mph. The waves reaching 25 to 35 ft  in height.
 He wrote, "One monster wave at Black Rocks in Marquette, MI!

Tom had a follow up at the surgeon's today and everything is looking good. We then took a ride down by our waterfront. After which, just to give you an idea of the winds strength where we are, we stopped at UP North Roast (a local coffee roaster) to pick up some coffee for the next couple of weeks and I could barely open the door to get out and then get back in.

Though, hard to see in this picture the white caps filled the lake.

Looking out at the crib light through the windshield you can see some
of the white caps coming across. 

Very surprised some of the leaves are
hanging on.

A small "ray of sunshine" this yellow flower some how hung on in the last
 hanging basket outside. 

Thank you for stopping by and reading our blog today.

If you have time to leave a comment we would love to hear from you.

Dreary Fall Day and A Delay

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I am starting today's blog on a bright note by wishing our lovely daughter-in-law a Happy Belated Birthday. She officially joined our family on December 18, 2009 and she is a daughter to us.

Happy 29th Birthday, Nadine!

October 22, 2017

Today has been one of those dreary, rainy, fall days and considering the news we had this past Thursday it fit right into the mood I was in out in the Stinger "B" this afternoon. Tom is recuperating and doing well after his surgery and that is not an issue. Unfortunately, something else has come up that he needs to have taken care of and requires another surgery on November 13th. This one will have a three week recovery and he will not be able to drive during this time. (He could ride but I will not be driving the motor home.) That brings us into December as an escape date.  Looking ahead and giving it an extra week that means we will not be getting out of here until around the 13th of December. At that point the weather will become a large factor and we will be looking for a good window of about 4 days to get somewhat clear of the snow and ice. At this point we are still hopeful that everything will fall into place and we will spend the majority of the winter in the southwest. As the navigator I will plan a route and then as we get closer we will be watching weather reports and road reports. We will also be looking for campgrounds that are open year round once we are in Iowa. What we have decided we will not be doing, for now, is counting down the days; we will be concentrating on Tom getting back to 100%.

Instead of bringing stuff out to the motor home today I started bringing anything that could freeze back into the house. (I just checked and found out wine can freeze. Though it is okay to drink freezing can cause leakage around the cork which would leave air in. So that means I have another box to bring in...lol) Tomorrow we will be checking underneath for anything in spray cans so they can be brought in, also.

I went and purchased the anti-freeze we need last night and tomorrow Tom will begin the process of winterizing the Stinger "B", something we never thought we would have to do. We are both disappointed, at this moment, by this turn of events but it is what it is and we are trying to move forward. 

Taken this afternoon from inside the Stinger "B". 
I could hear the rain coming down as I started emptying out 
the cupboards of things that could freeze.

The grey sky through what is left
of the maple's yellow leaves in
our back yard.

I took this yesterday afternoon there was a nice breeze and
the ground is covered in this tree's leaves.
It was a beautiful fall day. We had a lovely blue sky
and it was in the low 60's most of the day.

The pictures below were taken on Wednesday, October 18, 2017. The sky turned a wonderful pink then orange then back to pink.

The last of the sun's light reflected on the Stinger "B"

The Sand Point Lighthouse here in Escanaba is beautifully lit up at night.

The lighthouse is open to the public from Memorial Day Weekend through Sept.1 (9-5 EST) and during the month of September (1-4 EST)

When this lighthouse was built in 1867 it was at the waters edge and warned the ships off Sand Point and the sand reef which reached out into Little Bay De Noc. The attached brick tower was topped by a cast iron lantern room which housed a fourth order Fresnel lens. The light, a fixed red signal, first shown on the night of May 13, 1868.

Escanaba was a busy harbor and many ships, first schooners and later steamers and whalebacks, carried iron ore out from the several ore docks, and lumber from sawmills. Passengers also arrived at Escanaba by boat from the south.

Nine keepers and their families lived in the Sand Point Lighthouse and kept the light burning in its tower and shining out over the Bay until 1939 when the United States Coast Guard took over all navigational lights in the country from the National Lighthouse Service. The harbor had been drastically changed at this time by dredging and filling and the sand point and reef hazard were now part of the park which left the lighthouse some distance from the water. The Coast Guard found it necessary to construct a crib light several hundred feet offshore. This crib light is still in use today, and may be seen from the windows of the old Sand Point Lighthouse. (I had previously posted pictures of the lighthouse and crib light in June Sand Point Lighthouse.)

Besides being open in the summer months the Delta County Historical Society hold a open house between Christmas and New Years each year.

"When one door of happiness closes, another opens,

but often we look so long at the closed door 

that we do not see the one that has been opened for us."

~Helen Keller

We are now trying to no longer look at the closed door and see the positive in our lives right now. Remembering that tomorrow is another day and no matter what happens as long as we get up in the morning and move forward it is a good day.

Thank you for stopping by and reading our blog today.

If you have time to leave a comment we would love to hear from you.

Successful Surgery and Tom is Feeling Better

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Monday, October 16, 2017

When we left for the hospital, which is just down the road, at 7:30 this morning it was still dark. They took Tom in for the procedure around 10:15 and about 10:50 the surgeon came out to tell me that everything went well and he would be in recovery for about 30 minutes or so. A short while later they stopped to pick me up in the waiting room and we headed back to his room. While he was in the room resting and waiting for his discharge I took a ride over to Walgreens to pickup his prescriptions so he would have them when we got home. I went outside to a beautiful blue sky and wonderfully crisp air. It was one of those perfect fall days were everything looks clean and bright in the sunlight.

Our community hospital.
This hospital has been a part of our community since 1884.
Though not at this present location.

The drive in.

The top right photo is of the entrance.
In the bottom photo the black dot near the road is a large turkey.
The sisters, who live on the grounds, feed them along with the
deer so it is wise to take your time driving in and out.

I took a few pictures around our yard last Friday.

Our burning bush is turning a bright red.

The last of Tom's flowers.

Our maple it turning color quickly. One strong wind
and all the leaves will be on the ground.

Now the healing and waiting begins. Tom has a post op appointment with the surgeon on the 24th and he, the surgeon, thinks Tom will be good to go as long as he does what he has been told. The most important thing is to not pick up anything over 10 pounds for the next four weeks. So, though we will continue to play it by ear, as of right now we are still looking at backing out of the driveway on the 27th. I will continue packing but we have decided to not count the days down. How Tom is feeling will determine the final decision and for sure, when we do leave, we will plan on short driving days and stops as needed. The really, really good news is that, just like the nurse and doctor said this morning, Tom walked out in less pain then when he walked in. 

We are glad you took the time to read our blog today. 

Comments are always enjoyed and welcomed.

Counting Down the Days

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Tuesday, October 10, 2017

Six more days and Tom is scheduled for his hernia repair and we are counting the days; since, every day that goes by he is somewhat more uncomfortable. I mentioned in our last post that our planned escape day is October 26th though I am guessing it will actually be the 27th. We have decided not to count those days down until we know how Tom feels after the surgery. We are getting some extra things done around the house so that is a good thing. It is what it is and we cannot change it so we are just enjoying our time here at the house. We are slowly putting things in the Stinger "B", as we think of it, and maybe this year will not forget anything. (We can dream.)

One thing for sure is, for the most part, we are having a beautiful fall. Looking ahead the weather is going to stay pretty decent the rest of the month. Certainly not perfect but if the weather predictions are right we should only see a couple of nights below freezing through October. 

St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church
( In the summer of 1948, Bishop Thomas L. Noa approved a petition for a church on the north side of Escanaba. More than 300 people signed the plea. The new church, being the first established by Bishop Noa, was named after his patron saint.) 

The above information is all I could find online about the history of the parish. I do know that the school building itself opened in 1956, we were the first class to go through all eight years in the building, and it closed in 1971. At that time the four Catholic Grade Schools in Escanaba were consolidated into one school, Holy Name Catholic School.

Presently we belong to St. Anne's Parish here in Escanaba but we are seriously considering changing parishes and joining St. Thomas. This is were I went to grade school, 1st through 8th grade. I also made my First Communion and Confirmation at this parish. Our son and daughter-in-law were married at this church and had their three children Baptized here. It is also the church where all four of our parents' Funeral Masses were celebrated.

The upper left picture is what was the entrance
to the school.
Before the church was remodeled the other two
pictures are of what was the main entrance. It is
now a side entrance into the church.

The Altar

Statue of the patron saint,
St. Thomas the Apostle.

These two statues of the Blessed Mother and
St. Joseph used to be above the side altars
when I went to grade school here.

Plague in what was the entrance
to the school.

This emblem is on the floor at the entrance
we used when it was a school.
As children we were never allowed to walk on
this emblem. 
The center "shield" was the emblem
 we wore on our uniforms. 

The Family Inn in Wells, MI.
This seems to be the place we always end up for 
breakfast after Sunday Mass.
We came here with our children and now
sometimes our grandchildren join us.

Our granddaughter, Charlotte, was over and I
caught this of her. She was totally concentrating
on making, as she called it, a wiggly straw to
drink her chocolate milk.

Charlotte takes dance classes and there are a few
classes, at the beginning of the year,
that we are allowed to go and view.
Last Wednesday, October 4th, was one of them.

Top photo: She is second from the right in the front
row as they work on their tap routine.
Bottom photo: She is in the middle with her back
towards us. To end the class they are having fun
bouncing the balls in the air and onto the floor. Then
they had just as much fun scampering around picking
them up. 

So last week we had a delivery from Amazon and it was just like opening Birthday Gifts. I finally decided on what camera I wanted to purchase. You can see below it is the Nikon D3400 and the best thing is that I was able to order the instruction book, "Nikon D3400 for dummies". I have got a feeling I will need all the help I can get learning how to use it. Earlier this year when I was trying to make the decision as to what one to get I had emailed Al of "The Bayfield Bunch"  for some advice. I had noticed on the sidebar where he lists his camera equipment that he owned one. Having followed his blog since we had decided on this lifestyle I knew he would be the person to ask. If you want to see some beautiful pictures click on the link above. I just wanted to thank you, again, Al for your advice. I appreciated it and your quick response.

All the pictures you see in our blog Tom and I have taken with our Samsung phone cameras and I am anxious to be able to take pictures with a "real" camera again.

The second package was Tom's drone and it was his Birthday Gift just a little belated as I was not sure which one to get him.(I think I really surprised him this year.) With the help of Bill of "On Our Way"  I was able to decide on the one below. If you read Bill or Patsy's blog, "Chillin' with Patsy" you will know why I contacted him for advice. (Plus, we met the two of them while parked near Borrego Springs and after only spending a few days parked next to them I knew he would be someone I could ask for help.) He not only flies a drone and shares great pictures he has taken but he also flies RC Planes so I figured he was the man to ask.  He let me "bug" him a couple of times and got back to me with the information I needed and quickly. Thank you, again, Bill for your help. I really appreciated it and your quick responses. The good news is Tom was happy to get it and is excited to be able to try it out. And Bill he also wants to thank you for helping me pick it out.

My sister left yesterday morning after spending 4 days visiting. We had not spent any real time together in a while. So it was really nice to have her here. Unfortunately, neither one of us thought to take a picture. Just the same we a great time talking, laughing, and just being together.

We are glad you took the time to read our blog today. 

Comments are always enjoyed and welcomed.