Stepping Away from the Edge

It's Coming. . .

We headed Up North this weekend.

The weather is cooler.  The nights are getting longer.  Leaves are starting to turn color and fall.

It's coming.

The change in season.

Time to take out the docks, and settle the boat for the winter.

Brian came up to help us.  (It's actually a closer drive for him, from campus, than for us, from home.)

(Jenny was thilled to see him!)

And . . . just. . .

like. . .

that. . .

the docks were out.  And the boat was up in the driveway.

Until next spring.*

Jenny was a bit befuddled about the lack of a dock.

But she discovered . . . that you don't need a dock. . .

to jump in and retrieve a floatation cushion!

And we were reminded. . .

that cool temperatures and an early sunset make for a perfect evening around the campfire.

Change is in the air. 

It's coming.

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* We'll keep heading up to the cottage. . . until we close it down completely in early November.

 

 

Buggin' Me!

Before the end of . . . bug season. . . I wanted to share these photos with you.  Bugs . . . from my world!

A dragonfly in my garden.

I seem to have had more visiting dragonflies this year than any other year I can remember.    (I didn't notice his damaged wings until I saw the photo on my computer.)

A spider (and shadow) on our pontoon boat.

This little guy was quite small, but kind of interesting there. . . in duplicate.

A cicada on the window screen.

While kind of creepy, nothing says "late summer" like the sound of cicadas.

I'm enjoying the "bugs" in my world. . . before the cold weather sends them into hibernation!

Have a great weekend.

 

 

Perfecting the Art of the S'more

When it heads toward evening up at our cottage, we gather around the fire pit. . .

to rehash the day. . . and welcome the night.  Usually with a beverage. . .

Tom loves to put together a good fire!  It's so peaceful to watch the flames as the sky darkens, and night falls, and the flames die back . . .

and the embers start to dance!

That's when it's time . . .

to get out the marshmallows and the Hershey bars and the graham crackers.

Yes.  It's time for S'mores!

Over the years, we've made hundreds and hundreds of S'mores around our fire pit*.  Rarely do we have a trip Up North that doesn't involve that winning combination of toasted marshmallow - chocolate - and graham crackers.  Fun to make.  Tasty.  The perfect Social Snack!

Tom is a MASTER when it comes to S'mores!

He has a knack for finding just the right coals. 
He loads only one marshmallow on his toasting fork.
He is very patient about slowly turning the marshmallow so all sides toast evenly.
He waits.  And he waits.  And he waits.

Until that one, little, ordinary marshmallow puffs up with golden deliciousness!

Mmmmmm.  Mmmmmm.

Perfection!

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* Tom even introduced a group of his Indian colleagues to the S'more when they were visiting the United States last year.  They were a bit bewildered by the experience, but were very good sports about trying this American camp fire tradition!

Kickin' Back. . .

What a perfect vacation. . .

Kickin' back with a cup of coffee on the back deck every morning.

Kickin' back in the sunshine every day down on the dock.

Kickin' back in the pontoon, scouting out the perfect spot to catch the wily bass (who, sadly, remained wily).

Kickin' back with a book (or three or four!).

Kickin' back with my knitting.

Kickin' back in the kayak.

Kickin' back around the fire pit.

Yep.  A perfect week all around!  And now, ready to hit the ground running. . . but still in my flip-flops.

 

Out, Damned Spot! . . . or. . . The Trouble with Red

I've been doing some redecorating up at our cottage this summer.

When we first built the cottage (back in 1996-1997), we painted all the rooms the same color:  Navajo White.  It was just easier that way.  But I've always intended to re-paint . . . in living color.

I started with the hallway.

Then, last month, I moved on to our bedroom.  I wanted to give it some "cottage charm" -- a little bit rustic, comfortable-looking, yet sort of . . . woodsy.  I chose paint colors from the Martha Stewart collection (one wall in "Barn,"  and three walls in "Monk's Cloth" ), had them mixed at Home Depot, and hauled it all up north to paint.

Before. . .

During. . .

After. . .

The  "Monk's Cloth" (an olivey-taupey color) was a dream to work with!  It covered beautifully in one coat -- with a second touch-up coat.  The "Barn" was another story altogether.  One wall . . . four coats*:

1. First coat -- murder scene. . .
2. Second coat -- bordello boudoir. . .
3. Third coat -- started to look like maybe I hadn't made a huge mistake after all . . .
4. Fourth coat -- would do Martha proud!

I'm really excited to go up next week with new curtains (I have yet to make. . .) and lamps.  I love the way it's turning out.

But.

For several days, though, I had to deal with this. . .

Out, damned spot!

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*  I'm rather lucky that Tom is color blind and couldn't really "see" what I was doing with the walls.

Dog Days . . . Up North

Last week, we spent several days up north at our cottage.  A couple of those days were "work days" (painting inside, staining the exterior, "lumberjack-ing," organizing, sorting through, and more organizing -- I'll fill you in some other day).  But.  We were also able to spend some time relaxing on the lake and getting our fill of Up North time.

I found these to be surprisingly tasty out on the lake!

Jenny loves being Up North with us -- whatever we're doing.

She likes going out in the pontoon boat.  She likes hanging out at the fire pit.  She likes going for walks in the woods.  She likes to swim and wade in the lake.  She likes to just crash and watch movies with us in the evenings.

But most of all, she likes . . .

dock jumping!

In the past, we have tried taking Jenny out in the canoe or kayaks, but it just hasn't worked.  She likes the water too much to sit still.  She rocks the boat. . . with her moving about.  She tries to take drinks from the lake . . . while IN the kayak.  She jumps out mid-ride.  She has not been a reliable passenger --- but, of course, she also doesn't like to be left behind.

Last weekend, Brian wanted to take the kayak out.  Jenny jumped right in.

And wouldn't get out!

She behaved better than ever, and Brian was actually able to take her out for a little spin.

I have a feeling. . .

that we'll never be able to get in the kayak without Jenny again!

 

Refreshment

It's a real treat . . .

to have a place to get away . . .

and . . .

refresh. . .

for a few days!

It fortifies you.  Prepares you.  For the week(s) ahead.

In Case of a Water Landing

Jenny loves going up north with us. 

She loves playing in the woods and sitting around the campfire and going out in the pontoon for a ride around the lake.

But what she mostly likes is being in the water.  She likes to wade around in the lake, just checking out the fish and cooling off.  And she is especially fond of dock-jumping!

She will dive right in to retrieve any floating toys and objects, but her very favorite object of retrieval is . . .

the floatation device!

One of us will fling a floatation cushion in to the water. . .

and in she goes!

She retrieves it . . .

brings it safely to shore. . .

and stacks it up on the beach!

Over and over and over and over!

I don't know what it is about the floatation cushions, but she is wild about retrieving them and stacking them up on the beach.  She will actually take one from you if you're in the lake WITH a floatation cushion!

In case of a water landing . . . watch out for Jenny!

 

Up North: This and That

It was a dark and dreary weekend. . . rainy, and downright cold . . . but we headed up north to put the docks in the lake anyway.

(The sun came out on Sunday morning. . . just hours before we packed up and left for home. Natch.)

We were entertained by a pair of pileated woodpeckers hanging about in our woods.

They move fast!  This is the best photo I was able to get . . . for now.  (It is amazing how loud these guys are; seriously, they sound like little jackhammers when they peck, and they have a slightly prehistoric-sounding call.)

Tom and Brian tried their first batch of beer.  An IPA.

From all accounts . . . pretty good!  (Alas, I stuck to my wine.)

I did a lot of knitting.  We will not speak of it now, however.

You see. . . this tiny little bit is all I have to show for hours and hours (and hours) of knitting.  Followed by 60 seconds of ripping. 

(And even that little bit . . . is gone now, too.)

I did, though, paint the back hallway at the cottage.

Before. . .

After. . .

Sometimes crappy weather makes for interesting and productive* weekends.

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* Except for the knitting!

 

Virtual Visit

Because I just can't be finished with my glorious weekend, I invite you to come with me. . .

Join me . . .for a virtual walk in the woods. . . on a most pleasant afternoon in autumn. . . in Michigan.

And what happens at the end of the trail?  Well, you'll have to enjoy this virtually, too, I'm afraid!

Bottoms up!