Sept 29 & 30 - Turkeys and Pippi

A couple of good days in Escanaba area spending sweet time of fellowship with the Saxe sisters Laurie and Bonnie) included enjoying the sight and sounds from the back deck, feeding the wild turkeys both morning and night, watching them take flight to roost.

New experience: mixing the corn and sunflower seed for the turkeys and feeding them. The first time they weren’t even nearby, this evening they were nearby yet keeping their distance!

Yesterday eating at the Swedish Pantry I’ve heard so much about! I had The Sampler (2 meatballs, potato sausage, potato dumplings, cold slaw, with lingonberries of course! And rice pudding with raisins for dessert. Unexpectedly had one of Laurie’s classmates in town for their 55th class reunion come into the restaurant so we were able to share lunch with them. We even got kicked out cuz they were trying to close up and we were enjoying connecting!

Last night great fun as Bonnie sat at the organ and played Gospel choruses or hymns. We would name a hymn and Bonnie would launch into playing it! It turned into “try to stump Bonnie!” But she could play EVERYTHING we named!

It is a day of mixed emotions as my cat Pippi (17 years old) has just been put down. She threw up numerous times on Thursday, was lethargic, so sweet Suzannah took Pippi to the vet yesterday, they ran tests, gave her vitamin B that perked her up for a very short time.  Received a call from the vet this afternoon with test results. They weren’t good. Her liver and kidneys were shutting down, really nothing to be done so dear Gretchen took Pippi to the vet to be put down. Always hard to loose a pet as they are one of the family and bring so much comfort, joy, sometimes laughs as well as much frustration, and surprises (mice and birds) over the years.  And in Pippi’s case we had so many conversations! Pippi always wanted to get the last word in! She also wanted to be a part of every small group gathering and every phone conversation! See added note after last picture, Spunky the cat!

One of Pippi’s last pictures at the beach.

The above picture of Spunky has a bit of a story…since first arriving at Bonnie and Lowell’s 8 days ago Spunky  stayed outside or hid anytime Laurie and I were in the house, expect for 2 nights ago rubbing against my leg once and then quickly disappearing. Tonight though as I was grieving the loss of putting Pippi down, Spunky rubbed against my leg 3 times, then plopped down on the floor in front of me and stretched out as if to say “scratch my tummy please”. So I did for the next 20-30 minutes! Sometimes animals just know what we need. Pretty special night!

Sept 28 - Quiet Day in Escanaba

Today has been a quiet day staying around Escanaba…sitting on the back deck enjoying the sounds of the train just a few hundred feet away, the birds, the turkeys, the leaves rustling in the breeze and beginning to fall, at a comfortable 70 degrees. (I’ll include a picture from the deck, sorry I can’t include the sounds too!) I sit in awe of God’s creation! It is good “to be still”! It is good to enjoy sweet fellowship.

Lovely day with the Saxe sisters including afternoon snacks prepared by yours truly! Snacks included a veggie plate with Ranch dressing, fresh fruit, cheese and crackers as well as two sweet treats! My creativity sometimes surprises me! 🤣

For supper Swedish pancakes accompanied by fruit and sausage!

lighthouse at Gladstone

Sept 27 - Part 2 “UP”

Pictures Rocks National Lakeshore, UP Michigan

Sept 27 Fall Colors & Munising

What an incredible day! A lovely one hour drive on #13 through Hiawatha National Forest to Munising with vibrant colors along the way. There were stops along the road for a view of Moccasin Lake, short hike to a small but beautiful Wagner Falls, Pictures Rocks National Lakeshore, ending the day with the lighthouse at Gladstone.

And of course food stops at Buckhorn Resort Restaurant and a book store in Munising. Why stop at a bookstore, since I haven’t read any of the 10 books I left Seattle? Because it had some great homemade ice cream! Amaretto Cherry with slivers of chocolate! 

Additional pictures in next Blog post! (FYI I am only allowed to post 5 pictures per blog post.)

Sept 26 Green Bay

Left the house at 7:30 (but an hour later it was still 7:30 as we drove into the Central Time Zone) on our way to Green Bay with primary purpose of Lowell going to an eye appointment but we managed to include a stop at Kohl’s for a little shopping, “drive-by” of Lambeau Field (no picture included!), lunch at Olive Garden, followed by a drive through the countryside of farms, woods in full color, and family history narrated by Lowell. 

Upon our return it was time for me to take care of some book work paying bills, calling Seattle City Light and “start” to think about the next leg of the trip, research obtaining an EZ Pass to help navigate the many tolls in the near future.

No sunset pictures but a few of the sunrise over Lake Michigan. (photo credit: Laurie Kennedy)

Sept 25 - Escanaba Surprise!

Today was a fun day of discovering Escanaba in the UP! After seeing the house where Laurie grew up, and it just “happened” (not!) that the owner was taking out the garbage as we drove behind the house so…an open opportunity to hear more about the care and updates to the house and their many family memories. Very special!

Our Escanaba tour continued to the park along the water, got out and walked along the beach, and there was a sign…ARONSON ISLAND!!!! Aronson Island was named after Art Aronson, a manmade island across from the marina…not related, but fun! 

Next was a stop to pick up freshly made “pasties” which used to be an easy meal that miners ate: a thin crust filled with meat, potatoes, onions, rutabagas, carrots, pepper. Pasties were our dinner accompanied with a green salad, fresh fruit and egg salad. I love the cultural experiences I’ve been able to participate in my travels.

Relaxed afternoon on the deck, enjoying the sunshine, the light breeze and good conversation. Also some laughs as we looked through a 1955 copy of Better Homes and Garden.

Our evening entertainment…  our 11 wild turkey friends walking single file down the path for special treats, coming back up the same path single file, hanging out in the yard for a short time before one by one taking flight to roost in the trees overnight and as they then made adjustments to find just the right branch to call home for the night!

Sept 24 - Sunday Worship

It was “good” to be in worship today twice! First streaming online at First Baptist Woodbridge and then in-person at Bark River Bible Church preaching from Galatians 5:13-15. My practical takeaway: “Our words either build up or destroy. What do my words do?”

After church we headed back home to Bonnie and Lowell’s where we all pitched in for a tasty dinner, then a visit to the nearby cemetery where Laurie and Bonnie’s parents and grandparents are buried just a couple blocks away, short drive and some afternoon down time (nap for some, quiet time for others, catching up on blogging for the traveler “me”!)

Will share a few pictures now, I’m sure more to come, of the 11 wild turkeys who make their home the majority of the time and regularly fed by Bonnie and Lowell. They seem to be in the yard, on the fence or on the roof of the house!

Sept 23 Escanaba - Marquette

Today I learned a lot! Did you know Marquette is the largest city in the UP? Located on the north shore of Lake Superior, Marquette is a major port, known primarily for shipping iron ore from the Marquette Iron Range. I got to visit the Ore Docks and learn how the ships would pull up next to the docks, the trains would drive on to the docks, they would lower the arms for the ore to slide down and transfer to the ship. Was pretty amazing! Also waded in Lake Superior, I personally think Puget Sound is colder but it was still chilly! We drove through a beautiful park along the shore with steep banks.

 All this was after picking up Laurie at the Marquette Sawyer Airport, formerly Ki Sawyer Air Force Base (closed in 1994 after 40 years of operation, many of the buildings and barracks still “standing” but barely!)

We had an exceptionally knowledgeable tour guide and driver for  the day Lowell Nordgren, Laurie Kennedy’s brother-in-law. 

We completed our tour with a stop at Culver’s known for their creamy custard ice cream treat. Included with our kids meal was flavor of the day custard treat. Mmm good!

Sept 22 Escanaba Here I Come!

I’ve had a great 2 days in Door County but today I leave for Escanaba, about a 3-4 hour drive up the west coast of Lake Michigan. Today the sun is out and not a cloud in the sky! 

The day started with a tasty breakfast of sunshine juice (mix of cranberry and orange juice), raspberry tea, egg dish with bacon, potatoes, mushroom, peppers and cheese (very similar to what I had yesterday actually), banana bread and rice pudding. Great way to start the day!

And today from the devotional Jesus Listens “Lord, Your love for me is not passive.  It actively chases after me and leaps into my life! Please open the eyes of my heart so I can "see" You blessing me in myriad ways- both small and great.

I want to not only receive Your bountiful blessings but also take careful note of them-treasuring them and pondering them in my heart. I’m thankful for the countless ways You show up in my life.

I like to write down some of these blessings so I can enjoy them again and again.”  What a blessing Sarah Young’s devotionals have been in my life over the years!

I didn’t leave Sturgeon Bay until 2:30 as i unexpectedly got an appointment for a pedicure and haircut! I love the unexpected surprises of the day! I was taken very good care of by Bonnie and we filled our time with sharing some of how God has worked in our lives. Yes, for those of you I have been visiting, I left Bonnie with a Scrubbie!

Then it was time to hit the road…I drove along the western shore of Lake Michigan north to Escanaba. It was another day of watching the Fall colors change. I arrived about 6:30 at Bonnie and Lowell Nordgren’s (Bonnie is my dear friend Laurie Kennedy’s sister), received a warm welcome, have the house next to theirs to stay this next week while visiting. So thankful for the friends and family, and extended family of friends that make this trip possible and such a rich time of blessing!

Road Kill Totals for the day: 3 deer, 1 fox, 5 squirrel, 1 opossum, 2 skunk AND almost 6 wild turkeys! Turkeys were beside the road and if they at the last minute came to the road they probably would have been added to the list!

When I arrived at Lowell and Bonnie’s I got to meet up close and personal their 11 wild turkeys I’ve heard about over the years! At one time there were 40!

Pictures: Breakfast, White Lace Inn B&B, sign welcoming me to Escanaba (had to take a picture from the car as I’ve heard about Escanaba for years and had doubts if it would ever work out to visit!)

Sept 21 Door County

Have enjoyed staying at a couple of B&Bs the last couple of nights in Door County Wisconsin. Today I did more exploring of  villages of Door County. Started with a Trolley Tour and of course the tour guide is key, and John was awesome! He was a native of Door County and had so many tidbits of information with humor interspersed. Learned that DC is built on limestone, that Lake Michigan freezes about 3 feet of ice in the winter which makes for great ice fishing! It was a delightful fun and informative 90 minute tour. It cost to get into the state parks of which DC has 5, one of them was part of our tour which provided some great sights that would have been even better if there wasn’t fog and haze. In fact if we had good viewing we would have been able to see across the lake to Escanaba, Michigan my next destination…instead I had to trust the guide.

After the tour I continued to explore villages along the lake of Fish Creek, Egg Harbor and tonight Sturgeon Bay. I did all that while feeling lousy! I came down with allergies, this is day 3 and they are nasty. Not sure I could live here during the Fall season…can’t breathe due to congestion and have the dry raspy cough I get when my allergies are really bad. The cough is the worst as I get coughing asthmatic spams that exhaust me. But I am regularly using my inhaler, nasal spray and allergy meds so hoping things will soon improve. I haven’t had it this bad in quite a few years!

My adventure tonight was walking from the B&B 2 blocks to where I planned to have dinner, only to find a note on the door apologizing for the inconvenience that they had to close at 4 today! Not to be deterred I walked 4 blocks one way and then 4 blocks the other way! Finally had to settle for a bar. A gal outside assured me they had hamburgers, so in I went! I think the guy was disappointed when I ordered a Dr Pepper, only one, a cheeseburger, and declined chili or fries. Just saying it was loud and I ate and left! If I had stopped earlier for lunch I might have passed on supper, and yes I could have walked back to the B&B and got my car but where would the adventure be in that!

Tonight while sitting out on the front porch reading, while wearing my Seattle tshirt had a couple ask where in Seattle, turns out he had lived in Snoqualmie for a time, now he and his wife live in Wisconsin. Love meeting people along the way!

BTW Fall colors are continuing to turn!

Pictures tonight: morning hot breakfast, trolley from my morning tour, in the background across the water is Escanaba (trust me, I trusted our tour guide!), me and a sturgeon and finally my bed at tonight’s B&B.

Sept 20 Door County Wisconsin

The visit with Carol and Greg was definitely too short, but it was so good to reconnect with Carol and fun to get to know Greg! 

I left Oostberg about 9:30 and headed north to Door County.. I’ve had many people suggest that Door County was a “must see” so taking two days to enjoy it!  The 2 1/2 hour drive up this morning as the Fall foliage is just beginning to turn! I am loving driving two lane roads and sometimes take even smaller road since I have GPS that I can depend on! 

Lots of driving along Lake Michigan today, with blue skies and the temp a comfortable 75! I made several stops along the lake just to sit and enjoy, stopped in a couple of coastal towns including Sister Bay where I ate at Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant where I had Swedish pancakes with lingonberries! They were good and I’m a pretty tough critic! This is a restaurant with a thatched roof that has goats grazing on the roof! Yes, it’s true! There were 3 grazing today. Also a lovely Scandinavian gift shop. 

Tonight I’m staying in a Bed and Breakfast in the country up in a loft. The grounds had a lovely walking path I checked out before it got too dark. 

Animal sightings today: almost hit some wild turkeys on the road, saw rabbits on the walking path, a couple of deer, some swans and yes of course the goats and lots of cows! I continue to love the cattle farms I see as I drive. I’m thankful for farmers and their hard work!

Sept 19 Exploring Oostburg & Sheboygan

Everyday an Adventure! And today lived up to that! 

First stop was Kolher Village and the headquarters for the Kohler plant where they make and distribute toilets, facets, sinks, and oh so much more. We went to the Design Center and Museum and you name it! We saw it! Including a ‘wall of toilets’, old toilets and tubs, fancy toilets and tubs, every color imaginable! Way too many choices for me to ever make a decision. A couple of fun surprises as college roommate Carol was looking closely at a toilet to have it suddenly have the lid suddenly pop up! Had some kind of a sensor and would auto lift and auto close!

Next stop was the Acuity Insurance Center where we saw the worlds largest free flying American flag! Here are a few facts: Each star is over 3 feet across and each stripe over 5 feet tall. The 9,800 square foot flag weighs over 250 pounds, hung on the tallest flag pole in continental US, 11 foot diameter at the base, takes over 500 gallons of paint to cover the pole and it can withstand 120 mph winds and -42 degrees. Obviously you can see it from quite a distance as we drove around Sheboygan.

Next stop Sheboygan pier where we walked a quarter mile out and back, a couple fisherman on the pier but no one having any success. 

Before returning home our final stop was for some ice cream for lunch! What a treat! I should have gotten a Carmel apple ice cream sundae like Carol, had a taste and it was outstanding.

Joining us for the day was Greg’s sister Renee. It was delightful to get to know her!

Then home for an afternoon of using lots of words as we continued to catch up on each others lives and share memories from our college years, as well as talk about books we were reading, life, friends and family. 

Did you know Sheboygan is the Braut capital of the world?! It’s true and in true fashion of experiencing the culture Carol and Greg hosted a Braut Fry with a few other Northwestern Alumni. A great evening of food and conversation! And then, yes, Carol and I used more  words late into the evening!

Carol and I both admitted we were a bit apprehensive before the visit after 45 years of not connecting but agreed that the connection was easy, it was as if no time had past and that yes, we could be roommates again! We agreed we couldn’t wait 45 years until our next visit!

Pictures:

- Wall of toilets!

- Fancy toilets!

- The t-shirt I DID NOT buy!

- World’s largest free flying American flag

- Carol and Greg in front of Greg’s “high stepping” Jeep Gladiator!