Sunrise for a Rainy Morning

It's a cold, wet, blustery morning and seems exactly the right time to post this cheerful sunflower shot taken three or four weeks back at Northport's North End restaurant. Their food is good, too!

Light and Shadow

Wind and Water

My #1 Vacation Photograph

It's hard to choose only one, but this would be my pick--Au Train Bay on a day of wild wind and dramatic skids.

The First of Many

Two Sisters and One Dog Take a Road Trip

The morning mist on Lake Leelanau was gorgeous on my way south to Little Traverse Lake to pick up my sister, staying this week on Shepherd Creek. Doesn't the driveway in look inviting?



We were off to Antrim County for the day!

Oops! The road was so familiar, and I was so engrossed in conversation with my sister and enjoyment of the sunny day that I missed a crucial turn and drove clear to Alba before realizing my error! Oh, well, it was interesting, and it gave us a chance to take M-88 from Mancelona back to the east side of Torch Lake, which we would not otherwise have seen. See one Alba building below:




Okay, back on track. We got to Sonny's Torch Lake Market and managed to connect (thanks to Chris, whose father was born on Leelanau County's North Manitou Island) with Gerry Sell, who led us on a wonderful byway.


We began on a stretch of the Old Dixie Highway. This piece would also have been part of what was originally known as the West Michigan Pike. In the photo below, you might not be able to read the note on the red object that says "Water for Cyclists." Click here for Gerry's detailed introduction to this particular stop.


We detoured up a high and windy ridge that gave us a view of Leelanau County in the distance. I zoomed for this shot. We could also see both South and North Fox Islands (not shown here).


Okay, now back downhill and on up the pike....

Here's Gerry showing us where we are on the map at the Antrim Creek Natural Area,



and here Gerry and Deborah orient themselves to the ever deeper geologic layers of old Lake Nippissing we will explore as we follow the path along the creek down to Grand Traverse Bay.


Here's the creek--


Sarah enjoys creeks and lakes.



So does Deborah, whose day was made when she found her first Petoskey stone.


Back on the quiet little Old Dixie Highway, the old house below caught my eye.


And what road did we take to pop out again, back on the modern highway? Nothing but Rex Beach Road! We're looking south here, with Atwood "the Adorable" in the background. No, there is no beach named Rex, but there was a Michigan writer named Rex Beach, and this road is named after him because he lived in this neighborhood. Now I'll have to read one of his books. Thank you again, Gerry, for a wonderful tour of Antrim byways!

Up North Season Turns the Corner

Boat--Project, Builder, Tools

This project is underway down where Northport Creek pours out into the harbor and people launch all sorts of boats. I was on my way to shop at the farm market and stopped to take a few pictures. Historically, this site was home to Bill Livingston's boat shop from 1949 to 1970. A quote from Milt Rogers I found this morning in A History of Leelanau Township is appropriate here:

With his superb boats went generous samples of the Livingston philosophy of life. To be deplored were mass produced articles, depriving their makers of the satisfaction of creativity.

Livingston would no doubt be pleased to see the hand tools being employed on the current project where he built so many boats, sometimes taking two years to complete a project.

Orchard, Vineyard, Birches, Fields

Riding Shotgun

How Sweet They Are