Living Simply
On a crisp early October day, a friend and I took a walk around the Lake of the Isles in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
It was hard not to notice all of the high-end houses in this area, but the lake is what caught my attention because being around water brings my heart peace.
The city is close by but, outside of glancing at it, the noises can’t be heard. Â So peaceful ~
We get so few visitors since moving to Minnesota. I wonder if everyone is afraid of the mosquitoes or the snow. (laughing)
Fortunately, we had one brave soul come out to experience our autumn weather and she wanted to go to the St Paul Marjorie McNeeley Conservatory.
My husband and I had been here in the spring and it looks so different in autumn.
Here are a few pictures of what we saw ~ I really like the fence …
The sound of a waterfall is so peaceful ~
There were so many koi in the water waiting to be fed. I wonder what they do with them in the winter … ?
Even in early October, flowers were still blooming.
Such a vibrant color on the tree!
I definitely recommend a trip to the Como Park Conservatory ~ especially in autumn.
Yes, fudge. My husband’s favorite dessert.
There’s so many different kinds of fudge. And the best kind is the melt-in-your-mouth kind’ve fudge.
On our recent trip to Mackinac Island in Michigan, we saw so many places that were selling fudge that it made me wonder if it’s the fudge capital of the world. Â (laughing)
Nonetheless, we walked into The Original Murdick’s Fudge store and bought three slices of fudge ~ chocolate, chocolate mint and chocolate walnut. Yuuuummmmmm.
In all honesty, I bought one slice for a neighbor who recommended we go to Mackinac Island. But, since we didn’t get a chance to head over to his place right away, I froze it.
As life would have it (who else can I blame it on?), we took the slice of fudge out of the freezer and slowly but surely it got eaten. I just don’t know how it happened. Â (laughing)
Oh well …
Now, I know you must think I’m a bad person by now, I mean, who would buy a gift for someone and then eat it themselves?
So I want you to know (honesty is the best policy you know) that I ordered 3 more slices from Murdick’s Fudge ~ this time my neighbor will get all three slices.
Really! You can believe me ….
On our travels through Michigan and Wisconsin, we stopped at a small town called Marquette, Michigan, population approximately 21,000.
Since we were just “driving through” I didn’t think we would see anything noteworthy but I was wrong. I’m always interested in learning more about Midwest living. Â So, guess what I found?
Do you know what this is?
Yes, it’s a fish cleaning station. I had never seen one before so this was a first for me. I like “firsts” as it means I’m still learning.
This station came with very explicit directions ~ good to know the head of the fish must go in first. Â (laughing)
Hmmm … this doesn’t sound like it’s much fun though ~ clean up all blood? Well, I eat fish but I’ve never cleaned one or seen one cleaned before.
Does one use a special knife to cut the fish into pieces?
I’ll have to make a mental note to find a fish cleaning station while it’s in use ~ now those would be some nice pictures.
Here’s a view of the area right behind the cleaning station.
The picture below is of a Marine TraveLift for boats and is used to lift the boats out of the water so they can be worked on or cleaned.
After we left the Lower Harbor, we drove around town and I spotted an old church and had to take a few pictures. Â The colors on this rotunda are beautiful.
Look at the detail …
Old churches are so beautiful.
Small towns have a lot of history in them, don’t they?
To read more information on St Peter’s Cathedral, click here.
Okay so, the original recipe from the New Way to Cook Light cookbook is called Rosemary Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Shallots, but I had a problem with the shallots. I burned them. I was working on the rest of the recipe and took my eyes off the shallots ~ it happened and it’s over. I was able to improvise quite well (and with plenty of time) with regular onions that I caramelized. Whew!
Loved this paleo vegetarian recipe and I’m sure you will too. I’ve changed the recipe to use the onions instead of the shallots along with using pure maple syrup in place of brown sugar.
Here are the ingredients you’ll need (less the olive oil and imagine there are onions instead of shallots in the picture below) ~
I try to have the onions caramelized before doing anything else because they can sit off to the side after they’re cooked.
Next, I cleaned the two large sweet potatoes, peeled them and cut them into small 1-2 inch pieces
Then I boiled the potatoes until they were soft to get them ready for mashing ~
This is the amount of rosemary that I used ~
Next I drained the soft boiled potatoes, used a hand mixer to mash them, added the rosemary, salt and pepper then added the caramelized onions on top.
Ready to see the recipe?
Ingredients
Directions
And ~ here’s the final product.
I served this with baked Chicken Thighs and a Salad. Yum!
Oh ~ you want to see my mistake with the shallots, do you? Well, okay. Here it is. Â Don’t judge ~ remember that in the end, I was able to save the day. (smile)
The original recipe was found in the cookbook called The New Way to Cook Light, page 319.
The New Way to Cook Light, page 319, 4 small shallots, pure maple syrup (about 1 teaspoon)
Behind the Cornish Pump Museum building which is located in Iron Mountain, Michigan sits the World War II Glider and Military Museum which opened in 2011 and has one of only seven fully-restored CG-4A gliders in the world.
We found the museum while on our travels home from vacation through northern Michigan.  We decided to skip the Cornish Pump part of the museum and headed to the back to see the glider (you have to pay two different fees for each section). Side note: There isn’t parking for those with disabilities unless you have someone in a wheelchair and want to push them across a large grassy area.
The Military Museum is very interesting and has lots of interesting displays.
But, our interest was more in the World War II glider.
Clyde Unger of Spread Eagle, Wisconsin was honored for his undertaking of the reconstruction of this WWII CG 4A Glider. Mr. Unger volunteered over 15,000 hours of his time from 2005 to the spring of 2011 working on this reconstruction. Â Amazing, isn’t it? So much dedication on his part to keep glider history alive.
The glider is quite large! Humongous! Below are some of the 70,000 parts that are needed for the Glider.
The costs of the CG 4A Glider from 16 manufacturers varied from $1.7 million for one glider from National, $308K each for seven gliders from Ward Manufacturing Company to $51K each for 60 gliders from Babcock Aircraft. Ford produced the most (4190) gliders at the lowest cost of $15,400 each. (This information was from one of the displays at the museum.)
Glider Statistics:
Pretty cool, eh?
For additional history on this glider, please click here.
The death of a person in one’s life can leave one with mixed feelings. In my case, I felt a sadness at my father’s death yet my brain wasn’t quite able to process it. Not yet. I cried a bit, composed myself and continued on to what would be the best part of our vacation. Yet, there were moments when tears would swell and I didn’t understand why.
I simply didn’t know my father. And that was probably what made me the saddest. I understand that we can’t truly know people 100% but I would have settled for 50% or even 25% … something more than what I had which was mostly other peoples stories about my father that tended to conflict with each other.
My husband and I continued our drive northward to Munising, Michigan where we wanted to take an almost 3 hour cruise on Lake Superior to see the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore which is a part of the National Park Service.
Upon arrival, we noticed there was a boat leaving within 10 minutes but we decided to wait, have lunch and take the 4 p.m. cruise instead. Later, I was thankful we made that decision because as we headed east on the shore the sun reflected quite differently than when we returned. It was quite spectacular as evidenced in the pictures below.
We were blessed with sunshine which offset the cold temperature just a little bit ~ 54° Fahrenheit. Brrr … We were told that the temperature out on the water would be 10° colder. More brrrrr ….
I had packed a winter hat and a blanket for this trip so carried them onto the boat with me.
Although the waters were choppy, once we left the pier people headed to the back of the boat to take pictures. We were warned by our tour guide not to use up all of our film at the beginning of the trip as the rocks would be prettier later on. Film? We all laughed although he was serious as he said he’s probably one of the few people left who uses a camera that has film in it.
This could have been a very emotional day for me but for the beauty of the earth. I believe that in God’s foreknowledge He knew that I would need to be in this spot experiencing these moments.
Death would not overcome earth’s beauty ~ at least not today.
The rock formations soon started coming into view.
At first, I tried to take pictures through the window glass but they weren’t coming out very well. I walked to the back of the boat where people were crammed together jostling to take pictures. Being as I’m short, I couldn’t take pictures over peoples heads so I went back inside and waited for some people to come back inside. Sure enough, as people got cold, they started flocking back in to the warmth of the interior of the boat. Finally I had my opportunity to take pictures.
The pictures below are just a few of the ones I took. You may see some pictures that appear to be duplicates but there will be variations because of the reflection of the sun ~ one heading out from the pier and one returning to the pier.
God’s intervention in this particular moment in my life was welcomed ~ He couldn’t have had better timing.
“But whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.†John 4:14
“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” Psalm 18:2
“Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.” Psalm 9:10
“As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart.” Psalm 27:19
“He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.” Psalm 40:2
“But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; You consider their grief and take it in hand. The victims commit themselves to You; You are the helper of the fatherless.” Â Psalm 10:14
“Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord Himself, is the Rock eternal.” Isaiah 26:4
“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise Him.” Â Psalm 28:7
“Lord my God, I called to You for help, and You healed me.” Psalm 30:2
“The Lord is the strength of His people, a fortress of salvation for His anointed one.” Psalm 28:8
“Truly He is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken.” Psalm 62:6
“Lord, be gracious to us; we long for You. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress.” Isaiah 33:3
“Since You are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of Your name lead and guide me.” Â Psalm 31:3
“He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.” Psalm 91:4
“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.” Psalm 28:7
The Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore cruise that we took was approximately 3 hours long and went along the 40 miles of shoreline. The price was $36 per person and was well worth it ~ sometimes you can’t put a price on beauty.
Neither can I put a price on a Father who is always there watching over me. Earthly fathers may disappoint because they each have their own weaknesses that they are battling. But not my heavenly Father.
Time and time again He steps into my life ~ He’s always there but it is I who miss some of the everyday blessings He bestows on me. Yet ~ He stepped in again and made sure that I knew He was near me. Standing in front of me to guide me, beside me to listen to me and behind me in case I should fall.
I don’t know if I will see my earthly father in heaven. The last time I spoke to him he spoke of God, but I don’t know what his relationship was like with God when he died.
I will hope ~ that’s all I can do. Perhaps he will answer the questions I have in my heart about him. Perhaps.
For now, I can be at peace knowing that my Father in heaven will never leave me nor forsake me.
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This was a really really strange day. We had breakfast at the Clearwater Lakeshore Motel as they have a wonderful variety of food for their continental breakfast.
From there, we headed over to take a tour of the U S Coast Guard Icebreaker Mackinaw WAGB-83 which is no longer in service.
The tour is self-guided although there were two women who helped direct us along the way.
The stairs going up to the ship are steep as are the stairs inside as you ascend and descend to different levels.
The IceBreaker Mackinaw was built during World War II to help with the war effort by meeting the demands of war materials and transportation during the winter months.
The ship was decommissioned in 2006 and sits in Mackinaw City, Michigan and is open for tours.
Below is a picture of one of the engines.
Here is a picture of some of the uniforms they wore.
Below are a few more pictures of the inside of the ship.
I had to go down these steps sidesways …
The businesses who live in the Mackinaw City area looked forward to when the Icebreaker Mackinaw would plod through the Great Lakes ice to pave the way for materials to go back and forth.
The cost for this tour was $11 per person. If you like historical tours, this tour is for you.
The day progressed and everything was going along smoothly until we stopped and I checked my Facebook account. My half sister had posted that our father’s funeral was the following day. I was taken aback as there was no time to order flowers or attend the funeral if any out of state relatives wanted to do that.
Isn’t it strange? Social media seems to be used in place of what I would consider common courtesies. Â A call asking if I (or any other out of town family) was interested in attending the funeral would have been nice.
Thank you’s, sympathy cards, calls to offer condolences ~ what happened that people don’t offer these courtesies anymore?
I took it in stride because ~ what else could I do?
We continued our travels to Munising, Michigan which, in my humble opinion, was truly the best portion of the trip.
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We continued our journey to northeast Michigan and stopped in a town called Ludington to look at the shoreline of Lake Michigan
It was another sunny beautiful day … except …
It was too windy to take the walk on the pier to the Ludington North Breakwater Lighthouse off in the distance. The waves lapped over the pier and we weren’t ready to risk our lives just to see a lighthouse. Would you?
This lighthouse was built in 1924, is 57 feet tall and is open for tours and tower climbing. Although it was not currently open, there were people braving the weather and walking on the pier. It’s about a 1/2 mile walk to the lighthouse.
When we returned to the car, we continued our drive to what we thought would be the highlight of our trip ~ Mackinaw City and Mackinac Island. Â We called and booked a room at the Clarion Hotel ~ a mistake ~ for one night. (More on this hotel in a different post.)
Mackinaw City is a quaint city with most everything within walking distance.
The next morning, we headed to Starbucks before we boarded the ferry, The Star Line, to Mackinac Island. (Side note: Â The French pronounced Mackinac as “aw” but spelled it “ac”. The British heard it pronounced “aw” so they spelled it that way. Whichever way it is spelled, it is always pronounced “aw.”) Aren’t you glad you have that tidbit of information?
It was this day, September 18th, that I heard my father passed away. I guess if one is going to hear bad news then a day like today is a good day for it. It was sunny, the day felt crisp and although clouds loomed in the distance it never rained.
I felt conflicted ~ sad at what could have been. My father had left when I was about 5 years old and I had only seen him 3 times since then. About 10 or so years ago, he tried to make contact with his five children but I was the only one who wanted to communicate with him. Waiting for the Star Line ferry to take us to Mackinac Island, I looked out at the water ~ my mind was blank.
The ferry trip to the island took approximately 25 minutes. It was a somewhat bumpy ride because the wind was blowing.
Once on the other side, we headed to a restaurant called the Sea Biscuit for breakfast. Â Fortunately we arrived right before they stopped serving breakfast. The food was good (service was great) but they don’t serve much of it so had I been really really hungry I might not have gotten full.
Once we finished breakfast, we stepped outside to enjoy the city. My mind was still numb from the news of my father’s death but I was determined to continue this trip upbeat.
Mackinac Island does not allow cars so carriage horses and bicycles are the norm.
The bicycles are for rent ~ the one sign I saw was for $5.00 an hour.
We decided not to take a carriage ride although since it was the off season there were plenty of empty ones waiting for tourists to rent. The carriage below is going to the Grand Hotel.
A neighbor of ours recommended we visit the fort here ~ it’s a long walk up.
As we started our ascent, we passed the Trinity Episcopal Church which has been here since 1882.
Then I took a picture of the view ~ very pretty.
Finally we reached the Fort Mackinac entrance …
The fort was built by the British army during the American Revolutionary War. Â The Officers Stone Quarters, started in 1780 at Fort Mackinac, is the oldest building in the State of Michigan.
“Fort Mackinac was turned over to the United States in 1796. But the fort and control of the Straits of Mackinac were recaptured without a battle during the War of 1812. British forces in Canada learned of the start of the war before the Americans and surprised the garrison with a much superior force of soldiers, European civilians and Native Americans on July 17, 1812. American forces attempted to recover the fort in 1814, but were defeated and also lost two sailing vessels used to blockade the harbor. Following the end of the war, Fort Mackinac was returned to the United States.” MightyMac.org
The “hole” below was of particular interest to me ~ weird, huh? ~ as it was a prison cell. Really it was a dungeon with stone walls and a dirt floor and was supposed to break the spirit of anyone who was placed in the hole as there was no light and was quite damp.
Here are a few more pictures of the fort ~
Firing the cannon ~
There are many more pictures but … just a few to whet your appetite for visiting Mackinac Island also known as Mighty Mac.
Heading back to town, I spotted what I call “bicycle pooper scoopers.” The employees who ride up and down the streets in these bicycles are very efficient at picking up the horses, uh, poop.
Here are a few more miscellaneous pictures that I took that I believe you’ll enjoy  …
Even the supplies are transported by horses … wow!
We walked “up” to the Grand Hotel. We didn’t stay here as we thought the rates were a little steep for our budget but I recently checked and for October I found rates as low as $127 a night. That’s not too bad …
The street in front of the Grand Hotel is owned by the hotel so in order to “walk” on it or go inside the hotel you have to pay $10 if you’re not a paying guest.
Perhaps next time we go we’ll stay at the Grand Hotel and take pictures of the interior. After 6 p.m. though you do have to dress “properly.” I’m surprised that they are able to get away with such a policy in this day and age. I mean, dresses for women? I’m not complaining … just commenting.
And now, to head back to the ferry dock … beautiful flowers blooming in September.
My mind managed to stay far away from feeling stressed about my father’s death. I knew there would come a time when this wouldn’t be the case, but for now I was thankful that beauty overcame death.
This evening, we stayed at the Clearwater Lakeshore Motel in Mackinaw City. What a difference from the Clarion Hotel the night before. The Clearwater is a couple or so blocks from downtown. It is family owned (very friendly owners), quiet and is right on the lake. When we checked in, we were given matches so we could have a campfire if we wanted to ~ the logs were provided. So very nice …
And, it was not expensive at all. The owners went above and beyond the call as I had left my camera charger at home and believed I was not going to be able to take any more pictures on this trip since my camera had “died.” Not so! The owners gave me their own camera charger and allowed me to mail it back to them. (You’ll be thankful of that also when you see additional pictures.)
Now ~ is that service or what?
Here’s the view from our room … so peaceful.
We took one last drive around the town. The rains were coming, but the Mackinac Bridge enticed us with its beauty this evening.
Yes, the water was that green …
Now ~ as this tree in the wind, I would have to allow my mind to process the death of my father. It must bend in the storm of life …
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A planned 8 day vacation and my father’s death all in one week ~ not quite the combination I was looking forward to.
Let me start with the vacation ~ the happy part of our 8 days.
After attending my aunt’s 80th surprise birthday party we headed to Gary, Indiana and visited with an uncle I hadn’t seen in over 30 years. Â Since my father didn’t play a large part in my life neither did his family but this uncle kept in touch with me and he told me that my father was not well.
After the visit, we stopped at the Indiana Sand Dunes on our way to northern Michigan. The dunes were quite different than how I remembered them as a child ~ they looked a lot smaller. (haha)
A busload of students were also at the dunes and since it was a tad chilly most were sitting around or playing a game of football.
The view of the Chicago skyline was in the background ~ a bit foggy but still a nice picture.
Our next stop was Holland, Michigan where we would spend the night at the Hampton Inn hotel. The breakfast here was not great ~ just okay. So, we grabbed a quick bite then headed over to a coffee shop named Lemonjello’s which is close to Hope College and had good reviews on TripAdvisor.
After a wonderful hot chocolate, we decided to visit the Windmill Island Gardens. Â The gardens feature a 250 year old Dutch working windmill. The tour through the windmill was very nice but does not accommodate people with disabilities because of the stair climbing one has to do to get to the top of the windmill.
It was simply a perfect day.
The windmill is approximately 125 feet from the ground to the blades.
Flour is ground at this windmill and is said to have less gluten than most flour (according to the person who was grinding the flour). They sell it in 2 and 3 lbs at the gift shop.
Here’s a view from the top of the windmill. Pretty nice, eh?
Now, let’s take a look at some of the other areas. (Side note: In the spring, many people come here to see the fields of tulips.)
View of the windmill from afar.
I saw these dutch shoes hanging on the wall in the gift shop.
Well, I left the best for last (in my humble opinion) ~ the plants in the greenhouse. The greenhouse is an original Lord & Burnham design that was imported by Egbert Gold in 1915 for Marigold Lodge on the shores of Lake Macatawa in Holland, Michigan. The greenhouse was acquired and moved to the Windmill Island in 1965 for growing annuals. Ready to take a peek?
Let’s start with my favorite …
The Staghorn Fern was massive and hung from the ceiling.
Take a look at the bottom of the Staghorn Fern. Quite impressive!
There were plenty more plants but these were my favorite.
I am thankful that I experienced so much beauty on this vacation week. It really helped to offset the news of my father’s death which I’ll discuss in a later post. Â It’s taken me awhile to be able to find words to write about our travels. Me, speechless? Not quite, but enough to keep me blog-less for a few days.
More beautiful pictures of our travels soon.
