Yooperlites!

We spent a recent weekend in a lovely spot up in the UP. We've wanted to stop there for a while, but we've been told it is usually quite crowded and very buggy. We thought waiting until fall might give us a better chance and we were right - somehow we managed to snag the last campsite available at The Mouth of the Two Hearted River. 

It was gorgeous, and totally worth the hour-long drive on sandy washboard roads to get to the campground. The shore of Lake Superior was a quick walk from the campground and it did not disappoint.

The beach is a rockhound's dream. We found a ton of interesting rocks for Allen to tumble, including this one I dubbed "The Heart of Lake Superior."

I was surprised at just how many people were there looking for rocks. There were people everywhere with scoops and buckets finding treasures. We didn't do a whole lot of searching during the day - we couldn't find what we were after until after dark.

After a beautiful sunset and a nice walk away from the mouth of the river, we broke out the black lights, specifically blacklights with a 365 nm filter, and started searching. 

We were a little worried that the beach would be too picked over to find anything, but we had great luck. Allen and I managed to find sixteen syenite rocks rich with sodalite - a mineral that glows bright orange under blacklight. (They are also called Yooperlites, but that is a trademarked name.) That's why you have to look for them after dark - it's that bright orange glow that helps you find them, and that glow isn't easy to see in daylight. These rocks, first found along Lake Superior in 2017, have become a "thing" and lots of tourists are looking for them these days.

The Mouth of the Two Hearted River was a beautiful place to explore. I'm not sure we'll go back, but it was a great spot for a fall getaway.

Better Safe Than Sorry

Remember my post about the scary hay bale? Other things that can frighten horses are noises they're not accustomed to and things that seem to move in ways they are not familiar with. Hence the sign -you'll find this one on the corner of Fort and Market Streets. 

If horses heard training wheels every day, they would get use to them, just like they would acclimate to skaters. But since those aren't as common as bikes and walkers, to horses they're frightening. Believe it or not, when the Honor Scouts (also known as the Governor's Honor Guard) are marching in formation through town, they stop marching when they get close to oncoming horses. To a horse the line of 60 identically-dressed scouts looks like a giant snake heading their way. To many people these rules may seem silly, but a team of runaway horses is no joke. They're rare, but the do happen occasionally. 

 You can roller skate and skate board on the island - just not through the town area.

Gorgeous

Mackinac is gorgeous in any season...

Positive Vibes

Today, as I was riding home from school, I was overwhelmed with happiness. Has that ever happened to you? Have you ever just been filled with joy at the thought of being alive? It may be a little on the sappy side, but that was really how I was feeling today.

I hope your day was every bit as wonderful!

Scary

The horses on Mackinac Island are generally considered "safe." While accidents do happen, they don't happen very frequently. That said, we do have close calls every now and again because horses are creatures of habit. They can get spooked and will try to run away if something scares them; something as innocuous as a bale of hay near the side of the road can terrify a horse.

That innocent little hay bale just sat there after falling off a dray. I watched multiple teams of horses get upset: ears back, trying to move off to the side, slowing down - very clearly not wanting to get anywhere near that spooky, out-of-place item. (If you've lived on the island for a while you learn to recognize the sound of an agitated team.) To their credit, each driver maintained control over their teams and there were no accidents due to that hay.

Within 15 minutes the hay was collected and all the horses (and their drivers) were happy again.

Mackinac Moments

The leaves are starting to turn in Northern Michigan. It's been beautiful this week, and they're calling for temps in the high 70s this weekend. It's going to be perfect!

The Mackinac Way

Since we can't just hop in the car on Mackinac, we have to get creative. Sometimes that means you bungie a sewing machine to the back of your bicycle.

Other times it means moving your tools in a garden cart.

You'll see lots of garden carts on Mackinac Island. Sometimes a garden cart just isn't big enough and you need to call in a friend for help.

 

No matter what, we find a way to get the job done without cars.

Look No Further

Where's Waldo?

Why, he's on Mackinac Island of course.

I have absolutely no idea who this young man really is, but he was super sweet when I asked to take his picture. I'm choosing to believe that I really did meet the one and only Waldo. 

Off to a Good Start

This was our first week of school art project - Minecraft selfies. Each of the kids created a pixelated version of themselves, and was it ever a hoot! (The bulletin board at school also had the students' names by their drawing, but for privacy reasons I blurred the names here.) It was a fun way to start the year. As you can see I have nine students in my classroom:

• three fifth graders & six sixth graders
• five girls &  four boys
• two sets of twins & five singletons

They're a fun group!

And So it Begins...

Today was the first day of school on Mackinac for the 2025-2026 school year. Today, behind that window, my class of nine 5th and 6th graders got to work. (I don't have signed permission slips letting me share their pictures yet, but in a few days I'll be able to share photos.) Let me tell you, they are off to a great start!

Happy

I walk over this valve cover every time I go up Grand Hill. Today I realized he's a little pervert who likes looking up ladies' skirts. Good thing I'm more of a shorts kind of girl.

Illegal?

As my husband pulled this bill out of his wallet recently, he noticed the "In SCIENCE we trust" stamp and showed it to me. I always thought it was illegal to deface American money, but he disagreed. Of course, I had to look it up. Title 18, Section 333, of the Unites States Code states: "It is unlawful to mutilate, cut, deface, disfigure, perforate, or otherwise damage drafts, notes, or other evidence of debt that has been issued by a national banking association with the intent to render the bill, note, or other evidence of debt unfit to be reissued." 

So, as long as the intent isn't to make the bills unusable, stamping messages on U.S. money is perfectly legal. Looking at the list of no-nos (mutilate, cut, deface, disfigure, perforate, and otherwise damage) it makes me wonder - just how much disfigurement would it take to make a bill no longer fit to be reused? Not that I'm going to try, however. If a person is found guilty of this crime, the punishment is a fine and up to six month in jail, though proving you had intent might be tricky.

August

Nothing says late summer on Mackinac more than hollyhocks. These look stunning growing along the fence in the yard of Little Stone Church's Parsonage.

Things Could be Worse

I completely agree - trying on swimsuits in a Goodwill that doesn't have changing rooms would be worse than, well, many many things. 

But finding this mug, with two of my 30+ year besties, was an absolute hoot. (We were laughing so hard, people were staring.)

You know what was even better? The one holding the mug took it home! (Yes, she paid for it.) Now we get to laugh all over again every time were having our morning coffee at her cottage.

Special Delivery

My husband brought me flowers - an entire cartload of flowers!

There's a house on the corner of Market Street that is being renovated, so I asked if they had plan for the plants currently growing in the yard. The owner told me they were changing the landscaping and I should help myself to whatever I wanted- whoop whoop! Yesterday, after my voice lesson, I stopped by and started digging. (Yes, I rode through downtown with a shovel in my bike basket!) My darling husband met me with his cart and then hauled everything up the hill and back up to the house. 

Hazy

We've been having more smoky days lately.  It's really bothering people, like Allen, who suffer from allergies. Some days, it's just a bit hazy, but other days it actually smells like wood smoke.

 

Derpy?

Here's another critter we found hanging out around Mann Lake (near Sheridan, MI.) There's just something about that little snakey face, isn't there? "Derpy" was the word my daughter used to describe it, which I had to look up. I found several different meanings ranging between foolish or weird to lovingly stupid. And looking at that face, I can see how the word fits. Guess I'm going to have to add derpy to my slang vocabulary, though with my luck it's not "in" anymore.

Um...

While I was waiting for my friend to purchase some fishing supplies the other day, I noticed this little gem for sale. I'm sure it serves an incredibly important fishing purpose, but it didn't get any better when I read the packaging...

Finally

One of my student's parents started a painting company, so we hired him to paint and stain our front porch this summer. (Trust me; it needed it!) It's finally finished, so tomorrow Allen and I can return to our favorite spot for morning coffee. It looks amazing - definitely worth the wait! 

Caption This

I took this picture while our extended family was together at Mann Lake, near Sheridan, Michigan. What do you think he's thinking about? Wrong answers only!

Missing

There should be a bridge in this picture, but there is so much smoke coming down from the Canadian wildfires we can't see it. 

Under Appreciated

Hawkweed can be found all over Mackinac Island. 

Most of the year people barely notice it,

but for a couple of weeks in early July, it's hard to miss.

It lines many of Mackinac's interior roads, and really is

quite pretty when it's in bloom.

I've never noticed a scent from hawkweed and apparently it's not native to North America, but it certainly brightens my walks to and from work each day.

Fun Times

I'm so glad mt front yard looks like this tonight. If you are passing a house on Mackinac Island and you see that many bikes in a yard, you know something fun is happening inside.

My kids and a bunch of friends are all gathered around my dining room table playing Dungeons and Dragons tonight; and it makes me really happy.

Are they loud? Yes. Do they make a mess? Sure, but I don't care; not in the slightest. They are socializing, in person, and only using technology to project a map and look up information about monsters, cantrips, and race abilities. (Yeah, don't ask, I'm not sure either.) 

I love that twice a week, my dining room is the place to be for fun.

Invasion

I am the proud owner of a tribble. Eric the Tribble spends his days lounging on a bookshelf enjoying listening to NPR and watching Star Trek (of course.) He actually prefers Star Trek Voyager, if you're wondering; he happens to be a big Janeway fan.

I thought all was well, but recently I started noticing little tribbles.

Little tribbles in the entryway,

tribbles on the credenza,

and even more tribbles on the bookshelf.

 They were everywhere. 

Which, if you know anything about tribbles,

makes perfect sense.

Thank you, Allen Burt. This really put a smile on my face!

Independence Day

It's always a good day when Fort Mackinac flies the Garrison Flag. 

It's a big flag - 38 feet by 20 feet (11.5 meters by 6 meters) - that's only flown when the conditions are perfect. It's so big, it takes quite a few scouts to fold it. (When you see it with people for scale, you get the true feel for just how huge the Garrison Flag really is!) I'm not in the photo below, but I came to Mackinac with Troop 327 as part of the Mackinac Island Scout Service Camp, for five summers.

Camping at Brevoort Lake

We spent last weekend camping at Brevoort Lake, which is in Brevort, Michigan. I have no idea why the lake has two letter Os, while the city only has one, but it was a beautiful place to spend the weekend. Hands down, my favorite part was listening to the loons in the morning. 

I don't think I posted about it, but last year we bought a Hiker Trailer from some friends who had outgrown it. Owning a teardrop camper had been a dream of Allen's for a while and when opportunity knocked, we jumped.  We've been trying to camp, at least once a month, to get a feel for it and learn what gear we need and what we can live without.

I've really enjoyed getting to explore places close to home. Northern Michigan is such a lovely place, and there are so many places, like Brevoort Lake, that I've never gotten to see. 

Visiting

I've taught on Mackinac Island for 32 years now. (Dear Lord, how can I be old enough to say that?!) I worked with Karen for about fifteen of those years, until she retired and moved to Florida. Now, every summer she and her family return to Mackinac for a week or two.

Each summer we make a point to meet at the Watercolor Cafe, at least once, for a cup of coffee and a poppie. We spent several hours enjoying the breeze and catching up. It was a lovely way to spend a morning! One of our favorite things about the Watercolor Cafe is it was started by one of our former students. One of the best parts of my job is getting to see former students leading happy, successful lives.