Senior Pictures

My youngest and I spent a couple hours after school yesterday getting senior pictures taken. The photographer was wonderful and took K's requests seriously. More masculine poses? No problem. No feminine backgrounds? No problem. 

The pouring rain may have dampened the spirits of some kids, but K rolled with the punches. A beautiful blue sky would have paired nicely with the Grand porch, but I think K's smile will look great against any backdrop.

If you are looking to get portraits taken on Mackinac Island, I highly recommend Sara Wright! She does amazing work.

Perfect

There's just something about fall on Mackinac Island. It could be our warm fall days, or the smell of autumn in the air, but it could also just be the the view.

Fall days on Mackinac don't come any better than today...

Poetic Visions, 2023

Earlier this month the Mackinac Arts Council held the annual Poetic Vision of Mackinac art show. Adults and Mackinac Island students enter art and poetry to be shown and judged. This year I took my students on an imaginary "Haiku Hike" around Mackinac, then they wrote poems about things they might have seen. Next, each student carved a block print to go along with their poem. One of my students (pictured above with parental permission) won the Best in Show Award in the sixth through eighth grade category. She worked so hard on her block print, and she wrote four Haiku; one print and one poem for each season. She is such a great kid - the kind who puts her all into everything she does. The best in Show award is awarded for the best set of art and poetry. For the students, awards are also given for Best Poetry and Best Art. 

My daughter won the Best Poetry Award  in the High School category) for her poem On Mackinac Island.

My son entered a photograph and poem set, 

as well as a stand-alone poem. He didn't wain an award, but after winning Best in Show (High School) last year, it was a tough act to follow. 

I just love going to the show and seeing the kids' faces when they win. In September, when the art exhibit comes down, the beautifully framed artwork is sent home to parents. Thank you Mackinac Arts Council!

Perfect

Another perfect Mackinac summer day is in the books. No matter how many times I see that view, I have to stop for a moment (or two) to admire it. I literally can't imagine not being able to see it every day.

Poetic Visions 2022

My son won the Best in Show prize for the high school category in this year's Poetic Visions of Mackinac competition! When my husband and I arrived the Director asked us where our son was. Sadly, he was home - sick with Covid. The Director politely suggested we call our son at home and make sure he was watching the live stream of the event. We were glad we could take a hint. 

Snowy Day

We woke up this morning to find everything covered in a blanket of snow. It was so beautiful, I couldn't resist going out to explore.

Spending s bit of time outdoors by myself was just the ticket for a quiet Sunday morning.

Mackinac Moment

We've been having some lovely evenings up here...

2014

2014...

When did that happen?' I can't believe  how quickly this year has flown by. It seems like the older I get the faster the years seem to go by. But I can't complain; I love watching one season flow into the next and the kids grow and change.

I know most people don't keep New Year's resolutions, but the new year always gets me thinking about  the changes I'd like to make in my life.

This year I'd like to focus on health. Not exercise (we do pretty well in that department) but eating better, eating healthier. To me, right now, that means eating meals with more vegetables and less fat.

Eating well has been a challenge for me. I tend to be tired when I get home from work, and have little interest in spending time cooking dinner. I'm getting better at using the crock pot, but I still need to grow a lot in this area. My husband loves to cook, but to me it's just another chore...

We tend to eat a lot of frozen vegetables, given that we only grocery  shop every couple of weeks to once a month. With a shopping schedule like that, keeping fresh vegetables on hand is a challenge. 

Any help anyone has to offer would be greatly appreciated. Do you have some great healthy recipes? That "go to" dish you make often because it's quick and easy (and hopefully healthy?) Please send your ideas my way.

I'm going to start out slow and try to cook at least one new thing each week. Here are a few recipes I've found so far: Hungarian Goulash, Vegetable & Chickpea Curry, Garlic Chicken, Crock Pot Chicken Stroganoff, Crock Pot Lasagna, and Chicken and Dumplings.

Break

Our Christmas break this year was absolutely delightful. (Well, except for the part when everyone got sick.) It was so nice to visit family, do a little shopping, and read. Despite the wonderful times I have off the island, I'm always ready to come home. I guess I am just a home body at heart. I am quite content to be puttering around the house in my jammies all day long. How about you - would you rather be in or out?

Saturday I did take some time to go out and get some pictures of the fort. I just love how she looks all covered in snow. Right now, as I sit and listen to the wind howling outside, I can't even imagine what it must have been like for the soldiers stationed there in the late 1700s. I might have very different feelings about living on Mackinac Island if I had to deal with that!

Happy Birthday Grand Hotel

 

The Grand Hotel turned 125 earlier this month and it was time to celebrate. So, last night at dusk (which is about 10:15 or so up here,) we gathered at the shoreline near the island school and waited...

 

The fireworks were spectacular. 

 I'm so glad we decided to keep the kids up and go.

There's just something about fireworks that seems to put everybody in a good mood. Despite being exhausted and running on vapors, my two little ones almost ran the mile or so, up hill, to get home. 

Now I'm just wishing I could find a way  to have fireworks for my birthday...

Mackinac Moment

Mackinac was beautiful yesterday morning:

calm, quiet and

shrouded in mist.

Moonlight Madness

 

Last night we had a  gorgeous full moon. It lit up the Grand Hotel so beautifully this morning as I walked to work (at about 6:00) I just couldn't resist taking a few pictures. 

By about 7:15, as the moon was setting over St. Ignace, the scene looked more like this. Cold, quiet, and so very peaceful...

Mackinac Moments

I took this as I was leaving school after a staff meeting last week. Thanks to a weeks worth of 40 degree days (about 4 degrees C), our snow was gone and another teacher and I were gearing up for the walk home. Luckily, she was willing to wait a moment or two so I could snap some photos of the setting sun.

If I had taken this photo yesterday, the ground would be much whiter. We were lucky enough to get four or five inches of snow Thursday night, and are back on our snowmobiles...

Granted

Lots of heavy wet snow fell on

Mackinac Island

yesterday and today,

so lots of us got outside and enjoyed it!

Sadly, the temperatures have been hovering right around

freezing, so it's melting quickly. We're

keeping our fingers crossed that

we'll get more tomorrow...

A Christmas Wish

Dear Santa,

All I want for Christmas is for Mackinac Island to look like this. This whole riding my bike in 20 degree weather thing is getting kind of old. A nice winter storm, that no one had to drive in, would be perfect.

Thank you, Santa, and drive safe!

Liz

Mackinac Moments

The days may have gotten shorter,
but, despite the rain and the chill in the air,
they are every bit as beautiful.

Mackinac Moments

Fall on Mackinac the year has been delightful. Absolutely delightful! It's been gorgeous - warm and sunny every day for the past two weeks. I'm sure there's rain in our future, but this has been the nicest fall we've had in years.

How have things been in your neck of the woods?

Mackinac Moments

The kids and I were lucky enough to get to enjoy this lovely evening with some good friends. Oh yes, and ice cream; my daughter insists that I include the part about the ice cream.

On nights like this one - with friends, a cool breeze coming off the lake, and a beautiful sky, I just can't imagine being anywhere else...

I Love

Flowers:

August is beautiful on Mackinac Island.

My lilies and daisies have exploded,

as have the roses in the Grand Hotel Tea Garden.
Summer on Mackinac may be short,
but it's beautiful.

Cousins

We spent the beginning of our spring break at the Potawatomi Inn in Pokagon State Park in Angola, Indiana. If you haven't been there, it's well worth the visit.*

There are miles of wooded trails through the park. Luckily Grandma came prepared; she brought each of the five grandchildren a new pair of hiking boots. After our mornings of geocaching, they were well used.

As we walked through the park one morning, it was clear someone had beaten us out that day. We weren't sure who or what those prints belonged to,

but we didn't have to wait long to find out.

The kids loved exploring the woods,

the nature center,

and the other areas of the park. My daughter, the little fish, enjoyed the pool the most, but I never seemed to have my camera out while we were swimming. Imagine that. We also did a little early birthday celebration for a little girl who will be turning five soon. Where did those years go?

S and K only get to see their cousins a few times a year. I'm so thankful that all five of them (5th grade, 4th grade, kindergarten and two in pre-school) get along so well and genuinely look forward to the time they spend together. I know it may not last forever, especially as we delve into the teenage years, but that's OK. They'll have years of memories to sustain them until they leave the hormones behind and return to sanity in their early twenties. Hopefully the bond they shared as children will still be there - waiting to be rekindled...

* If you do stay at the Potawatomi Inn, I suggest avoiding the main dining room. The service was just plain awful every time we sat down to a meal. There are many restaurants six or seven miles away; save yourself the frustration and just eat out. To be fair however, in every other regard, I do highly recommend the Inn.