Good Morning

I'm thinking it's going to be an inside-recess kind of day.

(77295 is the Mackinac Bridge Authority and 41411 is Arnold Transit - the ferry boat company.)

Late

My Christmas cactus is late this year. It's in the same spot it's always been, but for some reason it's just starting to get buds. I'll have to do some research; perhaps it's time to repot or prune.

Brrrrrrrrr

It has been frigid on Mackinac this week - we're talking close-to-zero-single-digit-temperatures. When the air is significantly colder than the water, it causes the lake to "steam." Technically, it isn't really steam, it's fog. It happens when when 20ish degree warmer water evaporates and then quickly condenses in the much colder air. The misty fog looks like steam coming off the lake. Either way, the lake is giving up energy and cooling. Local lore on Mackinac says the lake has to steam seven times before we can get an ice bridge. 

I think this was steam number three.

Happy Days

This may just look like a simple line of snowmobile helmets to you, but to me it means Mackinac Island got enough snow that we can ride snowmobiles. I don't really mind walking to and from work, but there's something wonderful about hopping on a snowmobile and riding down the hill. I'm going to keep my fingers crossed that it stays cold enough us to keep the snow!

(These were the snowmobile helmets lined up outside the third and fourth grade classroom at the Mackinac Island Public School this morning.)

Birthday

A very special somebody had a birthday this week. Nothing fancy, just a low-key evening with family and pie. A pistachio pie, made with this recipe. It wasn't the most amazing desert in the universe, but it was good. I really appreciated that the crust didn't get mushy, even after several days.

So if you see Allen out and about, be sure to wish him a very happy birthday!

Link: https://dancearoundthekitchen.com/pistachio-pie

Quiet

Truth be told, I am not a dog person. I am, most definitely, a cat person. (To me there's not much that beats snuggling with a purring cat, but I digress.) My mom has been on a skiing trip so we agreed to watch her dog while she has been traveling.  Wren is an adorable little black lab who loves long walks (and her ball.) 

She and I have been going out together every morning before I head to school, which means we usually walk in the dark. This past weekend however,  we headed out together a little later so we got to see the sights. We walked for about 30 minutes each morning, and apart from a few squirrels, we didn't see another living soul.

Nerdy Ponderings

If you've been here for a while, you are probably well aware that I am a complete and total nerd. While I was waiting for the boat the other day, I noticed the new decor in the waiting room.

Two very nice photographs of old Arnold Transit schedules are now hanging on the wall; one including a price. The 1972 schedule doesn't have a price, but the other schedule does - $1.50 for a round trip under the bridge. Then the current price flashed up on the screen - $44.00 for an adult. 

It got me wondering... How does that price increase compare to inflation?

To do that I had to make an assumption as to the year of that schedule. To give Arnold Transit the benefit of the doubt, I assumed it was pre 1972, so I guessed 1970 (a nice round number.) According to this inflation calculator, $1.50 in 1970 would be worth about $12.50 in 2024. So, if the price had gone up the same percentage as inflation, the ticket price should be about $12.50, but instead it costs $44.00. That means the price of a ferry ticket has increased about three and a half times the rate of inflation. Or, to put it another way the price of a ferry ticket has changed 2,833%. (You read that right - two thousand, eight hundred thirty-three precent.) I used the percent of change formula to calculate that, in case you're wondering.

My next question was - why? What could account for an almost 3,000% increase?

Gas prices? Wages? Well...

According to Google's AI, diesel fuel cost $0.36 per gallon in 1970. Today, that same gallon of diesel runs about $3.50 a gallon -  an 872% change in price.

Also according to Google's AI, the minimum wage in Michigan was $1.45 in 1970. It was $10.33 in January of 2024 - a 612% change in price.

Now I need more data!

Please don't get me wrong - I in no way am putting down Arnold Line or suggesting inappropriate pricing practices. I really do appreciate them and their employees! I'm just a nerd who got to thinking, and that can be a dangerous thing.