Picture Perfect

There was just something about the plume of steam rising up from the smokestack of this freighter that caught my attention. I see freighters traveling through the Round Island Passage all the time, but I'll never get tired of this view.

Good Morning

Not much beats a freighter tooting "Good Morning," just as you arrive at work. I love where I live!

Good Morning

I love walking to school in the wee hours of the morning. No one else is out and about and it's just me and my thoughts. There's just something about being up before the sun; something special about seeing it rise while virtually everyone else is still asleep. It is the perfect way to start the day.

Mackinac Moment: Sunset Flight

My husband and I had doctor's appointments last week, and since the boats aren't running we had to fly to the mainland for our appointments. We were treated to a lovely sunset on our 5:45 pm flight to St. Ignace.

Fresh Air Aviation has several planes they use to "ferry" people across the Straits of Mackinac. The one we rode last week can carry seven passengers and their belongings. A round trip ticket is $108 for adults and that entitles the rider to 40 pounds (about 18 kg) of freight. If you have more to bring over, the additional weight costs $0.40 per pound. (That's why I stock up on chicken feed before the boats quit running.)

The flight takes less than five minutes and is a breeze. The only hitch can be the weather since the plane can't navigate in the fog or land on icy runways. This time of year we have to be flexible and be willing to change our plans if the planes aren't flying.

Treat

I wasn't super excited about having to catch the first boat this morning, but the sunrise brightened my day, literally.

Calm and Quiet

Today was a foggy one on Mackinac. Which is fine because it meant I got to hear one of my favorite sounds in the entire world - the fog horn. Foggy days on the Island tend to be a little cooler and a little less crowded, so if you're a tourist don't let a little fog change your plans!

Graduation 2024

My daughter is now a proud alumna of the Mackinac Island Public School. Graduation was very special this year - not only because my youngest was graduating, but also because of a special guest.

Yep, Michigan's Governor, Gretchen Whitmer, took time out of her busy schedule to speak at our little school's graduation. Not only did she speak, but she met with the nine graduates before the ceremony. They were all so excited! And when there are only nine graduates, the commencement address gets quite personal.

Both the Governor and the Valedictorian (way to go Bela!) spoke about each of the graduates. Bela told his classmates the three words he would always associate with them. He told my daughter he would always remember her creativity, uniqueness, and resilience. (That was the moment I couldn't hold back the tears any longer, by the way.) 

After graduation there was a reception for the graduates at school. Each student had a table full of pictures.

Here they are: the nine members of Mackinac Island's Class of 2024.

Thank you Governor Whitmer, Mrs. Lipovsky, and all the senior parents for making graduation so memorable

I Love Mackinac

Sometimes it's the little things about Mackinac Island that make me smile. Little things like the picture above. This young man, his siblings, and his parents were having dinner out at the Mustang the other day, and while they were waiting for their food, the kids popped over to another table to paint. I've never seen something like that on the mainland, but scenes like this are fairly common on Mackinac in the winter. It made my heart happy because not one person batted an eye - not the server, the other patrons, or the manager. 

It reminded me of the time my daughter and I went to breakfast at the Mustang years ago. She was about five and wanted to sit up at the "counter," A.K.A. the bar. I patiently explained, that people under 21 weren't allowed at the bar, but we could sit at any other table because we were the only ones in the restaurant at the time. The owner came over and told K that she could sit at "the counter" this one time because no one else was there and that was the only time it was allowed.  She was so incredibly happy.

 It was such a little thing, but it made her day.

Street Pizza

I popped into Doud's the other day to pick up a few things and was greeted by these happy folks; just standing there, on the corner, enjoying some delicious Doud's pizza. I have absolutely no idea who they are*, but they were pleasant as could be.

* Many people assume that everyone on Mackinac Island knows everyone else, but that isn't always the case; especially this winter. This year lots of projects are happening around the Island, so there are many new faces staying for the winter.  While it is true that long-term year-round Island residents know virtually all of the other long-term year-round Island residents, that doesn't mean we know every single person who decides to stay the winter.  

Only on Mackinac

My friend, Travis, took this picture this afternoon. It's how he got his Christmas tree home from Island's tree lot...

Yes, you can buy a Christmas Tree on Mackinac Island. 4-H brings them over and sells them to fund their programming.

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...

Graduation: Mackinac Style

I may be a wee bit biased, but I have to say Mackinac Island's Commencement ceremony is pretty unique. With such small classes, the principal can share personal stories about each graduate. (Four students graduated this year.) She told each of them why she would remember them, and let them know that she put her cell phone number inside their card. She told them that she would be there to help and support them, in any way she could. It was so much more personal than the graduates simply walking across the stage. The personal relationships teachers are able to build with students on Mackinac Island is really quite special.

After the ceremony the students stood in a receiving line so all the guests could congratulate them. Then the kids and their families headed over to Grand Hotel's Secret Garden for photographs. 

Have you ever seen a more beautiful place for graduation photos? The photos don't do the garden justice; the smell of grape hyacinths was just incredible. The hotel's photographer took pictures of the kids together and then stayed and took family portraits. Saturday morning we discovered not only did Grand Hotel donate the photographer, but we were gifted all the digital images! What an amazing surprise.

Sunday morning the celebration continued on a Sip n' Sail cruise aboard the Isle Royal Queen III. The Class of 2023 enjoyed food, music, friends, and family as they cruised through the Straits of Mackinac. (Again, donated by our incredibly supportive community.)  It was a delightful way to spend a Sunday morning!

 

The weekend was full of love and support for these boys who are ready to go out and make their mark on the world.

This weekend also happened to be the one year anniversary of my dad's death. As my husband and I thought of how to best honor my father, we decided to do what we thought he would have wanted us to do, which was to celebrate his grandson; to make the graduate the center of attention. I can grieve for my father any day, but S gets one high school graduation. I don't believe my dad would want his grandson's special day overshadowed by sadness and grief. 

So, in that spirit, I share this goofy photo from Thanksgiving, 2012. 

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.

Monday

Mother Nature,

I am NOT amused. No one appreciates a late-April trek to work in the snow, especially on a Monday. No one. But it's my Birthday week, so I'll try to make the best of it.

Sincerely,

Liz

Goodnight

Tonight is one of those perfect Mackinac nights; 

beautiful and cool. Goodnight.

In Action

My husband (and others) spend a lot of time working on the Mackinac Marine Rescue Boat.  A few days ago, as I was on the ferry coming back to the island, I heard my husband's voice on their radio. The Rescue Boat was out helping a kayaker in distress. It was neat to get to see my husband in action; usually I just get to hear about their runs after the fact.

Mornings

There is something about mornings on Mackinac that I adore. All summer long I've been doing physical therapy for my back; which means going across to the mainland twice a week. I purposely scheduled my appointments so I could go across on the first boat each morning. Several of my friends thought I was nuts - why would I purposely make it so I had to be up and at the dock for an 8:00 am boat? Yuck.

I'll admit it - I like the first boat. Partially because it's considerably less crowded than the boats later on in the day. There have been a number of Covid-19 exposures on the boats this summer, so anything I can do to avoid crowds people is a good thing. (I'm also trying to always ride on one of the open-air decks rather than inside the cabin. Star Line claims to be fogging the cabins to disinfect them between every trip, but I've been on the boat a lot this summer and I've not seen the fogger used more than I have seen it used.)

I also love how peaceful Mackinac is in the morning. Town is dramatically different in the early hours than it is later on;  there's space on the sidewalks, I don't have to weave in and out of people and it's so much quieter. Don't get me wrong, I love the tourists - without them the Island's economy would fall apart. It's just nice sometimes to not be right in the middle of the craziness.

Pinch Me

Some days I just have to pinch myself. I am so lucky to get to live where I do.

I've spent the vast majority of my life living less than a mile or so from one of the Great Lakes; I can't imagine living anywhere else. 

 

Lucky me...

Outdoor Fun

Do you know what that picture means? Every kid on Mackinac Island does. It means there are kids hanging out at that house. See all the bikes parked in the yard? They're a sure sign that something fun is going on. That's been our yard for the last couple of days.

There was a hammock tower in the back yard complete with snacks and the soundtrack from Hamilton,

and there were outside video games.  (You've got to love the dad who is willing to drag all the electronics outside and set them up.)  I know the kids weren't as socially distanced as they should have been, but they tried. I don't know about all the neighborhood kids, but I know my two really needed some time with friends - some time to just be normal kids, or as normal as they could be since we wouldn't let them have friends inside the house. They might not want to admit it publicly, but they are ready to go back to school. They miss their friends, but they also miss the routine school brings to their lives. And to be honest, so do I. As of today we've been out of school for four and a half months - it's the longest I've gone without being in school for the past 28 years...

A Lilac a Day, Day Ten

The lilacs have mostly passed, except for a few of the later varieties. Luckily my garden has been doing quite well this year and I have lots of other flowers think about...