Exploring the North Shore

It was late morning before we began our drive along the north shore of Lake Superior out of Duluth enjoying sights like this.

Arriving in the town of Two Harbors, we drove down to Lake Superior's Agate Bay to check out the Iron Ore Docks and the Edna G. The Edna G. was built by the Cleveland Shipbuilding Company in 1896 for the Duluth & Iron Range RY. She spent her entire working career at Two Harbors with the exception of World War I (1917–1919) when she served on the eastern seaboard. She was the last coal-fired, steam-engine tug boat in service on the Great Lakes when she was retired in 1981 and is still in operating condition. 

For the second time today, I noticed these brown and white mottled birds that looked like gulls when we returned to our car. This evening I learned that they are Herring Gulls and this is their "First Winter" coloration. It takes four years for them to reach the adult gray and white coloration. Can anyone explain this fascination with birds that is developing in my dotage? Never have I paid the slightest attention to birds. It's somewhat, albeit minimally, frightening...haha

We parked on the other side of Agate Bay to stroll on this pier with a signal light at the end. See Rich and The Girls on their way out to the end?

From there we had a better view of the Iron Ore Docks and the ship that had just backed in to be loaded with taconite, a low grade iron ore, from rail cars that are pushed onto the top of the dock.

This is a better shot of Rich and The Girls as they walk back from the end of the pier.

Continuing our drive along Lake Superior's north shore, we saw signs for Gooseberry Falls State Park and decided to stop. I am so glad that we did! What an unexpected surprise awaited us there. I walked down to the Lower Falls of the Gooseberry River while Rich stayed in the car with the girls. After taking some photos of the falls, I sent him a photo and suggested he come down too.

I especially love seeing how nature has sculpted the intricate root systems of old growth trees which have been exposed by rushing waters. Notice how the tree on the right has grown over that large rock centered in the base of its trunk.

The river drops into a deep gorge of its own carving…

...and continues on its way.

There were also large rock formations, this low rock bridge, small pools of water, and rocky terrain to navigate below the falls.

As I started up from the Lower Falls I met Rich coming down with The Girls so I took them while he went on down to see the falls. By the way, Louise, last night I spoke too soon about the cooler weather. Even though it was a good thirty degrees cooler than at home and overcast, it was horribly humid here today which made for miserable hiking.

Coming back we drove through heavy pine forests for many miles, saw the back end of a white-tailed deer as it bounded into the forest as we drove past, and discovered Islands Lake, a large lake dotted with small islands that would be a blast to explore by boat. It is so beautiful, quiet, peaceful, and unpopulated up here.

Lovin' Life ~~ And Unexpected Waterfalls

Duluth, Minnesota

The first thing you'll want to hear about was last evening. At our RV Park in Alma Center, Wisconsin I was using my computer when something caught my eye. I looked out the front window, sat back, and simply enjoyed the show. There were several Tanagers darting through the sky, diving, and playing together. Their play reminded me of hummingbirds but these Tanagers are closer in size to robins. It was nearing dusk so I couldn't identify them and wasn't 100% sure that they were red. This morning they were flying near our RV so I did get these two photos. The first is two Cardinals and the second is the only one I captured of the Scarlet Tanagers.

I spent the rest of the evening talking to the kids and Sandee. Can you believe they started school already? Yesterday was the first day so they all were excited and had much to talk about.

This morning, we journeyed on to our first planned destination of this trip, Duluth and Lake Superior. We crossed into Minnesota on the Richard Bong Memorial Bridge. The bridge is more than two miles long and curves gracefully along its path over the Saint Louis Bay that drains into Lake Superior.

After crossing the Bong Bridge we stopped at the Thompson Hill Rest Area and Welcome Center. Rich walked The Girls and I went in to pick up brochures.

The Rest Area is perched on a hill overlooking the Bridge and Saint Louis Bay which made a perfect spot for taking the photos above. The steel sculpture shown below, named The Gate, stands next to the Center. The sculptor was Schlegell and the text below is copied from the marker shown in my photo.

David von Schlegell (1920 – 1992)

The stainless steel sculpture functions as a metaphor, tying the horizontal lines of the land and Lake Superior, which are both very visible from this location, together at the point of intersection with the City of Duluth. The Gate serves to recognize the importance of Duluth, as not only a gateway to Minnesota's north shore, but also to the world through the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway that extends 3700 kilometers (2,300 miles) east to the Atlantic Ocean.

On the way from there to our RV Park, a deer crossed the road in front of us...lucky deer that we saw it in plenty of time for Rich to slow down!

While Rich was setting up the RV at our campground, I took this shot out the front window...what a view, huh?

We went to WalMart to pick up a few things because, even though I have spent two grueling days riding shotgun and photographing and surfing the web and uploading photos and reading a book and mostly watching the beautiful countryside passing by, I still insisted on cooking dinner for my man! teehee

As evening fell, this was the view from the curbside door of the RV...we have water all around.

It is very cool here tonight with a gentle breeze drifting through our open windows. Rich just went to bed and I'm quickly following...after I get my quilt out of the closet. It is so refreshing to feel a cool breeze after such a long hot spell.

Lovin' Life ~~ And Cool Nights

It's Cousins Day!

Who knew? I just discovered that July 24th is designated as Cousins Day. Knocking on wood, I have had Wi-Fi the whole time we've been driving today which is why I stumbled upon this information just in time to share this photo of my favorite group of first cousins once removed. Yep, I have seen two charts depicting cousin relationships and terminology so today I officially stand corrected. I had thought that they were second cousins but that is not right. 

The chart below shows that children of first cousins are first cousins once removed. Dylan will be especially interested in this information.

Happy Cousins Day to my own first cousins who are important players in many wonderful childhood memories and, though I don't see them often, are treasured members of my family.

Lovin' Life ~~ Discovering Obscure Days of Observance

On The Road Again!

We left about 11:30 this morning and don't expect to return home for six to eight weeks...wow! Tonight we are in...

Because I believe in the power of threes, smooth sailing can be expected from here on. My Wi-Fi worked for a short time then failed the rest of the day, we missed the turn into our campground, and water flooded the water heater compartment when Rich hooked up. It turns out, there was a bad wire on the Wi-Fi so it couldn't stay charged, there was a [rare on a country road] turnaround just past the campground, and the water leak was a hose that had come disconnected...Rich fixed it all, of course. See...that's that, we've had our three challenges so we're good to go!

On my birthday, we had an impromptu dinner with several friends; the following evening we went to dinner with Greg, Jenny, and Marianne; and Saturday evening we went out with our next-door BFFs. Sandee had a cake for me but we were all too full for dessert so she gave it to me when we left their house after playing cards. Last evening, after a busy day of RV prep and loading, we had a great send off. Greg, Jenny, Marianne, Vic, and Sandee were all at our house so we shared the B-day cake from Sandee and Vic. After four evenings of dining and celebrating, here I am last night.

We are so excited about this trip because we are again exploring new territory in this magnificent country of ours! In case you've forgotten, this is what we look like on the road. The Girls do wish they could drive!

This picture, from the front of a greeting card I picked up at a truck stop thousands of miles ago, cracks me up every time I run across it on my computer. I still don't use hair curlers but other than that...giggle!

Lovin' Life ~ On The Road

Guest Bath Reveal

Finally, just what you've been waiting for! What, you've not given it a thought? You have a life, you say? Hmm...   Much of our life in recent weeks has revolved around this bathroom project and here is a very-nearly-finished look at it.

We have assembled parts and accents from Menards, Home Depot, Lowes, Ace, Home Goods, Meijer, JC Penney, Kohls, Hobby Lobby...those are the ones I remember anyway. I'm not posting a photo of the long wall opposite the vanity because the art won't be ready until we return in a few weeks.

The peacock feathers came from the farm of friends of our niece's family. For those who know the history, note that the miniature Adirondack chairs still retain a place of prominence on the new shelf.

Regrettably, there are no staged 'before' photos but I am going to post these two as reminders of how dramatically the room has been changed. Do you remember that the kids were here when we started stripping the sea shell wallpaper with the beach scene border? Do you remember the day the glass guys worked here? In addition to replacing the broken window, they removed these enormous mirrors that covered the wall the length of the vanity in both this bath and the master. Rich had already taken down the light fixture above the mirror to make it easily removed. See that white vanity top? Gone, gone, gone...it's all gone.

Lovin' Life ~~ And Freshly Decorated Spaces

Why Have A Blog...

...if not to use it for shameless self-promotion!

Happy Birthday To Me!!!
It is number 63!!!

And, I'm as happy as can be ee ee!!!

Happy Birthday To Me!!!

A Family Treasure Discovered

What? Another week has passed? How?

If anyone has the answers to these questions, that person could probably also tell us "What's It All About?" Don't be shy...step on up with your answers.

Last Sunday we ate at a place where the food was so boring, bland, and blah that we didn't eat out again all week. That was the beginning of a boring, bland, blah week for the most part. But wait, it didn't stay boring.

One morning I was up early enough to capture this glorious shot of the sun's rays shooting out from the dark clouds. It was an incredible sight.

Rich continued working on the guest bath and we finally picked a paint color. There is a lot of color in our home so I wanted this room to have quiet walls behind the art we have selected. It was much more difficult for me to pick a beige/gray/simple paint than it has been to select color. I planned, shopped, and cooked some things for the freezer, getting ready for our next trip, but nothing that you haven't seen here before.

Thursday the pace definitely picked up. I was the second person in our Verizon store that day to buy the brand new Samsung Galaxy S III. They still refer to these things as phones but they are hand held computers on which you can also make calls...if you are one of those rare persons who still actually talk to live people that is. As I said on FB, my smart phone could really benefit from a smart user! Seriously. But, I'm getting better. Here is the last of a rather lengthy exchange with my oldest grand later that afternoon. As I discovered this morning, I still haven't mastered answering the phone when it rings...rookie is still right.

Friday the girls had a long overdue spa day. They returned home freshly coiffed, sporting bandannas covered with peace signs...so retro...yet so dope...I'll hear from the boys on my use of that word for sure! The important thing is that this photo was taken with my new Galaxy so I am learning...albeit very slowly.

Rich stayed home to work on the bathroom and keep the girls there while I went down home on Saturday to visit my family for a couple of days before we head out on the road again. As I approach town, the dome of the county courthouse can be seen towering over the trees. It called for a photo so I drove past the front to capture this image.

My brother and SIL welcomed me yet again; I am so lucky and so grateful that they're willing to have us because there is no place to stay in that small town. Mom is doing well and is always so happy to see any of us. Our two younger siblings and their kids were in town to see her last weekend so she talked about that.

Sunday afternoon the three of us drove up to Virden to visit our Uncle and Aunt, Mom's brother. I just love having the opportunity to spend time with them because they live with their youngest daughter in Florida much of the time. Also, my Aunt Audrey is a fabulous cook and laid out quite a spread. I don't know how she does it, but am glad she does because I certainly enjoyed every tasty morsel! My cousins Betty and Kathy were there; Lisa, one of Kathy's daughters, came by too.

Uncle Don has the original Certificates of Marriage for both sets of my great-grandparents on Mom's side. I photographed them, and a few pictures he had, for inclusion in some family history stuff I'm compiling. The best part of the afternoon though was hearing the stories he told about growing up. As a young man he certainly got around; one could say he was a bit of a rascal and lived on the wild side for a few years before he and Aunt Audrey got married. They will celebrate their 61st wedding anniversary on July 21st. Can you believe it? Just look at them!!!

For years I have told about the orange cookie jar with flowers painted on it that sat on the hutch in my Great-Grandpa & Great-Grandma Wallace's dining room. I remember it always containing plump round sugar cookies that she had baked. Through the years I have baked numerous recipes trying to replicate her cookies and often wondered what ever happened to that cookie jar. Yesterday, I learned its fate. Aunt Audrey bought it at the auction of their household goods in 1959 shortly after great-grandma died. I was ten years old, can remember the auction day clearly, and have treasured the few books from their collection that my great-aunt gave me that day. I am so thrilled that this special cookie jar remains in my family, that I got to actually touch it, and to now have photos of it.

By the time I got back home today, Rich had not only finished all the drywall work but had the first coat of paint on the walls. Before evening the second coat of paint had dried and he had the light fixtures installed!

Lovin' Life ~~ Treasuring the Generations

Which Smart Phone?

Just a bit ago, I posted the following on FB. I'm pasting it here to ask all of you the same questions and so that our grands can see Rorie's comment...loved it!

Lovin' Life ~~ And Social Media!

We're ready to make the leap but don't know what to buy. What smart phone do you use? Do you recommend it or wish you had something else? Should I wait for the Galaxy S III so that I can have conversations with my phone...giggle? Is the Razr Maxx worth its higher price? Battery life is important. We are Verizon customers. Rich won't buy an Apple product.

 ·  · 

• • 
    

    Rorie Vlaming Questions you should definitely be asking your grandkids...they are the most high tech up to date with technology kids I know!~
    

    10 minutes ago · 
  • 
    

    Paul Ineson We have a Samsung ACE with the Android operating system. Not an I Phone. they seem to be about par with one another and the Samsung is cheaper.
    

    6 minutes ago · 

Our Days

It's been just over two weeks since the kids left and have we ever stayed busy. That's the prescribed tonic for a too quiet house and life you know.

There were chores to be done over at the RV and shopping to do for our guest bath project.

Rich looked out our dining room window on the morning of June 26th to see about 80 geese walking down the fairway behind our house. As you can see, there were golfers playing through there but, even though their heads were held high on alert, the geese continued their march.

The next day was a busy one. When we got back from C'ville and St. Louis with the kids, we discovered that one of our bedroom windows had been broken by an errant golf ball...the price we occasionally pay for the view out the back of our house. While the glass guys were here to replace that window, we also had them remove the huge, standard builder-issued mirrors in our bathrooms and the glass shower doors in the master...projects, always projects. The girls were sequestered in the front room during all this activity but still kept an eye on all the goings on.

It had been hot, the first hot spell of the year when that afternoon these interesting [read scary] clouds formed and the winds came dropping the temps by 20+ degrees.

That meant it was time to bake that cake I had been planning for a couple of days. The recipe had been posted on a prominent food blogger's site and I was ready to follow her lead.

Perfect Batter

Perfect Cake

At every stage, my cake looked EXACTLY like the photos she had posted. It cooled on a rack for the exact number of minutes she instructed but when I turned it over, it seemed firmly lodged in the pan. My fabulous husband said, "Here, let me. I can shake it loose." And he did...giggle, giggle

The biggest disappointment and surprise in this whole incident though, was that we didn't like the cake. We dug into it eagerly because none of this would affect the taste, but after a few bites each the whole thing ended up in our garbage disposal!

When the kids and Rich took down the wallpaper in the guest bath, only the vinyl layer came off with the back layer still firmly attached to the wall. Removing it was simply a matter of using a sponge and warm water to wet it, loosening the edge with a thin blade, then gently pulling it off. This time I asked Rich to get the camera since I know y'all think he does every bit of every project.

              

Of course Rich does most of the work on our projects; for instance, you would not want me rewiring your house. There were overhead lights in the guest bath and now we chose sconces. He wanted me to take photos of the locations of the original wires and the newly fished wires before he puts drywall and boxes over them for inclusion in our 'behind the walls' album. We do have a good time working together, just look at that big ole smile on his face....tsk, tsk...I said look at his smile!

The next day, he was cutting a screw to the size he needed when the wire cutter slipped and he ended up in the emergency room...finally. You see, I was just there for a test a few weeks ago and he was there last week to see his optometrist but neither of us remembered correctly where it was. By the time we got there, the whole thing had become quite funny. It was like having Lucy drive you to the hospital. Thank goodness it was only a really bad, really bloody cut on his thumb. I didn't even think to grab my camera so I only have crappy cell phone photos of the whole thing. We were both joking around so much that the staff thought...well, I have no idea what they thought but they were all laughing. Here the doctor is putting four stitches in his thumb.

The giant white bandage did make it easier for him to "thumb" a ride from Target the next day though!

Our nephew, Ted, and his lovely wife, Johanna, were here from CA this past week and divided their time between the homes of a cousin on his mom's side and his Aunt Marianne's. It was so beastly hot, as I'm sure everyone heard on the news, that we didn't do much except go to fun places to eat, tour the old neighborhoods in Chicago where he lived as a kid, we got to go inside their church St. Adelbert's too and visit.

They came out to our house, their last day here. They both love dogs and were really missing theirs so they especially enjoyed seeing the girls.

I don't remember ever posting about Rich's N-scale railroad; because it is massive, he has been working on it a long time. He loved showing Ted, Johanna, and Marianne the progress he's made.

If any of you cringed when I said that Rich does electrical work in our house, he designed and installed every inch of the miles and miles of wire on this layout...you would trust him too!

That evening we joined Ted and Johanna; Marianne; Greg and Jenny; Ted's cousin, Diane, and her husband, Paul, for dinner at Home Run Inn.

What a fun way to spend the last evening, visiting with all of them! So yeah, I'm even posting a rare photo of Rich and I together.

Yesterday we braved the heat to shop for a new vanity top and we scored! We removed the old top and set the new one on just to see how it looks. Now we are having a tough time selecting the paint color and after that there is still a lot of work to be done before the guest bath is finished.

At 2:30 yesterday afternoon it was 107.2 degrees outside; five hours later it had dropped by more than 30 degrees. Rich wanted to go to DQ and on the way, fireworks were being launched just off of busy Weber Road. Rich pulled to the side of the road and we watched in awe having never seen fireworks that close before. The explosions rocked the van...it was great, except for the fact that I only had my crappy cell phone with me for photos. I.must.get.a.new.phone.

If you made it to the end of this post, know that I love you for it!

Lovin' Life ~~ And Our Very Ordinary Life