A New Year

I don't have any words. So instead, I will just post this beautiful picture. One of my last shots before Lake Huron started to freeze. It will be a while before we see freighters on our beautiful lake. 

Save our Great Lakes.

Save our Great Lakes. Shut down Line 5. Vote for Democrats. 

Brought to you by the Iosco County Democratic Party. 

Close Line 5 NOW

A fabulous LTE. 

As an Iosco County resident with a home on Lake Huron, I am writing to express my concern of and support for closing Line 5 in Michigan. This aging oil pipeline poses a serious threat to our Great Lakes and the millions of people who rely on them for drinking water, recreation, and economic opportunity.

Line 5 is a 67-year-old pipeline that runs beneath the Straits of Mackinac, a critical chokepoint in the Great Lakes system. A rupture of Line 5 in the Straits would have devastating consequences. It could contaminate hundreds of miles of shoreline, poison drinking water supplies for millions of people, and cripple the Great Lakes economy.

Enbridge, the Canadian company that owns Line 5, has a poor track record of safety. In 2010, a spill from an Enbridge pipeline in the Kalamazoo River released millions of gallons of oil into the environment. The cleanup took years and cost billions of dollars.

Enbridge has proposed building a tunnel to house Line 5 beneath the Straits of Mackinac. However, this proposal is controversial and faces significant legal challenges. Even if the tunnel is ultimately built, it will not eliminate the risk of a spill.

In addition to the above, closing Line 5 would also have a number of positive economic benefits for Michigan. A study by the Michigan League of Conservation Voters found that closing Line 5 and investing in clean energy could create over 50,000 new jobs in Michigan and generate billions of dollars in economic activity.

Closing Line 5 is the right thing to do for our environment, our economy, and our future. I urge everyone in Iosco County to support legislation that will close Line 5 and protect our Great Lakes. This is a matter of public safety and environmental protection.

UFOs

 We still don't know what was shot down in Lake Huron.  While we wait, the interwebs created some hilarious stuff.  

Now, along with the PFAS left behind by the Air Force and STILL HASN'T CLEANED UP, we have UFO debris.  

Winter on Lake Huron

I had a quick visit to check on our slice of heaven and work Perchville. What a glorious time. 

Be back soon.  

 

December

The month is winding down and we get closer to the Christmas holiday.  A few thoughts on life, the universe, and everything.  

I love the Oxford comma. Don't send me notes about it or the fact I put two spaces after the period. Just don't.  

The January 6th committee is having its final meeting on December 19th at 1pm. Mark your calendars. This is important. 

For a while now, I have been ruminating about the entire holiday season. Not everyone celebrates Christmas and I can't imagine how marginalizing it is for those who don't celebrate this season. The decorations, the words, the days off, the greetings, the cards, the parties. All of it around a holiday that isn't part of your life, faith, or family story.  

I have so many books to read. 

I took this picture a few days ago. The sunrise was spectacular.  

With love from the lake.  

Time Millionaire

As an avid reader, I subscribe to a number of wonderful newsletters. My favorite right now comes from Susan Cain. 

Susan Cain wrote the amazing book, Quiet. It's a favorite and I re-read it with some regularity. When her book, Bittersweet, was released, I wondered if it could be anywhere as wonderful as her first book. It was. It is.  And her newsletter is magnificent.  

Recently, she wrote about time. In her newsletter, she wrote about time and being rich in time. She had several suggestions on how to build a life that's rich in time; below are a few of my favorites.  

1. Spend time in solitude, every day.
2. Take a walk, every day.
3. Proactively engage with beauty (whether music, art, or nature), every day.
4. Identify the people and animals whose company you love, and spend as much time with them as you can. Many of us would rather devote ourselves to a few treasured souls, rather than divide our time among a vast array of family, friends and acquaintances. Yet there’s a tremendous amount of pressure to spread yourself socially thin. If this doesn’t suit you, resist! Create the social life that nourishes you.

​With my time being mostly my own, these are my areas of focus.  What are yours? 

Signing off from the city.  

Indigenous Land Acknowledgment

On this Thanksgiving, I will take this moment to acknowledge I live on stolen land.  

Iosco County occupies the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary lands of indigenous peoples. The Iosco County Democratic Party recognizes the Anishinaabek of the Three Fires Confederacy, the Ojibwe (Chippewa), the Odawa (Ottawa), and the Bodewadmi (Potawatomi); historic indigenous communities in Michigan; and those who were forcibly removed from their homelands. Iosco County occupies land ceded in the 1819 Treaty of Saginaw. 

In offering this land acknowledgment, we affirm our dedication to support all indigenous people in their pursuit toward equity and redress of past aggression and grievances. We further recognize the ongoing relationship of dependence upon and respect for all living beings of earth, sky, and water.

Signing off from the Lake. 

Sunday wrap up

It's been a busy couple of weeks.  Reading.  Writing.  Working.  Leaves.

I can't believe how many leaves we have on the ground.  Hopefully, we will have our leaf clean up folks come on by and haul them away before they are covered in snow.

It snowed this weekend.  I can't say that I was ready for it.  I am still thinking that I can have one more swim in Lake Huron before we close up the cottage for the winter.

That's what it's like in my fantasy world.

I love where I live.  But there are times when I miss the view.  There is something so calming about looking east and seeing traffic.







And there are these folks floating by.


'
This year is coming to an end.  It's been another wonderful year.  Busy at work.  Lots of driving. Taking care of Mr. Handsome.



We have great plans for Thanksgiving.  Hope you do too! Happy Thanksgiving week.

Parking lot

We are moving into the second week of January.  It's gloomy and lugubrious and damp and bleh.  No snow.  Just rain, some sleeting rain, and soggy grass.

Bleh.  But it means the count down to open EOTE has begun.

I love the north, living in Michigan.  We spend days driving up and down US 23.  I have driven past this sign more times than I can count.  I promised myself that someday I would stop and take a picture.  I finally did when we were up in Oscoda over Thanksgiving. 

I took a picture because no one would believe me.  With the beauty of the beach and the water, the state of Michigan put a Park and Ride ON THE BEACH.

From 2012-11-24

This is the view.

From Park and Ride

From Park and Ride

I guess the parked cars need a view too. Truth be told, I have never seen a car parked in this parking lot.

Such is life in northern Michigan. 

Impervious

The dog, Samson the dog, is crazy.  Certifiably nuts.  We are vacation at the happiest place on earth and we cannot keep that dog out of the water.  It's not August here, it's November.  None of us are swimming.  It's too cold to even rinse him off.  Too cold for me that is. 

Alas, we picked out flooring that would withstand the sand.  So be it. It's why we have a vacuum and broom.

From Thanksgiving 2012

From Thanksgiving 2012

From Thanksgiving 2012

From Thanksgiving 2012

If he is happy, I am happy.  Cheers from EOTE. 

Down and Up

The sun goes down.

From Memorial Day weekend 2012

From Memorial Day weekend 2012

and the sun comes up. 

From Memorial Day weekend 2012

From Memorial Day weekend 2012

Every 24 hours.  Our little slice of heaven on earth.  Cheers to the weekend and the start of a wonderful summer season East of the Equator. 

Sunrise

It was nice to be at the cottage without the Handsome One.   The sunrise was a little later and it was sort of fabulous to be able to sleep in.

From 2012-04-07

From 2012-04-07

From 2012-04-07

From 2012-04-07

It was a glorious weekend, Easter celebration, and get-work-done vacation.  

Up and back

Paul got home from England on Friday night.  We decided to take a quick trip up and back to check on our little piece of heaven.   We had some fall chores to take care of, needed to take down the sign, see our dear friends at the V, and just chill.

We dropped Samson off at the happy place and took off Saturday morning.  We arrived in plenty of time to enjoy the beach, the sun, and the waves.  It was delightfully warm so we spent some time outdoors.  Paul made us a wonderful dinner Saturday night.  We couldn't have asked for a nicer November weekend.

Of course, I took advantage of the beauty, the light, and the weather to get some happy snaps.







Every time I visit, I take a deep breath when I leave.  It's simply beautiful.



Tomorrow we are back at it!  Cheers.  

Why we love him so

Treat me kindly, my beloved master, for no heart in all the world is more grateful for kindness than the loving heart of me.

From Last week of June 2011

Do not break my spirit with a stick, for though I should lick your hand between the blows, your patience and understanding will more quickly teach me the things you would have me do.

From Samson's Day 7.13

Speak to me often, for your voice is the world's sweetest music, as you must know by the fierce wagging of my tail when your footstep falls upon my waiting ear.

From July 26, 2011

When it is cold and wet, please take me inside... for I am now a domesticated animal, no longer used to bitter elements... and I ask no greater glory than the privilege of sitting at your feet beside the hearth... though had you no home, I would rather follow you through ice and snow than rest upon the softest pillow in the warmest home in all the land... for you are my god... and I am your devoted worshiper.

From 2011-02-13

Keep my pan filled with fresh water, for although I should not reproach you were it dry, I cannot tell you when I suffer thirst. Feed me clean food, that I may stay well, to romp and play and do your bidding, to walk by your side, and stand ready, willing and able to protect you with my life, should your life be in danger.

From Samson

And, beloved master, should the Great Master see fit to deprive me of my health or sight, do not turn me away from you. Rather hold me gently in your arms as skilled hands grant me the merciful boon of eternal rest...and I will leave you knowing with the last breath I drew, my fate was ever safest in your hands.

From Memorial Day 2011

--Beth Norman Harris

Life's Rich Pageant

With the apostrophe.  REM left it out.  I am kind of funny about punctuation so I couldn't let it slide. Last weekend, we spent the whole day on the beach.  Surely life doesn't get any better than this, and we are grateful beyond words.

Started with a sunrise

From Incredible day at the beach

Samson got to chase his toys in and out of the water

From Incredible day at the beach

From Incredible day at the beach

From Incredible day at the beach

A beautiful Hobie Cat, my personal dream

From Incredible day at the beach

From Incredible day at the beach

A good yawn.

From Incredible day at the beach

We will be back soon enough.

Holding strong

Lasso around the post.

From East of the Equator, Summer 2011

Heaven

I have always loved the water.  I was born in January, making me an Aquarius, and from the moment I could move, I wanted to be in the water. All these years later, I can be.

There is something magnificent about the sound and smell of fresh lake water.  Lake Huron and her sugar sand stretch north and south of Oscoda is as close to perfect as I have found.

From East of the Equator, Summer 2011

From East of the Equator, Summer 2011

Add a north to north-east breeze that captures just the right amount of coolness, and there isn't much better.

Crystal clear water, with gorgeous sand. It will be swimming temp by next weekend. I am confident. :)

From East of the Equator, Summer 2011

Good night.

Weekend

We took off Friday afternoon, hoping for a nice weekend in Oscoda.  The weather cooperated slightly;  some rain in the morning but then it let up and the afternoon and evening were wonderful.    

From Oscoda - October 2010

We had reservations for a trip down the Au Sable River on board a paddleboat.  It was a nice time but the leaves aren't quite changing yet.  What made the trip worth it were some of the passengers. We boarded the boat about 10:30.  The last of the passengers (six of them) were running late and we got underway about 10:40.  This is the morning, 10:40 AM.  The first thing the six start is shots of jagermeister.  The smell of that stuff makes me ill;  I can't imagine it in the morning.  After the shots, the group starts in on bloody Marys and full glasses of scotch.  They were mildly amusing at first;  after the fourth round, they were pretty hammered, tried to say something to me and I just wandered downstairs.  They were a hoot tho.  Not sure who was driving but we wanted to be VERY FAR away from them when we got off the boat. 

From Oscoda - October 2010

From Oscoda - October 2010

Some hunters (ok help with me with what is fun about cold, wet and sitting outside in the rain? anyone?)  

From Oscoda - October 2010

At least we had enough life jackets.  :)

From Oscoda - October 2010

The lake was crazy, huge waves crashing on the beach all afternoon and evening.  It is impossible to do Lake Huron justice - the waves are beautiful and so loud.

From Oscoda - October 2010

From Oscoda - October 2010

From Oscoda - October 2010

And a little wood.

From Oscoda - October 2010

It's good to be home.  Happy Fall.