Fireworks!! Camera Issues?

O.K. So we all know I'm not a photographer. I know absolutely NOTHING about cameras either. I took these pictures last night at the festive conclusion of the picture perfect day at our marina. We were guests of our neighbors, Fred and Susan, and had an incredible view from the deck of their cruiser, "Just Ducky."

So what happened? I was using my digital camera and had it turned on the "fireworks" setting. Don't get me wrong, I think these are intriguing images, but they don't exactly look like what we were seeing in the sky. These sorta look like time-lapse?? Or a colony of squids. Or something viewed under a microscope. Or exotic molds in the refrigerator. Hmmmm. If anyone can shed some insight, please leave me a comment on your theory. Thanks.

Winners: Graceland Giggles

This is my personal choice for the boat with the most happy-going-on. These kids 'performed' for hours once the judging got started, until the sun set so that the fireworks could get underway. Choreography: outstanding. Costumes: too cute. Enthusiasm: contagious. Elvis popcorn: appreciated. Family fun: priceless. Reminds me of my bumper sticker that says: "I embarrass my off-spring."

Amphicar -- Aqua-car

Lookie here! It's a car. It's a boat. It's amazing! This is one of the few remaining, fully operational amphicars known. You should have heard the cheers when it drove right into the water and swam across the marina for the crowds!! We were walking down the hill on Main Street, (from On Deck headed toward the pier) at the end of the day and the proud owners were driving up the hill, having had enough fun. My camera wasn't quick enough to get a pic of the front grill/hull. We were laughing so hard to see it from that angle! Good 'ol Yankee ingenuity in action!!

Woodies @ the Beach!!

Look at all the Woodies lining our beach! What incredible craftsmanship for their day, and what a loving tribute to keep them gleaming and in good repair all these decades later. Wow. Sister Bay day is always on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend and is a tribute to all things fantastic.

How fortunate that all my flights were efficient and that I was able to make it back for the blue sky, afternoon festivities taking place a block from our place. Whoooo hoooo. Let's hear it for "Midwest Connect." They are the airlines that are best known for serving their signature freshly baked (during the flight) ooey-gooey chocolate chip cookies. Gotta love the midwest.

I realize that I neglected to take any pictures of the Lions Club boatbuilding tent for children..... it's a madcap, beehive of activity, where the kids get to create their own vessels from precut wood. Standing room only. Awesome creativity. Next year.

Cinci: "All Together Now"

Look at these joyous early childhood teachers from Clermont County!! What an exuberant burst of energy. We sang. We danced. We laughed. We learned. The first picture shows the sign language motion 'together' as in 'Everybody, all together now.' Even after the 4,586th time I've lead this song of mine -- I'm still smiling. It's contagious. Just ask this crew. Also captured are some good 'bops' for that jazzy song/dance of mine..... and last but not least, the dancing feet during my Scottish brig, 'Higgeldy Biggeldy.' [Notice how capably these feet are crossing the midline!!] I forgot to have anyone take a picture of me. Dog gone it. Insert sad face.... today I was premiering my new polka dot tights from my Napa Valley trip and believe me, they are memorable. Note to self: next time. Something to look forward to.

SQUEEEEEZE da BABEEEEZZZ

So as much as I LOVE our northern PLAYground, coming home for a whirlwind has it's unique perks, too!!! Look who picked me up from the airport! Sarah drove my three pips. Wonder boy got to see some up close and personal airplanes -- taking off and landing. I just can't believe everything that the darlings are doing, since I've been gone for three weeks. AMAZING. McK is rolling over like a ballarina. Trev is as big as a truck and has hilariously discovered his tongue. WB put all 25 pegs into the big, oversize pegboard like he was taking a college entrance exam. SOOOO much fun!! Then I went over and had a brainstorm session around some new tunes that are rolling around in my head. The car is packed and filled with gas.... Cinci here I come!!

O-R-A-N-G-E Sunset Tonight

O-r-a-n-g-e, that's the way you spell orange. (Sung to the tune of Edelweiss..... the dittie I made up for Sarah's first batch of spelling words in first grade.) I'm not sure how you could have any more orange in a sunset? Monochromatic, yes. Yet, it was breath-taking in it's own way. Now that the sun has set, I'm getting all organized to depart for OH tomorrow. Heading ultimately to Cincy to speak to their teachers -- gearing up for the new school year. The plan is to squeeze the babeez and Wonder Boy for a couple of minutes en route. Sweet dreams.

Fresh Salmon all Summer

My favorite main course has long been salmon..... and I'm happy to report that supposedly it's good for you. So imagine how delighted I am to have an entire freezer filled with this fresh treat. Allen's been out on two charter salmon fishing trips -- both in the early evening over on Lake Michigan. Last night he and his Uncle John each caught their limit: 4 fish for each. They brought home another 50 pounds of cleaned fillets to add to the stockpile in the freezer. Now that's a lot of salmon! Hope that we don't tire of this delicacy. We are now the pleased owners of a new food saver, vacuum-seal contraption. (I would highly recommend it to all fishing people.) We'll be able to enjoy our personally-caught, yummy salmon for months to come, perhaps seasons to come.

"Mosaic" Counter Top

We went to pick up my specially ordered book and look what I found!! These images are portions of the counter top at "Novel Ideas" one of our independent book stores, up here in the land of originality. Aren't they gorgeous? When I asked for permission to take the pictures, I also inquired as to how it was all put together. I was told that the original counter was black, which creates the lovely leading effect. They took papers of all sorts, from books, encyclopedias, maps et. al. and colored/dyed them first -- before cutting, tearing, affixing and adding the finish coat. This work seriously constitutes a novel idea! Bravo.

Evening Sunset, New Hat

What fun to have found a new hat with pizzazz and style. Noelle found her newspaper boy's old school cap in Fish Creek @ the fun new, funky place called "Brilliant Stranger." We thought it best to give it an official test drive for the evening sunset walk. Here are the three of us getting ready for the big show..... and Noelle working very hard to remain on her feet, at water's edge.

We voted and decided that our favorite collective stop on today's tour was the Edgewood Gallery's brand new sculpture garden..... a lovely mulched trail goes snaking thru the tall pines, showing off choices of contemporary work amidst more traditional. Stellar. A real addition to our arts mecca. Hat's off!!

Similarities? Ya think?

So here we are together, perched on the edge of our little corner. Remember the antique quilt? One of my favorite things...... purchased while on our honeymoon up in Maine. It's found a happy home up here. You should have seen Noelle's face as she looked around our 'transplanted' Worthington backdrop (all the furnishings from our home when she was in high school, uprooted to this new location. I just LOVED when she saw the stools that I handpainted, back in the day. She actually squeeled with delight.)

So do you think that there's some family resemblence going on? One of the artists went a wee bit bonkers over how similar she thought we look. Happy, happy, joy, joy.

COMPANY!! wheeeeeee

Look who came to visit!! Noelle is seen here channeling her inner-Viking princess, right there in the midst of the gift shop. She's here for the first time...... for a long weekend. We've been having SO much fun showing her from one end of the peninsula to the other. It's such a giggle fest to see these familiar sites thru her eyes. We went to see Neil Simon's "Rumors" at the Peninsula Players the night of her arrival. Last night it was the always popular American Folk Theatre's original musical comedy, "Lumberjacks in Love." [Their newly commissioned musical for next year is, "Cheeseheads: the Musical." Can't wait!] We stumbled into a brand new gallery entitled K. Allen -- and it's quickly become an all time favorite. Very contemporary. She's been out on the motorcycle and down to our 'beach' several times. This morning we went over to Lake Michigan to Grandma's Bakery breakfast buffet: memorable! Tonight we're going to the Sky View Drive In. Fun. Fun. Fun.

Birch Tree Enthusiasm

Getting this far north is a treat because we are surrounded by birch trees. Birch among the tall pines. Birch at waters edge. Birch dancing against the sky. Birch cavorting with the green leaves. I am ALWAYS uplifted to see the 'shocking' contrast of those white pillars against the darker surrounding forest. When the sun is at full strength, these tree trunks shimmer. I captured these while getting my morning walk and oxygen-intake requirement for the day.

It was only when I took my focus off of my feet and my immediate path -- and thought to "look up" that I was gifted with this radiant image, towering overhead. Ahhhh. [How I long to truly capture this inspiration.] Magnificent. As I continue to walk I am juggling the lessons of "looking up" with the idea of cleaning the windows in my own little lighthouse...... suddenly 'this little light of mine' is jingling along in there too, as I continue to walk ..... shining my little work out to others..... looking up to see the gifts all around....... gaining perspective from seeing the bigger picture. What a fortunate use of my time: the walking, the thinking, the juggling, the appreciating, the reflecting, the considering -- the seeing.

Evidence: By-Gone Days

One of the BEST parts of our time up here: the blue skies..... seriously BLUE skies. It's a different shade of blue than Ohio's skies. It's just so refreshing, hard to describe. When you look at your mamoth crayon package, you'll find one marked "Door County Refreshing Blue Sky." (It's the really big set...... don't ya just love getting new school supplies?)

Walking up to the TOP of the hill I spot this relic..... bones of an old dinosaur. I'm not exactly sure why this little red wheeled contraption makes me so happy, but it does. Just puts a smile on my face. I really like the wheels. 'The wheels on the tractor go 'round and 'round.' They seem so happy.

Sign Language Illustration

Despite all of the temptations and all of the possibilities for fun..... I wanted to post evidence that I am making serious progress on the sign language illustrations for "Tall Giraffe." I purchased the sweet street sign last summer at one of my favorite flea markets. Those are the super-fine magic markers that are so extremely awesome. This picture was taken in my new 'studio' addition that Allen created just for me: three walls of windows, a high ceiling and my own highly adjustable ceiling fan. Rebecca, are you watching? Are you proud of me? It's progress!!

Fred & Fuzzy's: Fantastique

What an absolutely perfect day to eat at the B.E.A.C.H. (best escape anyone can have: according to a baseball cap in the gift store, down the shore.) When the doorbell rings and friends say, "How about Fred and Fuzzy's for lunch?" The answer is always: YES!! At our shore-side table we had the opportunity to watch fellow hungry patrons arrive via pontoon and motorboat. [No ski-dos this meal.] There was a kayak crew that was seriously busy, but the most entertainment came from watching the young, super-blonde boys picking up the biggest rocks they could lift and splash them at each other: kerplunk!

Thanks to our good friends John and Donna for the idea and the treat. It was also their idea to go hear the Dixieland Jazz band in the Fishstock barn the other night. What incredible talent we heard. My favorite was the rousing closer "When the Saints Go Marching In." There was a trombone duet that nearly brought the barn down. Such a joyous romp, it brought tears to my eyes.

Cana Island Lighthouse

It was a warm day. Perfect for a mini-adventure! We rode the motorcycle across our peninsula and explored the Cana Island Lighthouse for the first time in all of our years of tramping about this gorgeous area. It was such a beautiful, blue-sky day. Once we climbed the 96 steps to the top and crept through the porthole.... we got out on the walkway to an incredible breeze to match the amazing view. Enjoy this glorious view of Lake Michigan. Watch carefully on the descent and be grateful for that handrail that was installed at the end of the 1890's!

One of the daily chores of the lighthouse keeper was to keep the windows clean -- so that the light would have it's most efficient beam. There's a moral to that story, isn't there?

It's amazing what beauty lies just around the next bend in the road. There are still so many places for us discover -- right here on the peninsula. We'll continue to head to new vistas and store the sights until later.

Sunny Sunday Serenity

So simple. So encouraging. Smiles. Sincerity. Serendipity.

Goats-on-the-Roof

As promised..... here's a glimpse into our local tourist attraction: you can have a great stack of pancakes and marvel about the goats on the rooftop in the same morning! Just what are liggonberries, you may wonder? I'm saving some mystery for your first trip up. By the way: Al Johnson's is all about scandanavia and doesn't discriminate between Norway and Sweeden --they have bumper stickers for both countries, cookbooks for each, flags from either -- you name it, if it's scandanavian ............ follow the traffic of cameras focused on the goats!!

With the economy being slow, I think the local town fathers have asked Al to turn up the excitement, as there have been several sightings of 6 goats simultaneously in my first week back to this County of Door. A real first for the 2008 season. This will give you an idea.... it's very challenging to capture all 6 in one frame, but I'd like extra credit for four PLUS sea gulls.

Colorful World & Progress

One of the many things to appreciate anew on our little island, is how much color there is here.... and how much of it is unique. The galleries. The sunsets. The gardens of flowers that take your breath away. The birch trees against water's edge. I want to soak it up and store it for later reference. This morning we ventured out to a fantastic artist supply store gallery. I purchased all of the materials for the sign language illustration for my upcoming Giraffe book. My favorite new toys are some REMARKABLE fine-tip black markers. Who knew you could make a line that fine? Makes me think of Harold's Purple Crayon. The chairs above are lined up for conversation outside of the "Dolphin House" [always at the top of my list of galleries to see]..... the sunset I took last night at our village dock. Wow. Double Wow: Amazing. Simply AMAZING!!

Water Color Demonstration

Here's a picture of the most amazing water-colorist at Arts Day, Sister Bay. Judy Barnewolt-Jones was able to work and explain her technique and decision-making process, all mid stroke. We visited for quite some time. Unfortunately all of her classes are over for the season, so I'll have to wait till next year to take a class. Judy is obviously a brilliant teacher and a TOTAL inspiration. I've attatched a link to her website, here on my blog, under "friends with talent." And yes, we both agree that her work has some reference to Andrew Wyeth....one of my favorites for realism and detail. What do you think?

Flags-a-Flying-Fun

A VERY windy Arts Day down on the shore. Needless to say, this colorful tent was my favorite. When the wind kicked up and all the flags started flying and twirling, the whole tent 'took off.' They were able to lasso it back to the ground, safely. All of the artists were asked to give 2 demonstrations of their work-in-progress. I loved seeing everyone and hearing their approach toward their work. My favorite activity was at a 'participation' booth that was organized for us to paint a silk scarf. What a great day. High quality work. Amazing demos. Participation. Kid's area: Super-duper day. Oh!! And my dear husband Allen's birthday. We're pictured here at day's end on our premeire trip to The Olde English Inn having a scruptious meal..... my first beef Wellington: five star birthday, indeed.

Sister Bay, Door County

So we've arrived safely to our home-away-from-home in Sister Bay, Wisconsin. The road sign at the edge of town declares that there's 886 people living here -- now with our arrival I guess that's 888? We're a block east of the marina on Green Bay. We are in the big village on this penninsula and have both a bowling alley and hardware store to boast of. If you know anything of Door County you know that we also have Al Johnson's Restaurant. It's a scandanavian mecca with a VERY steep roof which grows a crop of grass to feed the mini-herd of goats put out to 'roof-pasture' on sunny days -- much to the delight of all passing thru.

This is a place of rejuvination and new sights. Fresh breath. Exercise. Culture. Here's a glimpse of the marina on Arts Day. Flowers in full bloom!