Party! Party!

Lynn left this afternoon to go down state on business. So guess what? I'm in charge (like I'm not on a daily basis). That means...I can lock up the lobby when I want and go out on the town or I can have a party here. NOT!! I have been good (darn). I locked up the lobby at the regular time and I awaited your phone calls for reservations. My guests have long since gone to bed. I have decided that because I have no one to say good night to, I will tell all of you good night!

Mother's Day Trip

Our daughter, Rebecca and her husband,Tim, and daughter Andrea came up for Mother's Day weekend. They said for me to pick whatever I wanted to do. So I did. We drove across the bridge to St Ignace and this is what we saw...

Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox are standing guard over Castle Rock. Paul got a new shirt!

We couldn't climb Castle Rock because it was not open yet. So we just waved at it.

So....how did we get to Disney World????

Rush Hour

Here's a picture of rush hour traffic in downtown Mackinaw City. Just think, we don't have a traffic helicopter to report any major traffic congestion.

Memorial Day

Today we celebrate Memorial Day with a wonderful two hour parade . From the lobby I could hear the marching bands and sirens from the fire trucks. The parade ends under the bridge and from my lobby window I can see all the floats, bands and of course, clowns. It was quite a show.
After the parade, at Colonial Fort Michilimackinac a historic re-enactment takes place. It is an account of a battle between the English and the Indians that took place in the 1760's. It is historically accurate right down to the soles of the shoes worn at that time. I can hear the sound of the muskets and cannon from my lobby. It is also something to see Indians in costume walking around town talking on cell phones. It kind of messes with your mind a little.
We also have a Memorial Day service before the parade begins to commemorate the sacrifices of so many soldiers. It is a time honored tradition that makes one remember why we celebrate this day.
Tonight at dusk we will have a fireworks. They are always a beautiful sight against the black night sky. I am really looking forward to watching them.
I hope that wherever you are, that you are able to enjoy the company of family and friends. Perhaps, even enjoying a barbecue. Yum..please put one on the grill for me!
Happy Memorial Day!

Blow Me Down!

It has been quite an interesting week...weather wise. It started out cold, highs in the mid forties with wind from the northwest at about 20 m.p.h. I dressed in layers of turtlenecks and fleece. Then we woke up Tuesday morning and needed cement shoes just to walk outside. The wind had increased to 40 m.p.h. with gusts higher. This lasted for three days. Lynn was trying to put the finishing touches on the pool so we would have it ready for the Memorial weekend. He had to wait. Finally he could wait no longer and he filled the pool...all 26,000 gallons of water that needed to be heated up to about 84 degrees in two days.
On Wednesday morning, we were once again dressed in layers. The mercury had dipped to the upper twenties over night. The weatherman had promised us that we would see 83 degrees today. We just laughed. Then it hit. It was about 10:30 in the morning and I had to talk with our housekeeping staff. I walked briskly outside and discovered that the winds were again coming out of the northwest and remained constant at about 35 m.p.h. People, it was cold. Fifteen minutes later, I watched as my staff had removed their coats and were washing the outdoor chairs. I opened the door and wham! The temperature went up 20 degrees. We actually hit 88 by 5:00. The winds remained crazy and we could watch the bridge authority escort vehicles over the bridge.
After three days and nights of high winds, I am happy to report that it has calmed down and we are busy cleaning up tree buds. But that's OK because now I know that with the buds off the trees leaves are sure to follow. With leaves comes warmer weather...yea!

The Rumbling

Our second evening here proved to be a noisy one. I looked out the window and saw a beautiful sunset one minute and the next I heard the rumble of thunder. I got brave and snapped a few pictures of a thunderstorm coming in from Lake Michigan. I was going to attempt a few pictures of the magnificent lightning strikes until lightning struck in the middle of our parking lot. I admit...I'm a chicken. You'll just have to take my word for it...it is an awesome sight!
 

 

 

First Fog of the Season

On our first morning here, we awoke to the sound of the fog horn. It is a sound that says "go back to sleep". It is a very soothing sound. I took these pictures of the first fog of our season for you. Hope you can hear the sound of the fog horn and the birds as they navigate through the fog. Probably the reason birds sound so loud in the fog is so that they do not run into one another. That's my thought!
 

 

 

 

I get many questions about leaving our home and coming north. We buy everything we need for six months and cram it into the van. As you can tell, we barely fit into the van. After we close the door, we lock the doors and make sure we are careful when we get out of the van for lunch that nothing falls out!
 

 

This is my Q-Tip tree. Have you noticed it on I-75? We're getting close.  

There's the Mighty Mac!  

When we arrive at the motel, we are greeted by Mackinaw's first sign of spring.... 

I'm bloggin'

This is how I make my blogs. It's a fun process and I hope you enjoy the results.

Upnorth Patriotism

 

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The Laundry Mountain

When we arrive here in the spring, we find that is a more efficient use of time if I go to the laundry mat and do all the linens for the motel. And that's exactly what I have been doing for two days. I have washed the equivalent of 120 loads of laundry that a typical in home washing machine handles. I used four gallons of laundry detergent, 3 boxes of powder bleach, 3 gallons of Febreeze laundry and a large box of fabric softener.
Lynn stayed back at the motel to supervise the staff, take reservations and he did a great job spring cleaning the lobby.
Our cleaning staff has been extremely busy washing walls, windows,furniture and scrubbing the bathrooms. Everything looks spic and span.
It feels so good to go into the rooms and see how clean everything smells and looks.
We still have a lot more to do to get ready for another busy season and we are looking forward to it.

We're Back!

Lynn and I loaded our van up to the gills and headed north on April 23. We left an area that showed the promise of spring...green grass trees budding and spring flowers blooming. The further north got the plainer it got. There was no sign of anything. Nothing was blooming or budding. There was no green grass...anywhere.
We arrived here around 2:00 in the afternoon. It was a gorgeous day. The skies were clear and the beautiful Mackinaw blue sky reflected onto the cold waters of the straits. The bridge was still standing as majestic as ever and all looked right in our world.
Last year when we arrived we found plumbers working on ruptured water lines in the lobby and in a room. No so this year. It was smooth sailing. All we have to do now is spring clean the rooms, get to the grocery store, check for any winter damage to the building, clean the zillions of tree branches from the parking lot and do mountains of laundry.

The End

Well, we have come to the end of another year and the plumber is do here any second to drain the pipes. The rooms are all draped with sheets to ward off the winter dust and the closed sign is on the lobby doors. The van is packed and we are headed home. Thank-you for sharing my blogging moments with me. Stay tuned for next year!