Thursday, June 20, 2013

To the beach..............

Today we made a late start by going over to see Nancy, but we did end up going to the beach. I called Laura because Nancy was having a garage sale. I went last night to pick up some things she set aside for me. I thought Laura might like to look around. I bought a few more things myself. I will have to do a post in My Pretty Things blog.
Well anyway, we decided to have lunch first then set off for Glen Haven. It was hot today, not much else we could do. The kids were primed that we were to do something fun. They just had to behave and eat their lunch. So off we went. Glen Haven is on the State Park system now. I prefered it when we could do as we pleased. Dogs didn't have to be on a leash and so on, not that it matters to us now. We no longer take our dogs out like that, but in days gone by previous poodle pals have enjoyed their freedom to roam. At least we don't have to pay yet and we know some secluded places when we want them. So many tourists now.
We parked further up the road instead of the parking lot. We wanted privacy.
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We told them we were just going to paddle and not to get soaking wet. Just stay on the edge. We were looking for rocks. Yeah....as if.......
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We reminded them again....stay on the edge, dont go in.
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They did for awhile. Reina tucked up her dress and they played at throwing rocks. Tristens favourite game. Then came the splash and Tristen fell in.

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Can you say drowned rat?

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So, he is wet, may as well carry on.

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Next he needed to go to the bathroom............agh!!! Lucky we were approaching the Light house so we popped in so he could go. He was so wet he couldn't pull his pants up so I put them in my bucket and off we went. He went home in his Angry Bird undies. We collected stones a bit longer. Here is Laura examining the stones under the water. No Petoskey stones today. Nice piece of beach glass though. Very rare today. We seldom find it now everyone uses plastic.
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Laura on her way back, we wanted to get out of the heat...........

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On the way back we stopped at the overlook and took these pictues looking out over Glen Lakes. This is a part of the "alligator" called because of its shape. Not so obvious from here but in other pictures. So This is Big Glen and looking out over the trees to lake Michigan and I believe one of the Manitou Islands
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Looking the other way over "The Narrows" the bridge between Big Glen and Little Glen Lakes. In the distance you may see a small tip of the Sand Dunes.
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One last thing........we saw deer tracks on the beach. Remember Lake Michigan is fresh water (Michigan Unsalted) and so the animals come to drink. It is so clear so aqua blue, so beautiful we don't need to go to the South Pacific to have that lovely beach and privacy.

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Conked out on the way home

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we went country roads on the way back and took our time. Saw this chap......so cute.
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It was not long and Reina was napping too. They stayed for supper and then they went home. Tristen is so tired but still fighting sleep. Tomorrow we will go garage saleing.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Tristens first bike ride on the Tart trail.......

Grandpa Dan took Tristen for a bike ride. The Tart Trail is a bike,hike,ski trail that runs from Traverse City to Sutton's Bay and also goes in the other direction. It runs in part where once there were railway lines. They biked a mile there and a mile back. Not bad for a first attempt. After all he is only 3 1/2. Dan has been doing 30 to 40 miles some evenings. So..........here they go.
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They stopped for breaks, and he had to explore too..........
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He had a little time to check out the water and see what's happening in the creek.
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They went a bit further and then had another break. Love the old barn. He liked the pump for the water and had fun with that.
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Here he is the day before doing a trial run around the neighbourhood. Dan takes him. I don't ride a bike. I never had one as a kid so never really learned. I mean I can ride but only just. Certainly not well enough to supervise a tot.
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Here they come
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Wave to Nanny
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He wasn't done, he wanted to go round the block again.
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One of these days I will have to try again. Last time I tried to ride my bike I found it very hard going..........come to find out my tyre was flat. Ho hum.

Sunday, June 16, 2013

English Butterflies........

Going back to when I was a child, as I usually do........well that is when I lived in Paradise. Sigh!! When I didn't know how fortunate I was......
I have told you that my Dad loved his garden, as did I. He gave me a love of gardens, of wild things and of the English countryside. We went on many country walks together, sometimes Mum came too. I see it as an idyllic time, it probably wasn't but in my memory it is. He grew wonderful Peonies and I have never had any luck with them. I don't think my garden has enough sun. I find that when I buy plants I buy memories. I love Iris because they were in his garden. I love Pansies because he had pansies there and there they grew all year. He had lovely stock, wallflowers and his garden shed was covered in Japanese Quince. The side of the house was covered in Honeysuckle and the front with Forsythia. That was until the Sparrows nested under his bedroom window. Then he pulled it down so they could not do it again. The windows would be open in the summer and no screens there so the breeze would blow in and so would the noise of squabbling Sparrows.
It's butterflies I want to talk about though. Some beautiful ones can be seen in English (British) gardens. Here is a Peacock butterfly.
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I get the name of the Peacock mixed up with the Red Admiral even though they are not alike.
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I can not look at this beauty and not believe in God. It does not make sense to me that these things came about by chance. If they did, then why would the flowers have landing strips for bees? Why would they advertise the way in for all the honey makers and pollenators. That can not happen without some form of communication in the process of creation. I don't understand how anyone can believe that but they do, and to each their own. Me I thank God for the beauty around us.
This is a Cabbage White.
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I know when Dad had vegetables the caterpillars were everywhere and had a sickening smell.I hated them. The worse thing was a bug that preyed on them, they would lay their eggs inside the caterpillar and then they were eaten from inside out, made me so sick to think of it that I disliked the butterfly as well. I have recovered from that now.
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The next one is the Small Tortoise shell butterfly. A very common one in Dad's garden.
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Also the Painted Lady
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Here two Tortoise shell and a Red Admiral
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The Comma
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The Common Blue.........not so common and very beautiful.
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This one is a Small Copper
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The next one is a Moth, I always though it was beautiful. A Tiger Moth..........I think the ones I saw were not as red as this but its been a very long time.


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These are just a few of the common butterflies that you will see in any English garden with pretty flowers. God's flying flowers.


Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Tristen gets a bike...........

Grandpa Dan decided the little whipersnapper needed a two wheel bike. He has one at his Auntie Laura's. He was quite happy with his 3 wheeler having only just got the hang of that, but never mind. He is now the proud owner of a two wheeler with training wheels.
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So we proudly set off up the sidewalk.........this trip is only just up the path a ways
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Out of the front garden and up the sidewalk to the road where we turn around. He did have a little trouble turning around.........
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It started to get tough going on the way back, he was struggling.......see the determination on that face though.
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.....so he stopped to take a look, check out his tool kit and see if something needed to be fixed.
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It sure did......notice the front tyre, it's a little bit flat. Never mind.......with a few shoves from me we made it back OK.
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So the bike was put up for Grandpa Dan to fix. He did........ and Tristen got to ride another day.
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Friday, June 7, 2013

D-Day.........the beginning of the end.

Many films have been made of the Normandy Invasion but nothing can compare to the horror of being there. A friend of mine was on that beach and was severely wounded. He has live a life of pain and suffering. Oh he doesn't talk about it to anyone but I know his story from his wife. He was injured and spent hours under a tank waiting for help. For many years after the war he was a paraplegic but eventually regained the use of his limbs. He almost didn't make it, it was pure luck that when he was recovered and thought dead, someone heard him grunt as they threw him on the pile of dead. I wont say he was lucky, but he lived and lived a good long life now in his 90s he is in a nursing home and still in pain. The price of our freedom.
My Uncle was killed at Dunkirk, on the beach there and is buried in France. Some day I hope to make the trip to see that cemetery.
My Grandmother had 10 children and only one died. She had 5 boys and four went away to war. They all came back. Two served in the desert war and my father Harry, who was being trained for desert war was sent off to Singapore when Japan entered the war. He was captured there and spent the rest of the war in a Japanese prison camp, it changed his life forever. His brother in law was also captured as was a nephew of his. They all made it home. The tales of horror never repeated unless in a round about way while telling someone else's story. Or as is the British way, seeing humour in odd places, telling some funny stories.
My Dad told me about being set to guard the dead. Apparently the Japanese would put a dead person in a wooden coffin and leave a couple of people to stand guard (I didnt get that part of the story) .....one night Dad was standing guard with a young Japanese soldier/person. Well when the body settles air can escape and the body stiffens. In the silence of the night noises came from inside the coffin as the person inside expelled air from his lungs and his fingers scratched the bottom of the coffin. The young Japanese man went "white as a sheet" and ran screaming from the room, leaving good old Harry in a state of mirth. Being expert himself he knew all was well and didn't enlighten the poor young man.
Charlie McDonald who lived next door was a paratrooper. He was dumped over France prior to the invasion. Charlie was a very small man with a big heart. The most unlikely of hero's. No one could envision him jumping from a plane, but jump he did and he came home to tell the tale. We only hear of what the Americans did but they were only a part of that day. Americans do not like the French, and I hear a lot of stories about how they "let" the Germans conquer them and "walk right in" .............that is not the case at all and anyone who reads their history will know that. If it were not for the French resistance the invasion would not have been possible, or at least would have been much more difficult. Sometimes its better to live to fight another day. Many French people who were not in the Resistance helped the British and Americans along the way, especially the people out in the French countryside, and many died because they helped. Unless you have been invaded, please do not rush to judgement. America didn't enter the war until the end and certainly didn't win it single handed as many seem to think. I deeply resent some of the attitudes I have come across since living here. "We saved your arses" is a common misconception. No, you did not. In fact if America had not been attacked we probably would have fought a lot longer but would not have been fighting the Japanese as well. Who knows............Whatever........my intent is not to speculate on that but to thank those men who did go to war and loose their youth and die on foreign soil. They were young men, very young men. They gave it all and defeated Hitler and those who came home were never the same. War is never good, but that one had to be fought there was no other choice. Today we go for all the wrong reasons but that is another story.


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Thank you

Thursday, June 6, 2013

Kids Creek..............

Laura and I took Tristen shopping with us yesterday. We went to Kohl's and to Michaels for various things and after that we went for a walk. There used to be some fields all along US 31 where Mr Oleson kept most of his Buffalo herd. In fact when we came to town in the early 1970s there was a large farm at the intersection that now has the Mall on it. Beautiful old barns all torn down in the name of progress along with the Cherry orchards that lined the road. Traverse City was a small town when I arrived in 1971. Anyway, the remaining fields along that stretch of road eventually were developed and the last bit went when they built the Kohl's store. However, lucky for everyone, Kid's Creek flowed through that area making it rather unsuitable for building and so maybe a 5 acre spot was saved. It is dedicated now to Mr Oleson and they have put in a pond and pathways that meander through and around the creek. The rest of the fields that back on to the next road over will soon be developed and this little area will be an oasis in the concrete jungle surrounding it.
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The look on Tristen's face is because he was told to wait for Grandma Laura. We started off towards the pond, no ducks today, they were out on the Creek somewhere. We could hear them. Kid's Creek does not go in a straight line, it curls around itself back and forth. There are fish in there. Salmon and Rainbow trout. I think thats why they built the pond, so people could have a place to fish without trampling down all the wild things.
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The stream is very shallow, maybe a foot at it's deepest, at least what I have seen. It probably gets deeper in places. It runs all through the woods surrounding the town and shows up all over the place. This little area is so convenient for a quick get away from it all.
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The air was full of the scent of Honeysuckle. Pink and white varieties of wild Honeysuckle so sweet.
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I took some pictures of flowers as we ambled along. The Strawberries were in flower, Wood Anemonie and Goatsbeard that had a pretty yellow flower.

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We saw a Red Wing Blackbird. Normally they dont sit still long enough for me to get a picture. This one must have a nest because he was putting on quite the show for us.
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We passed a lady with several kids and met them again as we got to the end. Tristen is enthralled with other kids and so outgoing he is never shy
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There was a pine tree that had baby pine cones that I thought was interesting and quite beautiful.
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All in all it was a pleasant break for us. Just relaxing and fun for a small boy.

Monday, June 3, 2013

Vampires and werewolves..................

I don't know how long I have had this fascination with them, Vampires and Werewolves that is but I do know its been a long time. Did it begin with American Werewolf in London or was it when I read "Interview With a Vampire"?......I don't know. I do know that "Interview with a Vampire" was one awesome book. I ended up reading the series until Anne Rice started to pump them out one after the other. Then joy of joys they made a movie.............and the cream on top well that was the cast. Makes me drool to think about it. Brad Pitt, Antonio Banderas and Tom Cruise.....could they have cast it any better? NO!!!!! I mean to say, just look at this. He can bite me anytime. (sorry did I really say that?)

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Well after watching that, I kind of went on to watch quite a few Vampire movies. I like the ones that are not just an excuse for gore. I like a great story. I don't like a farce but a bit of humour is nice. Take "Being Human" the British version........awesome. Yes a bit of gore but offset with humour to take the edge off. It is the story of a Vampire, Werewolf and Ghost. The two lead guys left the series and I lost interest after that. The original 3 people had such great rapport that it just would not be the same without them. The British humour at its best. I tried to watch the American version but could not get into it It was those 3 people that made the show. If you have not seen it, give it a go (Netflix)I may try to watch the rest now I have got over looking the two main guys to see how it went after that. Might even watch the American version.
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I was reminded of George in Being Human (who was so so funny) while watching our latest series "Teen Wolf". This was recommended to me by someone I know on Facebook. I was skeptical because its about teens. However its far better than the Twilight series. I was not keen on that. It's tense and funny and we are in about episode 8 right now. I think there are 3 seasons. I love Netflix and watching a whole season. Spoils us for having to wait for next week. We are currently watching "The Walking Dead" one of the best TV shows and I hate zombie movies, but the storyline is just so good that its a not to miss series. I watched the first two seasons on Netflix to catch up. Anyway, Teen Wolf has a side kick that so reminds me of George that I laugh out loud. I guess I love guys with intense eyes and with these kinds of movies its all in the eyes isn't it.
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One of the first Vampire movies that I loved and watched over and over was "Lost Boys" again, the cast was incredible. I mean to say .......Billy Weurth, Kieffer Sutherland among others. Good grief, no wonder I am addicted.
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I didn't watch Lost Boys 2 because, well it just would not be the same. There have been loads of films, not too many are ones I want to see again. "Blade" "Vampyres" and ugh "Dracula" just do not have it, watched them and "Dusk to Dawn"......but not my taste. Its those beautiful guys who are just so naughty. I can not resist. Can not wait for next season of "The Walking Dead" the hero's are not Zombies thank goodness yuck. How could I forget "The Vampire Diaries"?
Just look at those eyes.........Ian Somerhalder
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So...........for all you guys who hate this genre, so sorry........I just had to let you see my nasty little secret hehehehehe................