Perfect Timing

Mackinac Island awoke today to a blanket of snow. We had a smidgen yesterday, but today we had more than enough for our snowmobiles. Not much makes us happier than that! For me it was perfect timing - now getting several large boxes down to school in the morning will be much easier.

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope you and yours have a lovely day filled with family, friends, and food!

Teachable Moment

Mackinac Island kids aren't usually able to get up close and personal with semi-trucks. When a truck showed up today to drop off a load of wood chips for the play ground, I asked the driver if he'd talk to the kids about his rig. 

They learned how it was loaded, how many cubic yards of wood chips it could carry, and how much it weighed when it was full. He even let them climb up so they could peek in the cab and get a quick tutorial on all the dials and levers he had on the dashboard.

He was an absolute peach of a guy to answer all of their (and my) numerous questions. The fact the kids found the most surprising was the truck could only travel three miles on a gallon of diesel (about 1.8 km per L). 

Morning Musings

The sky was beautiful this morning. There's just something about my morning walks to school...

I'm not sure if it's the exercise, the solitude, or the quiet contemplation, but whatever it is, it gets my day started on a positive note. 

 

I Can't Resist

Let me tell you, I really appreciate being able to sew. I'm dressing up as Princess Leia for Comic Con this year. I made sure my dress had pockets, but I knew I couldn't make them big enough to carry everything I would need for a day out (glasses, phone, drink, wallet and, of course, snacks.) Even though a bag isn't part of Leia's official costume, I wanted one. Canvas and strap from Amazon, an inexpensive graphic from Etsy.com, a free Star Wars font, and an hour or two was all it took to create a bag fit for a princess.

Homemade Rebel Fleet Trooper

This year when my friend, Keith, and I head to the Grand Rapids Comic Con, he didn't want to go as Boba Fett again. He wanted to be a Rebel Fleet Trooper instead, so I got sewing. Purchasing a vest on Etsy was going to run over $300, and I knew I could do it cheaper. I've got to say - I am pretty proud of that vest. Almost every pocket on that thing, was self-drafted! I started with pictures of a vest and using - gasp - math, figured out how big they should be on the real shirt. (See kids - understanding ratios and proportions is a useful, albeit nerdy, life skill!)

Just to be safe, my first version of each pocket was made with scrap fabric. That way I could alter the pattern and not waste my actual fabric. The vest started out as two black BDU shirts. The sleeves of shirt one as well as the sleeves and back of the second shirt became the pockets. (A BDU shirt is a military style shirt, readily and cheaply available at surplus places.) I also added the placket to the front of the blue shirt to cover up the buttons. Apparently there are no buttons in the Star Wars universe...

Keith lives an hour away, so getting together to try things on can be a challenge. Fingers crossed that everything fits! If you happen to be here because you are looking to make your own Star Wars Fleet Trooper vest, shoot me a message and I will happily share my pocket patterns with you.

A Beacon of Light

I owe a huge debt of gratitude to the person who suggested I call Beacon House. After the whirlwind drive up to Marquette to be with my son, it was wonderful not to have to worry about where I was going to sleep, finding a parking spot, or figuring out where I could find a cup of coffee. Beacon House took care of all of it. Plus - it's just a quick walk to and from the hospital. Let me tell you, it's been a godsend. 

Probably my favorite thing so far has been the guest book. Inside, it has the name and a photograph of the couple who sponsored my room. Guests are able to leave a note in the book, which at the end of the year is given to the sponsors. What a lovely way to for them to see the impact their generosity is having on people. 

If, heaven forbid, you ever happen to be dealing with a medical emergency in the Marquette, Michigan, area call Beacon House. They'll take good care of you.

Current Situation

I'm hanging out in Marquette for a few days with my son. He was brought by ambulance last night from Houghton to the hospital here. Apparently the medical center in Houghton isn't really a "hospital," so they thought it best to send him to a place able to provide a higher level of care. We didn't know where they were going to send him until after the last boat yesterday; and since Grand Rapids, Marquette, and Green Bay were all listed as possibilities, I couldn't really start driving driving I had a clear direction to go. After catching the first boat off the island this morning, I headed north and caught up with him at about noon.  Please don't worry - he's going to be OK, and is in good spirits.

Yooperlites!

We spent a recent weekend in a lovely spot up in the UP. We've wanted to stop there for a while, but we've been told it is usually quite crowded and very buggy. We thought waiting until fall might give us a better chance and we were right - somehow we managed to snag the last campsite available at The Mouth of the Two Hearted River. 

It was gorgeous, and totally worth the hour-long drive on sandy washboard roads to get to the campground. The shore of Lake Superior was a quick walk from the campground and it did not disappoint.

The beach is a rockhound's dream. We found a ton of interesting rocks for Allen to tumble, including this one I dubbed "The Heart of Lake Superior."

I was surprised at just how many people were there looking for rocks. There were people everywhere with scoops and buckets finding treasures. We didn't do a whole lot of searching during the day - we couldn't find what we were after until after dark.

After a beautiful sunset and a nice walk away from the mouth of the river, we broke out the black lights, specifically blacklights with a 365 nm filter, and started searching. 

We were a little worried that the beach would be too picked over to find anything, but we had great luck. Allen and I managed to find sixteen syenite rocks rich with sodalite - a mineral that glows bright orange under blacklight. (They are also called Yooperlites, but that is a trademarked name.) That's why you have to look for them after dark - it's that bright orange glow that helps you find them, and that glow isn't easy to see in daylight. These rocks, first found along Lake Superior in 2017, have become a "thing" and lots of tourists are looking for them these days.

The Mouth of the Two Hearted River was a beautiful place to explore. I'm not sure we'll go back, but it was a great spot for a fall getaway.

Better Safe Than Sorry

Remember my post about the scary hay bale? Other things that can frighten horses are noises they're not accustomed to and things that seem to move in ways they are not familiar with. Hence the sign -you'll find this one on the corner of Fort and Market Streets. 

If horses heard training wheels every day, they would get use to them, just like they would acclimate to skaters. But since those aren't as common as bikes and walkers, to horses they're frightening. Believe it or not, when the Honor Scouts (also known as the Governor's Honor Guard) are marching in formation through town, they stop marching when they get close to oncoming horses. To a horse the line of 60 identically-dressed scouts looks like a giant snake heading their way. To many people these rules may seem silly, but a team of runaway horses is no joke. They're rare, but the do happen occasionally. 

 You can roller skate and skate board on the island - just not through the town area.

Today's the Day

Yep, today is the day I need to turn the heat on in my classroom. 65 degrees Fahrenheit is a bit chilly, even for me.

For the record, I did not come into school at 4:16 am today. I get here early, but not that early! The clock is just wrong...

Gorgeous

Mackinac is gorgeous in any season...

Positive Vibes

Today, as I was riding home from school, I was overwhelmed with happiness. Has that ever happened to you? Have you ever just been filled with joy at the thought of being alive? It may be a little on the sappy side, but that was really how I was feeling today.

I hope your day was every bit as wonderful!

Scary

The horses on Mackinac Island are generally considered "safe." While accidents do happen, they don't happen very frequently. That said, we do have close calls every now and again because horses are creatures of habit. They can get spooked and will try to run away if something scares them; something as innocuous as a bale of hay near the side of the road can terrify a horse.

That innocent little hay bale just sat there after falling off a dray. I watched multiple teams of horses get upset: ears back, trying to move off to the side, slowing down - very clearly not wanting to get anywhere near that spooky, out-of-place item. (If you've lived on the island for a while you learn to recognize the sound of an agitated team.) To their credit, each driver maintained control over their teams and there were no accidents due to that hay.

Within 15 minutes the hay was collected and all the horses (and their drivers) were happy again.

Mackinac Moments

The leaves are starting to turn in Northern Michigan. It's been beautiful this week, and they're calling for temps in the high 70s this weekend. It's going to be perfect!

The Mackinac Way

Since we can't just hop in the car on Mackinac, we have to get creative. Sometimes that means you bungie a sewing machine to the back of your bicycle.

Other times it means moving your tools in a garden cart.

You'll see lots of garden carts on Mackinac Island. Sometimes a garden cart just isn't big enough and you need to call in a friend for help.

 

No matter what, we find a way to get the job done without cars.

Look No Further

Where's Waldo?

Why, he's on Mackinac Island of course.

I have absolutely no idea who this young man really is, but he was super sweet when I asked to take his picture. I'm choosing to believe that I really did meet the one and only Waldo. 

Off to a Good Start

This was our first week of school art project - Minecraft selfies. Each of the kids created a pixelated version of themselves, and was it ever a hoot! (The bulletin board at school also had the students' names by their drawing, but for privacy reasons I blurred the names here.) It was a fun way to start the year. As you can see I have nine students in my classroom:

• three fifth graders & six sixth graders
• five girls &  four boys
• two sets of twins & five singletons

They're a fun group!

And So it Begins...

Today was the first day of school on Mackinac for the 2025-2026 school year. Today, behind that window, my class of nine 5th and 6th graders got to work. (I don't have signed permission slips letting me share their pictures yet, but in a few days I'll be able to share photos.) Let me tell you, they are off to a great start!

Happy

I walk over this valve cover every time I go up Grand Hill. Today I realized he's a little pervert who likes looking up ladies' skirts. Good thing I'm more of a shorts kind of girl.