Outrigger Canoe Racing on Maui

The Kihei Canoe Club hosted a big event on Thanksgiving morning.  We guessed 40-50 different canoes raced right in front of our condo!

Thanksgiving on Maui

We had an international dinner with 40 people here at Nani Kai Hale.  I made a turkey and it was great!  It is only the 4th turkey I have made and the first with NO help.  Weather was warm and breezy and the food was amazing.  Mike had one plate of only dressing--4 kinds!

Mike's Birthday on Mackinac Island

We  celebrated Mike's birthday, Sept 24, on Mackinac Island at the Grand Hotel.  The hotel is celebrating 125 years of hospitality and looked better than ever.
We had a bit of a rough ride over in big seas, so big the boats did not go over from Mackinaw City so we had to cross the windy bridge and leave from St. Ignace.  The bridge crossing was adventure as the bridge can sway 40 ft in high winds and was limited to one lane traffic and 20 miles an hr.
The island was lovely and still blooming.  We walked the small town, checked in and got ready for dinner in the Salle a Manger. Hotel has been updated by Carlton Varney who loves his colors!
A 5 course dinner was served and we enjoyed J sparking wine and Merry Edwards Pinot Noir. A 4 piece band played lovely music at dinner.  We then moved to the ballroom for dancing to another live band.  They play Elvis to Andy Williams to more modern tunes and we danced away the night. If that was not enough we enjoyed a card game with our friends the Dahl's who accompanied us to the island, in the Trophy Room off the lobby.  Thehotel served a lovely breakfast in the Salle and we headed off to see more of the town and head back to the dock.

We visited the icebreaker Mackinaw at port and headed to Hack-Ma-Tack Inn for a lovely prime rib dinner and more wine of course! The restaurant was a hunting lodge built in 1894.  Charming and on the Cheboyan River. Whew!

Harvest Stompede

We spent 2 days and visited about 15 wineries in Leelanau County, MI.  Each winery had a featured wine and paired it with a small plate of food. They were serving rieslings with brats and saurkraut, pino grigio with caprese salad, gazpacho with pino grigio, blanc de noir with corn arepas and venison sausage.  Lots of fun, good wine, ( while mostly white) and great day for touring.  It was sunny both days and high 60's.  We joined Dave Smith and his GM gang along with Suzanne Dahl on Sat and Jackie Jason joined on Sunday.  Photos are of 45 North,  and Willow .

Post Labor Day blues

Well, it still feels like summer but many boats are out and docks too.  No traffic around the lake and some leaves are turning color. The berries are gone and apples are ready to pick.  Corn is gone all too soon also.

This weekend is the Stompede on Leelanau peninsula and we will taste foods and wines from 16 wineries.  It is time for the grapes to be harvested and wine to be drunk!

We will stay longer this year but there is still a bit of sadness to fall as winter is not far behind.

Corvette on Parade in Mackinaw City, MI

Big fun in Mackinaw at the annual Corvette rally.  We joined 10 other cars from our area club for a sunny, hot day at the Straits.  There were over 300 cars and they were all over the city, most with tops down or TTops off in my case.  The 81 rode well and made it over the bridge and back with all the others to end a fun day.  I think I need to purchase more Vette wear as everyone was decked out in shirts matching the color of their cars.

Glacier National Park June 2012

We visited the park early this year on our way to the lake.  Dropped off a trailer full of stuff for Matt in Missoula then off to Whitefish Lake and Glacier Park.  It was cold and the Park was mostly closed.  We had to buy jackets to stay warm.

Buckely Old Engine Show

Here is a photo from the show.  Over 2000 old tractors parade around the grounds.  We love it and took Ben and our friends Sally and Ron Carpenter who happen to own tractors.  There is a great flea market where I buy Tupperware, Fiesta Ware and eat fair type food.  Yum.
It is always the 3rd weekend in August.  Old time, rural fun at it's best.

A summer of music

Here is a shot of the final performance of the summer for the Interlochen Center for the Arts.  Wonderful performance of Beethovens 9th and Les Preludes/Liszt. Yes those are ballerinas on the roof of the outdoor bowl.
We have seen Martina McBride, the World Youth Symphony, Garrison Keillor, faculty jazz recitals and are waiting for Michael McDonald and Boz Scaggs!  Tailgating has become a regular event and we try to bring homeade goodies each time.  Screw top wine is also a good choice.
Northern MI is surrounded by talented people from singers to artists and we are lucky to be able to attend so many events. 
This weekend the Congregational Summer Assembly (at Crystal since 1901) will perform South Pacific with Ken Cox (a member of CSA) and a world renown basso.  We have also attended concerts by a french harpist and a local 15 yr opera singer at CSA.  Even their Sunday services are amazing with a 40 voice choir lead by Ken Cox.

V 1 has an accident

Not the fault of the driver/owner.  Someone left some old paneling on US31 and it flew up and hit the front of the 1981 Vette.  She had to go to the repair shop on this one and luckily the insurance paid for it.  I am sure I have paid way more in insurance on this car then I will ever get back!

She is finished and thanks to Hastings St Collision, looking better than ever.  Thanks to Walt and the guys at the Northern MI Corvette Club who suggested Walt and the team.

Zucchini Before and After

Giant Zucchini from the Carpenter Farm in Three Rivers.  On our way back from Chicago, we raided the farm for this veg and I decided to make bread.  Yum!  Found a good recipe in the Perrysburg ( Ohio ) cookbook my sister gave me years ago. Easy and fun to make after I  bought a salad spinner/mandoline combo from Costco/Sharper Image.  There was even enough left for sauteed zucchini the other night for dinner.  More thanks to Ron and Sally.

oops, missed a huge boat.

Cool racing boat in Chicago.  I think Mike would buy it if I said ok.  Of course, I will not!

We were in Chicago last week for the Midwest Acquirers conference.  Three years ago they awarded me a lifetime achievement award.  This year they asked me back to be on a panel with the other awardees: Bob Carr, Kim Fitzsimmons, Donna Embry, Dan Neistedt.  Good conference.

Mike and I had a chance to visit the Chicago Yacht Club and have lunch and see some of the yachts getting ready for the 104th running of the Chicago to Mackinac Race.  One stop was Garretts for Chicago mix popcorn, carmel and cheese together.  Yum.

My first harvest

Here is a photo of my first 2 tomatoes of the 2012 season.  Other photo is of the fruit of our buddies farm (Carpenter Farm in Three Rivers MI).  They were nice enough to share some of their harvest with me.  We also got cukes, zucchini, okra from them.

This is a busy summer!

Here are some photos of my yard and tomato plants.  I took these last week and when I got back from Chicago yesterday I had red, almost ready fruit.  I picked a couple and they are here too.

The yard is doing well despite the hot and dry weather.  I guess the natives are drought tolerant which is what I wanted.  Lots of lavendar (not native), St. John's wart, black eye susan's, bee balm etc.

A couple of new things to do at the lake

Last night we went to dinner at THe Cove in Leland, great location, ok food.  I did have my Fishtown White however with the almond butter whitefish and it was a good pairing.
Then we went to hear Ross Richardson discuss his find of the shipwreck Westmoreland.  Check it out at michiganmysteries.com
We have discovered estate sales and are having some fun shopping them.  What I notice is that a lot of people buy stuff they never use or even open the box.  Today we got a nice salad bowl set for the beach, an acrylic wine cooler, and a sailboat and shelf which looks nice by the back door. Oh and a bocci ball set which Mike is trying to use for his monkey fist artwork.  The heavy balls should make perfect doorstops.Note to me, only buy what you need or someone else will buy it at 60% off at your yard sale someday.
I did get the "perfect donut" today at the Shop and Save. See previous posts for photos. I just love this turtle donut.
I continue to get a few consulting gigs. Just when it seems to calm down, someone calls with a project.

Early summer fun

The early spring hot weather caused the strawberry crop to be early quickly followed by raspberries. Today I went to Eden Hill Farm to pick both and can't wait to make shortcake tonight!
I did taste a few in the field although I think this is a bit like cheating.  I used to pick with my Dad years ago up here and he always "tested" the berries.

Those of you in CA will notice our berries are quite a bit smaller,  but no GMO, no pesticides.  The flavor is excellent and since I picked them myself they taste even better. You gotta love taking an iPhone into the field!

Winter fun. Feast at Lele, Maui

Only growing some basil on my lanai.
Wondering what the warm winter in Beulah means for my garden this year.