Late fall at the Platte River and Lake Michigan

 What can you say but this is one of the most beautiful spots on earth.  Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore.  Platte River.  Just finished camping in the motorhome while the yard was being excavated.

Michelle's Lady slipper

Trying not to get poison ivy and still get a shot of the rare Lady Slipper next door.  Lovely

July photos of the yard and house

Mid July is the best time for the yard and garden.  Most plants are blooming and beautiful.  The natives in the center have spread on their own and the day lilies are just blooming.  I am capturing this so when they dig up the yard for the  new septic, I will remember what I did.  I might do something different but who knows. Yard, Mom's roses and state of the tomato garden.

wild game dinner

No photos today but we had a wild game dinner/picnic all caught and cooked by the Malcolm family.
Carl and Shosanna came up from New Mexico with quail, pronghorn antelope, elk, wild turkey and fresh bluegill from Michigan. They hunt and prepare game all the time and it is mostly what they eat.
All well done!
The wild turkey was pounded thin, breaded and fried.
The elk was pieces put with veggies and grilled on skewers.  No marinade.
The antelope was a prime cut, marinated, seasoned and grilled rare.
The quail was in a brine with lemon and onions and grilled.
The bluegill was battered and fried.

Who knew those boys could hunt and then prepare this kind of feast for their Dad's 70th birthday.

Oh and I didn't mention that the Blue Angels were practicing overhead!  We got to see the whole airshow.

First harvest 2016

Fresh off the vine!  First 4 fruits, a bit small but it is a Patio plant anyway.  Lots more to come, maybe I need a bit of fertilizer.

Summer 2016 Garden

My new go to nursery is in Bear Lake and I came back with 3 tomatoes, and assorted flowers.  They do have the best geraniums.
My choices this year were a Patio, a Cherry 100 and a red/brown cherry.  Maybe I watered too much, fed too much or the chilly weather got the red/brown.  Had to substitute a Husky Cherry which seems to be fine.
Free lettuce! The darn stuff seeded and is back.  I have harvested twice but it is getting hot for lettuce.  Parsley, cilantro, oregano and chives all came back in one form or another but I am seeding more cilantro and parsley for later harvesting.  Planted 2 kinds of basil and a jalapeño as usual.

 The patio had fruit so I have a couple getting ripe.  It will be awhile for the cherry.

Just a day up north

Just in case I get old and can't remember what I did all day up here, this is my list!

Got out of bed at 8:39 because Cocoa was bugging me.  She wanted under the covers, then she wanted out all the time chirping at me.  No wonder I got up and it kind of made her mad. HMMM.

Made my new favorite omelette with local asparagus, mushrooms, cheese and onion.  No cheese please for Mike.  Local strawberries and my milk of course.

We drove across the lake to a yard sale.  Fenton/Flushing people selling their Dad's house.  Both father and son worked for Buick so we had a nice chat.  No bargains.

Decided to go to Shop and Save and had the courage to NOT buy nutty donuts today. That took some resolve. Bought 2 bottles of Hess Pinot that I don't need but I think Ben said it was good. Mike ordered 2 pies to take to Dahl's on Saturday for men's night.  I got the Muesli bread with nuts and seeds that we like.  Bread and wine!          

Returned a tool at Napa Auto and then both of us picked strawberries on Eden Hill Rd.  Not great selection but filled 2 quarts pretty fast. $2.75QT.  Can't beat the price or the freshness.  I think I will make biscuits tonight for shortcake.

Leftover porterhouse steak for lunch.  Our new thing is to buy a 3 lb steak and sear and then slow cook it on the grill. a la bistecca florentina  Love my Honor Market butcher.

Now I have the rest of the day to goof off. Maybe a boat ride if the lake stays calm.  Water is cold but ok.  Yesterday there were  hundreds of baby fish or minnows at the dock.  Wish I could have taken a photo of them, but I don't have an underwater camera.  We fixed the dock yesterday and secured the ramp so that was good.  Maybe Mike will sail.

Dad and me on my wedding day May 15, 1971. Ready to be Mrs. Perry

Longest day of the year 2016

Sunset, timed about 5 min apart.

JUNE flowers, both native and not

I am keeping a photo diary as I may have to dig up the front yard to replace the septic system and field. This early the iris bloom and the grasses flower. Catmint in the middle.  I am beginning to think I have a purple theme.

My first rhubarb dessert

I have never cooked with rhubarb, so this galette was a first.  A Betty Crocker recipe with fresh strawberries and blueberries. Box crust as my case of shingles is just bad enough to prevent me from doing my normal crust.  The recipe needed a bit of adjustment as the frozen rhubarb created too much juice for the crust.  Thanks to the Carpenter Farm friends, Ron and Sally for the fresh rhubarb from their yard in Three Rivers.  Oh and it was yummy, not too sweet not too tart.  I will be experimenting with the rest of the frozen fruit in the fridge.

Here is the best of Michigan 2016

Lilac from my yard.

Dried Cherries from a local farm.  The owners sing and play organ in my church, St. Anne's.

Second favorite smell and flower, from my yard, Lily of the Valley

Yes we grow asparagus in MI.  Grilled or not, wonderful.

Best of Michigan, Summer of 2016

I will be posting my pics from the best of Michigan so you can all see how great this state is and why we love it.