Copper Harbor Lighthouse
Monday, February 27, 2012
Winter Wonderland
Winter has returned with about 15.5" of snow between 10 a.m. yesterday and daylight today. More in the forecast, too. Steve was "moving snow" much of the day. Are you sure we have a fenced yard? Looks like the roof rake will be used again this week, and we won't even tell you about the drifts! Season total is almost 170" - about 14 feet. All is still well in the Keweenaw!
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Quick Trip
First thing Friday morning, Steve had a haircut scheduled at his
usual place in Saginaw. He still
believes no one else could cut his hair properly. Is it really possible to mess it up too badly
when you have so little?! (You know I
love your bald head, honey!) As soon as
that was finished, we hopped on the highway and headed north. It was snowing most of the way to the Mackinac
Bridge, so we weren't able to make the good time we usually do on that stretch
of road. After the bridge, it snowed
most of the way home with occasional heavy snow squalls causing reduced
visibility like the photo I snapped between Munising and Marquette. Can you see the truck ahead of us in that
photo? The skies began clearing about
the time we made it to L'Anse, so the rest of the trip went well.
It's currently 19° and snowing, and we may be in for
a pretty good dumping this week. All's
well in the Keweenaw.
P.S. Nice haircut,
honey!
Saturday, February 18, 2012
A Lovely Drive
The scenery changes so much with every
season. During the winter months, you
can actually see quite a distance into the forest. We could see a few old crumbling buildings
that can’t been seen at other times of year.
We made a quick stop at Esrey Park.
It’s a roadside park overlooking Lake Superior with gorgeous rock
formations. You can climb the rocky
steps and get a better look. We’ve taken
Corvette photos here in the past.
We opted to make the complete circle tour
and left Copper Harbor via Hwy. 41. That
drive is lovely, too, with the road covered by tree branches part of the
way. Again, we saw a few buildings we
had never noticed before. Lake Medora
was lovely, as usual, and we made our way back down the peninsula for dinner at
The Hut in Kearsarge. The Hut is known
for generous portions and delicious food.
The meal didn’t disappoint! We
ordered the walleye and not a morsel was left on our plates. It was a fine way to end our Valentine’s Day
outing. We thank God for each other and
for the blessing of living in such a beautiful area.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
First Bear Encounter!
Never in a million years did we think our first BEAR encounter would occur in our very own backyard in this little village of
Calumet. Of course, Steve has had bear
encounters in the past on our property near Eagle Harbor, but that's to be
expected occasionally in that densely wooded area.
Monday began quietly and routinely - just the way we like it. Steve had plans to put the last coat of paint on the kitchen, and we were sitting in the living room. Suddenly, we heard a loud growl coming from right outside our living room window at the front of the house. Steve quickly opened the curtains, looked outside, and spotted the black beast moving toward a man who happened to be walking by on his way to the garage next door. The man was backing up slowly toward the garage door keeping an eye on the animal. He wasn't far from the door at that point and made it safely inside. We quickly called the police. Then, Steve put on his boots and jacket, grabbed his handgun, and went outside. He's so brave. No longer spotting the vicious critter, he went around the corner of our house to check on our dog in our fenced backyard. Whew, our dog was fine. Just then, that wild animal came around the corner of the house. Steve had made sure to close the gate behind him, but it hopped the fence and followed him into our yard! Steve had just enough time to open the back door to let our dog inside the back porch and draw his handgun. The animal circled around him and had him pinned down to a small area near the back door. Steve had his gun out and pointed. He didn't really want to kill the beast, but he would have to shoot if it got too close. Steve stayed very still - trying not to make any sudden moves. The handle of the back door was within reach, but he wasn't sure he could make it inside quickly enough. The crazed critter was growling and lunging toward him repeatedly. I was still inside the house and heard the commotion in the backyard, so I banged on the window and yelled in an attempt to scare it away. Steve yelled for me to call the police again. I told the police the animal had my husband pinned in the backyard. They said they would immediately dispatch a car.
After what seemed like an eternity, the state police and the village police both arrived. The officers exited their vehicles and began knocking on doors across the street. What? Why are they doing that? Don't they know my husband is in the backyard with a savage beast? The noise of the officers on the street was enough to distract the aggressive monster, and it went around the other corner of the house to see what was happening. That gave Steve the opportunity to dart inside the house. Steve hurried through the house and went back out the front door to talk to the police. The animal was still inside our fenced yard. As the police walked back and forth and discussed what to do, I watched that critter hop back and forth over our fence from our yard to the neighbor's yard at least a dozen times. Why weren't they doing something? I wondered what were they going to do if it hopped a different portion of the fence and got loose in the neighborhood again. At that point, I didn't know the police weren't even carrying a tranquilizer gun. I also didn't know they had a run-in with this fierce animal in the past. It had bitten a jogger!
Suddenly, another vehicle arrived and a woman ran up to the officers. It was the neighbor. They actually allowed her to enter our backyard! That's when we found out the dog was named "Bear." The lady got a "stiff fine" for not keeping her dog under control along with a warning that Bear would be taken if this happens again. So, that was our first U.P. "Bear" encounter! It is currently 35° and sunny. All's well again in the Keweenaw.
Disclosure: Some names were changed to protect the identity of those involved.
Monday began quietly and routinely - just the way we like it. Steve had plans to put the last coat of paint on the kitchen, and we were sitting in the living room. Suddenly, we heard a loud growl coming from right outside our living room window at the front of the house. Steve quickly opened the curtains, looked outside, and spotted the black beast moving toward a man who happened to be walking by on his way to the garage next door. The man was backing up slowly toward the garage door keeping an eye on the animal. He wasn't far from the door at that point and made it safely inside. We quickly called the police. Then, Steve put on his boots and jacket, grabbed his handgun, and went outside. He's so brave. No longer spotting the vicious critter, he went around the corner of our house to check on our dog in our fenced backyard. Whew, our dog was fine. Just then, that wild animal came around the corner of the house. Steve had made sure to close the gate behind him, but it hopped the fence and followed him into our yard! Steve had just enough time to open the back door to let our dog inside the back porch and draw his handgun. The animal circled around him and had him pinned down to a small area near the back door. Steve had his gun out and pointed. He didn't really want to kill the beast, but he would have to shoot if it got too close. Steve stayed very still - trying not to make any sudden moves. The handle of the back door was within reach, but he wasn't sure he could make it inside quickly enough. The crazed critter was growling and lunging toward him repeatedly. I was still inside the house and heard the commotion in the backyard, so I banged on the window and yelled in an attempt to scare it away. Steve yelled for me to call the police again. I told the police the animal had my husband pinned in the backyard. They said they would immediately dispatch a car.
After what seemed like an eternity, the state police and the village police both arrived. The officers exited their vehicles and began knocking on doors across the street. What? Why are they doing that? Don't they know my husband is in the backyard with a savage beast? The noise of the officers on the street was enough to distract the aggressive monster, and it went around the other corner of the house to see what was happening. That gave Steve the opportunity to dart inside the house. Steve hurried through the house and went back out the front door to talk to the police. The animal was still inside our fenced yard. As the police walked back and forth and discussed what to do, I watched that critter hop back and forth over our fence from our yard to the neighbor's yard at least a dozen times. Why weren't they doing something? I wondered what were they going to do if it hopped a different portion of the fence and got loose in the neighborhood again. At that point, I didn't know the police weren't even carrying a tranquilizer gun. I also didn't know they had a run-in with this fierce animal in the past. It had bitten a jogger!
Suddenly, another vehicle arrived and a woman ran up to the officers. It was the neighbor. They actually allowed her to enter our backyard! That's when we found out the dog was named "Bear." The lady got a "stiff fine" for not keeping her dog under control along with a warning that Bear would be taken if this happens again. So, that was our first U.P. "Bear" encounter! It is currently 35° and sunny. All's well again in the Keweenaw.
Disclosure: Some names were changed to protect the identity of those involved.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Breaking News!
First Bear Encounter Today!
Will try to post the full story tomorrow!
In the meantime, Cocoa finished her page. Check it out.
Current Snow Total = 144.5 inches (just over 12 ft.)
Current Snow Total = 144.5 inches (just over 12 ft.)
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Cocoa's Page
We are really busy this week, but Cocoa talked me into posting the first part of her autobiography. Her page is the last one on the list of blog pages just to the left of this post. It's called "The Real Pack Leader." Simply click on the title to read what she wrote. The sun is shining in the Keweenaw!
Friday, February 3, 2012
Peeping Pup
I guess I really should give Cocoa her own page. I'll put that on the To-Do List.
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