Sunday Reflections

All is well in the Keweenaw.

Sunday Reflections

All is well in the Keweenaw.

Sunday Reflections

All is well in the Keweenaw.

Sunday Reflections

All is well in the Keweenaw.

Sunday Reflections

Due to an unplanned migraine, I'm recycling one of my Scripture photos today, but I think it's quite appropriate for this present day and for the Easter season. Stay well, friends. All is well in the Keweenaw.

Sunday Reflections

Remembering our veterans today. Thank you for your service.

All is well in the Keweenaw.

Sunday Reflections

What manner of love! 

All is well in the Keweenaw.

Fabulous Family Fun - Part 1

Carrie & Grace have been Carrie & Grace + Shawn & Wylo for the last year - ever since Carrie married Shawn. Shawn has been a wonderful addition to our family, and he takes great care of "our girls." Plus, his daughter, Wylo, fits in spectacularly. She and Grace are just over a year apart in age. They're BFF's and truly sisters. So, we have double the fun - 2 granddaughters now. The more, the merrier, right?!

They all came to visit us this month - the first time Shawn & Wylo have ever been in the Keweenaw. We really love sharing the Keweenaw with everyone who comes to visit, but it's extra special to share it with family.  They arrived on the evening of the 13th and had to leave on the morning of the 16th. That left us with just 2 full days to cram in as much as possible, but we were up to the challenge.

Before we turned in the first night, I had to chuckle when I looked up and saw this hanging over the edge of the loft.

Yep, that's our Grace. (Excuse the temporary loft railing.)

After a leisurely morning and a spectacular breakfast of our special Hamilton Blend coffee, pancakes, bacon, eggs, and toast with a variety of toppings, we headed out to our first stop - Ten Foot Falls.

I wish you all could experience the peacefulness of this place. At this time of year, you would be smelling the fresh scent of pine and listening to the sound of the water cascading gently over the rocks. 

Time to say, "Cheese."

One more time.

Up next, the falls at Eagle River.

 

After a quick drive past the Keweenaw County Courthouse, the Sherriff's office and the beach, we headed to Jacob's Falls. 

Here's Shawn with Steve. . .

and our daredevil, Grace. Yep, that's her at the top of the falls. 

We headed to The Jampot (bakery) next to the falls for some muffins made by the monks. As Steve says, "Those boys know how to bake!" The Lemon Cream Cheese are our personal favorite. We drove just a short distance further up the coast and ate our tasty treats while overlooking Great Sand Bay. Then, it was back in our vehicles, and we drove through Eagle Harbor and around to the Marina Road. This is the spot where we get this lovely view of the Eagle Harbor Lighthouse.

The plan for the rest of the day was for Shawn & Carrie & the girls to continue up to Copper Harbor to shop (Carrie wanted a Copper Harbor hoodie.) and to drive up Brockway Mountain. I supplied them with a map and marked the best gift shops. Steve & I were going to go home. Steve had plans to work on our master bath vanity, and I wanted to make a tuna macaroni salad and pat out the burgers for dinner. I also wanted to run to Mohawk for some hot dog buns. So, we waved and parted ways at the Marina Road.

After I finished making my salad, I ran to get the hot dog buns. When I returned from Mohawk, the family had already made it home! What? Did Carrie get a hoodie? No. Did you go up Brockway Mountain? No. They made it to Copper Harbor, but got "kinda lost" and missed Brockway Mountain Drive. Well, this can't be. We couldn't allow Shawn & Wylo to leave the Keweenaw without experiencing Brockway Mountain, and Carrie simply had to have that hoodie! Nothing was more important at that moment. We quickly revised our plans for the day. They wanted to take us out for dinner one night anyway, so we decided to do it that evening instead. The salad, burgers & dogs could wait until the next evening for dinner. We all piled into the Traverse and headed back to Copper Harbor.

I'm happy to report that Carrie did get her hoodie (red), which you will see in many of the remaining photos, and we did make it up to the crest of Brockway Mountain.

All was right with the world.

On the way back down Brockway Mountain, we stopped for another photo opportunity at the Copper Harbor overlook.

We then headed back down Hwy. 26 to Eagle Harbor where Shawn & Carrie treated us to a nice dinner at the Eagle Harbor Inn. On the way back down our road, we stopped at the park at Copper Falls. Carrie & Grace signed their names on the inside of the tower 2 years ago, and they needed to sign it again as a complete family. Of course, I snapped some photos.

After returning home, I took a photo of the girls gazing out one of our sliding doors.

What were they watching?

Yes, those little hummingbirds are loads of fun to watch. Steve says they're better than TV.

Since it was a lovely evening and we had all the fixin's for s'mores, Grandpa said it was a necessity to make a campfire before the night was over. So, he started a nice fire while I made some hot cocoa for the thermos and got the items for the s'mores. Shawn gathered all the sticks we would need for our marshmallows and we were in business.

Did you ever notice that s'mores tasted a lot better when you were a kid? Grace ate 4 of them. Grandpa and I managed to gag down one each, and Cocoa (the dog) ate 7 or 8 marshmallows. A little hot cocoa and a little more gazing at the fire, and we were all ready to turn in. A perfect ending to a great day.

Stay tuned for part 2.

All is well in the Keweenaw.

Family Fun - Part 4

Warning! Lots of photos ahead! Tuesday, August 13th was the day for the Copper Harbor Lighthouse Tour with Carrie and Grace. The lighthouse is accessible by land, but it's located at the end of a private, very narrow unpaved road, so people are discouraged from using it. The boat ride to the lighthouse is so nice that it would be a shame to miss it anyway. We boarded the boat at the Copper Harbor State Harbor - located on the west end of Copper Harbor.

Captain Tim guided the boat away from the marina. . .

and we took the beautiful 15-minute ride over to the lighthouse. If you look at a map, the lighthouse is located northeast of the town of Copper Harbor - at the tip of the backward "C."

As we stepped off the boat, we were given a few moments to enjoy the scenery. . .

and we looked back at the land surrounding Copper Harbor.

Captain Tim was our tour guide on land as well. He told us about the many shipwrecks that had occurred in the area.

This is what remains of one of those ships.

Captain Tim also explained the purpose of the range lights and how important they were in helping the ships make it through the narrow gap in the reefs and safely into Copper Harbor.

The first building we came upon was the old light keeper's dwelling.

The interior is set up with displays and artifacts from the period. I thought this quote on one of the interior walls was interesting.

It was obviously a little chilly in there during the winter months.

Here's the original fireplace the marker in the last photo was speaking about. You can see the changes that were made to it.

I snapped this photo of the light keeper's dwelling from up by the lighthouse.

As we walked up the hill toward the lighthouse, we noticed the outhouse.

Pretty fancy, huh? It was a 2-holer.

The tour of the 1866 lighthouse was next. (The skeleton tower on the left was constructed in 1933 and now functions as the actual Copper Harbor light - an important navigational aid for ships on Lake Superior.)

It was interesting to tour this old lighthouse and think about the daily life of the keeper and his family.

Of course, this trip wouldn't have been complete without information about the copper in the area.

Can you see the copper in the next 3 photos?

Captain Tim allowed us some time to enjoy the scenery here.

I got a quick shot of Grace, Carrie and Steve.

Sigh. It was almost time to leave. I took a few more photos of the coastline before we boarded the boat, and I think this one successfully captured the beauty of the day.

Back on the boat, I snapped a few shots of the lighthouse as we headed back to the marina. I really love how this one turned out. The sky looks like a painting.

Mom and daughter enjoying the boat ride:

There's that face I love so much!

As we left the boat, most everyone thanked the captain for the tour. I thanked him for helping us make memories. It was a day we'll always remember.

If you would like to read more about the tour or the history of the lighthouse, click on the following link and explore their site:

Copper Harbor Lighthouse Tours

Stay tuned for Family Fun - Part 5.

All is well in the Keweenaw.