Talk of the Town

Our friends and family always ask us about the snow and how we deal with it, so we try to keep you all informed. Even though we're living in an area that's used to getting LOTS of snow, it still gets talked about in the local newspaper and on the TV news when it starts getting this deep. Some of the locals didn't think we had enough snow last year for it to be considered a "real" winter, but they're telling us this year is a real doozy - more like the winters "used to be."

We've been seeing stories on the TV news about the snowbanks. The streets keep getting narrower and the intersections keep getting trickier. The snowbanks at most intersections are taller than the stop signs. You have to stop, look both ways, inch forward, stop, look both ways, inch forward, stop, look both ways, pray and step on it! One of the locals said we need periscopes on our vehicles.

Here's a photo of the intersection of 7th Street and Elm last week. The stop sign is circled in red.

That intersection benefits from being located near the city garage where the snow removal equipment is located and only 2 of the 4 corners have buildings sitting close to the street. Many of the intersections in Calumet are far worse than that one.

The SNOGO went past our house this morning. I didn't get a picture, but here's a shot from when he went by last month.

Remember, this is the machine that carves into the snowbanks to make the road wider for us. It blows the snow into a dump truck. Steve took a great shot of the front of a SNOGO when it was sitting nearby in January.

It's too bad we can't get a SNOGO into our backyard. Here's the latest MONEY SHOT!

Yes, Steve and Cocoa were hanging out on the roof today! They simply climbed the huge mound of snow next to the back door. Cocoa had so much fun up there that she ran up and down several times. Will she get up on the roof when Steve isn't outside with her? We certainly hope not!

I was at the kitchen sink a short time later and snapped this photo.

All that excitement on the roof led to a short break before they went down the street to check on the snow at my mom's place. A man and his dog - it's a beautiful thing.

All is well in the Keweenaw.

"Un-Hunkered"

Hey, it's NOT snowing!  I guess 40 inches in the last 2 weeks was enough for a while. Steve has been very busy. He says the only problem is that he's running out of places to put it.

Check out the next 4 photos - all taken from the window of our home office. I shared the first 2 photos in the last post, but I'll insert them again here to illustrate how things changed from Sunday - Thursday.

SUNDAY:

TUESDAY:

WEDNESDAY:

THURSDAY:

OK, all the snow in that last photo didn't fall in front of the window without a little help. Steve raked the roof again. The remaining photos in this post were all taken today. Here's the front of the house.

Here's the back of the house.

The next shot shows Steve & Cocoa next to the mountain of snow by the front steps.

Steve says we're "living in the trenches" at this time of year. That phrase usually applies to battlefield conditions, but I think it's completely accurate here. Tackling the Keweenaw snow is a battle and requires some strategic planning!

Yep, living in the trenches!

Our seasonal snowfall in Calumet (so far) = approx. 230 inches.

All is well in the Keweenaw. Honest!

Still Hunkered

We had a lengthy interval without snow in the middle of the night and a few brief respites since it started up again early this morning. The LES (lake effect snow) is cranking up now, so we're nowhere near finished with this storm.

Here's a photo from Sunday afternoon.

Here's a photo from 7:30 this evening.

Keep in mind:  That's 6 ft. stockade fencing! The snow should be significantly deeper by morning. We'll keep you posted.

All is well in the Keweenaw.

P.S. As of 10:00 a.m. today, our local snow total for the season was about 227.5 inches. 

Hunkered Down

The next big snow has started and we're hunkered down! The shelves are fully stocked, a load of perishables is in the refrigerator, the freezer is packed, and this little brick house is nice and cozy. This storm may bring us 20 inches or more by Wednesday afternoon. As Steve says, "Bring it on!" Meanwhile, we'll enjoy this photo of some recent sunshine and our "Keweenaw Blue" sky.

All is well in the Keweenaw!

Still Snowing!

Just a brief post tonight. We thought you would like to know that it's still snowing in the U.P. Here's the proof:

Yes, that's Steve sitting on one of the clothesline poles. I took these photos through our office window about 7:15 tonight.

All is well (and normal) in the Keweenaw!

The Midnight Marauder

We awoke this morning to brilliant sunshine and a beautiful Keweenaw blue sky. Little did we know that a sinister surprise awaited us. 

Calumet is a very safe community where people routinely leave their doors unlocked and their vehicles running while they're in the Post Office. After living here for 16 months, we've grown accustomed to feeling secure in this area. We never imagined we would be the victims of a backyard larceny! What a shock! We could hardly believe our eyes. We looked and looked, but our eyes were not deceiving us. It was truly missing!

Oh, how did this happen? Was there really a criminal in the Keweenaw? A hooligan in our quiet community? A malefactor in our neighborhood? A scoundrel on Seventh Street? A villain in the vicinity?

Did we need to contact the Law? No, not yet. Steve went outside to investigate the scene. Sherlock Holmes couldn't have solved the crime any quicker. Aha! Footprints in the snow! Steve, the mighty hunter, was easily able to track the outlaw from the scene of the crime right to the house of the perpetrator. 

What was pilfered? We have photographic evidence.

Here's photo 1.

Now, what's missing in photo 2?

That's right! We were looking for a Suet Ball Bandit! The depth of the snow had allowed easy access to the savory bird treat we suspended from the Birch tree branch. The thief didn't realize we would be able to follow his tracks, and he left further evidence right outside his door - the remains of the mesh material that held the Suet Ball together. Who was guilty of this caper? It wasn't "a him" at all. It was "a her!"

It was no cat burglar. It was the Labrador Larcenist!

Yep! Cocoa is a crook!

She looks so sweet and innocent in that last photo, but we now know she was planning a critter caper!

All else is well in the Keweenaw.

Daddy Dave

Steve's stepdad passed away today in Florida at the age of 77. Daddy Dave married Steve's mom when Steve was 10. He was an important figure in Steve's life, and Steve often talks about how different his life would have been without him. He was an intelligent, fair man and a good provider. He moved the family out of the city of Saginaw and into the suburbs. Daddy Dave was an intimidating figure in those days with his gruff voice and no nonsense attitude. Steve occasionally rebelled as a teenager, but he is the first to admit that he would have been much worse if Daddy Dave hadn't been in his life. The fear of Daddy Dave was an important factor in his behavior, and he's very thankful for that.

Dave Grosart wasn't an overtly emotional sort of man, but I always suspected he was just a big teddy bear underneath. It wasn't that he didn't feel things, but many men of his generation weren't comfortable expressing those emotions. We understood that and we loved him; he was a fine man.

Daddy Dave will be missed, but it's comforting to know that we will see him in heaven one day, as he recently accepted the Lord as Savior. Philippians 1:21 says, "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." Daddy Dave has gained the glory of eternity today, and there is rejoicing in heaven.

All is well in the Keweenaw. All is well in heaven.

********************************************************

February 20, 2013

Traverse City Record-Eagle

Dave Grosart

THE VILLAGES, Fla. — Dave Grosart, 77, passed away suddenly at The Villages Hospital in Florida on Feb. 15, 2013. He was born in Saginaw on July 23, 1935, to the late “Scottie” and Alice Grosart.

Dave and Donna were married Aug. 10, 1963, in Saginaw.

Dave was a carpenter by trade. Later, he and his wife owned and operated The Baywood Lounge in Saginaw. In 1982, they moved to Traverse City, where they owned and operated The Suncatcher Lounge in the Traverse City airport terminal. After retiring, Dave drove school bus for six years for the Traverse City School System.

They moved to the Villages, Fla., in 2010.

He is survived by his sister, Peggy Grosart, of Santa Rosa, Calif.; his wife of 49 years, Donna; and their five children, Margaret Ann Peters (Dean), of Beaver Island, D. Scott Grosart (Lisa), of Traverse City, Steve Hamilton (Julie), of Calumet, Christine Hamilton, of Cary, N.C., and Barbara Labs (Jim), of Freeland. They had 10 grandchildren (one deceased) and seven great-grandchildren.

There will be a memorial service held in Traverse City in late June.

Valentine's Day in the Keweenaw

In case you're looking for a Cocoa update, here's further proof that she's totally back to normal.

That photo shows the tracks she makes as she travels around the backyard. The snow is compacted and crusty under the top layer, so she's able to walk on top of it when she makes her rounds.

It's Valentine's Day, and my Sweetie took me to dinner at our favorite restaurant, The Hut! We had a wonderful walleye dinner with wild rice and a salad. Everything was delicious. The Hut doesn't normally take reservations, but they make an exception on Valentine's Day. Those without reservations had to wait for a table, be we breezed right through the crowd and were seated immediately.

On the way home, we snapped a few shots - should have done that when there was some daylight left on the way to the restaurant. Oops! Here's the stop sign at the end of our street.

I stood out in the road for the next shot of our driveway.

Remember, our red pickup is an HD 4-wheel drive, so it sits high. It's still dwarfed by the snow on the right side of it. The next shot shows Sweetie opening the front door.

We had a pleasant day, and more snow is on the way.

All is well in the Keweenaw!

P.S. The plant is from dear friends who surprised us with it when we were downstate last week. Our goal is to keep the bush alive until we can plant it on our property. We'll do our best! Thanks again, Marty and Donna.