Since my last forays into blogdom at the end of June when I wrote about the extraordinary events of our Spring much has transpired over late summer into Fall with most of it being about going places and enjoying opportunities for adventure and hanging out with friends and family. Processing the passing of close friends was a part of the past few months which I wrote about in the previous blogs.Summer of course flew by with Mary and I taking separate trips, I went up north to The Catbird nest on the Au Sable as KrK and Cath shared their place with the 3 remaining members of Guys Golf Getaway so we could memorialize our 4th, Jimmy Jazz. We did this by playing a round of animal golf in his honor and donating the animal cards to the territory of the animal golf kingdom at Black Bear near Vanderbilt, the Frog, the Camel, the Gorilla and the Snake were set free.
Mary and I would come together back at the Catbird Nest on Labor Day weekend to begin our travels which would consume almost the next several weekends and then some. KrK and Cath were splendid hosts as Mary and I took our NEW kayaks to take on the pristine waters of the Au Sable. Mary's retirement in June provided us with time to explore the possibilities. Our visit and trip was splendid and stimulating as Chef Keith's dinners and Cathie's conversations. Keith even delved into some new territory taking us on a 3.5 hour afternoon kayak cruise in historic North Branch waters. A great trip within a trip. I must move on as I can only skim the surface like a caddis just hatched.
Next up was 42nd annual Wheatland Music Festival which our band of merry puppeteers and music makers would again camp out and perform as Susans' 'Palamazoo Puppets and enjoy a weekend of frolic, fellowship, music and dance. Highlight: Sunday gospel during Fairfield Four performance helping an inspired 70 plus yr old band member down from stage and over railing to sing and rally the crowd and back up again to stage. Hallelujah!
Following weekend we enjoyed a trip up to Boyne Mt. for a stay with Micheal and Susan doing brewery tours, shopping, outdoor hot tubbin, and a ride up the ski lift for a drink and view from up above overlooking the valley..
Upon returning home we would begin to pack and prepare for our Niagara Falls and New England adventure.
Traveling to new places usually helps us in getting out of our comfort zones and familiar surroundings.So we are able to see a fresh perspective of an area a little different than ours. I appreciate the local histories of each state and unique geographic areas. In Niagara Falls we experienced for our first time a tourist destination that is world class in its beauty. So many people from all over the globe come to see this, ride the boats, get sprayed by the mists and take photo after photo. In one elevator ride in our hotel Mary and I rode with a Hassidic Jewish family and Arabic family. Everyone coming together there to experience the wonder of a place. Yes is it built up with hotels, casinos, touristy rides and shops? Of course but it is the Falls they come to see in Canada, Lit up at night or bursting with hydrological energy during the day with a rainbow hovering at sunset while eating dinner it is a place to behold.
Our next destination would be a little burg in the hills of SE New York where there is a place that honors America's pastime, baseball, in Cooperstown, NY. Home of the Baseball Hall of Fame. After we found our room for the night we ventured out to a brewpub not far, Council Rock, where we bellied up to the bar. It was bustling with locals and travelers alike and we had some beer and a nice meal. The next day we did the HOF tour and the little town. I bought souvenirs, cigars, distilled whiskey, Mary found a new hat and some gifts. In a classic Americana town we also walked through a Farmers Market, where it seemed like Woodstock generation folks had settled in the region and were selling their organic and homemade wares. Again after a belly at the bar lunch and some local beer we headed out to find the ferry in upstate NY on Lake Champlain to cross over to Burlington, Vermont.
After a lovely drive up into the Adirondack Mt. area we started to see some color change and we needed to find the little town where the ferry went over. It was a longer than expected, windy drive along the water and GPS was not getting a signal but we found it just to see the 5:30 ferry from Essex pull out, luckily I knew we had one more ride at 6:30. As it became darker we had another little drama to deal with as we waited for ferry to return, our battery died out while sitting charging phone. Luckily I had jumper cables we dug out and we received some help from other fellow ferry riders and we got it started as the ferry was returning to take us over to Vermont as night fell.
End of Part One. So as to prevent boredom I will break it up. Stay tuned to see what awaited us on the other side of Lake Champlain, Vermont and beyond..
Following weekend we enjoyed a trip up to Boyne Mt. for a stay with Micheal and Susan doing brewery tours, shopping, outdoor hot tubbin, and a ride up the ski lift for a drink and view from up above overlooking the valley..
Upon returning home we would begin to pack and prepare for our Niagara Falls and New England adventure.
Traveling to new places usually helps us in getting out of our comfort zones and familiar surroundings.So we are able to see a fresh perspective of an area a little different than ours. I appreciate the local histories of each state and unique geographic areas. In Niagara Falls we experienced for our first time a tourist destination that is world class in its beauty. So many people from all over the globe come to see this, ride the boats, get sprayed by the mists and take photo after photo. In one elevator ride in our hotel Mary and I rode with a Hassidic Jewish family and Arabic family. Everyone coming together there to experience the wonder of a place. Yes is it built up with hotels, casinos, touristy rides and shops? Of course but it is the Falls they come to see in Canada, Lit up at night or bursting with hydrological energy during the day with a rainbow hovering at sunset while eating dinner it is a place to behold.
Our next destination would be a little burg in the hills of SE New York where there is a place that honors America's pastime, baseball, in Cooperstown, NY. Home of the Baseball Hall of Fame. After we found our room for the night we ventured out to a brewpub not far, Council Rock, where we bellied up to the bar. It was bustling with locals and travelers alike and we had some beer and a nice meal. The next day we did the HOF tour and the little town. I bought souvenirs, cigars, distilled whiskey, Mary found a new hat and some gifts. In a classic Americana town we also walked through a Farmers Market, where it seemed like Woodstock generation folks had settled in the region and were selling their organic and homemade wares. Again after a belly at the bar lunch and some local beer we headed out to find the ferry in upstate NY on Lake Champlain to cross over to Burlington, Vermont.
End of Part One. So as to prevent boredom I will break it up. Stay tuned to see what awaited us on the other side of Lake Champlain, Vermont and beyond..
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