Front Window Photos

A lazy weekend at home both getting some cleaning done and getting over whatever was ailing me. Here are a few photos that I took from my front window:

Saturday was a rare, sunny winter day on Good Harbor Bay.

North Manitou Island is more visible during these winter months.

Sunday was cloudier, yet calmer than Saturday. The birds were out in force grabbing what food they could.

Our neighbor's bird feeder was quite the hot spot. Pigeons and a female cardinal both ate along side the blue jays at one point, who seemed to be content to fight among themselves rather than others. 

Our woods are full of woodpeckers, and I happened to catch this downy woodpecker digging for food.

Here she is at a better angle. It was hard to get a good photo...she wouldn't stop moving!

I saved my prized photo of the day for last. I saw this girl (or guy) flying straight towards my house. Her/His markings were instantly recognizable and I was SO excited to finally get a good photo:

We have a pair of bald eagles living with in a mile to mile and a half radius of our house. I had a close encounter with them on the beach one morning while I stopped on my run, and I've been able to find their nest. Up until this point I haven't been able to get a photo. Today this one graced us with her/his presence. 

I almost had a doubly good photo day. As I was photographing my downy woodpecker friend I heard the distinct *thud* *thud* of our resident pileated woodpecker. As I turned to find her/him and take a photo I saw her/him flee towards the back of our property. I WILL get a photo of that bird!

Despite the one missed chance, I had many "hits" and it would seem my weekend wasn't as "lazy" as I previously described it. Even more reasons I love living in Northern Michigan...

2015 Snowmaggedon #1

Let's do a comparison:

Today's view...

...our normal view.

Notice, you can't see the road in photo #1 (and if the camera had been positioned a little lower you'd be able to see it in photo #2). And thanks to Snowmageddon #1 we had to deal with this today:

Mr. Well decided to allow blowing snow up and under its cap which allowed the switch to start freezing. Yay!

Luckily we were able to take care of our little well issue before things got worse (a huge thanks to our neighbor!!!)

In conclusion, I'll leave you with some wise words from our local 911 dispatch:

Wise words from Northern Michigan professionals. It's a good night to stay in!

A New Wine! Winter White Berry

Temps are continuing to plummet, so my awesome fiance planned a night in for us, which included this:

Leelanau Cellars Winter White Mixed Berry!

And it was perfect for a day like today!

It's hard to see all of the snow we have in this photo, but trust me when I say IT'S THERE!

I've had Leelanau Cellars' Winter White, but never Mixed Berry. I couldn't find a description of this specific version, but there was this tidbit about the classic Winter White:

Our ever-popular table wine also known as "the wine in the blue bottle", is very similar to a Piesporter in style and is light-bodied and semi-sweet. 

I'm no wine connoisseur (not even close!) but I know what I like and what I don't. Winter White, for me, is "that wine" which I always seem to forget about then rediscover again. Mixed Berry is light and semi-sweet just the like original Winter White but with an awesome berry aroma. Leelanau Cellars recommends you to pair Winter White with chicken or fish. We chose to go another route with the Mixed Berry:

Venison steak and mixed veggies: A little bit of Pure Michigan.

Not a bad dinner if I do say so myself.

What classic Michigan wine do you keep stocked in your fridge?

Staying In

What do you do when it looks like this outside?

With this never ending lake effect there will be no "getting out" happening.

Why, you do this of course!

Comfort food anyone?

I'd hoped to get outside a little today before I have to go back to work tomorrow, but Old Man Winter has finally reared his ugly head. According to the National Weather Service, wind gusts are hitting 35 mph with winds consistently blowing at around 25 mph...the snow that's falling horizontally and the frequent shaking of my house confirms these stats.

With the weather like it is I decided to try a couple of new recipes. Quick Cinnamon Rolls for Two was a great choice (I have one waiting for me on the T.V. tray as we speak) and Bryan and I are waiting for our awesome Crockpot to finish these Honey-Garlic Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs. I can hear the juices sizzling and they smell fantastic. It's going to be a long 6 hours...

Anyone else staying in today?

Pleasant Winter Day

These past couple of days the weather has been so calm and relaxing. Bryan and I decided to take advantage of it yesterday and drove down to Empire. After stopping at the SBDNL Visitor's Center and the grocery store for a couple of needed items, we decided to go to the beach.

This park is a beautiful place to be at any time of the year. Lucky for us it's rather quiet in the winter months.

The Robert H. Manning Memorial Lighthouse decorated for the holidays.

The snow and sand always present an interesting display. This one isn't as impressive as others I've seen, but still intriguing.

The Sleeping Bear in the distance...

Bryan and Empire Bluff.

A slightly more attractive photo of Empire Bluff :).

A party on South Bar Lake?...

Nope, just a bunch of determined ice fisherman...they're much braver than me. The temps haven't been cold enough for me to feel safe walking out onto the ice!

D.H. Day Farm along S. Dune Highway (M-109) is one of the most recognized landmarks in the park.

A shot of what looks like a newly whitewashed D.H. Day barn.

Winter on the dunes.

Although it was a gloomy day, the calm winds and warmer temperatures made it an ideal day to be out and about, a sometimes rare opportunity up here during this time of the year.  It was a short and pleasant winter trek around the Sleeping Bear Dunes.

Snowshoeing Season is Here!

When I first moved to northern Michigan in the fall of 2012 I knew there was one thing that I truly needed to prepare for: Winter. I've never really been a fan of winter (an ironic statement coming from someone who spent much of her life wishing/trying to move farther north) but knew that it was something I was going to have to put up with (a gross understatement considering what last winter brought us...thank you Mark Torregrossa for posting this awesome map on MLive detailing total snowfall amounts for the LP of Michigan...yes folks, I live in that minuscule "light pink part"). Needless to say, I had to come up with some way to keep myself from going insane. Enter: My idea to find a winter activity that I enjoy, and that's where snowshoeing comes into play.

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore holds ranger lead snowshoe hikes every winter, and since they've started up their weekly hikes (they'd begun on December 27 and will go every Saturday until March 7!) I thought I'd post my awesome snowshoeing experience that I didn't get around to posting last year. I'd been coveting this activity for quite some time, and my moving to Leelanau County provided me the opportunity. Bryan and I were able to go on the last ranger led snowshoe hike of the year, March 8th. After the frigid temps and non-stop snowfalls subsided, we were able to bear being outdoors longer than the time it takes to run from our car to our front door. Needless to say, we took advantage of it!

Bryan and I were instructed to meet at the SBDNL Philip A. Hart Visitor's Center located in Empire, MI before the hike.

(Photo: http://www.nps.gov/slbe/planyourvisit/visitorcenters.htm)

It was here that we gathered in the auditorium for a short presentation given to us by our guide. For the life of me I can't remember her name (Stephanie, or Melissa maybe??? Ugh!) and I wish I could because she did a great job! It was well organized and very informative. I learned a lot and really enjoyed her presentation.

You'll see it straight ahead when you walk into the visitor's center. The artwork on display is wonderful...I highly recommend taking a look when you visit!

It wasn't just a nature hike. Our guide began her presentation with an explanation of the National Park System Emblem and what each item on its emblem means.

Here's a closer look at the NPS Emblem. Glacier National Park in Montana (its website being the source of this photo) dictates well what our guide presented: "The Sequoia tree and bison represent vegetation and wildlife, the mountains and water represent scenic and recreational values, and the arrowhead represents historical and archeological values."

She went on to explain the different types of snowshoes (who knew there were so many?), why each type was designed in its particular way, and the function of the different parts of the snowshoe.

From left to right:

1. Ojibwe design: The wide base and curve on the front end would ensure good deep snow trekking for long distances on different types of terrain.
2. Bear paw: Wide, "short and stocky", no tail design. It's good for maneuvering through brush and I assume tight spaces while still being able to trek through deep snow.
3. Modified bear paw: It's a little longer with an upturned front that makes it a little easier to glide over snow. 

4. Modified bear paw: This time with a slight tail. 

5. Modern design: Basically a modified bear paw made of waterproof, lightweight materials.

6. Plasic snowshoe: I believe there was mention of these being good for children. Weight plays a factor in choosing the correct snowshoe. A child, being lighter than an adult, would be able to use this design without sinking into the snow.

7. A different bear paw design

8. Teardrop design: Very versatile. The tail helps counterbalance the front, turning it up when stepping to help you glide over the snow. 

9. Hiking poles can be very useful!

Ironically enough, the car company Suburu has this great snowshoe diagram detailing all the different parts of the snowshow. Many were explained to us buy our guide.

Off to the little storage room to get our snowshoes. Notice all the awesome artwork on the wall in here!

They have quite the snowshoe load! Anyone who didn't own a pair could borrow a pair. Hanging on the wall on the right are examples of the Alaskan snowshoes. Wide and long, upturned front, and tail for counterbalance so that those who dare to live there are able to trek over snowy terrain for long distances. 

Ready to go! They're bigger than they first appear...

After the presentation we were off to our hiking location. Our guide picked a location in the southern section of the park. I haven't spend much time in this area and was excited to explore.

Turning onto Lake Michigan Road, home of the popular Platte River Campground.

View of the Platte River.

Bryan getting ready to snowshoe.

Ready to go...

And we're off!

Our guide stopped at points along the way, all the while explaining different features and also discussing the four types of rangers that are employed by the National Park System.

Our guide told us she wanted to take us where few people have gone. Our off-trail hike was beautiful.

Our first view of Lake Michigan!

One pleasant surprise presented itself: A sighting of a juvenile bald eagle! Thanks to a biologist who was hiking with us we were able to confirm that it indeed was a bald eagle. They're a little difficult to identify when they're not "bald" :). This guy (or girl) seemed to be quite curious about us...he flew over a few times to check out our group.

Another view of Lake Michigan through the trees. It was a beautiful day to be out...these blue skies had been pretty scares in the months previous!

We've reached our destination. Here's a great view of Platte Bay at the end of our long winter. Lake Michigan was 93% frozen over, which is evident in this photo. On the left you can see the steep bluffs of Sleeping Bear.

I think I can, I think I can...

Bryan is rewarded with a gorgeous view of Platte Bay.

My favorite photo of us from our hike!

Our first guided snowshoe hike couldn't of come at a better time. We were reaching the end of the brutal winter of 2013-2014 and had an awful case of cabin fever. While snowshoeing may not be the cure for such an ailment, it was definitely a much needed remedy! I'm looking forward to participating in another hike this season. Puremichigan.com posted the event Ranger Led Snowshoe Hikes on their event calendar. I'll definitely be keeping a Saturday open!