Great Grand Nina Grace

I asked her Grandpa Rich for a picture and sure enough he sent one! We will all turn around and she will be close to filling those shoes!  Today is Nina Grace's Grandpa's birthday.

From the online Atlantic (Iowa) News Telegraph

I loved this Goat Nibbling picture from the Cass County (Iowa) Fair.

The Magic Window

The Magic Window This may be primarily for people who grew up in central Iowa but I do remember the Magic Window. One of the first kid shows televised. This link is to old time photo of the day from the Des Moines Register site.

When banks first had drive up windows Butch's mother called them the Magic Window primarily because of the TV show of the same name.

A walk down memory lane for many of you...

Update from friends Sharon & Mike

GOD BLESS TEXAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Stinking miserable heat and all!  We are home, thank God and all your prayers!

 

It was a long day but the hospital there and the staff were beyond amazing, truly someplace special there. (Joplin MO) The doctors said they'd have us on the road by 8:30 and we left there at 8:36!  Stopped only for fuel and grabbed to-go food and ate in the car and never stopped again!  Got to the doctor here in Granbury and spoke with him, then went to pharmacy, dropped of prescriptions and then dropped Mike off at home, unloaded car and then ran back to pharmacy to pick up meds.  Doctor called and said surgeon will call in AM and they are wanting to do some kind of test but not sure what it is, if it's an angiogram or what?  Mike didn't really understand him so I'll have to see in the morning and then we will see surgeon hopefully by THursday.  Our doc was hoping we could get this done by Friday but who knows.  In the meantime we are being very, very, careful and I can't leave him for very long for sure.  Like living with a time bomb!  He's not feeling well tonight, really exhausted so he's tucked in bed.  Sheran and Gene, brought dinner over, thankfully something I didn't have to worry about since the fridge was bare after almost two weeks.  I'm trying to get wash done, mail done, unpacked, etc so I'll be ready for whatever we have to do next.

 

I'm sorry it's taken me to this late to let you know but I haven't stopped and we're just so tired!  Please forgive me!

 

Love you all so much and I'll keep you posted but rest easy we're home now and all will be well!

 

Sharon

Latest Elise Pictures

Thanks to her Grandpa Gary!

Grandpa Gary says:

"It's sad at 11 weeks of age but Elise loves to watch TV. Mom and Grandma don't often let her do it. Grandpa on the other hand lets the little girl do what she wants. How do you think she rewarded me? It was nasty, that is all I will say!"

Italian Cream Cake

I would be tickled pink if someone baked this cake for me on my birthday!
From Linda's Recipe Book.

This recipe has been a favorite of ours for many years. Made totally from scratch it is not the quickest or easiest cake to make but oh so worth it. This cake gets better a few days after it is made. 

Cake:
1 stick butter
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup coconut
5 egg yolks
5 egg whites, stiffly beaten
1/2 cup shortening
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Cream butter and shortening. Add sugar and beat until smooth. Add egg yolks and beat well. Sift flour, measure and sift again with baking soda. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk to the creamed mixture. Stir in vanilla, coconut and nuts. Fold in egg whites. Pour batter into 3 greased and floured 8" cake pans (or two 9"). Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans for 5 minutes. Then turn out cakes on racks. When cake is completely cooled, frost. 

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 8oz. pkg. cream cheese(room temperature)
1 lb. powdered sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 stick butter

Beat cream cheese with butter until very smooth. Add sugar and mix well. Add vanilla and beat until smooth. Spread between layers and over top and sides. Sprinkle with chopped nuts. 

Monday Mourning

Moodiness mixed with raindrops,
Makes for a soup that is blue.
I need a walk in the sunshine,
And find something productive to do.

I have found myself to be fractured and distracted today. We need to get some work done but it is outside work and we are having a rainy day here in northeast Michigan.
I broke Butch's chair yesterday. It was on its way to being broke anyway, I just finished it off. I was cleaning it and it needed it. I forgot about its delicate condition and jerked it around and whoops- broken. He can no longer recline. Angel is not going to like this. So then as always happens he decides he is going to fix it. Butch's mind is locked in the 50's where you could go downtown to the hardware store or blacksmith shop and find parts for anything that had parts. So far, no luck. We have contacted the chair manufacturer (Flexsteel) by email and we will see what that brings. Our hopes are none too high. So for you women whose men are none too handy- at times it is not all it is cracked up to be. A quest for something unattainable is not pretty to watch.
I mailed off two bracelets today or rather Butch did while he was off on his quest for parts. These two are going to Missouri. I counted up the other day and I think I have done 7 so far. They are fun to do because they are finished quickly and then off to the next idea. Also they are easier to do in warm weather than an afghan and we are always in warm weather or at least we try to be. I still plan to do Swedish weaving.

Howard's birthday party was Saturday night.

                                                          Anti-Monkey Butt Powder???

 Some Depends now that he is older and a modified golf club  for those really tough shots where it is hard to stand up.

The workamping group has decided to return to our social gathering on Sunday evening as we had such fun at Howard's birthday party. His lovely wife Linda planned it with all his favorite food. Lasagna and Cake- A special cake!

Maybe I can get the very difficult but really scrumptious birthday cake recipe from Linda.

Word from a friend

We met Mike & Sharon Bryce at Snow Mountain Ranch and became good friends with them as well as many others. We have stopped at Mike and Sharon's home in Granbury Texas a couple of times on our way to the Rio Grande Valley. In fact Mike and Sharon wanted to come to Thunder Bay Resort to workamp this summer but it didn't work out and we were both disappointed. Mike and Sharon had come to Michigan from Texas to visit grandsons and headed back to Texas last Friday. I received this email from her an hour ago and they have been in my thoughts and prayers ever since. Please put them in yours for us please.
From Sharon:
"Okay guys, it's our turn to ask for prayers.  Mike is in pretty rough shape right now.  We were on our way home from Michigan on Friday when he said to me, "grab the wheel, I'm fixing to faint."  By the good graces of God we were able to get off the interstate without being hit.  I called 911 and they brought him here to a hospital in Joplin.  They ran all the tests and ruled out a heart attack and stroke but finally yesterday found that his carotid artery is "critically" blocked.  We were talking with our doctors in Texas and trying to make a decision as to whether or not it would be safe to get him home for the surgery but he had another episode this morning and I'm afraid he's going to have a massive stroke so getting him home is not looking better.  It would be easier for sure since I'm having to stay in a hotel and without my meds and I'm out of clothes, no support here, etc but think we'll have to do here.  His BP was so high this morning it wouldn't even register on their machines.  I'm worried to death he'll have a stroke before we can even get it done and then when they do the surgery it's risky because he could have a stroke during the procedure.  If all goes well they would keep him here 3-4 days before we could travel and I'm assuming that once they release him we could come home so 3-4 days may be optimistic.

 

If you could pray that we make the right decision and we get through this I'd appreciate it.  "

Yes, we will Sharon. You can count on it.

Cloudy

It is a quiet cloudy day at Thunder Bay Resort. Really have not accomplished much today and in fact I am thinking about a nap. We have a birthday party to go to later in the day so that should perk us up some.

 Butch has a hard time pulling himself out of bed to mow greens on the weekends. It is starting to be too dark at 6:00 for him to start mowing. A mixed blessing.
One of the things I need to start on is paring down my cupboards and lining up stuff for the first garage sale in Magnolia Park. Like 6 wine glasses. I had to slow down to a crawl on drinking wine so I really have no need for 6 wineglasses. BUT I hate to throw them away...and I hate to have them take up precious space in our wee home. What a dilemma!
Butch put in a Netflix movie. House of D so I took time out to watch it. It was a recommendation form Jason. After it started we realized we had seen it before but it was good enough to watch again. Made me cry this time too.
Just checked email and have a Youtube from son Gary with Elise in it. Way to go, Gary. Let's have more of these
.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQcQLOVzgUw

And we have these too!

A Quicky

Been reading this site this morning and getting a kick out of it.

http://rvshrink.blogspot.com/

Why I like Gmail-(Cucumber/Onion Dressing)

 I lost many of my recipes when my computer failed on me last winter. I wanted a recipe that friend Mickey gave me and I knew I had asked her for it by email so I go to Gmail online and do a search for 'cucumber' and after just a wee bit of looking found the recipe. Note the date on the recipe. It doesn't matter how long ago the recipe was sent you can do a search and retrieve it.
Now about this recipe- If I remember correctly Mickey used Miracle Whip. I usually use mayo for sandwiches but I liked this recipe so well as is that I will buy Miracle Whip for this recipe alone.
Enjoy!
Recipe:   Cucumber/Onion Dressing        8/25/2008
Category: Side
Author:   Mickey's aunt

1 C. Miracle Whip
1/2 C. Sugar or Splenda
4 T Apple Cider vinegar
salt to taste
Cucumbers and onions, sliced

Slice Cucumbers and onions. Layer in a dish  and lightly salt each layer.  Combine 
dressing ingredients and pour over cucumber/onion layers. Refrigerate for 
several hours before serving.

Rogers City MI

Butch and I went north to Rogers City MI, a nice little town located on the shores of Lake Huron. It isn't far up there (30 miles) and Butch was told of a bike shop there that carried Raleighs and he wanted to test drive one on the city's bike trail...or talk about repair on his...or trade-in etc. We arrived to find the bike shop is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays so that part did not work out. We had our bikes with us so we rode the bike trail anyway. After finding it. It is not well marked. I am used to the trails in Iowa that can't be missed as they are marked in a myriad of ways, both on the trail and off. We knew by word of mouth that the 40 mile Lighthouse is located at the end of the bike trail. The 40 Mile lighthouse is so named because it is located 40 miles from Alpena and 40 miles in the other direction from Mackinac City. Butch tried to convince me it was 40 miles to the lighthouse but I knew better.

Not on the trail

 Along side the trail

I wanted to see and take pictures at the lighthouse so that was my goal but we had no idea of the mileage and it was hot and we didn't have much water so after biking 5.5 miles...didn't know that till later...we turned around and returned to Rogers City for a bike ride totaling 11 miles. It was  a very nice ride and one I would like to do again at a cooler time of day. The trail is 7 miles in length so if we had only known we were not all that far from the lighthouse. We returned to the car and drove out to the Lighthouse. The admission is free to this lighthouse and I understand it is the last one that is free. All the others charge admission.

It is a pretty little place and one of only a few that actually looks like a house and not a silo.:-)

Being of sound mind I did not go all the way to the top. Butch tried but it was crowded with people so he passed this time.

As we approached the Lighthouse.

The light itself is barely visible in this shot.

View out the second story bathroom window. (added in 1940) 

A painting on the wall.

We had a phone like this in a farmhouse we rented in our early married life. Churdan Iowa. Yes it was unusual even then (1963)

An apple tree on the shores of Lake Huron. The apples were not in good shape but the view was great.

A shipwreck remains not far from the lighthouse

A little hard to make out.

This gull was playing 'King of the Hill' and saying "mine, mine mine!"

After the tour we headed on back to Hillman and I found I was too pooped to go to the Grill for Silverfox. Maybe next time...

Silverfox -performs Tuesday at 4:30 to 6 PM

Been busy this morning getting all the blogs attended to and thought I would place this one here to give you an example of what I have been up to this morning. I plan to go to The Grill this afternoon to catch his performance. I am still planning to get pictures of him with his wolves at some point. They are here at the resort on occasion and I need to find out when.
                                                                      
                                                                       Silverfox

Silverfox  lifts his flutes as if to call upon the Great Spirit! His sensational extraordinary talents in music certainly are a great and awesome gift to us all. This thrilling musical experience presented by Silverfox is more than a feeling as his sacred sounds fill the very core of what we feel as we drift into his delightful performance. Silverfox is known for his talents as a flute master! Silverfox became a local legend profiled by his rare and unique mystical sounds. His family, fans and friends starting at a very young age love him as a local hero Silverfox reaching above his teenage years moves his performances beyond his home lands as an Abaachii (Apache). Throughout the past years as a meditative musical experience this featured performer is proudly introduced throughout the Nations in every venue as a celebrated musical achievement. The sight and sounds of Silverfox in full attire as a Human Spiritual Native American flute master, has stirred the hearts of so many around the Southern to Northern States he has created a following that will last eternally. Silverfox celebrated as the featured event, an experience that sends his listeners back into a time of greatness and spiritual altruism leans into the notes like no other can. He remains close to his fans in applause as he finds ways to interact with all who attend. One of the most extraordinary performers of our current times Silverfox inspires the crowds to feel the Sacred Winds, exciting every listener to become a part of the sound. Using a wide and varied assortment of custom hand crafted flutes enjoys teaching the young and old through his dynamic sounds the art of his culture. This must see performer venturing throughout the Nations fills the hearts and spirits of the young and old inspiring everyone! Silverfox will be moving his sounds into your area soon. Don’t miss out! Kicknbear, Drummer for Silverfox & the Red - X Band........ Silverfox is married and resides in Houston, Texas in the winter months and in Northern Michigan in the summer.

 http://www.myspace.com/silverfoxflutes

And so...

The guys(Butch, Tom, Ted, Howard) came in with a good score of 12 under par. I consider that quite a feat but the winners were 13 under. It was a charity event for Elk County Animal Shelter so it was for a good cause. They fed the guys well and there were other prizes. Butch won a door prize of a free breakfast at Jacques Restaurant. We can and will enjoy that.

I checked in on facebook and discovered that our youngest son caught a muskie at Brushy Creek. Minimum is 40 inches and his measured 31 so he had to release it. The picture is pretty impressive.

I also have another picture of him from a while back that I saw when looking for this one. It was taken by his wife Laura while they were on vacation in Las Vegas. Judging from the shininess of those posteriors many pictures are taken similar to this one.

On to other things- I found a recipe for Adobo seasoning, tried it and Butch was impressed. I used it on chicken that he grilled but it can be used for many things. Adobo seasoning can be found in the Mexican sections of your grocery stores. It is something I have used for a long time but always the store bought variety. If you are fond of fajitas it is often the seasoning they use on the chicken or beef used for them.

                              

 Adobo Seasoning

"Simple pantry spices combine to make a savory, flavorful adobo 

seasoning to sprinkle on chicken, fish, meat, cottage cheese, or anything you'd like to zing up. 

It's so easy to make it yourself.”

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons salt

1 tablespoon paprika

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

1-1/2 teaspoons onion powder

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon chili powder

     In a bowl, stir together the salt, paprika, black pepper, onion powder, oregano, cumin, garlic powder, and chili powder. Store in a sealed jar in a cool, dry place.

Currently reading- The Murderer's Daughters by Randy Susan Meyers- I am enjoying it. It is on the Kindle- Loving my Kindle!!

Well I have certainly given you a variety this morning.

Later...

And then we...

After our return from Mackinac we had to busy ourselves with earning our keep so bright and early we started cleaning up around the suites, villas and chalets. That consists of blowing off the decks and entrances with a leaf blower, knocking down cobwebs, wiping off deck chairs and washing windows that are reachable. That was a big job to begin with but now that we have caught up it isn't too hard to maintain. Butch also added a air conditioner replacement install to his list of ToDo's.
I planned to make a slideshow of our Mackinac pictures but there are a 130 of them and that is way too many for a Smilebox slideshow. They take some time to load even with a fast connection so I am thinking I will put them on Webshots.
I am really excited about the new stats feature on Blogger. I have always been curious about the traffic this site and the others get but had no way of knowing. Now I do. Of all the ones I do, this one gets the most action. I am sure that when winter is here the Magnolia one will increase and this one decline a bit. I always plan to be fair to both. It should be very interesting to see the long range stats.
So Friday was spent working and getting caught up on things.

Butch always moans and groans about getting up so early on weekends to mow the greens. He loves to mow the greens but would rather do them later in the day. Of course that doesn't work because then there are golfers in the way. After the poor boy finished mowing greens at 9:00 AM we decided to go out for breakfast. We have not eaten out much here and that is a good thing as we get more than enough of that the rest of the year. After breakfast we stopped at a farmers market on the corner and purchased sweet corn, tomatoes, jalapeños, onions, cucumbers and a humongous head of cabbage. The cabbage had to weigh at least 12 pounds and cost me a whole $1.50.
Part of my job here is music promotion and I needed some better shots of the musicians playing last night so I reminded myself all day that I needed to do that and I wanted to get it done while the houselights were still up, in other words early. Well, Butch had a Netflix movie "The Imaginarium of Mr Parnassus" and he started it about 6:30PM and I forgot about getting the pictures! That was the time I should have been heading to The Barn. I did not forget because the movie was so great. His kind of movie not mine. So about 8:00 I remembered and trotted up for pictures. I am hoping they are an improvement on what I currently have.
Fellow workamper Linda Payne sang with the band. She is GOOD! She sang 'Unchained Melody' and gave me goosebumps.

Butch,Tom, Ted and Howard are Playing in a golf tournament this morning. Butch was going to pass on it because it is our anniversary but I assured him it would be fine. It isn't as though we never spend time together.

I have plans for making a salsa, beading or Swedish weaving, reading and whatever else suits my fancy so till next time...

Mackinac Island trip continued...

There are two spellings for Mackinac but only one pronunciation. I was confused by this so thought I would pass on the info. Mackinaw is the English spelling and Mackinac is the French spelling but they are both pronounced Mackinaw.
We continued our way around the easy 8 mile ride around the island, I would say back to civilization but there was an abundance of people the entire way. Way too many for my taste but it is in the height of the tourist season. It is a beautiful place but having to be careful not to run over someone or get run over detracts from the experience. Since I am blessed with a vivid imagination I could envision a landscape without people often enough to make it worthwhile.

Chicory and rock

Coastline blow the Arch

Fort Mackinac

After returning to the midst of the port area we found a place to eat. Mary's Bistro. Wanda and I had Chicken Pot pies and the guys had burgers. What else?! It was a tasty meal. We decided a restaurant would be forced to be good there or they would not be in business long if they could not put out an excellent meal. After our meal we had to find fudge. Not hard to do as every other shop sells it. Butch bought a slice of maple pecan fudge. He did share but most of it ended up in Butch. Good thing too because that stuff does a number on my system. Too, too rich! 

After riding around the island on bikes we decided to splurge on a carriage ride that would take us to the steeper parts of the interior of the island. 

The famous Grand Hotel

The horses from the Grand Hotel getting a drink and a break from their duties. The drivers of these rigs are dressed very formally including top hat.

The pavement is hard on the horses feet so this shoe made of hard rubber was invented on Mackinac island for their horses. It saves money in many ways and I am sure the horses are grateful for the help.

This young man was giving us a preliminary explanation about the fort. The admission to it was $10.50 each so we declined. Butch wanted more fudge.

The governor's mansion for Michigan is on Mackinac island. The view from here is magnificent.

Horse powered street sweeper. They export 5000 pounds of manure a week besides what they keep for their own use as fertilizer.

The weather was beginning to get chillier and spit rain as we headed back to the mainland. We were fortunate that it waited till late in the day.

On our way back to Thuder Bay Resort we stopped for a quick look at CLEAR Lake and it indeed lives up to its name. Absolutely beautiful and very very clear. Understand that the picture was taken under heavy cloud cover. I understand that on a sunny day it has a turquoise color like the waters of the Caribbean .

 

We all four had a great time on our Michigan excursion.