Artwork belongs on walls

So how long does it take to put new artwork up on walls?  It depends on the artwork and the difficulty of the location in which it must be hung.  Sometimes.  For instance, we have this great metal sculpture thing (named "Ray") that belonged to Cortney's godfather and was given to us as a gift... last summer.  It is still in the basement, mostly because we want to hang it above our stairs, which requires either a fancy ladder or acrobatics, or both.  We also got a great clock from Jon's mom for Christmas, and until tonight that was sitting on the wine rack in our kitchen, but there is no excuse for that delay beccause it is just on a normal kitchen wall now, ticking away.  Then there's the African photograph we got at the Art Fair several weeks ago.  It waited on the floor in Cortney's office until tonight when it has finally come to rest on the wall above our bed.  Ah well, Ray will have to wait another few weeks I fear.  As for our bedroom, we are now sleeping in the heart of Africa although the wildlife seems to be a bit on the small and cuddly side (except for the turtle, which dwarfs our bed).

A desperate lengthening of days

Yesterday was our last vacation day. Woke up; eggs and cheese for breakfast; state park beach in the morning; read more book on the sand; heading for home.  Home?  Who ever wants to go home from vacation?  While laying on the beach we concocted a scheme to extend the trip a bit… and add one more national park to our belts before our annual pass runs out (next month).  After lunching on the deck with Lonnie we hit the road at 2:30 and headed for Traverse City and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.  It was a great stop and worth the extra time… we haven’t ever seen so much sand in one place.  And we got there as the day was waning, so everything was bathed in an evening shade of mystery.  We didn’t stay for sunset.  As it was we didn’t get home until one in the morning, and four plus hour drive felt like a real crawl.  Just as a note… Tim Horton’s is a good bet if you ever need coffee after midnight while on the road.

We are on vacation...

why are we blogging?  We’ll make this short.  Slept in; great coffee; lunch at the bar; quaint shops; nap in the breeze; read a book (DaVinci Code, together); swimming in Walloon Lake; dinner with relatives; sunset over the bay; reprise of putt putt (Cortney won); drinks on the deck; reprise of the fire.

Beach Blanket Bingo

For a beautiful day at the Sturgeon Bay beach, we took the scenic route through the “Tunnel of Trees,” winding through the “Devil’s Elbow” curve and past “Legs Inn” at “Cross Village.” Is this northern Michigan or Middle Earth? The water was nearly bath-water warm and Jon pretended to be a beached whale, and Cortney got artistic, Tarantino-style, photographing Jon’s feet. We shared a delicious picnic lunch while wondering if a capsized kayaker would ever manage to right himself (we’re still not sure, since he refused help from a rescue boat that his concerned wife sent out).
We took advantage of pay-per-view to watch the Will Smith comedy “Hitch.” It’s all about about the dance scene in the epilogue.
We ended the day with a fire on the deck (in a firepit, of course). The flames, smoke, pine trees, and elevated deck made Jon feel like he was in the Ewok village. Cortney was on firefighter duty, spray bottle in hand, furiously putting out any stray sparks. One landed in Jon’s lap, and he ended up with soaking wet shorts. Good save, though, Cortney.

Tip of the Mitt

We have managed to escape to our haven in northern Michigan, Harbor Springs, for a four-day weekend. Arriving on Thursday night, when it was pitch black, made for a refreshing view on Friday morning, when we were greeted by the beautiful bay view. It has been one year since we last were here, and it has been interesting to see the changes. Pirates Cove Adventure Golf added several pirate mannequins and a big lighthouse, which will certainly warrant a nighttime visit. The Roast and Toast coffee shop added delicious scrambled egg wraps to their menu. The Emmett County Medical Center completed its renovations. More multi-million-dollar mansions have sprouted on the waterfront. New fast food joints have appeared. But in spite of all the development, it still remains a beautiful getaway. And it is the simple pleasures, like a walk along the pier, and a nap on the deck covered with the dogs, that make this a wonderful vacation.