What a wonderful day -- thanks for putting my Palau Musica shot on TT this week, and selecting my Chicago elevated train in the ETSOOI-Transportation challenge, and the Blackhawks won tonight (whew!).
Today was transition day:
1. 5 1/2 hours drive from Chicago to Charlevoix, Michigan
2. 20 minute flight from Charlevoix to Beaver Island
3. Drive to house to drop off things we carried with us on the small (6 seater) flight
4. Then to the grocery store before meeting the ferry with the rest of our stuff.
5. Then to the house to unpack, discovering that 5 bottles of club soda had exploded over the winter, inside a cabinet and 5 cans of soda had exploded in the pantry.
6. Many unrepeatable words were spoken
7. Massive cleanup of closet and pantry
8. Decision to post photo of Michigan rather than France/Spain, given the move.
9. Watch sun setting and think it has possibility
10. Debate whether it is worth braving the largest mosquito hatch in decades to get a photo or whether to use one from the trip up.
11. Put on coat with hood and go down to the beach
12. Regret going outside pretty quickly so take a few photos and return to safety of the house, hoping no mosquitos came in with me.
13. Decide photos of France and Spain can be used over the next few days if mosquitoes don't die overnight.
This shot was taken tonight from the beach in front of our house, looking across the small Lake Michigan bay to High Island. The sun will move to the right (north) until late June, and then moves quite far south by the time fall/winter rolls around.
Update Friday, June 6: SOOO worth the mosquitoes! It's #1 on TT!
Wow, what a beautiful shot, Taffy. I love your view but not the mosquitos or the unexpected cleanup. You had quite a trip to get there. Congrats on the TT page, well deserved. We came home from our day in San Francisco to a leaking cantaloupe along the connection of the upper and lower counter in our kitchen. What a mess. We bought it two days prior and have never seen anything like this happen. An easier cleanup than you had. FAV
Glad you and your camera made it back without the mosquitoes carrying you off. But really, I think this shot would have been worth a few bites. I guess we'll be seeing France/Spain for the next few days until you kill off all those skeeters!
What a beautiful home to return to! The sky looks like a sheet of slag glass...exquisite! I'm looking forward to watching your summer unfold and hearing more about how you found your way to this remote spot!
Welcome home Taffy. I love the shot. Sorry about the need to cleanup. Enjoy a restful break. I keep intending to ask but what subject do you lecture in? Just curious as my lecturing days are over. I found being on my feet for a day too much to cope with!
Enjoy your time there! Do you have fixed line internet or mobile internet over there? Sorry to hear about the clean-up and mozzies...at least they are not malaria-carrying...any other diseases they could carry over there?
This being Michigan, I can't imagine the mosquitoes will be going anywhere until it's at least down to 20 degrees F. I'm fascinated that you are out there in nature and got a perfectly symmetrical shot that includes dramatic lines. An architecture of sunset shot.
Beautiful sunset shot Taffy and I am not sure whether I would have braved the mozzies. Well the answer is I wouldn't have!! Blimey you do get around a lot!
@darsphotos Eek -- leaking cantaloup sounds like something in a horror movie! And harder to clean up in some ways because it turns so syrupy. The only advantage is no little pieces of glass! The final straw was as we were getting ready to go to sleep, I walked into the upstairs bathroom where we'd left a bottle of champagne and some beer in a 'just in case' last minute thing when we left last fall. The champagne bottle had burst and there was glass all over the bathtub! But the six pack of beer bottles were just fine...weird.
@elaine55 Thanks Elaine! I did have a bit of stacked up travel but nothing I wanted to turn down. I can't wait til I retire and can spread the travel out a bit -- and add some more in I hope! Next year is my last one full time at the university. Time has flown!
@ceilidh Thanks Margaret for the kind comment! My subject area is literacy education so that's what most of my courses had to do with, but it also includes curriculum leadership and school change at the graduate level. It's an interesting and challenging time to be in education...in my career, I've never seen anything like the situation we're in today.
A day that ends with this kind of color-show is a good one. Darn shame the mosquitoes wanted to have a look at it too. Beautifully captured, Taffy.
Yes, the macaw is my feathered buddy. He's been a part of the family now for ten years and is going on 18 years old. Adopted him from someone who was no longer able to care for him due to health issues.
@ericdibosco After many years, we finally have both internet AND mobile up here -- very civilized. When we first started coming up here in the early 1990s, they were still using community telephone lines. Dialup internet was the rule for many years after it had ended elsewhere. But now, we have cable -- slow but useable -- and special modem-boosters that allow our cell phones to work. It's made a huge difference as we can work from here via Skype and other screen sharing functions.
Enjoy your stay on the island. But I gather you will be going to Japan first...The place looks stunning, also from your previous uploads. Can you swim there, are there beaches?
@mara19500 There's a great public beach on the other side of the island (about 3 miles across from where we are), and another at the south end of the island. But, there are lots of beaches all around of course. Our area happens to be a rocky beach, so you have to wear some kind of foot gear, and we're shallow so you have to walk out a ways to swim. Our neighbors swim all the time, but I am more comfortable in a pool (I need that stripe at the bottom to tell where I'm going!). Our beach is great for kayaking, though!
What intense colors! Did you use your polarizer? So sorry to hear about the bottles and mess and all that. I'm not even able to download Spain into my computer because I have NO space, once again!
Your transition day list exhausted me. I need a glass of wine now. Your photos from Europe were fascinating and stunning! The sunset is fantastic and fav!
@taffy I should have taken a photo of the cantaloupe now that I think of it but wonder if one could have seen the glistening of it. So bizarre that it leaked like that, especially from something not liquid. Not too sticky and lucky we only did a day trip unlike you being gone so long and coming into a mess like you did. It is so hard to clean up little pieces of glass. Guess you will not be leaving anything like that this time around when you leave. That is so strange that the champagne bottle exploded and the beer did not. At least you have some beer to drink. I guess it gets super cold and that causes it to happen. I hope you enjoy your time there. Sounds wonderful.
@darsphotos We close down the house, so there's no heat at all through the winter. Usually things are okay, but not this year! Fortunately, most things were in coolers, styrofoam, and other protections. Learned a good lesson...
I'm kind of surprised all the cold weather up there didn't kill the mosquitoes...but then again I guess they would have adapted up there. I'm kid of hoping the unusually cold Texas winter killed ours off but I doubt I'm that lucky.
You capture such great colors in your shot though!
@taffy Oh how I agree. I train teachers Post Grad for Essex County Council. My subject areas of specialism are: English and drama and primary literacy. Here we are having to cope with a Secretary of State who does not value research or the professional voice so, as you said, interesting times!
I do #6 a loooooot, and I hope you keep the skeeters at bay. They are such blood suckers. :) Kid is all packed. Hope your macro clip works!!! Fingers crossed. :)
Wow, this is so beautiful... fav
Sounds like one hell of a trek back to the Island, as for those bottles of club soda, how frustrating at the end of a long journey!
Just fabulous Taffy! Wow what a journey and to be met with the mess and mozzies - not a nice welcome! And now you are off to Japan -,what a wonderful life you hAve and as you say it can only get better when you retire! I am looking forward to your summer on Beaver Island - I hope the mozzies don't stay too long! Fav!
How come this is not on PP? I would have thought 60 favs was good enough! Perhaps there are too many sunsets though I think we would never be tired of beautiful ones like this!
@maggiemae Thank you Maggiemae! I really appreciate your comment. I have no clue how I can ever get back onto PP again as it seems that no matter how many fav's I get, it isn't enough. Oh well...it's the comments and fav's from my 365 friends, in the end, that mean more to me.
@thirdjoe Thanks Joe! My photos kind of come and go, since I can't get on PP anymore for some reason. I appreciate your coming back to this one -- I was quite happy with it and am glad you liked it enough to fav!
@elaine55 Oh my gosh -- I'm on my way out the door and just saw your email. What a way to start the day!!! Thank you for letting me know! How exciting!!
Congratulations on No. 1 on TT, such an amazing shot and thanks so much for your lovely comments on my shot, I was thrilled to make TT for the first time, I am really enjoying it as it may not happen again! Lol
It's hard to beat Michigan for sunsets. My husband and I kayaked all the way around Beaver Island several years ago. Memories to cherish forever! Fantastic shot, and thanks for bringing back some great memories for me! :)
@juliedduncan Wow Julie! That's so cool!! You would have kayaked right past this scene, at Bonners Landing -- one of the very shallow bays south of Donegal Bay. I'm so glad you enjoyed your time on the island (or off its shore!).
Live in Michigan and try to get to Beaver Island every summer, so was happy to see this photo! Also originally from Chicago. Most beautiful sunsets in Michigan.
Wow, what could I add to this that has not been said already!! Congrats on #1 on TT....so well deserved!! I have been out of the loop for a little while with construction projects, and then the unexpected illness and passing of our kitty, and I am just now catching up! Missed seeing your photos, and I am now vicariously enjoying your trip to Japan!! Safe travels!
@panthora I'm so sad to read about your kitty. Loss of dear pets is such a hard thing to deal with, and I definitely feel for you. Best to you...and glad to see you on 365 again.
Yes, the macaw is my feathered buddy. He's been a part of the family now for ten years and is going on 18 years old. Adopted him from someone who was no longer able to care for him due to health issues.
You capture such great colors in your shot though!
Sounds like one hell of a trek back to the Island, as for those bottles of club soda, how frustrating at the end of a long journey!
Fav
Thanks Pam, Arefin, Michael, Lisa, Diane, and Gena!! I really have appreciated your support. Diane, I thought I'd never have a second PP shot when I first started -- you never know what will happen!