Pic @ MindSay

The weather, here, is getting chilly. The nights have threats of frost and the trees are responding with a bloom of fiery color. It's beautiful but I miss summer already and it's only been a couple weeks.

I'm a summer girl through and through but, don't get me wrong, I do love all of the seasons. Each bring their own special magic and beauty that I can appreciate.

I have so many photos to share with you from this past summer. Hopefully, it will help warm you, like a cup of good strong tea.





















Now, I must attend to my water that is nice and hot. I had it boiling but I'm letting it cool a little so that I don't scald my tea. I'm going to have Mojito tea. :D It's quite refreshing.

♪♫Oh I could throw you in the lake
Or feed you poisoned birthday cake
I wont deny I'm gonna miss you when you're gone
Oh I could bury you alive
But you might crawl out with a knife
And kill me when I'm sleeping
That's why...♫♪

This song is grim, upbeat and addictive!! Once you've played it more twice in a row, you'll find yourself wanting to skip around and singing this song.

Well, at least that's what I've been doing the past two days.

This week we register for Savannah's last year in middle school. I can't believe it, really, that means next year she'll be in high school. WOW! She's my baby girl and yet maturing into a wonderful person. I love her but I also like the person she is too! I know, that sounds strange but, think about it, you can love your kids but that doesn't necessarily means that you'll like them.

She's been talking about chopping her hair and while that pains me, it is her hair to do what she wants. So, I'll probably be sad when it happens but she is her own person and I can't make her keep her hair that way just because I like it. Besides, she's expressing herself; coming ever closer to being an independent individual. Isn't that what we raise our kids for?

Ah well, if she decided to dye her hair all black, rainbow colors or shave herself bald, I'll let her. It's just hair! I'll love her no matter what she looks like.


Oh my silly gal! I'm glad she can still be a kid!! I hope she never loses that quality.

Now, to continue the picture posts from the island!






There were so many beautiful stones and pebbles. I wanted to pick up so many but I knew I should just take a picture so I didn't have pocket full of pretty rocks.






I love the little sweat bee resting on the flower.


A cedar tree fell and was basking in the afternoon sun. The warmth made the cedar's aroma fill the area where it lay. I did pick up a small splinter of wood to put on my altar. It was an amazing tree.




This branch reminded me of a scraggly hand reaching out to grab something in the distance.


Even the trails were amazing! Although, we didn't stop long to take detailed pictures because the mosquitoes were VICIOUS! My sister-in-law was eaten alive! I was very fortunate the mosquitoes didn't like me as much.

Thanks for taking the time to read, poke around and share these moments with me. :D

Tomorrow is Josh's birthday. I plan on making it a good one but we're keeping it on the down low. We invited a bunch of friends over so we can all hang out and enjoy our time together. It's going to be fun!

I'm picking up the house a little which of course made me realize how dirty the walls have gotten. So, I washed the walls. What a difference that makes!!

Currently, I'm writing down a small grocery list for things I'll need to make for tomorrow and Saturday. Saturday, my sister is having her going away party & my nephew's birthday party. It should be fun too. I'm making potato salad for that. Yum!

Well, gotta get going. Enjoy the pictures from the island!


Such a curious thing.


Wild Lupine was everywhere.


I quickly had to take this picture because some sandhill cranes were walking right next to us. They dashed into the woods and this was the best picture I got of them. :P


My mom's dog, Molly, chilled out and tried to keep cool as we played card games & checkers.




This raven was hilarious! He was walking side by side with this doe then he would caw at it and continue to walk. So cute!


You're never really alone, anywhere you go, on this island. It was wonderful.






Look how dry the sand was under the long tilted tree.

Well, that was inconvenient. Mindsay being down can be such a pain in the patootie. Oh well, I know we are only taking each day as it comes.

Otherwise, things are good here. I've been busy but it's okay. I like to be busy. Still more running around.

On Friday it's Josh's birthday. We're having something small and he's requested my Key Lime Cheesecake instead of a cake. YUM! I love cooking and baking.

Now, reminding myself, I've gotta send a small invite out to everyone who can come.

How about some more pictures? Then I must finish the dishes.


I'm not sure what these flowers are called. I always thought they were called "Indian Paintbrushes" but I tried to look them up and it certainly wasn't the flower I was looking for. I'll have to check some of my wildflower books.




At one point my sis-in-law and I went to the beach to take pictures. We ended up getting trapped under a tree as a sudden downpour came. Luckily, Leif received my text and rescued us with the car so we didn't have to walk back to camp,(near a half mile away), unprotected with our cameras.


Amazing and fun things were found when taking a drive.




This momma was trying to encourage her young one to go but he didn't care. He kept kicking up his heels and bouncing around defiantly. She would walk away, keeping an eye on us, then look back and he continued to play without a care.




Finally, momma convinced the baby to go.


For an island, this place seemed to be it's own little world. Ever changing the surroundings and giving us happy little surprises.


The weather changed drastically within a week from near freezing to dear-heavens-I-need-all-my-clothes-off hot.

I didn't mind. :) I came prepared for both because I kept an eye on the weather reports. The down blanket, fleece, and sheets+ that I brought to sleep in kept me all cuddly and warm.

One day when it was cold and rainy I went to my tent to read. It was a wonderful atmosphere with the drizzle hitting the tent, the wind moving the trees in a roar that made me feel like I was next to the tide coming in. The area seemed dark, because of the overcast, but it was so cozy in my tent. I dozed a little, woke, read, and watched the water droplets drip down off my tent. Time seemed to go quickly but, in reality, it moved slowly.

At one point, the sky got darker and wind picked up. I watched the silhouettes of the trees(or what I could see of them cast their shadow. Then, I felt something very weird and almost scary feeling. I noticed another shadow outside of my tent that looked like a very tall person! I didn't hear anyone walk by and believe me you'd hear someone walking on the wet gravel even in all that wind and rain. The shadow then glided, yes, glided past the back of my tent and into the woods behind my campsite. I could even see part of it through a vent window at the bottom of my tent. It reminded me of a Dementor. I'm not usually caught off guard like that by a person or otherwise and that one was like, BING, I'm here, notice me.

And that's what I did.

Sometimes I think weird things like that just want acknowledgment or even just are curious about you too. That thing had such a strange energy. Perhaps it was one of those spirits of the Great Lakes that are old and powerful? Who knows. I leave that one up as another mystery and a blessing I was allowed to see them.