Max discovers the U.P.

What a great weekend we are having!   After 4 months away, it is so great to be back.  I'm convinced that Maddie feels the same way and knew exactly where we were going when we left home on Friday.  She traveled with excitement all the way to the Mackinac Bridge, in typical Maddie fashion. And also in typical fashion, there was much excitement as we arrived at the park in Mackinaw City-always our first stop on a trip to the UP.  As we piled out of the Jeep, I know we were quite the sight. So much excitement and I was tangled in leashes and then after untangling, I was suddenly tangled again.  After several more episodes of tangling and untangling and several sniffing and potty stops along the way, we finally made it to the beach and this amazing view.

While Maddie dragged me and Imke so she could get to the Lake for a big drink of that fresh Great Lakes water, Max was immediately fascinated with all of the sea gulls.  

Max loves sea gulls

As we walked down the beach, there was lots more sniffing and exploring and greeting of new friends; the girls wading in and out of the water along the way.  I was excited to see how Max would react to the water and patiently waited for him to approach.  He saw Maddie and Imke in the water and began to trot toward them...and then there was movement, a tiny little ripple of a wave coming into shore, and he jumped back and decided he no longer had any interest in the water.  Silly boy!  

Obligatory pic with the Bridge 

After 30 minutes, we were back in the Jeep and on our way North across the Bridge, windows down and ears flapping in the wind.   Once we were over the Bridge, everyone settled in for the rest of the trip Munising.

Max crossing the Mackinac Bridge

Day 2 we awoke to sunshine and blue skies, the perfect Munising day.  After a lazy morning at the hotel, we headed west of town to Au Train to spend some time at the beach.  Au Train has a beautiful stretch of sandy beach which is rarely ever busy and we love to spend time there exploring and enjoying the view.  

We spent a couple hours there, walking the beach and exploring the lake.  Max even got over his fear of the water so he could explore the rocky cliff area with the girls.  

Max enjoyed his explorations

Before leaving Au Train, we made a quick trip across M-28 to spend a little time exploring Scott Falls.  This is a beautiful little roadside waterfall that you even walk behind.  It's a great falls to explore all year round.

Scott Falls

After our morning in Au Train, it was time to head back to Munising to grab some lunch at our favorite cafe.  With lunch in hand, I decided it would be nice to eat lunch at the beach so we headed out to the lake shore and Miners Beach.  The Miners Beach area is my favorite area in the Pictured Rocks Lakeshore.  A portion of the North Country Trail runs through this area, so after lunch it was time for a hike.  Max thought a swim in Miners River was a better idea!

Quick dip in Miners River

This portion of the NCT runs along the Miners River and along the Miners Beach lake shore.  It is such a beautiful area and is probably my favorite portion of the trail.   I think the dogs really just wanted to explore the River.

NCT Bridge over Miners River

Midway through our hike, we made a stop at one end of Miner's beach so we could get our feet in the sand and so the dogs could get a drink in the Lake.  Of course I made them pose for a picture along the way.  They were very popular and, as is a normal occurrence, a complete stranger asked to take their picture too.  I can't tell you how many people have pictures of my girls right here on this portion of the beach.  

Miners Beach

Miners Beach

After some time on the beach, we jumped back on the trail.  We hiked along the lake shore toward the opposite end of Miners Beach.  This end of the beach is  a bit more rocky and includes beautiful Elliot Falls which flows out of the forest and into Lake Superior.  Max even got close enough to feel a bit of the water spray.

Max at Elliot Falls

While Max and I were exploring the falls, Maddie decided to join us.  

Maddie at Elliot Falls

Imke preferred to explore the rest of the beach.  There is just so much to see here and no matter how many times we come here, it seems like there is always something new to explore.  

Imke

Before heading back on the trail to get back to the Jeep, we decided to sit and relax for a bit on the beach and enjoy the peace and quiet.  The best part about this part of Miners Beach is that it is normally very quiet and we normally have it to ourselves.  While I sat with Max with my feet in the lake, Maddie took full advantage of our down time.  

Nap time

Imke, on the other hand, continued to explore.  Ever curious, she is always the last to relax.  Why sit still when there is so many things to smell and so many sticks to chew?

Imke the explorer

We started to head back to Munising as the rain began to fall, but couldn't resist a couple of quick stops at Miners Castle and to see the trillium in bloom.

Miners Castle

Trillium 

Before the day could end, we had to head out to Wagner Falls.  It is my favorite waterfall and I can't resist stopping any time I am in Munising.  The dogs enjoyed our stop too.

Wagner Falls

Max, Imke, and Maddie at Wagner Falls

Day 3 was rainy, gray and gloomy and I decided to venture North to Grand Marais.  This portion of the Pictured Rocks is much less dog friendly, so on a rainy day, this is a great place to go for some quick adventures.  

Dog are allowed in a small area of the beach and trail near Hurricane River.  This is one of the places we like to explore when we need a quick stop.  

Hurricane River

The rain had slowed down a bit so it was a great place to stop for a potty break and drink for the dogs and a little fun in the sand.

Max loves the sand!

A portion of the North Country Trail also runs through this area, however it has a very small section which is dog-friendly.  But on this rainy day I was determined to get in at least a mile on the trail and so we started to walk back and forth on this section of the trail.

Pushing the boundaries.

After several trips back and forth...and several people stopping us to ask what we were doing and what kind of dogs those are, we reached 1.25 miles on the trail and decided that it was time to continue our journey.

NCT

Since this is not a dog-friendly area, I made a quick stop at Sable Falls and did the 1/2 mile hike to the Grand Sable dunes overlook while the dogs patiently waited in the Jeep.  Much of the dunes are closed due to erosion, but it was worth the hike to see the view of  Lake Superior.

Sable Falls

Grand Sable Dunes

It was now time to head back to Munising after another successful day of exploring.  Although it had been a rainy, wet day, we still had a great time.  And Max was happy to just watch the world go by on our way home.  

Enjoying the scenery

Happy to say we still have two more days of fun ahead of us.  We are looking forward to what tomorrow brings our way!  Now it's time for some rest!

The adventure is about to begin

I'm so excited to say that tomorrow we'll be heading North!  It has been 4 months since my last trip to the U.P. and in my world that is far too long and I think the girls would agree with me!  They definitely know something is about to happen.  Their intuitive natures and their recognition of my routine never ceases to amaze me.

I have one bag that goes with us on every big adventure we take.  Every time I pull it out of the closet to begin to pack, Imke comes running.  And every step I take for rest of the night, Maddie follows me.  They know that bag means that we are going to be going somewhere fun and they want to make sure that they don't get left behind.  I love how excited they get about traveling with me, even when they have no idea where we're going.  And tonight was no different.

Tomorrow as I leave for work, the bag will be packed and ready so when I return home and the bag moves into my Jeep, the girls will know it's time...time for a car ride and some fun!  Maddie will pace with excitement and Imke will bark with joy.  I'm sure Max will join in with a little excited barking too, even though he has no idea what is really about to happen.  They will enthusiastically jump into the Jeep and then will be off on our next big adventure.

I'm excited to take Max to all of our normal fun stops along the way and to watch him and the girls as they explore Munising and the Pictured Rocks over the weekend.  There will of course be some hiking along the North Country Trail.  There will be wildflowers, woods, waterfalls, and maybe some wildlife.  There will be lots of sniffing and exploring every inch of every spot we stop.  There will once again be sand on my feet and sand on their paws...and invariably there will be sand in the Jeep. We will smell the fresh Lake Superior air and feel the cold, cold Lake Superior water on our toes.  We will sit in the solitude of nature and soak it all in and I will be refreshed and renewed.  I will be home...
 

Just a week in the life...

Some weeks are busy and some weeks just don't go as planned...and this week?  Well this week was a little bit of both.  Sometimes it's hard trying to be a good aunt, a good dog mom, and just a good person in general.  The last 8 days have been a whirlwind of activity trying to be all of those things.  I had commitments nearly every day this week, but was looking forward to a fun-filled week.

My nieces and nephew are the typical busy kids of today.  With schools, sports, band, dancing, and various other activities between the three of them, I'm not sure how my brother and sister-in-law keep up with it all.  I don't feel like I spend nearly enough time with them and love to see them participating in all of their awesome activities.  So last Saturday the girls and I jumped in the Jeep and headed off to Corunna for an afternoon of Inline Hockey games.

Brezlyn loves the camera

Mason relaxing after the game

Maddie and Imke 

Sunday was Mother's day and a trip to Chesaning to spend time with the family.   It was great to get to spend some time with the mother's in my life...including my grandma and my mom.

Grandma, Sidnee, Mark and Mason

Jeri Lynn, Mom, Robin and Brezlyn

Monday night was a fun-filled night volunteering for the shelter.  I spent the evening with Courage, a young pitbull from the shelter, at the Lansing Lugnuts "Bark at the Park" event.  Courage was featured on the big screen between the 2nd and 3rd innings and we spent most of the night walking around the stadium making new friends.  He was an awesome ambassador for bully breeds and for the Ingham County Animal Shelter.  And what would a ball game be without a hot dog, so of course, he got one of those too.  What a sweet and happy boy!  And even better, he was adopted at the shelter just two days later!

Courage

We hit a bump in the road on Tuesday when I learned that Max, who had been adopted just 10 days earlier, would be coming back to me.  In a very sad and unexpected turn-of-events, it was discovered that his new fur-sister was allergic to Max.  His new mom was very sad, but had to do what was best for her first baby and Max could no longer stay.  It was with much sadness and many tears that she brought him back to me Tuesday night.  We made the drive to Paw Paw to meet her (and managed to get in a quick walk on the North Country Trail along the way) and to help ease Max back into our household. I don't think he minds at all that he's back again.  And I have to admit, I don't mind having him back!  I'm just glad that I was able to take him back and to help make the situation a little easier for all involved.

 A little NCT exploration

Wednesday took me back to Chesaning for Sidnee's final Band concert.  I was impressed at how good the High School Symphonic Band was and enjoyed the concert.  Watching those 6th, 7th, and 8th grade bands and then the high school...what an amazing progression.  And it took me back to my years in band and all of the fun we had.  Watching my niece perform on the same stage that I performed all those years ago is pretty neat.  Although it was a long night, I thoroughly enjoyed all of the performances.

The saxophones..Sidnee is in the 2nd chair

Thursday found me running errands and having dinner with a friend before getting to spend a little quality time out in the yard with the dogs.  After a little play time they even allowed me to get a picture.  

And finally, we made it to Friday and the weekend!  After the week I had, there were no plans other than to stay home and relax!  I think Max was happy with that choice too!  Such a snuggler. 

Max

To end our whirlwind week, Saturday we joined the Woofer Walk.  This is a great fundraising event and the dog walking club participated this year to show off our shelter dogs and to help raise funds for the anti-cruelty fund.  The girls, Max, and I all piled into the Jeep before 9am to head out to the shelter to pick up a couple of dogs for the event.  We spent some time prior to the event making new doggy friends and getting some exposure for the shelter dogs.  We then joined the 5k walk with the group.  This is the 6th time I've joined this walk and the 5th time I've done it with Maddie and Imke so they are pros.  Max was a little nervous at first, but once the walk got started he was a champ. What a great way to help out a cause I am passionate about and get to spend time with the girls too.  

The girls waiting patiently to start the walk

Vanessa and Max

Just walking the 5k

Woofer Walk 2017

Although it was a busy week, we accomplished so much.  We had some quality family time, did some good, and had a lot of fun along the way.  And thanks to Mother Nature and a little rain, we spent Saturday afternoon and evening relaxing and remembering how lucky we are and how thankful we are to have each other!

Max and Maddie

It wouldn't be Mother's Day without calves

Spring is my favorite season.  For me it represents regrowth and new life.  The world comes alive in the Spring and I anxiously anticipate its return every year.  I love it when the Spring flowers begin to bloom and when the first new leaves begin to reappear on the trees, turning all of those empty branches into a lush green tunnel as I drive down the street toward home.  But I think my favorite part of Spring is when the new babies begin to be born.

I remember when Nicol was younger and we made our daily drive through the MSU farmlands just outside of campus on her way to school.  When this time of year arrived, Nicol would excitedly anticipate the arrival of the new calves and foals that we would see on our daily drive.   I have to admit that I always loved seeing them too.  There is just something special about new life.

Robin, Brezlyn, Mark, Sidnee, Mason and Nicol checking out the cows

I think calves are pretty cute, but I don't love them nearly as much as Nicol does.  She was pretty excited to get to my grandparents today to see if there were any new calves that had been born this Spring.  It seems that there are always a few there every Mother's Day.  No luck with calves at Grandpa and Grandma's today, but we were excited to learn that a brand new baby had been born today, just down the road at my Uncle Charles' house.  So when chore time arrived, I climbed onto the golf cart with my grandpa and Brezlyn while Mason jumped in the car with Nicol to head down to see the new babies.

To date, 17 new calves have been born at Charles' farm this year.  The barnyard was full of new life. Adorable, curious calves with their protective mama cows always hovering close by.  And my baby was in heaven.

But today, my focus was on one special mom and her tough day.  There was one poor mama who had given birth to twins today.  One of her calves had been stillborn and the other hadn't stood up yet.  It was a few hours old and should have been standing by this point. She stood close to him, nudging him with her nose, and gently licking him.  She was trying to keep the others away from him and would never go more than a few feet away.  When she did move away, he would cry out for her and she would run to his side.  The reality of nature, the real world of life and death, was playing out before my eyes.  

That poor helpless mama.  My heart just broke for her. She was not really any different than me, just wanting to protect and care for her baby.  It was one of the saddest things I have ever seen.  My uncle was preparing some milk for the calf and was planning to try to feed him to see if that would give him the strength to stand and, hopefully, to live. I don't know the end of the story...I'm not sure if the calf made it.  And I don't know if I want to know.  But I do know that his life, no matter how short, made an impact on me.  And I realized that mama cow and I were kindred spirits, sharing a love for our children.  I also realized that every day there are mom's out there-both human and animal-struggling with situations just like this. I can't even begin to imagine their pain.  

So today I am even more thankful for the greatest gift I was ever given.  I am so grateful for my beautiful child who, like her mother, doesn't like to have her picture taken.  But I don't need to see her beautiful face to know the beauty that is in her heart or to know how much I love her.  

And in the end, the promise of Spring and new life holds true as these other calves grow and learn and continue the circle of life.  

Memories of Music and Mandy

I admit it...I love "The Voice."  Like millions of other people, I find great entertainment in the show. I love the witty banter between the coaches and the great singing, but more than that I admire those people who are brave enough to get up there and sing to the world.  I'm probably a little jealous of their amazing talent, secretly wishing I could sing like they do.  I also envy their bravery; I'm not sure, even if I had the talent, that I'd have the nerve to do what they do.  But another thing I really like about the show is that it re-introduces us to songs we may have long forgotten about through the years.

Ever hear a song and have it take you back to a moment in time?  I'm sure you've had it happen to you...I know I have many times. I love that about music.  It can take us back to our childhood, to a favorite vacation, to a special place, or to a special time.  It can also remind us of someone we love(d).   Well, I had one of those "take-me-back" moments earlier this week, all because I watched "The Voice." And it all started with a Linda Ronstadt song.

As a child of the 70s, Linda Ronstadt and her music were a big part of my younger years.  And just seeing her name or hearing one of her songs always takes me back to one moment in my life...So let me take you on a journey.



This journey takes us back to 1978.  Life was simpler and I was much younger. The digital age hadn't arrived, but we still loved our music and tried to find ways to carry it with us.  I had received a cassette recorder the previous Christmas and I was determined to get some of my favorite songs recorded.

Oh the fun I had with this awesome piece of audio equipment.  A modern day marvel!   I'd sit next to the radio in my room listening to the local radio station always ready, just waiting for the moment when one of my favorite songs would come on the radio.  I'd hit record as fast as I could, sometimes diving across the room to get there to start the recording, hoping that I wouldn't miss too much of the beginning of the song, crossing my fingers that my mom wouldn't suddenly start vacuuming or that my brother wouldn't make any noise, and then I'd sit as still as possible, being as quiet as possible until the song ended and I could press on the stop button-having now recorded this song for posterity.   What could have been better than that? 

In the years before Napster, Limewire, iTunes, Google Play, before MP3 players, iPods and Smartphones, this is the way we got our music.  With the end of one song overlapping the beginning of the next, with the DJ talking, with the beginning of a commercial, and with all of the sounds of the outside world ready to be picked up on our little cassettes.  But boy was it marvelous!  I had so much fun with that tape recorder.  I'd carry it out into our yard, full of all of those awesome recordings, and I'd sit on a blanket under our Sassafras trees with a case full of Barbie Dolls or with a good book, sometimes with an annoying little brother tagging along when I really just wanted to be left alone and sometimes with a dog following me.  I could sit there for hours in the summer just listening to music and enjoying the day.

So there I was.  It was Summer break, 1978 and an 8 year old me was in my room listening to the radio.  Oooh, there it was, the song I'd been wanting to record and I hit record.  And then it happened.  Just 40 seconds into the song.  The neighbor knocked on the door and the dog ran through the house barking. Right in the middle of my recording.  I can still hear it.  Boy was I upset...but in those days there wasn't much that could be done.  So every time I'd listen to that recording I'd listen through the barking.  And to this day, I can't hear this song without expecting the barking...it just seems like it belongs there.

That barking dog was my first best friend, Mandy (named for the Barry Manilow song...my mom was a huge fan).  She was the first dog I had...and she was a spotty dog too.  She was just a pup in 1978 when I recorded that bark.  She was an awesome dog who lived a good, long life.  Many times as I sat out under the trees listening to the music I'd recorded, she'd be out there with me.  She was my regular companion.  We grew up together.  She lived to be nearly 15 years old and died just a month before my college graduation.    And when I think back to that moment when her bark interrupted my recording, I can't help but smile.  

It's not often that I hear a Linda Ronstadt song these days, but every time I hear a song or see her name, I think of that day and I think of Mandy.  I wonder what happened to the recording because I think it would be pretty awesome to hear it right now.  But even without it, I'll always have the memory.  A moment in time captured for eternity.  A moment given to me by music.  And how can that not make you smile!