I was absolutely torn today. Do I head over to the Two-Hearted River to camp with the GG and hike along Gitchee Gumee with the North Country Trail folks? Or do I hang out here at the moomincabin all aloooooone? If I had one more week to spend here, the decision would have been easy and I’d’ve been on the road. But I do not have another week. The Yooperland is kicking me out on Sunday, back down to the Planet Ann Arbor and Cubeland. I’m not sure if we’ll get back up here again until Mother Nature decides it’s time to close the place down before the arrival of Old Man Winter. I needed to be here.

Guess what? It was a Beach Day! Hotter than Hades down there all afternoon. So hot that I eventually wandered out into the biggest air-conditioner in the world to cool off a bit. I didn’t expose a lot of skin to Mr. Golden Sun but somehow, I am still feeling a bit burnt. By the way, I took today’s pitcher this morning. There’s the John B. Aird, Round Guano Island, and the American Century. I took another photooo in the late afternoon and the light was just about the same as this morning. A little more golden now that the sun is setting but still similar.

Did I get anything constructive done today? No, I did not. I could blame my cold virus but that wasn’t really it. Heat and I was READING A BOOK! Yes, I am engrossed in the book 1Q84. It’s one of those books where I actually *care* about the characters (unlike the traveling funeral book [wink]). Reading was actually one of my goals for this summer. Oh, not that I ever have goals, exactly. My goals are simple. Let’s just get through this day without some kind of ridiculous disaster or conflict with somebody or whatever. But I am engrossed in a book and for a person like me who has had a difficult time focusing on anything but work over the last few years, that is a good thing! I think it’s okay that I’m reading it on my phone, don’t you? (heehee)

KW alone? Let’s invite her for dinner! I am blessed! My Dear Uncle Harry was the first to ask! I knew (since Bugs and Horsey are between guests) that he would be on a Mother’s March on Leftovers crusade and so he was. Been there, done that and always glad to help with leftover eradication efforts! He is so much more creative about using up leftovers than yer fav-o-rite blahgger. Ham and shrimp curry with brownies for dessert. So good. I had another loverly invitation to become porterized for dinner but I was already included in the seating at the Old Cabin. It’s okay. We porterized the Lyme Lounge last night and I’ll get porterized again soon enough down at the Oscar Tango.

With luck it’ll be a while until Old Man Winter makes his appearance but there are always Canadian cold fronts moving in if you live anywhere near the Great Lake State. Speaking of Canadian cold fronts moving in this song (Youtube link) was just on the radio. I’m not sure why I never knew this but it seems like The Band originally did this? Why the heck did I not know this?

Some bad shit went down today too but, as it happened moiles from me, I tried my best to ignore it. Just for today. Note to the MDEQ: bulldozers do not belong anywhere near wetlands. That is all.

Except I love you all. I mean that.

First of all, KW is annoyed at *herself*! Why? Because she got up a half hour (or there-abouts) late and therefore didn’t get to the Lockview Laundromat EXACTLY at 9 AM, when it opens. When she did get there (maybe 9:10?), there were something like FIVE vee-hickles there already. KW panicked for a moment but fortunately, her CORNER of the laundromat — the one with the triple-loaders — was not yet populated. Whew. But then. She was annoyed by the people *in* the laundromat. She didn’t really want to talk to anyone this morning. She didn’t want to talk to the folks that are ekscaping (yes) Fla, TX, AZ, you name it, for the summer. She didn’t want to talk to the woman who didn’t seem to be able to articulate words. She CERTAINLY didn’t want to talk to the young man who asked her if she had a *light*. Say what!?! Do I look like a smoker? I do not know whether or not I *look* like a smoker but I definitely *sound* like a smoker this week. Hack hack cough cough. Sigh… And I do NOT have anything against people who smoke. All of these people were perfectly nice people and I’m gonna guess that the inarticulate woman has prob’ly had a stroke or something. And the laundromat is loverly under the management of a friendly and energetic young man who keeps the water and the dryers hot and is johnny-on-the-spot when a washer starts leaking.

Okay, then there was Glen’s. First, the bottle return. I had ONE plastic bottle, a few cans, and seven glass beer bottles. The cans and plastic were easy peasy (is that really a word?). Glass? Only one musheen and it was occupied by a guy with a whole grokkery cart full. All right, I’ll take my glass bottles to the service desk. No one was there. I stood there for five minutes 60 seconds and no one noticed me. I fled, picked up the FOUR items on my list and checked out. Later, long after I got back to the moomincabin, my brain finally got out of the box. Why did I not just give my *seven* glass bottles to the guy ahead of me? My main objective here is to get rid of bottles, not to collect 70 cents. Note to self. I will be sad when Glen’s succumbs to Meijer when it moves in. I think Glen’s is already suffering since Woldemort hopped across Old US-2 and turned into Super Woldemort. I don’t patronize Woldemort (except sometimes at Houghton Lake) but I *will* patronize Meijer.

I was annoyed by beach company (or lack thereof) today. The GG has different prodjects whenever he is here and this year, one of his prodjects seems to be walking up and down the beach with a plastic bag collecting garbage. I do not know why this annoys me. It shouldn’t. It is a good thing. Maybe I’m remembering when I was a kid and all sorts of garbage floated up on the beach. Onion bags, grapefruit rinds, dead dogs (once), all forms and colors of styrofoam (which we used in various beach construction prodjects). So, at the end of the day, the GG joined me up on the bank (northwest wind today) and I took off for a walk and was then annoyed when I got back and he wasn’t there.

Last of all, KW remains annoyed at herself for not seizing the day properly. I have a frickin’ cold but I am not *sick* with that cold, just coughing sneezing and blowig by dose and I couldda done better. Tomorrow is another day, roight?

P.S. The photo is old and I am so missing having these beach urchins help with laundry. We had so much fun! Were donuts involved?

I also hate long good-byes. You know the kind (or maybe you don’t). You have have mobilized everyone and scrambled everything into your vee-hickle and you are backing out of the driveway and somebody starts up a NEW TOPIC of conversation! This drives me absolutely totally utterly bonkers! My in-laws used to do that, may their beautiful souls rest in peace, and the Twinz of Terror sometimes show some tendencies in that direction. Me? It’s time to go so LET’S GO! This is not the time to go count how many old gas cans are in the garage or discuss fifth cuzzints eight times removed or or or.

I lost my train of thought. There were two leave-takings today and fortunately for me, I only had to be there when people were actually getting into their vee-hickles. Oh, my cuzzints (first cuzzints, zero times removed, thank you very much) were using the Old Cabin Outhouse. I occasionally use that outhouse but usually that’s when I have to goooo after we’ve shut down the moomincabin, which usually happens in October but is dictated by Mother Nature.

Today. I really kind of wanted a road trip but I didn’t know how to articulate that… I / we took a few short trips instead. I went up to the Dancing Crane Coffehouse today to buy sweet grass soap for my DayTwa beach urchin. Then I asked the GG, “Do you wanna go to Clyde’s for lunch?” I can’t always tell if he can hear me because he is listening to a book on his iPhone but this particular time, his face lit up into a smile. Okayyyy. I drove us over to Clyde’s Drive-In via the back roads. The downriver fields of the eastern UP are so beautiful at this time of year. My final trip today was the Sault Ste. Siberia farmer’s market. This farmer’s market is not quite as comprehensive as the venerable Ann Arbor farmer’s market but it’s high season here so there was a lot of good produce there and SWARMS of people. I support locally grown produce whenever I can.

I got back in time to see the Regenstreif Harms family leave. I will miss them… BTW, it was Carl of that family who created the beach art in the photoooo. I posted this on facebook and people are loving it. Calendar anyone? Would need a better photographer.

Lots of weird little errands today. Fuel pump for the Motor Bote. Check. Art fair. Check. Yooperland nightlight, Native American card, Besteman maple syrup, raffle ticket for a bee-yoo-tiffel wooden canoe, schmoozefest between the GG and the folks at the Historical Society (who did a double-take when he told them my name — yeah, I am Jack & Fran’s daughter). We’re pretty sure that The Comm donated a collection of Great Lakes Red Books to the historical society. If so, they went to a good organization.

MICROWAVE OVEN! Yes. The GG found one he thought I might like at The Commander’s fave appliance store here in Sault Ste. Siberia. A family-owned place. He dragged me in there today to look at it. I wasn’t 100% impressed. I would’ve liked a smaller one but this one isn’t tooooooo big and it has 1200 watts and we wanted wattage. I was prepared to nix it but a little voice said something like, “Just buy it KW.” The GG wants a microwave and you will use it sometimes too. And so we did…

The fun began when I handed over my debit card. The one with my name on it. The woman looked at my card and said, “We are related!” And yes, I think we are. She was talking so fast I had a little trouble processing all of it at the time but later, after I had scrounged a lunch and dragged a whole lot of stuff out on to the deck in order to run Rooooomba and was sitting on the beach, I figured out that, if I followed my new-found relative’s narrative accurately, she is my dad’s 2nd cousin, which means that she and I are 2nd cousins once removed. It wasn’t until then that I realized that the somewhere-around-my-age son who was working there today was probably my [drum roll] THIRD COUSIN.

What fun! I was processing a *lot* of information but I was also looking for a family resemblance. I’m not sure I found one in terms of appearance, well not much with meeee anyway, but then I realized that the resemblance was that she and I both keep track of family stories and relationships, or at least we try to. And we both talk fast (although I think she is more social than I am) and we are both pretty damn spry! This doesn’t mean that we will start meeting for lunch or spending Christmas together but a whole new dimension was added to my life today.

I do like to buy things up here in the yooperland if the stars are aligned in the right way. The 2008 meltdown is kind of a long time ago now but I remember being on a North Country Trail hike around that time and somebody asked various Eastern Upper Peninsula folks how the meltdown was affecting folks in the area. The answer was something along the lines of, “It’s been bad here forever and it isn’t any different now.” Good answer. There are folks up here who do well (my fam, for example (make no mistake, we are not within the ranks of Donald Trump or whoever, I just mean we can pay the rent)) but many many many people do not. My appliance store relatives seem to be doing just fine but I am glad to buy a microwave oven from a relative rather than Lowe’s or even Big George.

We don’t argue about the garbage, like the loverly and greatly missed octogenarians were doing in the photooo below. Yes, they were arguing, do not ask! I had a whole series of photos about this particular iteration of Garbage Processing. I’ll spare you for now. Kee-reist!

We do not have garbage service up here for the time being. We are not here long enough to hire a garbage service and I will NOT just dump my household garbage in some tourist rest area (I might get arrested!). Last year, The Comm’s house was still available for putting out garbage (and doing laundry) but not any more, so I have been relying on my kids to haul garbage home for me. All I have to say about that is thank you thank you thank you. Both of my [adult] children left today and each of them readily agreed to take a huge bag of garbage home with them. THANK YOU! Of course, weeeee will also be hauling garbage home next weekend but not sure that we could haul two weeks of garbage even with two vee-hickles, especially since we will be hauling a big Annie Hubbard painting to Ann Arbor to pass off to Salwa, plus all the usual stuff.

We are going to miss Mia-pet, who returned to Detroit to her owner with Lizard Breath today. What a wonderful Beach Dog! Liz asked if she could bring a friend’s dog up here and my initial reaction was hmmm… But I had met her before and dogs love this beach and so I said something like, sure! What a good beach dog. Only a year old but well trained already. After a day of trying to leash her, we figured out that she was well-behaved enough that we could take off the leash. Pheww! Here she is in the Lyme Lounge last night. There were also eight people out there…

So people left today and the GG took a long nap and the sun finally warmed up the bank, so I sat with npJane most of the afternoon, reading and sometimes talking. Dinner was ready at the Old Cabin and the GG appeared, so we had a Franhattan. How do you like my table?

There is a lot of beer around here this year. The folks next door aka my cuzzints and the folks that threw the big wedding shindig on the beach Friday somehow ended up with one more keg of beer than the wedding guests (including us, although I switched to sangria pretty early) could finish. So they have been pushing pitchers of beer at us for the last couple of days, hoping that they don’t have to return a full keg tomorrow. We have been doing our share to help. So much fun to talk to my cuzzints Sandal and Susal and their husbands. Love them. Most other folks left today and that allowed the GG to sit on the back deck and shoot off his cannons. Why does he have two cannons? Because he asked for one for xmas once and didn’t think that I would buy one for him so he bought his own.

For the most part it was a beach day and here is a pic that I took of one of this summer’s Beach Tables. Back when the pulp mills were still operating, it used to be that more material suitable for beach furniture would wash up on the beach and somewhat elaborate constructions could be cobbled together. Nowadays, a piece of driftwood with artfully arranged rocks will have to do.

People are reading the 1Q84 book this summer. I was reading the 100-year-old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared this summer (on my phone) and I tried to quietly download 1Q84 today but Mouse caught me and asked me what I was reading and I had to tell her. And no, I didn’t download the book because anyone stole it from me. I downloaded it because I like to read books on my phone. Pooh is the only biblio-klept in the family that I know of and she has probably already read that book.

Oh yeah and then there was this morning when I drove up to the park store in washerwoman-type clothes and wouldn’t you know that I ran into someone from high school and he recognized me!

Love y’all and goodnight.

It’s getting to be time to try to declutter the moomincabin refrigerator and we had some black beans among other things so I googled black bean soup and picked the first recipe that didn’t require Ham Hocks. No thank you. We are not vegetarians here (steak tonight) but I do not have ham hocks and I do not know where the go-to place for ham hocks is around here in the yooperland. Our version was mostly veggie except for the chicken broth and we used up some leftover rice tooooo. Beans and rice make a complete protein. Yes.

I swam in Gitchee Gumee for the first time this summer. It is August 2nd. That is late for me. For a while I was wondering if I would swim at all. When I was a child, I swam EVERY DAY, not matter how cold it was on the beach or how big the waves were. When I was a young adult, I bathed in the lake every day. I had a procedure and I wore a bathing suit, don’t ask. If there were medium sized or big waves, I would ask The Commander to come down and lifeguard. It’s always a good thing to have someone watch you swim in any lake and my mother would *always* watch me when I asked. That The Comm could not swim only entered the corners of my mind (and probably hers too). But I was always careful about how far I went out into the water.

We had the dog Mia here on the moominbeach today. Mia lives in Detroit where there are probably plenty of smelly things to investigate but the yooperlad is Dog Heaven. We kept her on a leash most of the day but we eventually let her run a bit. That was successful, except for the part where she dug like crazy and threw sand all over the place. The Main Rule of the moominbeach is WE DON’T THROW SAND! Mia threw sand everywhere today. It was okay. She doesn’t know any better and we love her anyway.

That is just about all. I did do laundry this morning and I have to report that the Lockview Laundromat has greatly improved since I last did my laundry there a few years ago. The last couple years, I used The Commander’s washer and dryer but I can’t do that any more. I was annoyed today that the laundromat doesn’t open until 9 AM but I managed that. Then I was annoyed that I had to put 18 quarters into each of my triple-loaders. Maybe annoyed isn’t the correct word here. I long for the day when I can stick my debit card into a washing musheen or dryer to pay for it. Maybe that technology is somewhere these days but it is not at the Lockview yet. But what *is* there are clean, working washing musheens and dryers and a well-stocked change musheen. And wi-fi, although I didn’t really need that since my iPhone connects to the 4G or LTE or whatever.

I walked over to the locks while my stuff was washing and got a pitcher of this model of Lake Superior. It has been around since I was a kid but it won’t probably be around forever so I had to capture it. I wasn’t gone all that long so I was surprised when I got back to the laundromat that the washers were done but that was a good thing!

This afternoon was consumed by a Beach Wedding. My cousin’s Susie’s daughter. I also got married on the beach. That was a long time ago and there were a few folks who were a bit skeptical about people getting married on the beach. Like, isn’t that a hippie kind of thing to do? After all was said and done, the skeptical ones all said it was one of the best weddings they had ever attended. Today’s wedding was all that and so much fun too! I had my first jello shot ever. It was blue.

Also, I am here to tell you that today the GG and I were one of five couples who posed for a photooo of folks who got married on this beach. My cousin Susie was the first, then Pooh, then me, then Jay, and now Susie’s daughter. It was noted that all of the couples who married on the moominbeach are *still* married.

We actually kind of crashed the wedding. We did not have an official invitation but we knew we were welcome and, when it got to be sort of somewhere around wedding time, we ambled down the beach and hung out. That’s how beach weddings work. If you are at the beach when the wedding happens, you are welcome but you do not need to feel obligated to travel to the beach to attend. We didn’t plan our time up here to coincide with this wedding but we were here and boy oh boy did we feel welcome.

There were Porta Potties. They were necessary but I was so glad to be able to walk next door to the moomincabin to use the terlet. And just chill out for a few minutes.

Love y’all,
Kayak Woman