Oh my goodness gracious.  Just when I thought I couldn’t stand one more minute of fog or misty rain, the clouds parted, and blue sky appeared.  WooHoo!  Sunshine!!

I can’t wait for tomorrow.  I’m declaring my self-imposed exile over and trying my foot out on a little walking adventure (yes, yes, yes . . . I promise not to overdo)!  But please, please, let me out of this house!  I need air, sunshine, the chirping of birds, the jangle of horse harnesses, the clip-clop of horse hooves, the smell of horse poop.   I need MACKINAC!

The Memorial Day weekend is shaping up to be a fantastic one.  The temps may be a little on the cool side, but the sun will be shining – so just throw on a sweater or two or three, and come on up!  Layer up in the morning and evening, and peel ‘em off during the mid-day hours.  That’s the Mackinac way!

The first sign of blue appeared around lunch . . .

. . . and by mid-afternoon the skies were clear!

All over the village we could hear lawn mowers being cranked as Mackinac Islanders took advantage of the beautiful day to tidy up yards for the holiday weekend ahead.

One of my favorite drive-it-yourself buggies - love those blue wheels!

Carriage Tour wagons line up at Surrey Hill and wait to be sent to the barn.

Late afternoon – and a Grand Hotel omnibus heads to the stable.  I think we’ve got some new horses this year at the Grand Stable.  I’ll have to get over there soon and meet them.

Maddie and Bear are SO excited to see sunshine! Thank you Ted for taking over ALL the dog walking chores for the last few days!

Jill came over this afternoon (her day off) to visit and fill me in on everything happening downtown. She also shared this beautiful shot of the bridge in the sunshine.

As we look forward a few days to Monday and the upcoming holiday, it is easy, on this history-filled island, to reminisce on how Memorial Day was enacted in memory of the soldiers who fought in the American Civil War.  It was later expanded to commemorate the soldiers who fought in all American wars.

There will be special ceremonies here Monday morning, and the laying-on of the wreath at the Post Cemetery – with all participants in period costume – has each year been one of my most cherished moments on this Island.  Thucydides said, “The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding, go out to meet it.” It is my wish, as we celebrate this holiday with friends and family, that we all take a moment to thank God for the brave souls we honor on Monday – they saw the vision, they knew the danger, and yet they went forward. 

Safe travel prayers for those of you who will be on our roads this weekend.  God bless.

I’m such a klutz.  On Sunday afternoon I reinjured the foot I hurt when I gracefully fell on my face at a wedding a few weeks ago.  This time the pain was much worse, and I couldn’t put any weight on it at all.  I called our Health Care 24-hour nurse yesterday and asked about getting it X-rayed, but with what I described, she thinks I just strained a ligament and suggested rest and ice, which I’ve been doing.

It’s been a good few days to be out of commission because since Sunday we’ve had ran showers, rain storms, wind and fog.

Downtown on Monday. (Photo: Jill Sawatzki)

Yesterday. Showers and fog.

This morning.  Mostly fog and misty rain.

A kayaker floats into Haldimand Bay with the fog. (Photo: Great Turtle Kayak Tours)

Ted left on the 10 a.m. ferry this morning for the first “big groceries” buying trip at Wal-Mart in Cheboygin – time to stock up on paper products for the next few weeks.

We’ve already had Jerry, our plumber, up for the annual “first week back” pipe problems.  It never fails that something is leaking, dripping, or flowing when we return and get everything turned on.  In fact, when we called him our second day back, he told us, “I was wondering  why you hadn’t called yet!”  I love being part of this little community where we see the same “fix-it” folks every year – and who we can have on “speed dial”.

PHOTOS FROM SUNNIER DAYS

Bikes and golf carts at the Grand pro shop.

Wow! This guy must have been collecting cans all winter!

New gear for our wonderful Mackinac Island Fire Department. (Photo: Jason St. Onge)

The Pink Pony has a new pink pony!

All day yesterday I kept thinking something was missing, and it was driving me crazy!  I’d sit reading for a while, then look up and think, “What’s different?”  I’d wander a few feet from my chair, only to stop and try and figure out what was bugging me.  Finally, last night, as I was pulling down the blinds across the den and staring at the lights shrouded in fog, it hit me . . . . the fog horn wasn’t sounding.

When I awoke this morning to fog so thick we could barely see the Lilac bushes in our front yard – and still no fog horn – I went on a mission to find out why we weren’t hearing the lonely song normally played out on the Straits in this kind of weather.  I called the U.S. Coast Guard Station in St. Ignace, and the young man who answered my call gave me this answer: The horn is now activated only by the pilot houses of approaching vessels.  After activation, the horn sounds for 30 minutes, then automatically turns off.  This is the same process used at our airport on the island.  Instead of leaving the runway lights on all night, they can be activated by approaching pilots, then turn off when the plane has safely landed.  It’s all about saving money, and I understand that.  But I sure do miss that mournful sound – especially on foggy nights.

Everyone on Mackinac is eagerly looking forward to this Memorial Day weekend – the official start of the season for the Island.  Even though the temps will still be a little short of “warm”, the sun is supposed to be shining brightly, and the Rock is expecting people to start arriving in droves on Friday afternoon.  With the crowds we’ve been seeing downtown – even in the rain – I predict an awesome long holiday weekend for visitors to Mackinac.  Y’all come!

I’ll close with a photo that popped up on Facebook this week and is so awesome I just had to share it.  It was shot by someone at the Keyhole Bar & Grill in Mackinaw City, and it is pretty much beyond words.

Instead of my original plan tonight to write a couple of silly paragraphs whining that I hurt my foot yesterday, please allow me to use this space for something a lot more serious.

As I write this, first responders from Moore and Oklahoma City, OK (and surrounding areas) are frantically trying to find survivors of the monster tornado that hit Moore this afternoon.  Please pray for all those trapped in buildings throughout the city, and please say a special prayer for the children who may be trapped and injured in the Briarwood and Plaza Towers Elementary Schools.

My prayer is this:  Please God, be with the men and women from the fire departments, emergency medical personnel and law enforcement departments – and the residents of Moore  -as they search.  Make their eyes sharp and their movements quick and effective.  Please, dear Lord, guard the lives of those who wait beneath steel and wood and debris of any kind.  Let them feel Your presence and know that You are with them.  And when the last person has been found,  please God, help the people of Moore rebuild once again.

God’s merciful blessings on all those who wait for word in that ruined city.  This night will be endless.

What a difference a week makes!  Last Sunday it was snowing, 30-something degrees, and winds were howling at 35 miles-per-hour.  Today it’s been a balmy 65 – a perfect day for the first service of the season at Little Stone Church!

Our first week has been about as full as it could possibly get – unpacking, getting the condo listed and photographs to the realtor to place on their website, doing a little spiffing up so the place will look decent when someone comes to look at it.

We’ve walked Maddie and Bear a lot and watched them go crazily happy again (especially Bear) at the freedom of running the woods’ trails and sniffing out all the wonderful scents every tree and bush and blade of grass carries.  They’ve both always loved to go out on the deck in the sun and just watch traffic go by (walkers, bikers, taxis, horse riders, other dogs), and they didn’t waste a moment re-establishing that tradition.  It’s always fun to see them almost immediately fall into their “Mackinac” habits – Bear hitting our grass hill at a full run, then falling over – on purpose – so hard he makes an actual “thump” sound and rolling over and over in the cool grass.  That is followed by a quick check to see if Denise is outside at the Carriage Museum.  If she sees him, and she’s not busy, she will whistle, and he takes off at a dead sprint to collect his treat.  Maddie follows behind as quickly as she can pull Ted over there.  Sometimes Bear doesn’t see Denise and goes anyway.  Denise will find him in the little storage room inside the museum, sitting quietly looking at the shelf where the treats are kept.  Bear loves this game, and Denise spoils them both rotten.

Jill took this photo today of “lookers” at Mackinac Realty. Our condo’s photo and specs just went up in the window yesterday. I can remember Ted and I looking in that windows for years before our dream finally came true.

Saturday was the Zoo-De-Mack event, which has grown over the years into one of the craziest party nights on Mackinac.  The Zoo-De-Mack is one of the most scenic bike rides in the country, and the 51-mile, six to seven hour course is NOT A RACE, but a gathering of approximately 4,000 outdoor enthusiasts who just like to enjoy a little physical exercise together.  The pre-ride party is at Zoo Bar at Boyne Highlands in Harbor Springs and the ride ends in Mackinaw City (hence Zoo-De-Mack).  Riders then head by ferry to Mackinac Island for the post-ride party!

When Ted and I started out on date night Saturday night, we knew it would be very crowded downtown, and it was!

The Pink Pony bar was packed, the restaurant was packed, the outside bar and eating area was packed . . .

. . . and the hot tub was packed!

We wisely left the Chippewa to the partiers and walked down to the Seabiscuit, where we had a wonderful dinner, met up with a few Island friends, and chatted for an hour or so.  We taxied home.  Very nice date, Mr. Horton!

The first service at Little Stone Church this morning was wonderful.  Dr. Vince Carroll, our minister, is always a joy to listen to, and the service is also when we first see so many of the Island summer residents.  It seems a lot of us arrive during the same week each year, and we’re all so busy after we get here that the first time we get to see each other is at the first church service.  Lots of hugging going on this morning!

I was very excited to discover on the walk to church that there ARE tulips at the Grand this spring. This small bed is the first one you pass as you approach the Grand, and it is about to burst into bloom.  The tulips are sharing the glory with the daffodils!

The old Grand stable is gone, and in its place is a small storage barn. The space looks pretty empty right now, but I’m sure the Grand has a plan in place that will make everyone happy.

I can never understand how I can leave the church walking home, and Ted can leave at the same time on his bike going to town for his newspaper and to Doud’s – only to have him catch up with me on the hill! I think it may have something to do with how many stops I make along the way to chat and take photos – or it could be how SLOW I walk! Frankly, I’m still a little ticked off that he jumped on that bike the second day we were here, rode into town, and rode all the way back up the hill – without stopping!  How does he do that!?

Blog reader Tina and her husband Jamie stopped by this afternoon .  So glad to finally meet Tina – who is a huge fan of Mackinac Island and is hoping to live here one day.

Bear made a new friend this afternoon – Jack, a chocolate lab who lives a little further up our hill.

They had great fun chasing each other at full speed around the yard!

We got new street signs over the winter! Love these!

The condo’s been listed for two days, and we’ve had two couples come look at it.  We can tell already it’s going to be a different summer – having to keep our place “somewhat” clean in case the realtor calls.  We’re about to get our system worked out, which basically calls for each of us to pick up after ourselves on a regular basis – something neither of us is the best at doing.  But we’ll work it out . . .

“Ted!  Your shirt is on the chair!”

“Brenda! Your shoes aren’t in the closet!”

See!  We’ll work it out.

Another busy, busy day at Shepler’s as the last group of Winsome Women arrived.  I crossed over on the 8 a.m. boat.

Some friends were on board with their dog, Sage. What a cutie!

Jill rode over with me to go to the Mackinaw City Bakery, and she stopped and snapped a couple of shots before crossing back over. This is me earnestly explaining the parking procedure and affixing the very coveted pink sticker.

Cindy, Sue and I. 600+ ladies off the Island, 800+ ladies onto the Island, plus about 10 packed tour buses. Cindy and I were greeters, and Sue was the be-everywhere-at-once lady.  It was the wonderful dock porters who worked themselves silly all morning making sure everyone (and their luggage) got to the right spot.  Congratulations on a good well done!

I was back on the Island by 2:00 and heading home past The Gate House. The weather has warmed to the point that a few folks were eating outside on the patio!

That’s about all I have for today except . . . . .

Signing the contract with our real estate agent yesterday gave me a really sad moment, and when he asked me to take a few photos to share on their website, I thought, “Oh Geez, we’re really doing this.”  That was quickly followed by that sense of peace again, and the moment passed – but it’s one I’m sure I’m going to feel again and again as we go through this process.

I’ve just emailed the photos to our agent, and I thought I’d share them with you.  IF you know of anyone who might be interested in a 3-bedroom, 2-bath condo on Mackinac Island, please have them contact Mackinac Island Realty, Inc. and speak with either Bill Borst or Jim Smith (906) 847-6483.

There’s a BUNCH of these!

What do you want to bet I get an email from our agent tomorrow saying, “Brenda, I only wanted three or four pics!”  Hey, he asked the wrong lady to take the photos!

Best News First!  Faye just let me know Lowell is doing much better today and will return home tomorrow from the hospital!  They discussed the Mackinac trip with his doctor, and he said as long as Lowell felt like going, it was ok. Let’s keep those prayers lifting that Lowell continues to improve and that he and Faye arrive on the Island June 2 as planned.

It’s been kind of a bittersweet day.  We officially signed the papers to list our condo, and I’ve spent a large part of the morning snapping photographs of every room, nook, and cranny in our little piece of paradise.  Right now I’m at 50 shots, and that’s after deleting at least 50 others.  Still haven’t shot the upstairs third bedroom because Ted hasn’t completely cleared it of four bikes and luggage . . . as you can see!

I walked to town early this afternoon to have lunch with Frankie at Horn’s.  On the way down I passed what is supposed to be the oldest Lilac bush on Mackinac. Leaf buds were appearing!

So far Frankie hasn’t had any luck finding a job opening, and she will probably leave the Island tomorrow. Still praying that a door will open for her.

After lunch I popped into the Island Bookstore to get Ted a newspaper and found Mary Jane Barnwell, one of the store’s owners, busy at the cash register . . .

. . . and Jill putting new books on the shelves. This time of year the store receive boxes and boxes of books each day!

It was so much warmer today – in the high 50 – so I decided to take the long way home by the boardwalk. As soon as I got past the library though, the wind off the lake picked up, and it was as though someone was forcing that wind through an ice machine.  Nevertheless, the water was Michigan blue, and this patch of grass has turned summer green.

I knew this was going to happen as soon as I saw they were adding an Ice Cream Parlor at the Grand Hotel. Sure enough. When I reached the Grand, my legs just hung a 90-degree left and took me straight into Sadie’s, where they serve 24 flavors of Hudsonville Ice Cream.

This will be a deplorable task, but I’m vowing to my readers right NOW that I will leave no flavor at Sadie’s untried and unreported. I started today with the Seaside Caramel because that’s what I was told was the first best seller. Seaside Caramel is made up of chocolate covered salted caramels in vanilla flavored ice cream with a salted caramel ribbon. Just typing that added a pound to each thigh.  I will limit my scoops to “one” and always use a sugar cone for continuity.  Then I’ll score each flavor on a scale from 1 to 10, with a 10 being the highest possible score.  I give Seaside Caramel a 12.

What could be better – a beautiful day on Mackinac Island, a delicious ice cream cone to be enjoyed as I walk up the hill (thereby burning all the calories in the aforementioned ice cream cone)!  Perfect day!

I’m working at Shepler’s again tomorrow as the last group of Winsome Women arrives and the second group leaves.  It always amazes me to see how everything gets to where it’s going when these huge groups come in.  Thousands of pieces of luggage are tagged, shrink-wrapped on carts, carried over on ferries, transferred to drays, and hauled by horses to hotels all over the Island.  Amazing!

Hello All.

I wasn’t going to write tonight, but I received a message this evening from Faye Greene, Lowell’s wife.  Lowell was taken to the hospital early this morning in congestive heart failure.  He is improving, and Faye hopes he will be able to return home tomorrow or the next day.  He had an episode like this in February, but came home and started building up his strength for their Mackinac trip by walking every day.  They are hoping his medicines will take care of the problem, and their plans can continue.

We all know how much Lowell wants to make this trip – it has been a dream for many years – but none of us wants him to risk his health.  Please pray for Lowell’s strength to return so he can come to the Island, but also pray for God’s will to be done in this.  And please pray for Faye as she helps Lowell get better.

Thank you, my good friends.

Happy dance, happy dance . . . . we are unpacked!  I’ve even washed the first load of clothes!

It’s kinda weird how it takes us a few days to get our minds and hands reset to a new place, even one in which we spend half our lives.  We find ourselves reaching into the drawer by the stove for utensils because that’s where we keep them in Georgia.  Here, the ones we use the most are in a canister on the counter.  It takes a while to get back into the swing of recycling – paper products in the trash container on the left side under the sink, “garbage” on the right side, cans rinsed and put in yet another container.  In Georgia we don’t have a garbage disposal; here we do.  But by next week, we’ll have it all straightened out in our brains . . . . until we return to Georgia and do it all over again .

We awoke this morning to blue skies and sunshine, and it sure looked good!  Our lilac bushes are not budding yet, and the Lilac Festival starts June 7.  Right now it’s a race against time.

After the last piece of luggage was put away, I bundled up and headed downtown for the first time.  It was SO GOOD to be outside walking down “the hill” again – even if it was cold!

First trip down Cadotte!  The trees down the hill haven’t started adding leaves yet, so Lake Huron was clearly visible.

Surprise! No tulips at the Grand!  This year they’ve been replaced with white and yellow daffodils, and they look happy and healthy.  Very pretty!

My good friend Frankie and her sidekick Hershey arrived on the windy Island this afternoon. Her position as housemother was abolished at the end of last season, and she’s trying to find another job and housing for her and Hershey.  Sure hope she can find something! (Thanks, Jillski, for the photo!)

We ran into Chloe and Bella on Main Street. They’re the mascots for Mackinac Wheels and were enjoying a free ride home with their mom.  Chloe looks a lot like Hershey, doesn’t she!

I walked with Frankie and Hershey down to the Mission District where she is staying and visited with her awhile, then came back through town and up Cadotte home. Oh my gosh it felt good to be moving again! 

Tomorrow and Wednesday I’ll be in Mackinaw City volunteering for Shepler’s as a greeter.  It’s time for the Winsome Women conference at the Grand, and there will be a thousand ladies arriving for Tuesday’s session.  On Wednesday, that thousand will leave, and another thousand will arrive.  It’s going to be crazy busy!  The only sad part is that Chris Ann won’t be there alongside me.  We had so much fun volunteering for this conference over the years.  I know she’ll be smiling down on us though! 

Personal note:  Please keep Lowell and Faye Greene in your prayers this week.  They have a trip planned to the Island June 2-4, and they are so, so excited.  Lowell has been feeling a little under the weather for the last few days, and we need to send up prayers that he will feel stronger and be able to make the trip.  (Lowell, I hope you don’t mind that I shared that prayer need.)

I have to tell you.  Ted and I are the walking dead right now.  We have never, never, never been this tired.  Seriously.

BUT – we are here, and for those of you who haven’t followed us today on Facebook, here are a few photos. 

Last night at the hotel. Ted and I almost just got another room, and let them have those two beds. But instead we asked them nicely to share, and they did.  Such good little travelers they’ve been!

We left the hotel around 8:30. It was cold, really cold. And windy, really windy. And then it started sleeting. Then snowing. Blowing snow. We pulled off at a roadside park near Gaylord to find the ground covered in the white stuff.  It’s May in Michigan!

Maddie and Bear jumped out expecting grass and got a huge surprise!

We could have caught the 1:30 ferry, but instead we stayed and chatted with friends at Shepler’s, and Maddie and Bear entertained two tour buses full of visitors who were all crowded under Shepler’s heated tent staying warm.  We came over on the 2:30, and it was a pretty bumpy ride in the high winds!

Clark Bloswick posted this photo tonight of one of the Shepler boats coming back from the Island this afternoon. Yep – pretty bumpy – but safe and dry on the inside!

We’d called ahead for a taxi for us and a dray for our stuff, and we were at the condo by 3:30.  We unpacked 1.5 bags, walked the dogs, looked at each other and said, “Let’s go to the Pony!”

So we did! Jill met us there and so did friends Jim and Janice Groat, who are on the island for the month of May.

Just before we fell asleep in our plates, we ran over to Doud’s and bought enough stuff to get us through Monday.  I bet this watermelon is NOT from Georgia.  We don’t grow ‘em that small in Georgia!

It’s so good to be here!  Even though it’s freezing, and there are a couple of snow banks that still aren’t melted, it’s Mackinac Island - and there’s no place like it. 

So.  It’s 11:32 p.m.  As soon as I post this, I’m off to dreamland.  And I dare anyone to say, “Let’s go on a roadtrip” to me for at least a month!

Thanks so, so much for all the safe travel prayers.  They were felt, and we love you all.  Thanks too for all the great comments on Facebook to my posts for the last two days.  They have kept us smiling on this long trip.

Nite now.

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

Just a short note to let everyone who hasn’t been following us on Facebook today know that we have arrived at Whitmore Lake, MI.  We began our trip around 6:30 this morning, and arrived here at 9:15 p.m..  We stopped a lot for us and for Maddie and Bear, but it was still a long, long, day, and we are so happy to have finished this first day of travel.

This is how Maddie spent the day – snoozing away in her bed, which rested on my lap all 877 miles.

Bear, on the other hand, helped Ted drive all day. I don’t think he ever took more than a 2-minute nap. Right now he is sound asleep on one of our two queen-size beds.

Had to show you this. We first passed this boat right after we got on I-75 about 20 miles from home in Georgia. We followed and passed it several more times throughout the day. This last time was in northern Ohio.  The boat is from Ontario.  Maybe snowbirds going home to Canada for the summer.

Gotta go dig out something warmer for tomorrow.  Jill emailed me this afternoon to let me know it was snowing on the island and is supposed to snow tomorrow – with 40 mph winds.  Something tells me I should have PACKED my winter clothes instead of SHIPPING them!

Will try to write a few words tomorrow evening to let you know we arrived.  Thanks so much for all the safe travel prayers.

Header:  Cincinnati, Ohio