Throw Back Thursday

Hi Everyone! We are finally settled into our new place, and I’m beginning to feel like we both may just survive the move. Let me just say that moving in your mid-70’s is not for the faint of heart, but we are enjoying our one-level house immensely – while missing our Sunset Inlet beach walks and sweet neighbors. Our new neighborhood is beautiful, with lots of trees and walking/biking trails we have just begun to explore. More to come on all that in the weeks ahead as we move toward our summer on Mackinac. Yes – the plan is to be up there by July 1 and hopefully stay through the middle of October. Bodie is doing well, and as long as that continues, our plan is for the three of us to make the trip and be back on our favorite island by the time the temps hit the 100’s in Florida!

Lots of trails to explore at our new home. . .

. . . and many run along the Intracoastal.

I was reading through some old blogs this morning and found this one from June of 2011. It’s not about anything in particular – just one of those typical “anything can happen” couple of days that have filled us with happiness for many, many years of summers on Mackinac. Hope you enjoy!

Nature Laughing – Originally posted June 26, 2011

After a week of dreary, cold, rainy days, we awoke Saturday morning to find sunlight flowing in around the shades that cover our windows.  I couldn’t get out of bed and the shades all over the condo pulled up fast enough!  In an Anne Bronte quote, she talks about “nature laughing in the sunshine”, and Saturday you could hear that laughter all over the island.  It was a g-l-o-r-i-o-u-s day!

Ted left for work at 10, and Jill called around 10:30.  Thank goodness for friends that will show up and hurry me up in the mornings.  I’m really not a morning person, and I will poke around until lunch if left alone.  With Jill pushing me forward, I finished a little housework and out the door we went.  There was SO MUCH going on this weekend!

But, I’m getting ahead of myself.  First, there was Friday.

Jill and I had hair appointments in St. Ignace at noon.  But, since there was also an Antique Car Show over there this weekend, we planned to go over early and see if we could spot some of the “oldies” (cars, I mean) before things got officially started.  We caught the 10 a.m. Shepler’s.  Remember this is Friday – one day before nature started laughing in the sunshine!  I snapped photos of the Grand and West Bluff as we passed in the heavy fog, never imagining the pics would turn out like they did . . .

I’ve got to add this one to the top five favorite photos I’ve taken over the years. The movement of the boat, the fog and the spray turned the water and landscape into a blur, but the Grand was focused. It looks like a black & white sketch, but the house to the left of Grand shows some red. It’s just one of those once in a million shots that I never thought twice about when I clicked the shutter. Then when I pulled it up on the laptop, I was thrilled with the effect.

An eerie shot of one of the West Bluff cottages. This one sits on Pontiac’s Trail.

We walked down to Doud’s St. Ignace Market when we got off the ferry, looking for some breakfast.  Then, by the time we walked back through town, it was time to head to the hair salon.  We did see some of the old cars as we passed through.

Doud’s had a sidewalk sale going on. Before the day was over, vendors would be set up all along the main street in St. Ignace. The Antique Car Show is a really big deal!

Ok. I know cars just like I know flowers. This is an old red car.

This is an old blue car – or maybe it’s an old blue truck. 

Pam at Leroy’s Salon in St. Ignace cut Jill’s hair while mine was “processing”. She slapped on hair color to cover what looked like four inches of gray roots where my hair is parted, then Jill and I exchanged chairs. When it was my turn under the scissors, Jill, of course, couldn’t keep her hands off my camera. No more gray and about an inch less hair!

NOW . . . we get to Saturday and the sunshine!  As I said, Jill got me out of the condo by 11, and we headed downtown.  I wanted to go see the bats.  Yes, you heard me right – Saturday was Bat Mania Day on Mackinac.  The Mackinac Island Community Foundation brought the Organization for Bat Conservation to the island for an all-day program to teach people about the benefits of these creatures.  The organization brought along both native Michigan and international species of bats.  

If you’ve been to Mackinac and walked the streets at night, then you more than likely have encountered the island bats.  Walking on any island street at dusk or later, you see bats swooping back and forth, and you just get used to them.  There will occasionally be a lot of excitement when a bat flies into a store or restaurant during the day.  Tourists generally go berserk, and shop owners calmly get down their bat net, catch the bat, and release it out the front door.  It’s just part of Mackinac!

On Saturday different types of bats were displayed at four different locations – Windermere Point, Mission Point Resort, Lilac Tree Hotel Plaza, and the Island House Hotel.  I wanted to go to Windermere Point because that is where the BIGGEST bat species in the world was going to be displayed.  I was not disappointed!

Meet Camellia. She is a Malayan Flying Fox bat. She lived eight years of her life in a zoo where her wing was injured.

Rob Miles, the director of the Bat Conservation Organization, rescued Camellia about 10 years ago. Her wing is now healed, but she is no longer able to fly. She travels with Rob all over the United States, helping people overcome their fear of bats.  Rob fed her grapes from his hand while we watched. 

This is as close as I got to Camellia, but she really was a fascinating creature to watch. She wasn’t bothered at all by the sunlight. Rob told the crowd that bats come out at night because that’s when the insects they eat are abundant. Bats this big don’t use echolocation to search for insects – the smaller bats do that.

We saw leaf-nose bats and vampire bats at the Lilac Tree Hotel Plaza, but Camellia was hard to beat as a crowd-stopper!

We stopped to visit Ted at the Vistors Center, and he took us out on the deck to show us the huge ship at the Arnold Dock.  We went down to check it out. 

It was the Great Lakes Maritime Academy’s training ship, State of Michigan. 

I told this cadet that I was a reporter for the New York Times and needed to come aboard to write a story about the ship, but he didn’t buy it. We did learn that this was once a Navy ship used to hunt submarines. It was also used for a time by the Coast Guard, before being purchased by the Maritime Academy. The Academy prepares deck and engineering officers for highly skilled positions aboard ships all over the world.

Also on the island this weekend were the Michigan Wheelmen, an organization that travels the country offering demonstrations and education on the bicyle from its beginning to the World War I era.  They are an amazing group of enthusiasts, and seeing them on their bikes in period costume is always fun and exciting. 

Talk about taking you “back in time”!

I never actually saw someone getting ON one of these bikes! How do you do that?

A daredevil!

Lined up on the street downtown, they made quite an impression.

Photographed alone . . . .

. . . I found them quite beautiful.

Here’s a few more photos from the weekend . . .

My favorite French Lane garden is up and growing and promises to be as beautiful as ever.

Three vintage baseball games were played on the island this weekend, and everyone was in period dress for those also – including the crowd watching.

LOL! Jane wanted me to title this one “Three Old Bats” (notice the “real” bat between our heads). If you read my winter blog, you know that Jane lives in Warner Robins, GA during the winter – about an hour from us on the lake. A group of lake girls went to Warner Robins in the spring to see a play performed by a theatre group Jane is in. She has a home on Mackinac and arrived this week.

The Pink Pony deck (next to the Visitors Center where Ted works) was rockin’ out Saturday afternoon.

This little girl was trying out a vintage tricycle.

Vintage baseball on the Burrough’s Lot below the Grand Hotel

Sunday was another beautiful day.  We went to church, had lunch with friends at the Gate House, took the dogs for a walk, then rode our bikes for about two hours on trails in the interior of the island.  It was a wonderful, wonderful weekend.

Note:  Title taken from quote by Anne Bronte:  “A light wind swept over the corn, and all nature laughed in the sunshine.”

A Month Away

Hi Friends! I realized today it’s been 4 weeks since I posted an update. When I began to get private message recently from folks asking if the Hortons were “ok” I thought I’d better sit myself down and give a short rundown on what we’ve been up to. And the truth of the matter is – it’s what we’ve been up that’s kept me away from the laptop for a while. 

Bodie – He’s doing just great and seems to have adjusted to all his meds perfectly. We’ll go for labs the first week in March, which will let us know how his other body systems are faring with the heart meds on board. Then in April we’ll see his cardiologist again for another echocardiogram. We’re praying for good results and a continued stable condition. 

Our warrior boy is still living his best life, and we’re looking forward to him being with us on Mackinac this summer!

Those pesky skin cancers – Over the last month I’ve had two squamous cell skin cancers removed – one from each leg – a week apart. My dermatologist tells me the leg is the slowest place to heal, and mine are proving him right. After a month of cleaning and bandaging and topical medications I’m finally “stitch-less”, but still having to keep an eye on my surgery sites as they continue to heal. I won’t gross you out with pics, but if I had known as a teenager – out baking in the sun, covered in baby oil and iodine – that 60 years later that suntan would come back to haunt me, my skin would have remained lily-white all summer. Very grateful that treatments now are routine and give great results, but urge everyone to not do as I did. Suntans aren’t worth it.

The house hunt. I could turn this part into a novel, but I’m going to just give you the short version tonight. We’ve sold our house (we closed this past Monday), and we close on our new house this coming Monday. All this happened within the last four weeks also. We never thought we’d be moving away from “beachside”, but we are. We found a beautiful home in Grand Haven, a gated community about three miles (as the crow flies) from where we are in Sunset Inlet. Unlike most older folks, instead of downsizing we expanded into a larger one-story home, with water out the backdoor and a very short walk through beautiful grounds to the intercoastal. From the back lanai we can hear the ocean when the waves are kicking up. It will be a very bittersweet move for us both, but it is something we needed to do.

Ted and I have started the “pack up the house” process, and we are trying very hard to maintain our senses of humor through this. We’re looking forward to not having to go and down stairs a gazillion times a day (even Bodie says YAY to that), but those beach walks every morning will be greatly missed. Most of all we will miss being so close to all the friends we’ve made in Sunset Inlet over the years, but we will only be a short drive over the bridge to be back in Flagler. Staying connected with all of them will be easy, and we look forward to many more years of continuing those friendships.

So. All of this is why I haven’t had much time for social media lately. After we get moved (moving truck coming Feb. 26) and settled, I hope to be back on a regular basis. Leaving you with a few pics of the new place.

Love you all!

The front of the house. The streets are tree-lined with oaks and Spanish moss. It has the feel of Georgia, which of course makes me smile.

Back of house and lanai.

Kitchen – through to the family room

Kinda gives the idea of where we are in relation to everything. Four houses to the right of us is a little bridge over the ponds. We can walk through that next area of land to the intercoastal, with access to about two miles of biking/walking paths. There are biking/walking paths throughout the neighborhood also. And, of course, that’s the Atlantic beyond, reaching to the horizon.

Hoping all of you are doing well as winter continues. God bless.

Bear Learns Some Life Lessons

Originally posted on August 18, 2009, our first full summer on Mackinac Island. 

When I look back as these posts I always get very nostalgic. They have an innocence to them that only someone who is new to the island, and seeing everything through fresh eyes, can have. After all these years – when we have first-time visitors come to see us – we still try to show them the island in that same way. Even with all the changes over the years, Mackinac, to me, is still filled with a magical innocence. I continue to love the wonder of it all.

Hi!  Bear here.

Sometimes I just get too comfortable with my life.  I think I know what each day will bring – I get up every morning when dad wakes up and watch him make the coffee, then I sit around with him for a while.  Then when I think I just can’t wait another minute longer to go outside, I go jump in the bed with mom and wake her and Maddie up.  Once Maddie’s awake, I know we’re going outside pretty fast, because that little girl can’t wait like I can.  When she wakes up, she’s gotta go, gotta go, gotta go right now!

When we come back in, dad gives Maddie and me a bacon strip out of a bag (he thinks I don’t know it’s not real bacon, but I’ve had real bacon before, and believe me – that bag stuff is not real)  But, I never refuse food, so I eat it.  Then mom feeds us, and she and dad sit around and drink coffee, or go out on the deck and watch the people go by.  At some point, mom gets her Activia out of the big box with doors, and Maddie and I wait while she eats it.  We know when she is finished because she always scraps around in that Activia carton with her spoon.  When we can hear the spoon hitting the sides of the carton, we know that’s all she’s gonna get out of there.  Then she takes the spoon out and sits it down.  That means she’s done, and we can move in close and clean out that little bit of blueberry or strawberry Activia that she has left – I call it breakfast dessert.

Then we settle down for a morning of rest – inside on the couch, out on the deck, or my personal favorite – right in front of that whirly thing that sits on the floor in the bedroom.  If I lift my head up a little, that wind can go right through all the fur on my neck and really cool me off.  The whirly thing is GREAT!

Sometimes I have to get up when I hear dad come back from town on his bike.  I love that I can look out the back bedroom window to where he parks his bike!

And so the day goes.  The only real change from the routine comes when I go get a shampoo and grooming.  I can tell those mornings because when mom says, “Let’s go”, she gets my shampoo and conditioner out of the closet and puts them in a bag.  Then I know I get to go for a ferry ride and a truck ride, and then I get pampered all day by the nice people at Bark, Bath, and Beyond.

So this morning mom’s reading her email, and suddenly she says, “Oh my gosh Bear, we’re going to be late!”  She jumps up, throws on her backpack, and says, “Let’s go”, but she doesn’t stop at the closet for my shampoo.  Instead we run downstairs, she puts on my collar, attaches my leash, and off we go down the hill.  I think to myself, “No worries, whatever it is, I’m sure it will be fun!”

As usual, when we walk down the hill we pass lots of people who say how handsome I am and want to pet me.  Mom is really in a hurry, but she stops long enough for a little girl to say hello.  She knows how much I like little kids and how much they like me ’cause I’m so soft and cuddly – just like a teddy bear (which is kinda how I got my name).

Before we get to the end of the street, mom says, “Here we are.”  Here?  Where’s here?  We go inside this fence and go toward an open door in this building that’s like a big barn, and then I suddenly “get it”.  Mom brought me here last fall when I was sick.  This is where Doc Al takes care of the sick dogs on the island (he might take care of cats too, but I don’t want to think about that).

Doc Al is a vet, and I know that he mainly looks after all the horses on the island.  But, if one of us smaller animals gets a tummy ache or something even worse, Doc Al is who everyone on the island calls.  If he’s nearby on his bike, maybe at one of the stables or barns, and someone calls him with a sick pet, he will just get on his bike and make a house call!  He will do the same thing if an animal is too sick to get to his office.  You see it’s different here.  Mom and dad can’t just put us in the car and rush us to the vet when there is an emergency.  And carrying a 90 lb. golden retriever down the hill to Doc Al’s office would be a little hard , even for my big, strong dad.  So, when he needs to, Doc Al comes to your house on his bike.  How cool is that!

When we get to the open door, Doc Al is on the phone, but we go on in.  I’m still wondering what’s going on because I’m not sick!  I feel great, in fact.  I know I have to take 2 pills a day because something in me called a thigh-roid gland doesn’t work right.  If I don’t take the pills, I get sloppy fat – would you believe I weighed 103 lbs. last year!  But it was this gland thing I had going on that was making me gain weight – it certainly wasn’t because they give me too much to eat!  Good grief, you’d think I was a Yorkshire Terrier by the amount of food they put in my bowl.

Anyway, Doc Al gets off the phone and gets down on the floor with me.  He’s telling me how nice I am and how good I look, then all of a sudden I notice he has this HUGE NEEDLE in his hand.  What the heck is that for?  He asks mom to take off my collar and hold my head because he’s going to draw blood OUT OF MY NECK!  Are you kidding me!  My animal doctor at home in Georgia has done this before when she was testing my thigh-roid gland, but she always stuck me in the leg.  My NECK?  Mom is holding my head, and Doc Al is trying to find my skin under all my fur, and I’m thinking, “Geez I wish I was back home in front of my whirly thing!”

Doc Al finds what he is looking for and sticks me.  I hold very still because mom and Doc Al are telling me over and over again how good I’m being.  That’s because I’m so scared I can’t move. If someone was sticking a needle in your neck, you’d be scared too!

He’s finally done, and I’m still breathing.  He stands up and puts all my blood down on the table (I’m pretty sure he took at least a quart!), so I figure I’m safe again.  Then he writes a bunch of stuff down and tells mom that he should have the results back tomorrow.  I guess then we will know if I have to change the number of pills I take for my thigh-roid condition.  I still like Doc Al though, even though he did kind of surprise me with that needle.  It really didn’t hurt a bit – I’m a pretty tough guy.

We’d started back up the hill for home when mom takes out her camera again (can you believe I belong to someone who takes a camera to the vet’s office?).  She says it’s been too long since she took any good pictures of me, so today’s the day.  I’m happy about that – I love to pose for pictures!  When we get to the big yard in back of the island school, there are a bunch of geese there.  I LOVE to chase geese!  But what does mom do?  Gets me up as close to them as she can, then tells me to sit and stay!  Stay?  It’s GEESE, for pete’s sake!  So there I was, a few yards from about nine million geese, and I have to stay!  Why did I learn that command anyway?

After that, we just walked around the grounds at Grand Hotel, and mom took lots of pictures of me in front of lots of big flowers.  Things were going pretty well until she told me to down/stay in front of this HUGE bed of flowers out in the road at the Grand.  As soon as I started to lay down, I smelled something in the grass that I really liked.  I smelled it some more, then I just HAD to roll in it.  Mom didn’t get mad though ’cause she knew it couldn’t be anything bad smelling at the Grand – they wouldn’t allow that.  Man, that was some sweet-smelling grass!

She took one more picture over in front of the Grand’s Flower Shop, then we went across the street to the Pro Shop and took a breather before going home.

So it’s been a pretty eventful day for me. Mom asked me to write about my experiences on her blog, so after I went for a long walk with mom and dad and Maddie this afternoon, we had supper, and I sat down to think about all that had happened.  I came up with three lessons I learned that you should write down and maybe put on your refrigerator – ’cause they are pretty important.

1)  You should always leave the house looking your best, because you never know when you might have to pose for pictures in front of nine million geese, even when you just want to be chasing them into Lake Huron.

2) If you are going to roll in something that smells good to you, always make sure it is on the grass at the Grand Hotel – seriously, I didn’t even get in trouble.

3) You should always be ready for anything and always be alert, because when you least expect it, someone might stick a needle in your neck.

Well, the whirly thing is calling my name – talk to you again soon!

Beach Postcard #3 – Almost Christmas!

Hi Friends! Just popping in to say hello this week before Christmas. All the gifts are wrapped and under the tree (except those that were shipped last week). Besides the last minute shopping and doctor visits (I had to have a laser procedure on my eyes as a follow-up to the cataract surgery I had a few years ago), we’ve found time to enjoy some holiday events and batten down for the beginnings of a nor’easter.

The annual Palm Coast Boat Parade was so much fun. We enjoyed it with friends out on Mark and Shauna’s boat. We packed subs from Publix and a few beverages, and we anchored near the shore on the Intracoastal. We had a front-row seat of the over 100 boats in the parade!

The nor‘easter that blew up the east coast Sunday and Monday started right here last Friday. We had three days of gale force winds, lots of rain on Saturday and Sunday . . .

. . . and then early Sunday evening the skies parted and blue skies appeared.

We’re having a touch of “Florida winter” temps this week (40’s for lows and 50s/60s for highs. But not to worry – it’s supposed to be in the low 70’s on Christmas Day!

A Few from Mackinac

Mackinac residents are having a hard time this winter finding enough snow on the ground to run their snow machines. They are really hoping and praying that the weather pattern changes soon.

This photo from JJ Shaffer a week or so ago shows a wet, cold street (and even a snow machine sitting hopefully at the curb), but not a single flake in sight.

And then yesterday . . . THIS happened! Thanks to Tom Chambers for capturing this scene on Main Street. I don’t think they got a lot, but every little bit helps.

I just had to share one of my favorite Sara Wright photos of Main Street in the snow. This is from December of 2021, and it will always be the way I’ll envision Mackinac Island in the winter.

Other Goodies

In the nostalgia column . . . Ted and I walking Bear and Maddie down Cadotte (before the old Maples were replaced). No idea what year this was. We were wearing shorts so it had to be warm – but Cadotte was empty of people and carriages. A mystery.

Our boy is doing well. Vet visit this week was encouraging as she said his condition has not declined in any way. Unless something changes, we will see her again in April for full blood workup, x-rays and another echocardiogram. Bodie continues to amaze everyone who knows him and his history over the last three years. He’s already earned his Warrior of the Decade Award in our book!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas from the Horton clan.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

God bless.

Beach Postcard #2 – ‘Tis the Season

Hi Friends!

Is this holiday season as busy for y’all as it has been for us so far? I mean, wow! The little “day-blocks” on the calendar that hangs inside one of our kitchen cabinets were filled practically every day in November- and the December blocks are filling up fast!

We had a great Thanksgiving at Julie and Matt’s – an annual event now. Jason, Jen and Alex were here for a few days, and the only missing family member was Blake (he spent Thanksgiving in Colorado, but will be home for Christmas).

Since Thanksgiving . . . .

. . . we’ve gone to an ugly Christmas sweater party (Ted and I visited our local WalMart for these enchanting outfits and cracked ourselves up wearing them). We didn’t win the “ugliest” prize, but for the life of me I can’t fathom why not!

Another annual event since we’ve moved to Florida is grabbing a table on the second deck of the Golden Lion Restaurant, where we can eat lunch AND have a front row seat for the Flagler Beach Christmas parade. I mean – where else can you eat shrimp, watch a parade, AND see and hear ocean waves crashing – all at the same time!

Our Christmas Parade crew. Every year this group makes it a priority to mark our calendars to gather for this event. Missing this year were Jeff and Lisa, who were out of town. We all love this Christmas tradition!

House News

There is none. The housing market is definitely moving at a snail’s pace. But it’s the holidays, and we’re thinking “who buys houses during the holidays?” Hoping things get a little more active after the first of the year, but for now we’ll just keep on enjoying these views out of our front windows (this pic is the latest full moon over the ocean).

Mackinac Island – A Few Pics

This past Friday night was the annual lighting of the Main Street Christmas tree on Mackinac. Friend Karen Synder and her mom were there for the Christmas Bazaar (for the first time) and shared this video!

Same night – several hours later – after most of the the crowd has gone back to the mainland. Silent night, Holy night. Photo Credit: JJ Shaffer

Bodie Update . . .

Our sweet boy is doing great. We’ve made the decision not to start him on any other meds. Although they could minimally help for a short time, there is also a chance they could do more harm than good. He’s doing well on the meds he’s been on since this summer He continues to enjoy two long walks a day, and he’s eating and sleeping well. He has no cough, and his breathing is better than it was this summer. We’ve been told all of that can change – either very slowly or very quickly. Our prayer is that this “good season” continues for a long, long time.

Dreaming of chicken treats, Mackinac woods, sandy beaches . . . and Christmas surprises from Santa.

Hope everyone is doing well, enjoying the season, and taking care of yourselves. God bless.

Maddie Tells a Tale

I promised to republish some of the “oldies” occasionally, and this one definitely fits that description! It was written and published originally on Sept. 28, 2009 – back when we owned our condo at Surrey Ridge and Maddie and Bear were our beloved furbabies. Occasionally one of those two munchkins would take over the blog, and in this one Miss Maddie was the writer. Hope you enjoy!

Sunday morning – 10:15: 

Hi.  Maddie here.  Mom and dad were out very late Saturday night on their “date”.  Mom was laughing when she got home about how romantic it was.  It seems that dad’s idea of romance from September through December is finding a place with a big screen TV and watching as many football games as possible. So last night, the romantic place was the Pink Pony, where they ate dinner at the bar and watched the Georgia game. 

Of course you already know that the most important team in the whole world is the University of Georgia Bulldogs – that’s my dad’s opinion anyway.  If he spent half as much time playing with this dog those 4 months as he does watching those dawgs, I would be one happy pooch. 

You should hear and see my dad when he’s in the middle of watching a game.  He’s pacing the floor, talking to the TV screen, and giving all the coaches tips on what play they should run.  It used to scare me silly, but now I’ve gotten used to it.  When Fluff Face (that’s one of my more affectionate names for Bear, the dorky dog who I have to share mom and dad with) came to live with us, I had to clue him in on what was happening.  The first time dad starting jumping up and down in the den when the Dawgs made a touchdown, it ’bout scared half the hair off the crazy dog’s tail, which, come to think about it, wouldn’t have been a bad thing.  That’s one furry tail! 

Mom says she’s just happy dad only acts like that at home in Michigan – not out in public.  In Georgia, it’s another story.  There is this little tavern on the lake called Spring Creek Marina.  It has another name, but mom would never give me another treat if I told you what it is.   Spring Creek Marina is where all the guys and girls who are big football fans gather every time Georgia plays, and when dad is there, he paces, talks to the TV, and gives tips in public – at least I’ve heard rumors to that affect.

Dad even bought Georgia Dawg collars for me and Goofy Boy.  Mine’s the prettiest, because it’s red.

Fuzz Ball’s collar is black, and when people up here in Michigan see that big “G” on his collar, they assume we are Green Bay Packer fans!  Good grief! 

Anyway, dad told me this morning that the weather is supposed to get really bad this afternoon and tonight, so it will be a perfect day for football watching.  He will take over the couch upstairs in front of the TV, and mom will get the dog walking duties for the rest of the day.  Mom says that’s because dad thinks if he should step away from the TV for more than a second, someone might throw a 99 yard touchdown pass, and he might not be able to see that same pass 32 times on the replays.

Which brings me to the point of this whole story.  With dad watching football, mom will be in charge of me and the big-headed boy.  That means she will take us on a nice walk this afternoon, unless the rain moves in earlier than expected.  So, I think I’m going to take a little nap in the sun right now – while I still have a chance.  More later. 

Sunday afternoon – 2:10:  It still hasn’t started raining, so mom took me and Bozo for a walk.  She took her camera, so we dogs just looked at each other and smiled.  When mom’s got her camera with her, it pretty much means we can get away with anything ’cause all she is interested in these days is leaves. Bear and I had a good ole time scooping up lots of goodies along the road while mom oohed and ahhed and said stuff like, “Maddie, look at that tree!” and “Bear, have you ever seen such color!”  Me and Bear just nodded and went right on sampling our little smorgasbord.  Have I told you that there are a gazillion geese here now, so we can choose between horse poop and goose poop – how lucky can you get!  (I tell Bear that the goose is better for him, but he still prefers the horse – I’m sure he thinks it’s more macho.) 

Mom did get some nice pictures though – if you’re into leaves.  I wrote a little bit about each one so you would know what mom was doing.

Mom got dizzy trying to look straight up into this tree and focus on the red leaves. Don’t know why she didn’t just take a shot of the ones she was standing on.

This is a path in the woods we love to walk on. It’s covered now in leaves that go crunch under my feet.

This is where that wooded path ends, right at the Carriage Museum.

I told mom I really liked this shot. That made her smile.

More looking up – more unnecessary dizziness.

Here’s a pretty cool picture mom took of a big black bird sitting in a big white birch tree.

Late Sunday afternoon – 5:25:  I heard mom tell dad that if he didn’t come outside and play for a few minutes that the next time it was her turn to choose where to go on their romantic date night, she was taking him with her to shop for curtains.  He was outside pretty fast.

Then I had to put up with this silly game they play with the brainiac boy.  Brainiac stands with the tennis ball between his feet, and they say, “Where’s the ball?”  And then he puts his paw on it.  Well, duh.

Then they play “Catch the Ball.”  I have to tell you Fuzz Ball was pretty bad at this at first.  But he finally got his mouth-eye coordination perfected, and he can pick that ball right out of the air.

Here he is jumping up to catch one.

I’m not going to tell you what I do while Circus Boy is doing all his tricks, but here’s a hint:

Around 6 o’clock it finally started raining, and we had to go inside.  As it got darker, the wind really started blowing, the rain was pounding against the windows, and it started getting a lot colder.   When the weather gets like that, I climb on the couch with Fuzzy and cuddle up as close as possible.  Because as much as I hate sharing mom and dad with the big guy, I have found that he makes a really good sleeping bag when it’s cold.

 Oh, one more thing – GO DAWGS!  Woof, Woof! 

Beach Postcard #1

Another busy, busy week! The highlights . . .

Beautiful sunsets

We always have beautiful sunsets here, but as fall and winter approaches (I say “approaches” because we’re still in the 80’s the last few days) the show from out back on our deck becomes even more spectacular. I think it’s like that everywhere, and I’m sure there’s some kind of scientific explanation for it. But for me it’s just more of God’s handiwork – no explanation needed. P.S. Yes, we have a new house going up behind us.

Veterans Day

Rode over to Bunnell (a little town just southwest of us) with friends on Saturday and attended their Veterans Day parade and ceremony.

Friend and neighbor Bob Teller (front in navy blue shirt) designed and painted the float that represented our little Beverly Beach community in the parade, and veterans from our town rode in it. We were well represented (and if there had been a float contest we would have won). Great job, Bob!

A really nice ceremony after the parade at the Flagler County Government Services Building.

Mackinac Vision

From the always amazing camera and talent of Sara Wright – an extraordinary pic of fall on Mackinac. Taken a few days ago.

Some Really, Really Big News

After much praying and soul-searching we made the decision to list our house this week. We are still conflicted about it, and we consider this a “testing of the waters”. Even our realtor says it’s a weird market right now, with high interest rates and the holidays approaching. But we’re curious to see what happens. The best part is if there’s no interest, we’re perfectly happy to stay right here. We can make modifications as needed as far as the stairs . . . but there are a few other “wish list” items it would be nice to have over the next few years that this house can’t provide. So as others are looking at this house, we’re looking too.

If you’d like to check out the listing, you can find it here: www.2731sunsetinlet.com.

Wishing everyone a great week!

God bless.

Two Weeks Home 11/5/23

Hi Friends! So sorry it’s taken me a while to get back on the laptop for an update, but as you’ll see below, we’ve had a few things “going on”.

After two weeks at home the luggage and boxes and plastic bins are all unpacked, and life at the beach has almost settled into its normal pace. The most important word in that sentence is . . . almost.

You may ask, “What does that mean?”

Ok, I’ll tell you.

Since we’ve been home, we’ve . . . . .

. . . Been House Hunting

We looked at six houses and one condo in our quest to transition to one-level living. Three of the houses are in St. Mary’s, GA and three houses and the condo are here in Flagler Beach. We made an offer on one in St. Mary’s. It was a gorgeous home built in 1860, but totally taken down to the studs and renovated 10 years ago. We loved it. Unfortunately, the owners didn’t love our terms and rejected our offer. It was another two-story house, but the only rooms upstairs were two guest bedrooms and a guest bath. Everything else was on the ground floor – so it would have worked.

Last week we talked to a realtor about listing our house, but we haven’t done it yet.

We found a house here that might work. It’s smaller than the one we’re in now, but its a one-story but has a wonderful outside space with a beautiful caged pool that would be great if we’re going to be spending more time in Florida than we have in past summers. It’s only a block and a half from the beach, so beach walks and sunrises would still be on our schedules. That one is a good possiblility . . . IF our house sells.

A company that installs stair chair lifts came out and talked with us about that possibility. Installing an elevator was also discussed, but there’s just no place to put one in our house.

Where we are now on house hunting . . . . all over the place. Time will tell.

. . . Bodie News

Bodie has had a full panel of blood work done with our vet here in Flagler Beach, and all is well. That means all the heart meds he is on are doing their job and NOT affecting any of his other organs. Great news! He also had an echocardiogram and was fitted last week for a heart monitor halter, which he wore for 24 hours. We wrote down all his activities while he was wearing it. Every time he went up or down the stairs. All his walks. When he got excited about the FedEx truck and started barking. Greeting guests that came over. It was just like a human monitor. He had to have patches of hair shaved and little sticky pads with electrodes attached. On the back of the halter was a pocket which contained an electronic device that was tracking his heart and looking for arrhythmias. We won’t have the results on that for about a week, but once we have those answers we’ll know exactly what’s going on in his heart and what we can do to give him his best life possible for as long as possible.

As far as Bodie knows, he’s just fine and continues life as normal – except we do try to limit any crazy running sessions. Sometimes that fails completely – like this morning when Ted says he was on the beach walking along calmly and then went nuts and did zoomies for five minutes before he could get him leashed again. Why did we have him off-leash? Because we want him to be happy and feel like a dog. A happy, care-free dog. As our vet said again this week, “He doesn’t know his heart is not normal. He will let you know by slowing down when he needs too.” So – we are mostly letting Bodie be Bodie – within limits.

That’s a fast recap of our first two weeks at home and explains why I haven’t been at the computer much! We are happy to be back to Florida for the winter and can’t wait to see what’s around the next corner – even if it turns out to be that we stay right here in this house – with modifications made when needed. Looking forward to sending out “postcards” throughout the winter season on the beach – and hopefully sharing some winter photos from Mackinac Island!

Our beach

A recent sunset

Bodie in his heart monitor . . .

. . . and on the beach walkover at sunrise.

Geese on Grand Hotel’s Jewel Golf Course a few days after we left. Photo Credit: Meredith Mclellan

P.S. For those who asked, my broken tooth was a quick fix. A little patch was all it took and was taken care of the Monday morning after we returned, while Bodie was having his echocardiogram!

God bless.

Last Day Thoughts 10/17/23

At 7:30 this morning Ted was loading packed bags, totes and rubber bins filled to capacity onto the back of a taxi. It was barely light and in the low 40’s. Bodie was standing out on the porch during the entire process, waiting to see if his dad was coming back or leaving. Our sweet boy has been watching our every move for three days now. He knows when the luggage comes out of the closet his world is about to change, and he has to make sure we haven’t forgotten anything of importance – like toys, treats, food or HIM!

Yep! Five months requires a lot of stuff.

Thank goodness tomorrow’s load will be much smaller!

After the taxi left, I started the process of washing bedspreads, blankets, bathroom rugs, etc. We’ll clean out the frig sometime today and see if neighbors Craig and Meredith need anything that can’t make the three-day trip home. By the way, for those who have asked, Meredith’s hip surgery went great. She’s been rehabbing in Lansing at her daughter’s home and will return to the island Friday. I can’t believe we’re not going to be here to welcome her back, but Craig and Isla (their pooch) are so excited she’ll soon be on her way. I know her “welcome home” is going to be epic!

The partially packed truck.

Things Around Town

Thanks to Jill for the four pics below!

There were some tour groups on the island, but the streets were relatively quiet.

The secret garden has been cleaned out, and bulbs for spring will probably be going in soon.

I wonder how many thousand pics have been taken of these maples this week . . .

. . . and these two from Jill are some of the prettiest I’ve seen.

Dinner Out

Brian and Jeri-Lynn Bailey invited us down for dinner at the Chippewa tonight. We’d seen each of them several times over the summer, but with their busy schedules we’d never been able to all connect together until tonight. So we ended our last night on the island just as we’d begun our first night in June – with dinner at the Chip. A little before our dinner date we got to spend some time with friends we hadn’t seen in at least two years – Hilde and Bud Davanon from Illinois. It’s always so good to connect with these two. They love Mackinac and are spending the week revisiting their favorite places. They sure picked a beautiful week to visit!

So different from a summer evening on Mackinac. The streets were deserted except for the occasional bike rider. Only one couple was sitting on those pink benches outside the Pony, and they seemed very content to just relax and enjoy the evening without swarms of people blocking their view of the street.

Our last night-time taxi ride home of the season.

Thoughts on Leaving

It’s always sad when our time on the island comes to a close. This year we’ve been giving some serious thought to the amount of time we will have up here next year. We’ve got some big decisions to make about our house when we get home. We want to get out of a two-story, and we’re contemplating all the ways we could do that. We’re going to have an elevator company see if there is any possible way in install one of the shaft-less elevators in our present house without having to make major structural changes – and if there is an unobtrusive spot it can be placed. That’s one option. If that isn’t feasible we are probably going to put our house on the market and look for a one-story in the same area where we are now – but there is also a chance we may move to a coastal community in Georgia that we’ve visited several times over the last year. As you can see, we have lots to think about!

As for next summer, good Lord willing, right now we plan to be back for three months – probably July-September.

It’s been a joy as always to share Mackinac with all of you. I plan to continue writing under this blog name when we get back to Florida so I can share our crazy lives as we start another adventure. We figure what the heck. At 75 and 76 we surely have one more adventure left in us . . . . and maybe even more than one! I’m going to throw in some of the archived blogs along the way and also share our beautiful Atlantic coast winter.

We’re going to take a little longer to get home this time. Three nights on the road, which means we’ll hopefully be home on Saturday afternoon. The side affects we’re dealing with with Bodie’s meds will mean more stops along the way. He has an appointment Monday, Oct. 23 with a veterinary cardiologist, and we’ll have more answers about his heart issues after that visit. I drop him off at 8:00 am for his appointment, then scurry to see my dentist at 9:00 to evaluate this broken tooth. Somewhere between Saturday and Monday a lot of unpacking, washing clothes, and moving outdoor furniture from our family room back to the decks will hopefully get accomplished.

I can’t even begin to tell you how much your comments and support have meant this summer. I love you all – you’re just the best!

God bless.

Bodie’s favorite time on Mackinac – a sunrise romp in the woods.

Postcard #31 – Packing (Day 3)

What a busy day!

First thing on the agenda this morning was to get two heavy boxes down to the post office. Thank goodness for this little blue wagon!

Pretty trees on the Jewel Golf Course – love walking to town this way!

We got the boxes mailed and then made a bank run. Market Street was almost empty while we were downtown – a little after noon.

On the way back to the condo, I made a little detour through Grand Hotel’s bike parking lot. Leaves piled into the corners of each step, and I made a game of stepping down on each pile, loving the crunch.

Later in the afternoon I walked down to meet friend Danielle for an ice cream at Sadie’s. Through the windows of the ice cream parlor . . .

. . . the fiery Maples lit up Cadotte like giant torches.

Tomorrow morning Ted will take a lot of our luggage over to pack in the truck, and Wednesday morning we’ll take everything else – and be on our way.

We are sad that our time on Mackinac is coming to an end, but we’re looking forward to being back in Florida and seeing family and friends. Five months is a long time to be away from home!

God bless.