(I’m having publishing issues this afternoon. I apologize if you’ve received notice of TWO blogs.)
Hi Friends!
It’s been an absolutely gorgeous week on Mackinac. With Ted still on the mend (more on that later), I’ve been back and forth to town more times in the last two weeks than I’ve been the entire time we’ve been here – and I have photos to prove it!
Yes, we still have hanging baskets overflowing with beautiful blooms, but . . .
. . . everywhere I turn leaves are beginning to get dressed for fall!
One of my daily stops! I know most people have seen the outside of our post office, but you may not have ventured inside! This is where we pick up our mail each day from our post office box.
The way every day looked this week! I was taking another break on Fort Hill (carrying groceries home). Just couldn’t resist this view of the Trinity Church steeple and Lake Huron.
A scene from Fort Hill. This 8-week-old golden retriever puppy was getting a ride up in the arms of her mom. In a few months she’ll be pulling her owner up that hill! What a cutie!
Another view from Fort Hill. A wedding carriage awaits a bride and groom from inside Trinity Church.
Boats of all sizes in the harbor this week: Starting in the foreground with the 81′ Isle Royale Queen III – the Sip n’ Sail Cruise ship that will take you out to the Mackinac Bridge on a sunset cruise, complete with live entertainment. They offer numerous other charter cruises also. A great time – we know from personal experience! Almost hidden in the middle is the private yacht Blue Moon, 198′ of pure luxury. No idea who was aboard, but she sure was an impressive ship (another photo below). On the other side of the Star Line dock is the 300′ Victory I, a Great Lakes Cruise Ship that regularly docks at Mackinac (another photo below).
The Blue Moon
Victory I
I always find it difficult to actually throw garbage in these beautiful containers! But – that’s why they’re there.
Black-eyed Susans at Market Street Inn.
One afternoon I hitched a ride home from the top of Fort Hill with a three-horse-hitch carriage driver (he took pity on me when he saw the grocery bags). A lovely ride to the condo, chatting with the driver and other passengers.
Already a touch of color in the trees at Surrey Hill.
From the “only on Mackinac file” – a cage full of live chickens, riding to the ferry dock atop a Grand Hotel bus. (Photo: Jason St. Onge)
TED UPDATE
Ted has come a long way in the week-and-a-half since he severely pulled a hamstring muscle and came home from the medical center on a walker. He actually followed doctor’s order for a total of three days (a record for him) and rested, took his meds, and kept heat applied. He really didn’t have a choice because any time he moved it HURT!After three days, all bets were off. He’s pushed himself and graduated yesterday from walking to riding his bike. Of course, yesterday was Friday – and Friday is Pink Pony night. And neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night could stay Ted from the completion of his Friday night trip to the Pony. So off he went – on foot, not on a bike – with a promise to me that he’d take a taxi home. And he did.
BLOG FANS!
Another great thing about all the time I spent downtown this last week is that I got to say “hi” to several blog readers who were on the island. I know I’m going to forget someone, and I took no pics, but I LOVED running into and talking with Mary (Valentine) Stancik, Irene and Gary Cowley and their beautiful Border Collie Brandie, Barbara and Roger Blem, Ron and Susan Jennings, Jim and Marcia Shrauger, and a lovely lady who hailed me from her bike on Market Street and stopped to tell me she’d been a blog reader for years – please forgive me that I can’t remember your name. Love, love, love each and every one of you!
THAT TERRIBLE IRMA
As with Matthew last summer, our Sunset Inlet neighborhood sustained some damage when that witch of a hurricane, Irma, swept through Florida like a freight train. After her path shifted west, we thought our part of the state would feel little of her effects, but we were wrong.
Our house lost some siding, but only on one side. Inside, except for a few drops of water on one window sill in the master bedroom, all was dry.
As with Matthew, the canal behind our house, which comes in from the Intracoastal,, rose over the seawall and into yards (this photo was taken from our backyard) . . .
. . . but it only came up a little higher than last year and didn’t get into anyone’s home.
Most of our neighbors had similar damage to us – siding, soffit, and a few lifted shingles. But a few had more serious damage – water coming in through sliding doors and windows. Some are having to go through the whole “dry out” process with fans and de-humidifiers.
With Matthew, Sunset Inlet lost power for about 2 days. With Irma, it was twice that. But, after lessons learned with Matthew, many neighbors had purchased generators and were more prepared. Still, generators were mostly run for lights and refrigeration, not AC. It was hot – very hot.
But here’s the story I want to tell about Irma. I’d say about half of our full-time residents rode out Irma at their homes. The next morning, they fanned out and assessed damage, not only at their own homes, but at homes where residents had either evacuated or, like us, were away in other places. We knew by noon the next day that we had lost siding and were dry inside. Friends emptied what little we had left in our frig and freezer and picked up siding out of our yard.
As water slowly receded in Sunset Inlet, and they awaited the return of electricity, several neighbors spent an entire day helping another of our neighbor’s mother clean out her house, which had been totally flooded just up the road from where we live.
Then – several families went together and rented a boom lift, and because we have several men in Sunset Inlet who are in construction, they took the lift house to house and accessed damage on roofs or on soffits . . . . and FIXED it!
Our neighborhood heroes!
Love these guys!
Getting it done!
So, I want to say a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who coordinated, participated in, and contributed in any way to what you did for us and for every other Sunset Inlet resident. I know I’ll leave someone out, but SPECIAL THANKS to Mark & Shauna, Todd & Brandi, Bruno, Frank, Angelique and Marty, Ernie, Jeff, David, and Toney. Love each and every one of you and so appreciate your awesome hearts for our community!
So happy to report also that Julie, Matt, Jordan, and Matthew’s home only sustained minimum damage also!
MEANWHILE, IN ATLANTA (IRMA CONTINUED)
Of all our friends and family touched by Irma, it was Jason’s home in Atlanta which had the most damage.
Two 90-foot trees from his neighbor’s yard fell on Jason’s house.
After the trees were removed, the full scale of the damage was revealed.
The trees fell between the master bedroom and a guest bedroom. It was flooding rain and the wind was blowing about 60 mph when they fell, and all that continued for at least 12 more hours.
The tree has been removed, a tarp is in place, and the house is being dried out with fans and de-humidifiers. He’ll need a new roof, six new windows, new flooring on the main and lower levels due to water damage, new light fixtures (water flowed through them into downstairs), new mattresses, etc. We’re so thankful Jason had just left his house when this happened. Also thankful Jason – after a day of being shell-shocked – is handling all this with his usual sense of humor and finding the positives in all of it. As he says, “It’s all good.”
There’s a quote by Taylor Lakin that reads, ” Hardships are some of the most amazing blessings we could be given. How else would we become stronger, better, and reminded to be grateful for who and what we have in our lives?”
Love and hugs to you all!
God bless.
