A Little Bit of Adventure

It was already a week ago... but last Friday we played hooky and went for a drive. Joe actually took a day off from work, first in many month. We hopped into his truck and drove. Our first destination was the highest point in Michigan. We had no idea what to expect, but there was a road all the way up, with some bumps. Probably more meaningful if we had done the 11 mile hike. Then we drove out to Agate Beach. Joe always wanted to check it out. Well, we only found a couple of small agates. Still it was fun to be on a new stretch of lakeshore on a work day!

On our way back for dinner I got to taste my very first drive-in burger experience.

Our food was served on a car window tray! They had very good classic sodas, I imagine, like going back to the 50's. All in all, we had a good day on the road, a much needed adventure.

Lastly, this week I lost my grandmother juts before her 90th birthday. I wished we had been able to travel to Japan in 2020 to see her one last time....  So we had Japanese BBQ to honor her life. And it was a good yakiniku session!

Kayo's New Toy

This week my new printer arrived. My old Epson I've had for a long time still worked, except it wouldn't take my new ink cartridges. It turned out that the global part shortages due to the pandemic affected printer inks, too. Simply, my printer was too old... surrounded by all new technology. My new Epson is very smart. I can even print from my phone!

I had a successful day with my new toy, and the day got warm. After dinner we went out to the lake for a stroll.  The air was actually warmer there, and we watched a storm roll in.

Later, at home, we watched a rain/lightening storm with small mostly-pea-sized hail. So the month of June is coming to an end. We wish you all a safe and fun July 4th weekend!

This Past Weekend

This past weekend we started our Saturday morning on Apple Creek before any of the weather changes. Fish weren't active, but mosquitoes were beginning to rise. It would have been worse if the temperature was warmer. The highlight was our breakfast of pasties and coffee beer on the beautiful river. Oh, and we ran into a fawn who was just like Bambi with spots, and later encountered an otter. Otters are fishermen's enemy though, because they can eat ALL the fish in the river. Pink lady slippers were also in bloom... which is right on time for Father's Day just around the corner. We thought of Joe's dad on this fishing trip.

Sunday with easterly wind (not favorable for fishing) we went for a walk instead. We found more pink lady slippers throughout the woods, so we stopped and took more pictures.

The previous day's rain seemed to have washed the air and sky clearer. It was a gorgeous day to be outside.

Summer... We Think

It's been comfortable weather, maybe slightly cool for our Northern summer standards, with temperatures staying between 60 and 70 for highs. We were anxious to start our yakiniku BBQ season a couple of weeks ago... but hoping for warmer evenings now. On the other hand it is nice that changes in nature don't happen too quickly. You actually have time to notice details of the transformation from colorless to technicolor! 

Though time still flies... we had a relaxing Memorial Day weekend, if I remember. Did a little fishing, encountering a gradual but sure rise of mosquitoes and sand flies. Also saw a few budding pink lady's slipper orchids in the woods. 

Any weekend we could enjoy two kinds of Blackrocks, one being literally black colored lakeshore rocks to stand on and the other a brew pub, is a big win for us. Cheers to Summer! 

Weekend Recap

Last two weeks all of a sudden spring decided to happen. Even just over this weekend we watched the landscape go from mostly brown to gold, then next day to light green. A shade darker from morning to afternoon. 

We made sure to explore in woods, looking for wild flowers and mushrooms.

The river was a little high after a downpour with thunder and lightning, but we went to fish what we could. What was not planned was Joe's line had a backlash that caused his lure to fly backwards, sticking onto his arm. He spent the next 20 minutes fighting with the hooks. He was hooked really good-- the biggest catch of the day!

Everything was alright once we got to our favorite brewery, drinking beer and listening to live bluegrass music. 

Next day we started our day on the trout stream. Joe caught a decent brown first, and then Kayo caught her first keeper trout of the season, a 14" brown. Otherwise we didn't see much action. 

The afternoon had to be improvised a bit, since Joe got called out for work. Somehow we ended up back at the pub for a proper pint to make up. Now Joe cannot wait to train his crew at work fully, so he doesn't have to be on call. That would be a reason to raise a pint... hopefully soon.

End of Vacation

Now my 9-day vacation is coming to an end. Since Joe was working as normal, I got some reading done, had a couple of dates with friends, did extra laundry and cleaning but not too much. The weather got nice out, so I had to do a bit of spring yard work. I think I'm ready to go back to work. 

Though we couldn't travel far, we have plenty of things to enjoy around here. We finally tried a new brewery within a walking distance last night. Oddly enough, it felt like we were on vacation! I realized that vacation is a state of mind no matter where you are. And Joe's workplace has improved quite a bit during my vacation, 2 new promising employees started... hopefully in a few months he can actually take some time off.

Mini Vacation

Like so many people, we've been itching and needing to take a real vacation. To go places far away.... But right now Joe really couldn't take time off from work. So for our anniversary this year we opted for a weekend getaway only about an hour east from home.

These were places we could visit on a day trip, and we had done that plenty of times. But it was nice to be able to take our time and also try a few new places to eat.

Sunday, back home, we decided to get our fishing licenses and check out our trout stream. It only felt right on the second day of trout season... especially when most of the snow is now gone and the river water level has come down. We were thrilled to see a few steelhead, though none of them showed slightest interest in our lures. So our fishing season begins!