Let’s catch up a bit. Monday morning, the GG hauled a deadhead outta the bay, winched it up onto the beach and buried it (or something). We used to get deadheads all the time when I was a kid and they were still corralling pulp logs down the river to the paper mill on the Canadian side. Logs would escape and wash up on our beach. We used them for all sorts of things, furniture and forts and what not. Occasionally one would deadhead, meaning one end of it would sink to the bottom and the other poke a wee bit out of the water, a hazard for anyone with a motor bote. We don’t get pulp logs any more and this particular log was (we think) from one of the old “cribs” (basically wood and rock docks) that once ringed the bay when the area was lumbered back in the 1800s. My grandfather and a couple of his friends originally bought the land from the lumber company. Others probably know that story better than I do.

While the GG was pulling in the deadhead, UKW and I were plowing through Meijer getting ingredients for lasagne and garlic bread and salad and dessert. And an extra box of white whine. Once back at the moomincabin, we scrambled a bunch of food together in between beach time. At the last minute, the GG dredged all manner of tables and chairs outta the garage. Yay for the garage and yay for not getting rid of every single last piece of furniture that belonged to The Commander! We are needing that stuff this summer and she would love that we are using it.

And the family potluck party? Can I just say serendipity? One of my local cousins and I were conferring, saying that we had both wanted to do some sort of party but neither one of us felt like we could engineer it alone. Enter UKW, a rabble-rouser from day one and with her organizing skills and a general attitude of “it’s about the people, not the food”, we were able to pull it off. Again, The Commander would have loved that we hosted it at her cabin. It is an ideal place for a summer party as long as the weather is good and it was!

Yesterday! Tuesday! Field Trip! Seney Wildlife Refuge! 90-something miles away but worth the drive every few years or so. We did a mini-hike (1.5 miles), then the beautiful slow drive snaking along through the ponds. Swans and loons and an EAGLE and — FINALLY — TURTLES on a log. There are no turtles on Lopez Island so we were looking for those.

After that, the long drive to the Tahquamenon Falls Brewery for lunch. With a stop at the North Star Brick Oven Bakery along the way. The bakery was open so I was a bit disconcerted at first that the lights were out when we entered. Turns out we were in an area that is off the grid. I mean the ELECTRICAL GRID, not the INTER-TUBES. They use wood to fire their brick oven and they do have a generator for lights and things but did not have it running today. The sign is undoubtedly battery-powered LED lights. (Thanks to the Marquis for turning us on to this place!)

Tired from our long day, the GG took a Lyme Lounge nap and UKW and I swam in Gitchee Gumee a couple of times, then after a lazy dinner of leftover lasagne, we dragged ourselves down the beach a way for a dessert party thrown by our new[old] neighbors. Complicated story but children of our dear childhood beach friends have bought property and cabins from children of *other* dear childhood beach friends. We all strive to make sure that we do not have to sell our beach property to “strangers” and as introverted as I am I greatly enjoyed talking to old friends and meeting their children (and grandchildren).

So that covers the last couple of days and I will write a SECOND POST (you are WELCOME!) about today, which was a bizness day with a bit o’ WEATHER thrown in.

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