Mackinac Island - Five on Friday

It's Friday again and I'm joining in Five on Friday again with Amy over at Love Made My Home .

I finished a fun, light mystery this week. It was  Geared for the Grave by Duffy Brown. It is set on Mackinac (pronounced Mackinaw) Island which is up north from us about five hours car ride. I've been there a couple of times and might go in a couple of weeks when we are on holiday up that way. It's an interesting place to visit so I thought I'd share.

Five Fun Facts

1. There are no cars on Mackinac Island.

2. Tourists (and there are a LOT of them) are called Fudgies.

3. Nearly 1 million people visit a year but there are only about 600 year round residents.

4. The 1980 film Somewhere in Time staring Christopher Reeve, Jane Seymour and Christopher Plummer was filmed at The Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island.

5. In the winter there is an 'ice bridge' from St. Ignace over to the Island - basically the water in Lake Huron freezes solid and the residents use it to travel back and forth.

You can get to the island by ferry or by plane. The ferries run quite regularly in the summertime and the views are quite spectacular.

Our ferry took us close to Mackinac bridge and underneath it!

You can see the cars traveling over it to the Upper Peninsula.

I wouldn't want to be that man working on the bridge!

Grand Hotel from the boat. The front porch is 660 feet (201metres) the world's largest.

People get around on the island on bikes, horse and carriage or on foot. The book I mentioned above is set in a bike shop. We opted to use our feet. The town is quite touristy and well worth a visit but I find it's always the out-of-the way things that are more interesting.

As you walk around there are lots of small piles of rocks on the side of the roads and beaches that are called Mackinac Cairns. They are small piles of stones that visitors are supposed to add a stone to mark your journey.

There is a fort on the island called Fort Mackinac. It was built by the British during the American Revolution. It's quite a walk up that hill!

There's also a beautiful rock formation on the island called Arch Rock that's well worth a visit.

The view from below. Another long walk up....

It's well worth the steps when you reach the top. The view is spectacular!

There is a reason why the tourists are called 'Fudgies'. Mackinac Island is known for its fudge. There are lots of places that sell it and the tourists come away with it in bagfuls. It IS really nice!

It's a great place to visit - better to stay away from the tourist town and go exploring whether it be by foot or by bike but be sure to take some of the fudge back home with you!

Crafty Finishes

I just wanted to share a couple of mini-album projects I've finished. These are the blank books that I have to fill. I can't stop making them. They are fun and easy projects and a great way to use up leftovers. Also, if I ever do get organised with my photos I'll have something to put them in. I am thinking I might give a couple as gifts with photos or sayings people will like.

For a while, when I first started making mini-albums I was using cereal boxes for covers. I have since bought chipboard (fairly cheap) and I like how it works a lot better. The covers are certainly more sturdy!

I really enjoy working with this darker paper. I think I've been watching too much Bitten!

And then, because I wanted something a little lighter

Hopefully my next crafty makes will be those Unity Stamps I showed on my Wednesday post!

June 15th - What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday

Wednesday again? Must be! It's time to join in with What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday when we show what's on our desk this week. We're still with Jan over at Lunch Lady Jan while Julia is recuperating. Hopefully she'll be back with us soon!

I can't believe we're in the middle of June already! We'll be going up north at the end of this month for holiday with hubby and it won't be many weeks until I'll be leaving to visit mum for seven weeks! I can't wait.

Anyway here's what's on my desk this week as I left it on Tuesday evening.

I've got a couple of chipboard covers cut for some mine albums and in the background you can see some new stamp sets from Unity. I couldn't resist. I tried. I really did. These are new Angie girls designed by Angie Blom and feature (I don't want to offend here either way) larger women (or probably just women the size most of us are). Most of the stamps I see featuring women/girls are usually ultra-skinny fashion/cartoon-y types. Anyway I really liked them and they had a good sale so I purchased. I had finally received a rebate I got for my computer (that I purchased back in January!) so I used some of it to buy these .

As you can see from the photo I have some space to work - I have to have some or I keep shoving things off the table that end up broken! I have finished a couple of mini-albums this week but to keep this shorter I'll be posting them on a post on Thursday.

Updated cross stitch - I FINISHED IT! Yes, I did. It was finished Friday night. I did post on Saturday but am including picture here too.

I gave myself a day off and started on the one below on Sunday. I need to move along on this one as I want to finish and frame so I can take with me to Mum.

Gardening - again

Forewarned. I am not a good gardener. I am new to this. I would like to be able to grow more of our food but I'm really not that good at it. It doesn't help that last year (1st year planting veggies) I was not here for seven weeks. It will be the same thing again this year. So instead of full out veggie garden I am sort of experimenting to see what will grow and what we will eat so when I am home for a whole summer I'll know what will do well.

I'm a little late to the game this year. Procrastinating. Yes, that's a fault of mine. Hubby and I went along to the garden centre this weekend and got a start. I decided not to do potatoes or onions this year. They both take up quite a bit of space and I wanted to plant other things.

I did get a rhubarb plant. I used to have one in the garden but I'm not quite sure what happened to it. I think the kids mowed over it one too many times! I also got a pumpkin plant. Just a regular one not one to make pies. Not very practical but I love the way they grow. Until I went to the Pumpkin Patch with my kids here in America I didn't know they grew as they did and look exactly like the ones on Cinderella's coach. I didn't realise tumbleweeds actually blew across the road either - but that's a different story. I'm trying tomato plants - last year some disease overtook them and they died while I was gone. I planted them in a different spot this time. I did peppers too - green, jalapeño and banana peppers (the last was hubby's choice). I do use quite a lot in cooking so we shall see. I have space left so will see what else I can find.

It actually looks quite sad right now and very dry. This was right after planting. I have watered since! We could use some rain (gasp, horror!) as it's been quite hot and dry the last few days. I'll add pictures as I plant more and they (hopefully) grow. I was courgettes (zucchini) but haven't managed to find any. I would like lettuce but I have to figure out another way to grow it as last year bunnies or deer ate all of it (including the roots!)

There are some things growing in my garden.

 

As you can see they are pretty hardy things and don't take a lot to grow!

Finished Cross Stitch!

It is finished. Phew. This was a large stitch 25cm x 35cm (9.8" x 13.8"). I think the worst part of it was all that grey and then all the backstitching that went over the grey. I must have spent more time unpicking it than I did stitching it! The piece is counted cross stitch, starting off with blank white fabric no background printed. Stitching it helped keep me awake in the evening while (sort of) watching tv.

Now on to the next piece. I am stitching the next one for my Mum. I am hoping to have it finished in time for when I visit in late July. It's not as large so I should get it done.

This is a Belle & Boo design from a Cross Stitcher magazine. It's a really cute design and I think my Mum will like it. I'll be posting updates on Wednesdays. Updates help keep me on track!

Enjoy the weekend! It's supposed to be quite hot today. It's only half past ten in the morning and it's already 28C. It's supposed to get up to 33C so air conditioning is already on!

Happy Things - Five on Friday

It's Friday again and time to join with Amy over at Love Made My Home for Five on Friday.

I was trying to think of something  to write for my Five on Friday post this Friday. I really enjoy joining in with these so wanted to participate. With everything going on this week including yet another senseless tragedy in the city where I live I struggled a little. Earlier this year there was a mass shooting in our city where six people were randomly killed and two more injured. This week a pick-up truck plowed into a group nine people riding their bikes and killed five of them. The other four are in hospital. With all the bad going on I decided to post five random things that make me smile.

Renaissance Festivals

They are such fun to go to. For one day you can live in a fantasy land. There are jousts and jesters, fairies and fair maidens, fun and laughter. Since the kids grew too old for the Apple Orchard we've been visiting the Ren Faire in Holly Michigan the last few years. I treasure each year as they are all grown adults and I know that, one day, they will no longer be able to find the time to go.

Deer

 I see these when I am out walking sometimes. They are such majestic creatures. Remembering this one always makes me smile. I was out walking at the nature preserve and it started raining. I started walking really fast to try to get back to my car before the rain really started coming down. This deer was hurrying the other way coming further into the woods. We both just stopped and looked at one another. I think we were both shocked to see the other!

Flowers

 I am terrible about growing them. I think I have a brown thumb. I have discovered the joy of wildflowers that are very easy to grow and forgiving! I do however enjoy looking at them and taking photos of them. Seeing flowers always reminds me of my Mum as she enjoys them so.

Shasta

Shasta is my daughter's recently adopted rescue dog, a Siberian Husky. My daughter and I don't live in the same city. She always texts me pictures of what her dog is up to. Shasta is such a lovely dog. I'm not sure why she was given up but she is such a sweet dog and my daughter is very lucky to have adopted her. The first picture is the latest one - Shasta got worn out after a run at the dog park!

Bunny

I've seen it a couple of times in the past two weeks. It always makes me smile when I see it. I get a little mad too as last year, my first year planting an edible garden, something (I suspect the bunny or a deer) ate the lettuce I planted. It was growing so well, faster than a lot of the other plants in the garden. I was looking forward to eating it. One day I went out and the whole lot was gone. I had planted three lettuce. Two of them were almost eaten to the ground and the other had disappeared completely! Not long after the other two disappeared too. I'm thinking both the deer and the rabbit enjoyed a meal!

Thanks for sharing a few of the things that make me smile!

WOYWW - June 8th

Yes, it's Wednesday again (already!) and it's time for What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday. We're still being hosted by Jan while Julia is recovering. I know we're all wishing her a speedy recovery.

My desk this week has pictures of the ATCs I received for my swap. Beautiful.

At the top from left to right from Annie, Jo (Twiglet), Lisca, Kim Y and bottom from Zsuzsa (Inky Dinkydoodle - love that name!). I can't thank everyone enough. I hope mine are enjoyed as much as I like these. I might have to see if I can find some of those mini-easels when I visit Mum next month (it sounds GREAT to be able to say that even though it's at the end of next month lol). It will be just another thing to bring back in my suitcase.

I owe Jo (Twiglet) an apology. I forgot to send hers when I sent Annie's. It is in the post now. I wondered why I had an extra one left. I knew I shouldn't have had any left!

There were great envelopes with these too! I was so very careful opening them.

I have been up to some crafting - I wrote a post on Tuesday for that. I started my Mum's explosion box card from scratch. Thanks to everyone who gave suggestions or posted a link to help.

Lastly, my cross stitch. It isn't finished, but it is ALMOST done. The backstitch is taking a while to get done (read - I'm doing it wrong and having to unpick and re-do). It will be done by next week's post even if I have to sit up all night doing it!

The piece when finished will be 25cm x 35cm.

The finish line is in sight! I did write a post featuring other pieces I've stitched here - Stitching It's been a while since I've stitched anything this large!