Thursday, January 12, 2012

This Winterless Wonderland

Mackinac Island, like much of Michigan, is looking Winterless due to the warm temperatures. These first photos are of a sidetrack between the bike rack and the school's door. Both girls wanted to play in this tree.





After getting Kaya to her classroom, Jade and I ran errands. We picked up the mail from our PO Box and then picked up a few groceries at Doud's Market. Jade helped push the cart!


There is a path cleared near the sidewalk that is easier for biking. There's even less ice and slush today, which directly correlates with more pictures taken!


The afternoon sky was lovely today!


Mission Point Resort!


I love this place!


There is more snow left here than in most spots. If all the streets looked like this snowmobiles could manage.


My happy little helper! (I have to put most groceries in the back of the burley or she will "help" open groceries!)


It was pretty warm and we probably didn't need to wear snowpants. I figure if I don't wear them I'll probably fall biking and wish for the extra padding. I haven't had any problems with that this winter, thank goodness! (Last winter, I learned the hard way how important yak trax are!) An accidental picture:


Trepidation.


The sky was beautiful! This was around 3:00pm.


So little snow! So lovely a sky!


To end, here are a few of my previous shots edited a smidge for fun:









Location:Mackinac Island

17 comments:

  1. I am so glad I found your blog! You are living my fantasy - staying on Mackinac Island year-round. How do you make a living there, if you don't mind me asking? Cheers!
    -Alessandra

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    1. Thank you, Alessandra! I don't mind a bit! My husband is the Human Resource Manager at Mission Point Resort, which is a year-round position. I am blessed to be primarily "Mommy". When the college students leave, I usually jump in and help out at the resort- this year I helped with front desk and reservations. From May to October I work as a haunted history tour guide a few nights a week for Haunts of Mackinac. Tours usually don't start until after the girls bedtime. I love Mackinac Island and am delighted to talk about its stories and history! Sometimes, I can't believe I actually live here!

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  2. Love your pictures and your narratives. I'm with Alessandra...you are living ALL of our dreams!! Write more about how you live day to day on an island...in the winter...with no motorized vehicles...and no big stores :-) Do you have hobbies you do? Do you/husband work? What do you do up there?

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    1. Good request! I can vary my posts to include more of the less charming realities of island living. :) Winter is vastly different from the tourist season. For instance, there's no fudge. We go from a mecca of sweets to cut off cold. Snowmobiles are allowed, thank goodness! You know what, I think I'll do tonight's post on "How My Winter Works".

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  3. WOW...a Ghost Guide, eh? I saw the Ghost Hunters show on TV that they filmed at Mission Point. Have you or your husband personally seen any ghosts?

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    1. I love being a tour guide, there are fascinating stories! Neither my husband nor I have seen ghosts. I have had knocks responded to while giving a tour before (I don't pretend to understand how all that works). Weird things happen, but I certainly feel safe living at Mission Point. To quote VeggieTales: God is bigger!

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  4. Hello, I just came across your blog today. I grew up in Grand Rapids and went to high school in Traverse City. We used to go to the island every summer when I was a child. But I haven't been to the island since the early 70's and I now live in South Carolina. I'm loving the pictures. One day I will get my husband up there.

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    1. I grew up in Whitehall- not far from your roots! How special to go to the island every summer as a kid! My first visit to the island was May of 2009 when I came over with my husband for his job interview. We'd been married three years and I was afraid he'd never take me to Mackinac Island! He teases me about that. I'm so glad you're enjoying the pictures! Hope you can bring your husband soon- you've gone a long time without visiting!

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  5. I love that place too! And I also love your pictures in this post of Mission Point. This past September I took a picture of the front lawn standing in the driveway and got some of the flowers and that big boulder in the lower portion of my photo. As soon as I saw the picture you posted here I immediately noticed the now dried hydrangea flowers that are in my photo. :o) I had a canvas made of the photo that I took and it now hangs over our fireplace so everyday I look and think about being there. I have posted the photo and the canvas on my Facebook page and would love to post your picture to show Mission Point now in the winter if you don't mind.

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    1. That's great! Sounds like a lovely photograph! It's one of my favorite sights on Mackinac Island! I don't mind you sharing my winter photo on Facebook. :)

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    2. Thanks! I'll post a picture at the Mission Point FB page of my canvas photo as well.

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  6. So happy to find your blog! My family and I just spent the most wonderful New Years staying at Mission Point in the Straits Lodge and had the BEST weekend ever! I worked my summers there in '84 and '84 when it was the Mackinac Hotel and Conference Center. What a treat it was to come back and see it in the winter. You are living my dream. Thanks for letting me take a vicarious journey!

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    1. Thank you! That is so cool that you worked at Mission Point in the 80s! I help maintain Mission Point Resort's Facebook page, if you come across any old pictures those are always fun to share! What a wonderful way to spend New year's! I'm so glad snow arrived for that weekend!

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  7. Do you live at Mission Pointe? I just found your blog and I am very jealous!

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    1. I do live at Mission Point! My husband has a year round position and our apartment is in the resort.

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