Dogs are so funny-they never check the temperature of the water before they dive right in, and Brinkley is no exception. Lake Superior is cold right now, and may stay that way for quite some time since we haven't had tropical temps to warm things up. Ok, 'tropical' is probably a misleading term when referring to UP summers!

Summer, almost!

It's the middle of June already! Brinkley & I have been out doing some exploring, but if I had a choice, I'd forgo work to explore every day. We recently went to 12 mile beach, which I mistakenly called 11 mile beach. I happened to mention this to a co-worker and he said "You're only off by 1 mile". There are days I feel I'm off by a dozen miles! Anyway, Brinkley & I are going to go to this beach whenever we can this summer, if it ever really warms up, because it's beautiful and long!

Chatham in January

My sister, Ginny, asked to see photos of the house I'm renting in Chatham, which is 17 miles from my job in Munising. Actually, a few people have asked to see photos of my new digs, so here they are. Mind you, this house is for sale and I'm not advertising it, really! I so don't want to move again, but if the house does sell, I'll certainly have to move. I like this house and who knows, maybe I'll buy it!!

Photo out of sequence, but, hey, it's Brinkley!

Notice the nicely cleared drive! That takes work, baby! So, enough of the outside, here's great photos of the inside. I spared you the bedrooms and full bath. I'll tell you this, the upstairs bath looks like the downstairs, only there's a double sink, bathtub/shower combo, same style toilet and carpeting-yes, carpeting in the bathroom! Not my favorite, but I've warmed up (literally) to it. The bedrooms are huge, but the www does not need to see my bedroom. Also, I don't have much on the walls because I don't feel like I should start putting holes in the walls! So I've hung stuff wherever there are existing holes.

I LOVE this kitchen!

And finally, the sewing room. Now, it may appear messy, but believe me when I say this, it's really creative organized chaos, but chaos is such a harsh word!

I have been working on finishing some quilts I started long ago.My favorite saying is 'the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step', which is how I look at my UFO's (unfininished objects).

The carpeting on the stairs looks dirty in these photos, but it truly isn't!

Brinkley loves it here, so much room to run around, carpeting to sleep on, stairs to bound! Well, there you have it, my home in Chatham.

Changes on the homefront

Well, I will have to change the name of my blog since sometime in the next few weeks I will be moving from the Keweenaw to Alger County, home of the Pictured Rocks! I'll be living in Chatham, a really huge metropolis with a large population. Not really. It's about 2 blocks long and one block wide, but there is a restaurant, store and a post office!!! Winter is not the time to move, but that's what happens when one must earn a living. See you on the mainland!

Well, it's been some time since I've written a blog. Not a whole lot has happened. My hours were cut at work, my daughter is home and will start her new job in a few weeks, and my middle son is on a larger tug boat now. My oldest son has his house up for sale and I have no clue as to where he and Liisa will live if they sell it! That's what's happening on the home front.
In the Keweenaw, the start of the summer season is in full swing, with tons of traffic with campers and/or boats in tow heading north. The lilacs are at their peak, but it has been super dry. I went down to Eagle River last Tuesday morning and couldn't believe how much beach is exposed. I've never seen that much sand. Obviously, I didn't get a camera for Christmas, otherwise I'd show you just how much beach is there. I suppose I could've taken a picture with my phone and posted it. I'll try that next time! All for now.

First Snow!

Woke up this morning to a couple inches of the white stuff on the ground. Brinkley, my almost 2 year-old Old English Sheepdog went nuts! He loves the snow and, I'm sure, appreciates the colder temperature. Now, if only I had photos to share of this blessed event.....see, I don't have a connector from my camera to the computer, which makes for slow posting of photos. I think you can tell this photo of Brinkley isn't from today! I'll put a new camera on my Christmas wish list, I guess. That's all from the island---Phyllis

Nautical children

My 21 year old son, Jeff, just called from the pushboat he is on in the Pearl River near the Gulf and wanted me to google jellyfish. Apparently, he wanted to take a dive off the bow into the water but there are tons of little jellyfish in it. So, he scooped one up in a bucket and tried to describe it to me so I could tell him if it was venemous or not! In the end, the old adage, 'if in doubt, don't' won out and he didn't go in. Kids!!
The wind here in the Keweenaw is so, well, windy, it's unreal! I hope my 19 year old daughter, Amy, can get home today. She works on the Ranger III that takes passengers from Houghton, MI to Isle Royale National Park. The boat rides high in the water, so it tends to bounce around a bit. It just occurred to me that two-thirds of my children work on boats. Their Grandfather would be proud!