Lake Effects

Hike at Kehl Lake

Recently I went on a hike at Kehl Lake, a local Leelanau Conservancy preserve, with a Conservancy docent and others. I've hiked this property before, and skied it, but I like doing the tours with the docents because I learn new things. There's a shrub I’d been wondering about; it has HUGE leaves that, this time of year, are of a translucent yellow-green. The bark has distinct vertical striping. The docent said it is actually a tree, a green and white striped maple, also sometimes called moosewoo… Continue

Posted on November 14th, 2009 at 8:15pm —

Farm Stands

With their rows of colorful fruit piled into green pressed paper quart boxes arranged in sections, Leelanau’s farm stands can be as artistic as the windows of a French patisserie. And it doesn’t get any more local than this—buying produce from a stand on the property where the food was… Continue

Posted on October 23rd, 2009 at 3:22pm —

Unofficial End of Summer...

. . .and with it the beginning of a dearth of company. Since Memorial Weekend, the unofficial start of summer, we have had nine sets of visitors, one cancellation, and one visit ourselves to the Upper Peninsula. There’s a gradual degradation of hospitality at our beach house over the summer, as guests pile in and out with their sandy feet, damp towels and Igloos. Memorial Weekend: “The guest room is on your right, with your bathroom next door. The sheets are fresh. Aren’t the flowers pretty?… Continue

Posted on September 9th, 2009 at 9:25am —

What is Grass?

In The Omnivore's Dilemma, author, Michael Pollan visited a farmer who listed all the different species of plants that made up the "grass" in his pasture. Never having been one to tend a lawn, I've always had plenty of diversity in my grass, but when kept cut it just looks like an undifferentiated green mat. This year, it had grown quite long before the first cut in the spring and I noticed a lot of long stems crowned with buds. So I only mowed the part very near the house and let the res… Continue

Posted on September 1st, 2009 at 9:32am —

Fixing the Weed Whacker

Sitting at the edge of the deck, watching Dad troubleshoot our weed whacker, I was transported to my childhood. It could’ve been 1965 and me standing outside next to him, peering inside the raised hood of a car, handing him the tools he requested. This was how I spent time with my dad. Oh, there were other times, sure, fun times at the lake or sledding. But those times included others--my sisters and my mom. This was my own time and I got it when he asked for volunteers to help him fix the car,… Continue

Posted on August 25th, 2009 at 3:02pm —