Green Grow The…

…natives making up the surrounding forest. Just a few of the shrubs and trees that have chosen this place to live.

Spreading Dogbane

Canada Honeysuckle

Chokecherry

Beaked Hazelnut

Staghorn Sumac

Round Leaf Dogwood

Ninebark

Big Leaf Linden

Sugar Maple

Northern Red Oak

Of course, this leaves out birch, ash, poplar, all the conifers, and much else.

In For Service

Kayak, which was built in Rockport, TX about 18 years ago, experienced a fiberglass problem, but is now well on the way to a brilliant future. (Epoxy is amazing stuff.)

Picnic tables, ancient neighborhood hand-me-downs, might be coaxed along a few more years.

Stairs getting a re-paint, too. Hot work in the hot sun, but we quit in time for a sail on Heliotrope and a dip in the lake.

That’s a Lot Of Water

Inches and inches.

Swales full to overflowing, drains draining, which is unusual for this time of year. Good thing the dinghy is unsinkable, because this morning, before bailing, the floorboards were floating up to the center (seat) thwart.

But, as is typical, after a big weather event a seiche made its appearance, so the big lake water, instead of coming up, went down. The overall result has to be positive, however, since the deluge ranged from Wisconsin, across Lake Michigan, the state of Michigan, and Lake Huron—in other words, much of the watershed.

Late afternoon I sat for a good long while at the Zen spot, just being there. I watched a minuscule spider (possibly related to Whitman’s Noiseless Patient one, though not so patient) slide along an invisible strand from one blade of grass to another at least three feet away, in a matter of seconds. Method of propulsion a big unknown. Then, when I looked up, a bald eagle came winging by along the shore. (Maybe visible in the photo below if zoomed in.)

And, of course, deer in the grass, “alas, alas…”(although Gertrude was more worried about pigeons. )

Under Sail…

…from the bottom of Gore Bay to the bottom of Mudge Bay.

Leaving Gore, dinghy obediently following

Just after lunch

Heading down Mudge

Home port advantage

Brisk south wind out of Gore Bay, moderate breeze on the starboard quarter along the coast, fluky swirls of noting in the Clapperton channel, and then a nice beat down Mudge to Kagawong. It took us at least half an hour to get through the Clapperton channel, sitting at times without steerage, while whitecaps beckoned from just a few feet away. Sometimes, that’s the way of a sailboat.

Photos by Sue.