First Real Snow Fall

I was up late last night finishing data input for the agate book. Yea! But I also had to get up by 5:30 this morning to get everything done before leaving for my last art show of the year, in Marquette. Of course it was still dark out side. When I turned on my porch light to check the temperature, I had a surprising awakening. We were in the midst of a white out with over 5 inches of snow already on the ground! The winds have now shifted more westerly, so the Keweenaw is getting nailed as we speak. Currently, the sign is actually out. That should help my drive to Marquette. I'll be leaving shortly to make sure I have plenty of time to set up for the show in the Superior Dome, which starts tonight from 5-9pm.

Below are a few quick shots that I took before finishing my last minute details. For those of you who remember the photo I had on the web page last winter (www.agateldy.com) wherein the drift was all the way up to the roof -- the first shot is the same angle. I'll be repeating this shot over the course of the winter so you can watch the snow pile up. The second shot is looking north. You can see the lake effect clouds. The third shot is looking east from my house at some of my evergreen trees. Maybe I'll be able to cross country ski soon!

Early Winter in the Dunes

Although I have the inclination to work on the new agate book morning, noon, and night -- I've made myself hike a few days. I must admit, it is not everyday as it well should be.

We have had a few peeks at the sun, but this time of year the lake effect clouds, rain, and snow dominate the weather. Here are a few shots I took the other day when I hiked into the dunes from Sable Falls, in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Note the deer tracks. Hunting is allowed in the dunes, but you don't see many hunters up there. They cannot bring in their four wheelers, so if they get lucky and bag a deer, they have to carry it out. I loved the perfect circle -- caused by the swirling winds blowing the branch around.

We have had several mornings with snow on the ground. However, most of the time it has melted with warmer temperatures in the afternoon.

Happy December everyone!

Waterloo and Misc

I'm still trying to catch up with photos I took during my travels. While downstate, I tried to go hiking as much as time would allow. Thanks to my friend, Marsha, we hiked the Waterloo Recreation 3 times. It had been years since I visited the Discovery Center there -- so we checked it out. Below are a few shots including a display about Beavers, the lake next to the Hickory Ridge hiking trail, and information about the Thunder Bay Amethyst mine -- which I didn't expect to see at a Michigan science center. I also threw in a photo I took in the walkway at Detroit Metro, on my way to the gate to fly to Vermont.

Stowe Vermont -- Second Post

The day before I left Vermont, Kevin and Jericho had to work all day. I worked on the agate book research in the morning, and headed out hiking with their dog, Quincy, in the afternoon. There is a pass between the two mountain ranges located adjacent to the Stowe Ski resort. In the winter, the road is closed to "Smugglers Notch" so it provided a great opportunity to hike. We did a little hiking on some o the side trails, but they were icy and steep, so for the most part we stayed on the road. Even the road was steep!







After the hike, I walked around downtown. It is a quaint village wherein most of the buildings are between 100 and 200 years old. Don't look for any chain stores or fast food places in Stowe -- they don't exist. My daughter-in-law works in Marketing at the Green Mountain Inn. When you drive around Stowe, it is clear that it is a tourist-related town. There are inns and bed and breakfast establishments everywhere, but very few motels. Vermont is also known for its covered bridges. The one pictured is right downtown.






The last morning, we went on my fifth hike in 4 days. We hiked up the Peek-a-boo trail. A few minutes after we left the car, we saw a large moose in the trail, around 80 feet in front of us. There was a curve in the trail, so we didn't get a great view through the trees -- but he was big! Since we had the dog with us and you have to be careful with moose anyway, we stopped until he sauntered off. Here is the view from the top of the trail. At the top, there were swings and benches, which provides hikers a nice way to enjoy the view.




The final shot I took at the airport in Burlington, located around 40 miles west of Stowe. You can see the profile of a face. The highest point to the left is the highest point in Vermont: the chin. To the right of that is the nose and the forehead. The view from the airport doesn't allow you to see the profile as well as you can from Stowe, but you can still make it out. All in all, it was a great first trip to Vermont, and a terrific visit with Kevin, Jericho, and Quincy.

Stowe, VT--First Post

In between the art shows down state, I used a free airline ticket to go to Stowe, Vermont to visit my son, Kevin, and his wife, Jericho. During my corporate careers and various hiking trips, I have been to 40 states. Now it is 41: it was my first trip to Vermont.



From what Kevin says, there are only 800,000 people or so who live in the state. In some ways, it reminds me of the Upper Peninsula, except that there is a lot more elevation change. The highest point in the U.P. is near Baraga: it is only 1,900 feet or so. The highest point in Vermont is near 5,000 feet in elevation.

In the 4 days I was there, I went on 5 hikes. The most rigorous was on a glorious Tuesday afternoon. It was sunny and in the upper 50s -- perfect for hiking. Although the hike was only 3 miles long, a good part of that required that we scramble over boulders or climb up log slide like steepness. This hike was in the C.C. Putnam State Forest, and took you up to the Stowe Pinnacle. It is a rock outcropping overlooking the valley in which Stowe is located. The first photo was taken at the top, which gave us a great view looking over the valley. There is then a shot of the 4 of us, including Quincy. The two ice photos show how the ground sometimes squeezes the water out to form intricate crystals. They were 1-4 inches long and truly nature's art.






One of the other hikes was in the Smugglers Notch State Park. We walked back to see Bingham Falls.

Mason, MI Gem and Mineral Show

I am finally back from travelling -- at least for a week and a half! This last trip, I went to the UofM - Purdue football game (terrible second half!), visited with friends and relatives all over southern Michigan, dropped off custom agate product orders, spent time at the UofM library doing research for the next agate book, sold art at the Saline and Grand Rapids shows, visited my son and daughter-in-law in Vermont, and met with a book publisher. Thanks to everyone who shared their time, helped me in the booth, and offered their hospitality. In the next few days, I'll catch up with the photos and stories on this blog.

This post has photos from the Mason Show, which took place the weekend of October 24th. This is the first time I exhibited at this show. I'll definately go back. First, here are a few photos of my booth -- which is the largest I have had yet for any show. It must have been 40 feet by 20 feet! If any of you are interested in purchasing one of the 3 lamps shown, I'll offer a blog special of 10% off the regular price.








I didn't get much time to walk around at the Mason show. I took a few photos, but forgor to write down the names of the people who sponsored the displays. First, is a photo of a neat display of cabachons. There were several displays of Michigan fossils, including the next photo. I enjoyed the datalite specimens, and included here the information sign about datalite. Then, there is a picture of one of my favorite agates in the world: a coyamito agate from Northern Mexico.

UofM Botanical Gardens etc.

While I was down state, I gave my agate talk at the Rock Shoppe, located in Plymouth at the intersection of North Territorial and Gotfredson Road. I had never been there before and was quite surprised. This is a landscaping supply company that sells to contractors, as well as to individual home owners. If you want ANY kind of rock or landscaping material, it is worth the drive. I want to thank the owners Helena and Marco for sponsoring the talk, and for letting me set up my mineral art to sell. I would also like to thank all of those who attended. Below is a shot of the entrance sign, and one of just part of the vast yard storing and displaying rocks for sale from all over the world.




While in Ann Arbor, after visiting with both my sons, I stayed a couple of days with my friend, Marsha. We had a number of outings, including a hike at Waterloo and a visit to the UofM Botanical Gardens. When I lived in the Ann Arbor area, my kids and I were regular visitors to the gardens. Although rocks are my passion, I also enjoy taking photos of flowers. I visit the Botanical Gardens almost every time I am down state. Below are a few photos I took while at the gardens this last time.