Cool Winds and Hail Storms: Recipe for Fall Perfection

Today was astonishingly beautiful – one of those dramatic days that seems only to occur in the fall. We awoke to mid-forties and the freshness of a just-passed rainstorm. I grabbed a couple of tomatoes for breakfast, and then we headed to Short’s for lunch (squash bisque, if you’re interested, and perfect for a crisp first day of fall) followed by a drive around Torch Lake.

Red (and beige) barn

breakfast

A pretty good stand-in for British soldier lichen

Sheitlers’ (neighbors) pasture, before lunch

The back pasture again, after our adventure

A Falls-less Fallsville

After work this afternoon, mom and I wound our way over to the Fallsville Wildlife Area. I could be making this up, but the area is named, presumably, after the waterfalls formed when the Clear Creek cascades over a 15-foot drop. Or it does in non-drought-at-the-end-of-August. I’ve been there when there’s water in the creek, and the falls are a beautiful surprise amidst the area’s usual pastoral scenery.





Mom and I simply enjoyed hiking the dry creek bed this time. Much of the exposed rock was so dry that the normally slippery algae was instead a dry crust. The area still held unexpected beauty; more leaves than I had expected were tinged with gold, and the very occasional breeze whispered through them, providing a nice soundtrack where the falls failed.


At the beginning of our descent into the falls area, I tried to spy another, easier way down to the falls. (Remember – my mom just had that surgery, regaining her ability to for-real-walk back in June.) She hopped down  – a drop of about five feet in a tight, rocky crevice – and beckoned. Well, obviously I was underestimating her (sorry Mom!).




We clambered over rocky outcroppings and tumbled stones, until the puddles of creek disappeared from view. Despite the heat and sweat dripping down my back (thanks, camera bag), we had a great time. I’m pretty sure we’ll go back to shopping for our “girl time” when the weather worsens, but it’s great to get out for a brief hike together again!

I love you Mom. Please forgive my use of this picture that I also love 🙂

Only for a moment and the moment’s gone

We enjoyed a complete lack of adventure today. I lounged around in pj’s until well after lunch, munched sun-warmed tomatoes from my “garden,” and even had a few ripe grapes straight from our vines (speaking of which – I might make something from all those gorgeous bunches this year!). Rain blew in during the early afternoon, so we drove into TC to shop for Jess’s birthday present. (Success! Now I just need her suggestion for a cake, ahem.)

Exploring the Huron Side

Yesterday afternoon we decided to take a driving tour of the northern lower peninsula and the Lake Huron coast. We’ve been on the east coast of the state once since we moved here over two years ago, and we didn’t really even get out of the car. Since it was such a steamy day, we didn’t do too much adventuring, but even so, we ran across a few gems.

Trip to da UP – Final Installment

I’ve winnowed down my photos from our trip to the UP last weekend; I’ve tried – probably unsuccessfully – to break them up into manageable chunks so I don’t overwhelm you. I’m projecting. It’s really so I don’t overwhelm myself. Regardless, I’ll share a bit more from our excursion and then, I promise, I’ll move on to something else…like the fact that I had just begun to welcome fall when temperatures in the nineties moved in for the weekend. Sigh.