Rainy Days for Fall

After a very dry summer we are now making up for it. We have had rain most of the past week and forecasts show rain for most of the next week. October, last year was two weeks of sunny 70 degree weather, but this year is in the forties and fifties and rainy. It makes me wonder how the winter snowfall might turn out this year!
The winery is keeping Nancy busy and Anderson's is giving me a couple of work days each week, but the traffic up here is really winding down.
We are in winter prep mode, getting things ready for the cold season.
We are looking forward now to having all of the family together for Thanksgiving.

The sun came out for a minute on Wednesday and I was inspired to take a picture of the fall color in our backyard.

By the time I got out to the front the sun was already gone again!!

Another Monday already?

We had a good weekend with Mike and Hannah here for a couple of days. Mike was hoping to get some hunting in but only managed one day since it was rainy and windy for several days. The colors are getting gorgeous, but the weather goes from sunny to cloudy to rainy to sleeting every time you turn around and that makes it hard to get started doing anything!
Saturday, David's room mate from Vail came to spend a night with us. Andy and his younger sister Emmy and her husband Eric were here for the evening, and spent the night. They were wine tasting around Leelanau Peninsula and got here in the evening. Nancy made a fancy breakfast on Sunday and we all enjoyed the company and good eats. Mike and Hannah and I went to see the Goodfallows and to wish them a happy 62nd anniversary, but we missed them as they just left for Traverse City.

Here are a couple of pictures from the past week....

Last week Nancy and I took a ride to Elk Rapids. We had lunch at the cafe there.

The bridge that leads to the "Island House"

Salmon in the Elk River

My buddy Hannah was here for the week end!

Today we hiked up to the lookout on Alligator Hill. The trees along the lake are still pretty green, but inland they are at their peak of color!

October First

Last week Nancy and I went for a picnic lunch at Peterson Park just outside of Northport. There are some great views of the Fox Islands from the bluff there, and you can even see out to Beaver Island. It's a rugged rocky shoreline at the park. Quite different than the sandy beaches closer to us.
We had a good weekend with Laura and Sean and Kara and Nolan, and Jenny and Kyle. Great weather and fun times. We did some wine tasting on Friday and watched Sparty football on Saturday at Boone's. It wasn't a good football weekend for Sparty or for the Lions, but what else is new?
Day by day the trees get more colorful and should be at their peak this weekend or next.

The rocks and boulders at Peterson Park

More rocks

The sun glistening on the water at Peterson Park

Jenny and Kyle at Blackstar Farms Winery south of Sutton's Bay

Hiking to Pyramid Point on Sunday

Laura, Sean, Kara and Nolan with North Manitou Island in the background.

Jenny and Kyle

Pyramid Point rest area

Fall is Here!

The nights are cooling way down and the highs are only reaching the low sixties. The color change is starting and coming fast. It looks like the peak will be here within the next two weeks. We have had a lot of wind the last couple of days with thirty mile an hour winds and gusts to forty. Summer, it seems, is OVER.
We are looking forward to the kids coming up this weekend. Hope the weather holds up!
We went to our favorite picnic spot on Good Harbor Bay for dinner today. Here are a couple of pictures...

Big Blue at Good Harbor Bay

The bad moon rising.

Canadian wilderness? No, just Shalda Creek off of county road 669

Did I mention the big winds? I hate it when this happens!

The Cool Weather Has Settled In!!

The temperature has dropped to the fifties for a high this weekend. We had some rain for the past several days and a hail storm today. We were showing Bob and Donna around Leland and the hail let loose. We went to visit the Goodfallows for a while while the storm passed. Soon it was sunny skies again, but the cool wind was blowing in off of the lake.
Yesterday we had a great day touring along the coast down to Frankfort. We ate lunch at FUSION restaurant in Frankfort and had a great meal. The Coho salmon were in at the Platte River and the Chinook were still staging off the river mouth. Fall is roaring in and we hate to see the warm weather go! Next week is forecast to be sunny with highs in the sixties. Color season is right around the corner!

The Point Betsie light house north of Frankfort

A great weekend

We had a good weekend with Tom and Evey and good weather. We caught a salmon from the break wall in Leland on Friday and four bass from the canoe on my new favorite small lake on Saturday.
Tom and Evey went hiking with us at Alligator Hill and visited with the Goodfallows in Leland.

Evey on top of Alligator Hill

Sitting on top of the world

Evey's first fish

Look honey, I shrunk the kids!

The beach at the mouth of Shalda Creek

Tom and Evey playing at Lake Michigan

Friday the Fourteenth

The salmon are in!! The DNR website said that the salmon are being caught on the Platte River and have been passing through the weir. Today Tom and I saw some fish in the Crystal River in Glen Arbor. Not big numbers yet, but nice fresh run fish.
The weather turned gorgeous today with sunshine and temperatures in the mid sixties.
We also saw quite a few old classic cars running around the area. Talked to two guys in Glen Arbor and they said the cars are with a club and are touring Leelanau County for three days.

Here are today's pctures...

Clear blue skies.

Members of "The Snappers" car club

Exquisite classics from prior to 1914.

Beautiful cars.