I wanted to take the kids, but this was the day it was over 100 degrees in Northern Michigan. We were wimps and stayed home. I can’t even tell how hot these people are, they did a wonderful job!

I decided I’d better take a moment, stop running all over the countryside, and do a post!

Today is the last day of…

Cherry Festival!

There is a parade this afternoon and fireworks tonight, but I don’t know if I have the energy left to go.

My Little Sister has been dragging me all over and it’s been WONDERFUL!

I have at least three or four blogs worth of pictures.

What have you all been up to?

Does your town have a festival?

I took this last week on my drive home from work…

The pastel sky is very different from the blah grey sky that was there this morning.

I am so ready for spring… Only a couple more weeks!

One of the things that makes me happy is seeing The Bay everyday, whatever it looks like.

What makes YOU happy EVERYDAY?

Yesterday we slogged through the thawing snow to this building…

Building 50 at the old State Hospital…

an insane asylum.

We went for the first area Folk Festival.

Musicians from all over the state of Michigan were there…

but really I went to see these guys.

Song of the Lakes

It was worth slogging through it.

I saw  one of my favorite bands and I took a few CIRCLE SHOTS!

I’m saving those for tomorrow…

I hope this warm weather holds…

Another day like yesterday and we might not have to shovel the drive any more!

Who else is ready for spring?

I remember a time when I couldn’t let a day go by without posting something.

Lately though, nothing has felt post worthy.

Today I decided that maybe I’m just worrying too much about it.

I mean really, is what I post supposed to be for MY entertainment? Or for yours?

Well probably yours, but until I find something better to post about it’s going to be ALL ABOUT ME!

One of the many cool things about working at the bakery is that I get to see the Bay every day.

The window of the bakery looks out on it, of course I have to look across the road,

but still, I get to see the sunrise every day on such beauty. It makes my heart feel good.

It always looks different too. Today it was calm and there was mist rising over the water.

See the white stuff, it looks like ice, but actually it’s mist caused  by the temperature difference between the air and the water… It’s fun to watch the wind blow it around, it looks almost like it’s dancing.

I am off to Detroit tomorrow!

We have tickets to see Wicked (link) and we are going to have a nice ADULT dinner and evening out. I can’t wait!

I am sure I’ll be posting about that for MY OWN pleasure too.

THE Theologian asked this question the other day, but I didn’t get to see your answers, so I’m RIPPING it off!

Do you post to entertain yourself or others?

Alright so I’m tired of not having anything to post!

I thought I would show you the bread rack where I work.

I was going to wait and take better pictures, but I have discovered that at three thirty in the morning I don’t take great pictures!

This is the bread rack behind the counter, we offer specialty breads on different days.

In the mornings when I get there one of the things I do is fill the racks with the breads that were to hot for the bakers to put there.

See the baskets on the third shelf down… all of the way down by the drink cooler?

Those are the goody baskets, they hold the cookies, scones and muffins.

I make some of the mixes for those, but I haven’t done any baking yet.

Some of the breads we carry…

Challah (pronounced HAllah), the braided one in the bottom right corner, is made from an egg dough.

I love bringing one home and Ben makes us french toast, it has ruined me for regular bread french toast.

These are boules… which just means a round loaf…  

(Imagine me as Bubba from Forest Gump reciting this list)

We make so many different kinds of bread…

There’s your Honey whole wheat, country italian, sourdough, french, greek olive, cheesy bubble and onion, pumpernickel, traditional rye, caraway rye, challah, pullah, epi’s, french baguette, blue cheese baguettes, asiago baguettes, Garlic and asiago, spinach feta, chocolate cherry, rosemary challah, sourdough boules, french boules, pecan raison, harvest whole wheat, multi grain…

That’s all I can remember now…

We also make blueberry scones w/lime glaze, cranberry scones w/orange glaze, pumpkin scones, cherry scones with cinnamon sugar… your get the picture… there are about fifty more sweets that they make at the bakery, all depending on the season.

I have discovered something new and wonderful about my bakery job though…

Two days a week I go straight from the bakery to the glass company where I go putter and do my consignment pieces for them to sell.

Today I took fresh warm cinnamon rolls.

They gave me free glass! It pays to bring sweets!

So? What do you think of the bread rack?

Next time I’ll show you a different part of the bakery.

If you ever come visit I will buy you a cinnamon roll… you’ll have to come early though!

Maybe the Test of Migration

Artist- Ginny Smith

Yesterday my Mom, Isabelle, and I went to the opening of the 12 Voices exhibit at the Dennos Museum.

It was a great exhibit if you like quilts, which I do.

Here is Isabelle talking to her Grandma.

This is at the gallery entrance area,  where they were serving the wine and food.

My little girl did so well, she was very well behaved and enjoyed her girls night out. 

I was a little sad when she told me she didn’t want to learn to quilt.

She said when she’s as old as I am now, I can teach her how to make quilts for the winter.

I said I would probably be dead then, but thanks anyway. 

The quilts were beautiful and interesting, the company exceptional.

You all know by now that I am a hot dog fan.

Last April I did  THIS  blog on our favorite local hot dog place, House of Doggs. 

Yesterday I was looking at my footprints and noticed that someone had googled

HOUSE OF DOGGS

This isn’t unusual,

during the summer months I get several hits for it a month.

This time, shortly after the search prints, a Xanga blog came by with the name

HOUSE OF DOGGS

and a very nice comment was left at the bottom of the post!

Thanks for the props!!  I used to live in Grand Rapids , grew up on Yesterdog!  That’s one of the reasons I started the House Of Doggs!

Thanks Again! 

Nick

House Of Doggs

How cool is that!

The owner took the time to start a xanga and leave a comment!

The beginning of this summer they moved to a new location in  Old Town, Traverse City.

The kids and I haven’t had a chance to make it in to the new location yet,

but I think we now have a great excuse to go!

(The kids are trying to convincing Ben to break the record for most chili dogs eaten.)

Of course I will tell you ALL about it!

What is your most frequently googled post or tag?

Today was the first day of school for my monsters.
It was only a half a day though so we had the rest free…

Oh what to do?!

Go to Buchen’s Blueberry Hill and pick blue berries of course!

Trekking in.

I don’t remember the first time I went to Buchen’s.

I was very little.

I remember sticking my hand into a bush to pick a berry and pulling out a big spider instead.

We haven’t been berry picking in a few years.

The kids, my Gram,  and I used to go every year.

Gram  would call and say “It’s time to go picking berries!”

We would set a lawn chair in front of a good bush for her, once she’d picked it clean, we would move it to the next one.

 Since my Gram passed away and I haven’t had anyone to remind me to go, I’ve let a few seasons pass.

I’ve missed it.

I miss her.

There are rows and rows of bushes all dripping with berries.

Mr and Mrs. Buchnen always let the kids eat as many as they wanted and would never take the money for an extra pound when I try to pay for them…

 She or he  would laugh and say it was part of the picking, you had to sample the wares.

In the past we would use belts to hold the buckets, the kids scolded me for forgetting them this year.

Maybe I’ll remember next year.

Tomorrow I will spend the day freezing the nine pounds of berries we picked.

The only reason the kids stopped picking is because I threatened not to take them to the beach..

If you ever get a chance to pick your own, it’s a fun relaxing thing to do.

The rows are narrow and tall.

A person can be picking on the other side of a bush and you’d  not even know it.

The kids like to hide and duck out to scare me upon occasion.

 I threatened them with serious consequences if they did it to someone else, we don’t want some poor old lady or man having a heart attack.

 If you go, get a big bucket, don’t worry about getting ALL of the berries off of a bush, and

 don”t forget your sun hat!

Do you have something that you’ve done ever since you were a child that’s special to you?

This weekend was all about

fish,

fish and more…

fish.

Every year my Pop puts on a fishing tournament for his shop.

This year it was a little wet out…

They didn’t bring in as many fish this year, I wonder if the weather had anything to do with it.

Charlie’s fish was so big he had a little trouble holding it up for the picture.

I don’t think he minded at all.

His boat didn’t win any prize money this year, but he still had a blast.

He was fishing with Grandpa!

This year the fishing was done on the bay’s here in Traverse City,

 Next year it will be back in Frankfort, I can’t wait!

The picture taking is far better there…

Last year I got two posts out of it!

HERE and HERE…

Only one more week until the kids school starts.

Is it wrong for me to be looking forward to it this much?