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I love it all: embroidery, canvaswork, quilting, crochet. So much to do, so little time.





Sunday, September 1, 2019

The Northwoods and Some Finishes

Usually, this blog concerns all things stitching, but today I thought I'd share my little end-of-summer trip with you, too.  We went to a place that I'm guessing not a lot of people have visited - Upper Michigan.  It's a hidden gem.

When we were planning a trip this year, this describes my state of mind perfectly:



We drove up through the Lower Peninsula.
The two peninsulas weren't even connected before 1957!
In Mackinaw City there is a little museum
on the second floor of a pizza place
that tells the story of building the Mackinac Bridge.
It's interesting (and quirky) and free.

If you squint at the horizon to the right
of the bridge, you can see St. Ignace
in the Upper Peninsula.
The "mighty Mac" is five miles long.

We stayed at a cozy, rustic cabin in Hulbert.

The next day, we traveled to Munising which is the gateway
to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

We took a 2-hour boat ride to view the rocks,
which extend for miles up and down the shoreline.
They probably would have been more
brilliant if the sun had been out.

After the boat ride, we ate lunch at
a local cafe/book store where I found this...
The dust jacket is a little frayed,
but the pages are fine,
and for two dollars I'll be happy to
peruse it and pass it on.

Another stop was the
Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in 
Whitefish Point.
There have been over 500 shipwrecks
on the Great Lakes since records were kept.
The majority of them occur
in Lake Superior between
Munising and Whitefish Point.

This is the actual bell from one of the most
famous wrecks, The Edmund Fitzgerald.
A replica bell was made and engraved
with the names of all her crewmen,
and lowered down to the wreck
to serve as a memorial.
The crew remains at the bottom of
Lake Superior with the ship.

Just beyond the museum is a small beach
where you can walk or just gaze
at the big lake...
The clouds look ominous,
but we encountered only a few sprinkles that day.


Tahquamenon Falls State Park is nearby.
There are several smaller lower waterfalls...
...in the back among the trees...

and a larger upper falls...

On our way west across the peninsula,
we stopped at the
Michigan Iron Industry Museum
just outside of Marquette.
The Upper Peninsula was rich
in both iron ore and copper.


This was very interesting to me personally
because both of my grandfathers
worked in the iron ore mines.

Our last stop was at the
western end of the peninsula
where I got a chance to visit
with some of my cousins...


OK, enough blathering about my trip.

Here are a few recent stitchy finishes:

The Summer Foursome from
Prairie Schooler's Summer Breeze
leaflet was finished,
and I just happened to have
this frame in my stash.

Heart in Hand's Stitching Bird
got stitched and FFO'ed.
I added the four small buttons, 
which were from my stash.
Good that I'm using up stash, eh?


And almost in time for September
(it's not pillowfied)
is September,
from Little Dove's Year.

Well, that's it from here.
Hope your August was fun.
Thanks for visiting!

4 comments:

Robin in Virginia said...

I enjoyed seeing your trip pictures and reading about your vacation! I have been to St. Ignace (back in '85) and we enjoyed our stay. Your finishes look fabulous! Enjoy your week!

Donna G. said...

Your trip looks fun. I’ve never visited Michigan (unless you count a layover at Detroit airport) but would like to some day.

Terri said...

LOVE Michigan!! We stayed in a cabin in Grand Marais in '02 for about a week. Went on that boat tour also. Love that area! DId you make it up to Copper Harbor? We've been to the UP many times over many, many years. Michigan is one of my favorite states!

Carol said...

I've only been briefly to Detroit so I thoroughly enjoyed your Michigan photos, Pat. I love traveling and realize I won't get to every single place that I want to visit so I always appreciate seeing others travel photos.

Love your stitching--that long-legged bird is too cute :)

Happy September, Pat!