September 30,2009

This is my first attempt at taking a photo with the night setting on my camera. I don't think my little camera does a great job, but I figured it was time to begin experimenting with some of the different settings.

September 29, 2009

I've hunted for this multi-cache with a friend probably seven different times. Turns out the owner gave some bad directions and the final coordinates were missing, which is why we couldn't find it. The owner apologized and sent better directions along with the final coordinates and we were able to find it without too much trouble. I don't think one person could have managed to get this down alone, it was not easy! I'm so glad to have finally found this one.

September 28, 2009

My daughter bought a tent for our cat about a year ago. The cat has never really used it much; we recenlty put it in an out-of-the-way corner of our family room. This evening, we settled in for an evening of TV (Desperate Housewives season premiere), and all of a sudden the tent shot from one side of the room to another. The cat jumped on it, flipped it over and was playing with it. Maybe you had to be there, but it was hilarious! Here is our crazy kitty in her flipped over tent.

September 27, 2009

We hiked at a nature conservatory today. You can see Beaver Island and downtown Charlevoix from here. Gorgeous!

September 26, 2009

We spent the weekend with some friends in Charlevoix, MI. I introduced them to geocaching. We found five within a mile in the downtown area! This is the channel between Lake Charlevoix and Lake Michigan.

September 25, 2009

Look at the hair on this beautiful baby girl, who is just one day old. Her mom and dad are so happy and proud.

September 24, 2009

These trees look like red pipe cleaners. The trunks are wrapped in vines that are turning color before the tree leaves. Now I need to go close to see what kind of vines they are!

September 23, 2009

How cute is this?!! I love the contrasts in features and expressions in these two little guys. When my kids were little we had the coolest play car on the block, a foot-powered race car, one that made many of the neighbor kids line up for a turn. This motor-powered truck is sort of like that, 18 years later. I love looking back and thinking about how technological advancements affect our lives every day. What kind of play car will be available for children in the year 2027?

September 22, 2009

I know someone who likes it when I post photos of our crazy little Xena kitty. I hope she enjoys this one... it took about 20 shots for me to get a half-way descent one!

September 21, 2009

Every Fall, I see lots of these shrubs growing in wild areas and they make me smile as I remember my son when he was little refering to them as the "shrubs that live in the jungle." I still do now know what they are, but they may be a type of sumac. Anyone know? Soon they will be fully red.

September 20, 2009

It's another beautiful sunny day in SE Michigan. We went to a local orchard to pick apples, and I'm making applesauce now. Yum!

September 19, 2009

I was geocaching with friends in Kensington Metropark today. We found four and enjoyed the beautiful day. We stumbled upon this skull and bones on route to our last find. Could it be a deer? A dog?

September 18, 2009

I attended a Galileo Teacher Leadership Institute Advisory Board Meeting at Meadowbrook Hall this morning. It was built between 1926 and 1929, and is the former residence of Oakland University founders Matilda Dodge Wilson, widow of automobile pioneer John Dodge, and her second husband, lumber broker Alfred G. Wilson. It is often described as an American castle. The 110-room, 88,000-square-foot, Tudor-revival style mansion is complete with vast collections of original art and furnishings. I was fascinated with the elaborate masonry of the brick chimneys. These are three of 39 of them!

September 17, 2009

It seems that our 10 year old wood windows are in need of being replaced. One by one, they begin looking like this. (And this is not rain... it's a gorgeous, sunny day.) Shouldn't windows last longer than this?

September 16, 2009

My husband was forced into retirement today by General Motors. He was given a box to pack his things, then was escorted to the door. This image shows 25 years of service in a box. This happened the morning after his Dad's funeral. Not a good week....

September 15, 2009

My Father-in-Law passed away this week. He was a signalman in the Navy during WWII, and the Navy came to his memorial service. I was touched when they played Taps at the end of the service.

September 14, 2009

The fruit of our flowering crab tree look good enough to eat. I'll leave them for the birds. This is the same tree back in May: shoemap.blogspot.com/2009/05/may-11-2009.html

September 13, 2009

Why does this happen? I guess I need to invest in higher quality toilet seats...

September 12, 2009

Another photo by Lisa Shoemaker, taken near Hungarian Falls, north of Houghton, MI. I am pretty sure they are a variety of Amanita muscaria; I did some research online and learned that they are hallucinogenic and sometimes poisonous. Very pretty, though!

September 11, 2009

I love the contrasting colors in this photo, taken on a beautiful Fall day.

September 10, 2009

The constant heat and thaw process due to the weather fluctuations in Michigan cause concrete to buckle and crack. The cost of replacement is costly, so we'll put up with the cracks for now.

September 9, 2009

The season for fresh melon is coming to a close, so I'm enjoying it as much as possible while I still can. Yum!

September 8, 2009

My African Violet is in bloom! It looks so healthy and pretty.

September 7, 2009

We are using a lawn service for the first time ever. Should we complain about this uneven coverage of fertilizer? Our yard looks striped!

September 6, 2009

I've been reading World Without End, by Ken Follett. It's much easier now that I have new bifocal contacts! Great book.

September 5, 2009

This is another image from guest photographer, Lisa Shoemaker. She traveled to Copper Harbor, Michigan, on Brockway Mountain drive. This scenic mountain drive goes above Copper Harbor for a breathtaking view where the mountains meet Lake Superior.

September 4, 2009

Football season is upon us. Here's to the Michigan State University Spartans, my alma mater. I'm hoping for a winning season; the first game is tomorrow.

September 3, 2009

I went to my nephew's high school football game this evening. I was amazed at the size of the team; there were at least 75 players and 36 cheerleaders! It was a beautiful evening and my nephew's team won big!

September 2, 2009

This is a shot by guest photographer, Lisa Shoemaker, at Canyon Falls, in Michigan's upper peninsula. Some of her friends were jumping from this spot! For more information about Canyon Falls, go to www.michiganwaterfalls.com/canyon_falls/.

September 1, 2009

There's nothing better than grilled chicken and veggies for dinner! My husband received this grill pan as a gift and he loves it!