BAREFOOT

As a little girl, I ran around our farm barefooted.  Those were the days of freshly made cow pies.  My feet were happy, and still are, because wearing shoes is not my thing.  Putting shoes on me is like putting a leash on a puppy.  Many many times I've had to be reminded to put on shoes before going out to socialize.  

This labels me.  Going barefoot is frowned upon by many.  But, that's okay.  If we get only one quick visit to planet Earth, my visit shall be as I like it.   

I looked for quotations regarding going barefooted, and these resonate best with me......

 We don't look at the sky anymore, instead we stare at boxes that keep us captive; we don't walk barefoot any more, we refuse to kiss the earth with our feet, we keep busy worrying and fearing, we exist and die, like robots we work and consume.  We ignore the beauty of a butterfly and the power of the eagle, we have forgotten the scent of flowers, we are too busy to enjoy nature, we are plastic most of the time; we live together but we do not connect, we are asleep,  I want to cleanse myself of society's noise, walk barefoot and kiss the earth with my feet, I want to look at the sky, and like my ancestors, I want to feel free.  I want to rejoice in who I am and what I will become.  ~Martin Suarez

Walking in shoes is physical walking, but walking barefoot is spiritual walking. ~MehmetMurat ildan

The best treatment for feet encased in shoes all day is to go barefoot.  One-fifth of the world's population never wears shoes--ever!  But when people who usually go barefoot usually wear shoes, their feet begin to suffer.  As often as possible, walk barefoot on the beach, in your yard, or at least around the house.  Walking in the grass or sand massages your feet, strengthens your muscles and feels very relaxing....if you can cut back on wearing shoes by 30 percent, you will save wear and tear on your feet and extend the life of your shoes.  ~Stephanie Tourles

The point of walking barefoot is to experience the pleasure of feeling the surface beneath your feet.  The sensations are marvelous:  cool, warm, textured, plush, smooth, rough.  In anything in life, if you can experience the sensations of whatever you're doing, this is a beautiful thing. ~Zen Habits

For me the bare feet are grounding.  I'm connected to the Earth in a way that I cannot be any other way,  ~Rhiannon Giddens

I believe in roses.  And I believe in putting roses into a vase and setting the vase on the table.  I believe in getting lost and being found, I believe in going barefoot, and in laughter!  My religion is to laugh at myself, whenever I can!  I believe in the sunlight and grey skies with big, beautiful clouds! ~C Joybell C

The only people for me are the ones who spill things, the ones who drop their cups sometimes, the ones who get dirty hands and messy hair, the ones who can go barefoot if they feel like it, the people who forget things and can laugh at themselves every day.  ~C Joybell C

As with everything in life, common sense reigns supreme.  I'm not about to walk barefoot in hazardous places, like public restrooms, on hot asphalt, or places where there's broken glass or sharp rocks.  Anywhere that poses a risk of injury, infection or exposure to harmful substances....I wear shoes.

CONCENTRIC CIRCLES ART - Australia

Family
Meeting Place

Remember a short while back we learned how painter Wassily Kandinsky explored colors by painting concentric circles (circles that share the same center point)?  Well, I found that the concentric circle is a fundamental symbol in Aboriginal art.  It symbolizes their sacred sites, such as waterholes or campfires, where the people come together for rituals, or simply to spend time with one another.  Waterholes are critical to Aboriginal survival in the desert, and for that reason are found in their works of art, or personal expression.

The Aboriginal Yarning Circle is depicted as a concentric circle that represents the meeting space for respectful dialogue and the passing down of cultural knowledge.  The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership teaches the method of learning through the Yarning Circle.....

• Sit in a circle.  Participants should understand that they are all considered equal within the circle and that there is no hierarchy. 
• Introduce each person:  The host invites each person to introduce himself or herself and share something about themselves. 
• Focal questions:  Yarning circles can be held for lots of reasons.  The host introduces the focus question to the group.

• 

  Yarning Circle

  Share personal ideas and thoughts.  Each participant is encouraged to take turns to talk and share and learn.  Time can be allocated for this, or to draw their thoughts after each person speaks.  The host may provide paper in the middle of the circle to record those thoughts, or hold the yarning circle outdoors so  participants can draw their thoughts in the dirt. 
• Reflect.  Resolve issues identified by the yarning circle, or agree to follow up with another yarning circle in the future.              

Aboriginal Art
Has a Visible Vocabulary

ARNHEM LAND - Australia

Arnhem Land

Arnhem Land is a vast wilderness area in the northeast corner of Australia's Northern Territory.  It is home to the traditional landowners, the Yolngu people.  In 1623, a Dutch explorer sailed his ship into the area, which was later named after his ship, the Arnhem. 

Today Arnhem Land is owned by Aboriginal people under Commonwealth laws.  A permit is required to visit.

Yolngu

The Yolngu culture is among the oldest cultures on Earth, going back more than 60,000 years ago.  It's earliest history is recorded in the paintings, dances and songs of the Yolnju.  The rock art of northwestern Arnhem Land is world-renowned and represents one of the world's most enduring artistic cultures.

Yolnju often use white ochre to paint their faces and bodies.  This custom is part of their rituals and ceremonies.  White is a significant color in their culture, symbolizing sacredness and spiritual connection.  White ochre is obtained from gypsum or crushed shells.

X-ray Style art

The prehistoric X-ray tradition in Aboriginal art continues today.  The X-ray style depicts animals or human figures in which the internal organs and bone structures are clearly visible.  This distinctive style is often seen in rock art and eucalyptus bark paintings.  It reflects the artist's knowledge of the local environment and the life within it.  The X-ray style carries spiritual and cultural significance, connecting the physical form to its deeper meaning. 

Over the last months, we've learned about various styles of art, and today we're introduced to yet another.  One can't help but be intrigued and curious about the Aboriginal way of life.

  

 

"Our spirituality is a oneness and an interconnectedness with all that lives and breathes, even with all that does not live or breathe."  ~Mudrooroo

Their concept of spirituality isn't only limited to human being, but includes even non-living things like rocks, mountains and rivers.  They realize that humans have a responsibility to care for and protect the natural world, as it is an integral part of our spiritual and physical existence.  After reading their quotations, we understand the deep reverence and respect the indigenous cultures have for the earth and all of its inhabitants.

We are all visitors to this time,

this place.

We are just passing through.

Our purpose here is to observe,

to learn,

to grow, 

to love

and then we return home.

~Australian Aboriginal saying

Trivia:  The curved U is a widely used icon in Aboriginal art and symbolizes a person.  It represents the shape that is left on the sand when a person sits crossed legged. 

  

 

KANGAROO WORDS

A kangaroo word is a word that contains its own definition, with the letters to spell that definition placed in the correct order.  The phrase kangaroo word is derived from the fact that kangaroos carry their young, known as a joey, in a body pouch.  Likewise, kangaroo words carry their joey words within themselves.

An example of a kangaroo word is chocolate.  It contains the correctly ordered letters to spell the joey word cocoa.

Masculine pertains to man, or male.

Blossom refers to a flower that will bear fruit, and bloom refers to flowers in general. 

A female chicken is called a hen. 

Honorable means noble.  

Capsules are cases that enclose things.

Deceased is to be dead. 

Isolate is to make it a sole object. 

Perambulate means to stroll through or amble.

A respite is an interval of relief, or a rest.

An instructor is a tutor. 

A catacomb is a tomb.

Observe means to see.

Precipitation means rain.

AND, community is a twin kangaroo word with two joeys...........

    community (county)

    community (city)

For me, kangaroo words put a new spin on words, and we all know by now how much I LUV words.   Now I yearn (have a yen) for them! 

OCCAM'S RAZOR

While searching for a topic to write about this morning, I came across Occam's Razor.  Never heard of the phrase, so did a bit of digging.

Razor is attributed to William of Ockham, an English Franciscan friar and logician.  The principle suggests that the simplest explanation is often the best explanation.  Others may have used the principle before William, but he's the one who's historically associated with the concept.

This philosophical principle is called a 'razor,' because it's a metaphor that implies that the razor effectively shaves away unnecessary complexities to reveal the simplest and most likely explanation.

Occam's Razor can be summed up by the phrase, "All things being equal, the simplest solution is usually the best one."  Simplicity is a virtue.  The simpler the explanation, the easier it is for us to understand and the more likely it is to be true.

An example of the concept is if your computer won't turn on, the simplest explanation might be that it's not plugged in rather than that it has a virus or a hardware failure.

For sure, there are times when complex explanations are necessary to explain a phenomenon.  But, for those of us not familiar with Occam's Razor, we now at least understand what it means.  

This is what I love about learning new things.  It's not the idea of filling a pail, but rather the lighting of a fire.   When we learn something new, our brain creates new neural pathways and strengthens existing ones.  This is known as neuroplasticity, which allows our brain to adapt and rewire itself, making it more flexible and resilient. 

Why is learning one new thing each day important in one's everyday life?

• It provides us with an escape when we need it.
• 
  It helps us break out of our normal patterns of behavior.  It gives our brains something to think about other than our worries.  Learning might only be a temporary distraction, but it shows us that thinking about something other than upsetting stuff is possible.  It just might keep us sane in this nutso world.
• Wouldn't you like to know if you still have the passion for a long-neglected hobby?  
• The constant changes in technology require us to keep learning about the latest gadget.  Who could've imagined wearing the internet on the wrist?  For us to enjoy this techy convenience requires learning new skills.
• There's a saying, "Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at 20 or 80.  Anyone who keeps learning stays young." 
• Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Knowledge is when you learn something new every day."    

GARDENS

We're smack dab in the gardening season, so what better time than now to think about the lessons learned from planting and tending a garden. 

1. Gardening requires patience, as plant growth happens at its own pace, not ours.  Trusting the process is crucial for success.
2. Gardening allows us to connect with nature and appreciate its cycles and rhythms.  We learn that nature is both beautiful and powerful, and that we are part of it.
3. Gardening demands consistent effort, from planting and watering to weeding.  Like in life, consistent efforts will eventually lead to significant results.
4. Gardening is a learning process, with new challenges and opportunities arising each season.  We learn to adapt to changing conditions, learn from our mistakes, and refine our approach over time.
5. Gardening encourages us to focus on simplicity and humility.  We learn to appreciate the beauty of natural processes, to take only what we need, and to give back generously.

A garden is a grand teacher.  It has been said that if we have a library and a garden......we have all we need.  

BREATHING

We all take breathing for granted.  In fact, we completely forget about it.  Our body kindly makes sure one breath follows the other, and so life goes for months, years and decades.  Today we pay honor to breathing........

• Take a deep breath and let it go.
• Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths.
• Whenever your mind becomes scattered, use your breath as a means to take hold of your mind again.
• Inhale the present moment, exhale the past.
• Breathing is not only the process of inhaling and exhaling; it's a reminder that every breath we take is a gift of life.
• Your breath is your anchor in the present moment.
• Breath prayers are short, easily divided into two parts.  One part is prayed on the inhale, and the other on the exhale.  
• When we pause and take our breath off autopilot, our breath becomes a portal to our spiritual selves.
• Life and breathing are complementary.  There is nothing living which does not breathe, nor anything breathing which does not live.
• The 3-3-3 breathing technique is a simple grounding exercise that can help calm anxiety and reduce stress by focusing on your breath.  It involves inhaling for 3 seconds, holding your breath for 3 seconds, and exhaling slowly for 3 seconds.  This helps slow your heart rate and redirect your attention to the present moment
• 
  

BLESSINGS

One of my most rewarding exercises in life is this business of counting blessings.  Over the years, my notebook accumulated one blessing each day.  One's eyes are opened when page after page is filled, and that's when one realizes just how good we have it. 

There are 7 understandings of blessings........

Double Portion:   A spiritual or material increase or abundance.

Financial Abundance:  Prosperity and material success.

Restoration:  Bringing back what was lost or damaged.

Miracles:  Extraordinary events or actions beyond the natural.

Divine Presence:  Experiencing the closeness and guidance of a Higher Power.

Blessings Upon Your Family:  Prosperity and well-being for loved ones.

Deliverance:  Being freed from harm or mistreatment. 

✏✏✏

How to practice counting one's blessings.......

Keep a gratitude journal:  Write down things you are thankful for each day.

Express thanks to others:  Let people know how much you appreciate their presence in your life.

Practice mindfulness:  Pay attention to the present moment and notice the positive things happening around you.

Focus on small things:  Acknowledge the simple joys in life, like a warm cup of coffee or a beautiful sunset.

 Remember past blessings:  Reflect on past positive experiences and how they have shaped your life.

✏✏✏

Blessing Number One:

  Give thanks for getting old, 

because it means you are getting to live.

  ~Janet Turpin Myers

AGING GRACEFULLY

 The day we are born, we begin to age.  We're four hours old, then four days old, then four weeks old, then four months old, then four years old.  Every single day we breathe, we are experiencing the aging process.  So long as one breath follows the other, we are growing older.  

Sadly, our western culture looks at aging like it's a bad thing.  I would suppose that's because our appearance changes with age.  We leave behind the pretty or handsome face and inherit an entirely new look.....one that does not flatter our outward appearance.  Our western culture prefers to coddle youth and be cruel to those who have been alive the longest.

One of the gifts we receive in life is longevity.  This is the big test of life....how we handle this business of relinquishing our youthful appearance.  This is not something that happens to 4 out of 5 people, or 1 out of 10 people.  This will and does happen to 10 out of 10, 100 out of 100, 1,000 out of 1,000 people.  Yup, like it or not, it's a 100% guaranteed certainty.  Age = Deterioration.

We are told that "aging gracefully" is the path to choose.  What does "aging gracefully" mean?  It sorta reminds me of "happy suffering."  

There will be, and there are, days where life feels like we're diving head first into a frozen lake.  What the hell is the reason, or purpose, for this gradual deterioration?  I've done a bit of looking for just what "aging gracefully" is all about.  The things that make most sense to me are........

• Engaging in activities that bring us a sense of accomplishment.  This is where the creative spirit comes into play.  
• Practicing gratitude by zooming our thoughts in on the positive aspects of one's life.  
• Finding humor in everyday life and laughing, even when things get tough.  This is a biggie.  I'm not sure if one day of my life has passed by that I've not laughed.  And, that's a fact.
• Reducing exposure to toxic individuals or environments.  "Hurt me once, shame on you.  Hurt me twice, shame on me."   
• Embracing the journey.  Living is about accepting the natural changes of time.  
• Enjoying, rather than fighting the aging process.  This is far easier said than done.  But, each of us can find ways to play the cards we are dealt.  This may take deep thought, positive contemplation, but it is possible.  
• Being our best possible self.  Maybe we don't look like we used to look on the outside, but we are still the same person on the inside.  Here's the trick to aging gracefully........being oneself, being true to oneself, and taking extremely good care of oneself.  There are countless ways we can do this.  It's a personal endeavor, unique as our DNA.  What makes me happy, may drive the next person crazy.  Aging gracefully is not "one size fits all."  Not by a long shot.  
• I'm actually sick of hearing "eat right and exercise."  That, to me, is not going to help me age gracefully.  Aging is an internal challenge.
• Overcoming the fear of aging and leaving this world.  The longer we have lived, the more glaring eternity becomes.  I've read that being a good example for the next generation can be a kind of emotional legacy.  How cool is that!  If someone had shown us how to embrace the aging process, we wouldn't have to be working so hard to create a positive mindset of accepting it.
• Savoring the moments as they present themselves. 
• Practicing kindness and compassion toward others who are silently suffering their way through underbrush of life.  I think we are living in an angry world right now, and that is not conducive to respect.  So sad.
• 
  Magnifying the wealth of wisdom and experiences we have each accumulated on our journey.  Just imagine all the places we've seen, the love we've felt, the times we laughed so hard our mascara ran down our face.  Those are the things we must cherish now.  Our good fortunes cannot, and won't, be found in a lock box in a bank.  Never.  Rather, our good fortunes are stored inside a chamber deep within us.  They are forever blessings that grow more beautiful with time.

If we can think of life as a constant fountain of wisdom and understanding, I truly feel that profound and insightful things will bless us.  

 

THE QUIET PLACES

• A quiet environment can be beneficial for studying, working or freeing one's creative spirit.
• Quiet can be helpful for processing emotions and resolving conflicts.
• Quiet spaces promote self-awareness and perception.
• Small pockets of silence can help regulate stress and make us less impulsive.
• One of the major reasons why silence has become an important part of everyday life is the ability to stay centered when the noise of the modern world distracts us from the things that really matter.  
• Studies show that quiet places can lead to lower blood pressure and improved sleep.  They help us feel rested, regain clarity and emotional balance.  We feel free and more connected to ourselves in these quiet places. 

IOWA'S LOESS HILLS

Loess Hills

 The Loess Hills (pronounced luss, rhyming with fuss).  Loess is a German word meaning loose and refers to a type of wind-deposited silt.  The Loess Hills is a globally unique landform, 15 miles wide and 200 miles long, starting from Akron, Iowa to St. Joseph, Missouri.  The only other place taller loess formations are found is in the Loess Plateaunear the Yellow River of China.  The less soil found in China, where sand was blown from the Gobi Desert is deposited over a wide area.  This is what makes the Yellow River yellow.  

More than half of Iowa's remaining native prairie is found in the Loess Hills of western Iowa.

The hills are a collection of silt and dust that took thousands of years to form.  They were formed during the ice ages when glacial movement ground up material in the river valley.  The light, loose material was blown to the Loess Hills and settled out in the river valley.

Photo by Gary Hightshoe
Drainage developing in thick loess, Monona County

In the heart of the deep-loss landscape, within two to ten miles of the Missouri Valley, the topography alternates peaks and saddles that dip and climb along the narrow crooked ridge crests.  

Loess Hills State Forest, near Iowa's western border in Harrison and Monona counties, comprises 11,484 acres.  The main goal of the forest is to implement effective management practices for the benefit of long-term natural resource stewardship.  The Loess Hills State Forest Visitors Center near downtown Pisgah is where one can learn about the geology and unique plants and animals of this area.  The center is open year-round, with seasonal hours.

The Loess Hills National Scenic Highway features a 220-mile paved main route, with an additional 185 miles of optional excursion loops that range from interstate highways to gravel roads.

Loess Hills National Scenic Byway

THE HARP

There's a musical instrument that has always fascinated me, and today the sun shines on the elegant Harp.

Archaeological evidence tells us that stringed instruments, like harps, lyres and lutes, originated in Mesopotamia (now Iraq) and Egypt around 4000 B.C.  These instruments most likely evolved from hunting bows whose strings vibrated and produced sound.

In spiritual contexts, the HARP symbolizes heavenly worship.  It's a common symbol in Christian tradition, where angels are depicted playing harps in heaven.  In some interpretations, the harp represents a mystic bridge between heaven and earth by which one can rise to higher levels of peace and love.

The psalterion, a stringed, plucked instrument, was an ancient Greek harp.  Psalterion was a general word for harps in the latter part of the 4th century B.C.  It meant 'plucking instrument.'  The word "harp" originates from the German, Old Norse and Anglo Saxon words meaning 'to pluck.' 

• Some harp frames have a body that was carved from one single piece of wood.
• The three main parts of a harp are the neck, the sound box and the strings.
  
• Each string produces one note.  The thicker and longer a string, the lower the pitch it produces.  The lower notes are generally placed furthest from the harpist, while the higher notes are closer.
• Concert Pedal Harps are the largest and most common types, used in orchestral settings.  They typically have 47 strings and seven pedals that allow for a wide range of pitches.  Concert-grand pedal harps are the largest harps and stand just over six feet tall.
• Lever Harps, known as Irish or Celtic harps, have fewer strings than concert pedal harps, typically from 19 to 40.
• Smaller harps, like lap harps, can have as few as 14 strings.
•  Harp strings are sometimes color-coded, with C strings typically red and F strings black or blue.  This is to help harpists visually recognize them.  The more strings generally mean a wider range of notes and more flexibility for playing different types of music.  Of the 47 orchestral stringed harp, 6 are red and 6 are black or blue.  The D, E, G, A and B strings are white.
• On a harp, octaves are counted downward from the top end (where the strings are the shortest). 
• The harp is meant to be played using the thumbs and first three fingers of each hand.  Harpists don't use their little pinky fingers, as they're not long enough.
• Harpists typically sit with the harp positioned between their legs, with the instrument leaning onto their right shoulder.  The right hand typically plays the higher notes on the right side of the harp, and the left hand plays the lower notes on the left side of the harp.  The harpist should be able to reach the strings comfortably with both hands without having to reach across the body.
• Throughout history, the graceful sound of the harp has fascinated listeners across different cultures and continents.  The harmonious and sustained tones create an atmosphere of serenity and tranquility, inviting the listener to enter a state of deep relaxation. 

I have been in Sorrow's kitchen 

and licked out all the pots. 

 Then I have stood on the peaky mountain

 wrapped in rainbows,

 with a harp and a sword 

in my hands.

 ~Zora Neale Hurston

♭♮♯

And tears are heard 

within the harp

I touch.  

~Petrarch

THE HOURGLASS

The more sand that has escaped
from the hourglass of our life,
the clearer we see through it.

• The earliest hourglasses used marble dust for the sand.  The hourglass required expertise in glass-blowing.  The likeliest location for these two elements of the hourglass to be brought together is Italy, particularly Venice, where glass-blowing was a highly developed art and marble was readily available.

• 

  Ambrogio Lorenzetti, 1338

  The first documented example of an hourglass in Europe is a 1338 fresco depiction.  It has become a symbol of medieval technology, one of the first attempts to measure time.  
• During the age of navigational exploration, the hourglass helped sailors determine the length of a sea voyage.  They were particularly valuable for sailors, as the movement of sand wasn't affected by the waves rocking the ships or by changes in temperature.  Written records about the hourglass were found in the logbooks of European ships.   
• When Magellan (c. 1480-1521) circumnavigated the globe, his fleet had 18 hourglasses per ship, with a page dedicated to turning each one to keep accurate time.
• In biblical terms, the hourglass represents the nature of our time on earth and the transition to eternity. 
• In the world of art, the hourglass symbolizes the passage of time.  
• Hourglasses were used by ministers and priests to time sermons, in factories to measure breaks from labor, and by scholars to track the duration of lectures.
• Evidence suggests the use of hourglasses in ancient Greece and Rome for timing political speeches in the Senate.

• 

  The Timewheel
  Budapest, Hungary

  The Time Wheel (right) is a large hourglass in Budapest, Hungary.  It's made of granite, steel and glass, and weighs 60 tons.  Glass granules flow from the upper to the lower glass chamber over the course of one year.  The granules run out on New Year's Eve.  The Time wheel is then turned 180 degrees so the flow of glass can resume for the next year.  The turning requires four people pulling cables and takes about 45 minutes to complete.  The Time wheel was unveiled on May 1, 2004, to commemorate the enlargement of the European Union that admitted Hungary, along with nine other countries.

 "Every so often, we all gaze into the abyss.  It's a depressing fact of life that eventually the clock expires.  Eventually the sand in the hourglass runs out.  It's the leaving behind of everything that matters to us that hurts the most."  ~Ben Shapiro

"Though our hourglass runs, one day it shall not, but then our eternity hourglass begins with never ending sands.  What mantle do you want to set your hourglass of eternal life upon?  This is your choice to make.  No one but you can make that decision.  So think wisely and live honorably, for your actions will choose the destination of your hourglass."  ~Tabitha Robin

BABY ROBINS

Momma Robin's nest is getting fuller.  Most likely Momma Robin is nearby watching over her babies cuddled together. 

Nature speaks to us without saying a word.  All we have to do is open our eyes, our minds and hearts to see that there is a Divine Progression woven into every life.      

Every life is fragile...as a baby bird.  Isn't it something how four baby birds can inspire and motivate us?  How mother robin's weaving abilities have us shaking our heads in amazement and curiosity?   How did she do that?  A family of robins has the natural sense to adapt to their environments, yet still care for one another.  Why can't we humans do that?  

However, they are so vulnerable in their shelter.  Any number of wildlife surrounds them, just waiting for a snack.  All we can do is hope that they will survive and one day fly up to the branch of a tree and live out their assigned life span like you and me. 

What the Robin Told

The wind

told the grasses,

And the grasses

told the trees.

The trees told the bushes,

And the bushes 

told the bees.

The bees

told the robin,

And the robin

sang out clear:

Wake up!

Wake up!

SPRING IS HERE!

NATURE IS IN A PERPETUAL DANCE OF IMPERMANENCE.

 

My special thank you to Debbie for sharing her Robin-Watch photos that reveal how every stage of life lays the foundation for the next stage of life.  

The present was an egg
laid by the past
that had the future
inside its shell.

You'll have a lot more respect
for a bird
after you try making a nest.
~Cynthia Lewis

Baby birds
are reminders of
Our Creator's
miracle of LIFE.

My first breath

The kids and I thank you for
visiting our home!
~Momma Robin~

MACKINAC ISLAND

Today we check out Mackinac Island, the summer resort located in Lake Huron, in the State of Michigan.  It's a place where the streets have been car-free for over 100 years.  Horse and carriage and bicycle are main modes of transportation around the island.

The island was originally inhabited by the Anishinaabek people.  They called the island Michilimackinac, meaning Place of the Great Turtle, reflecting the island's shape.   In the 1600s, French explorers and missionaries arrived, establishing missions and initiating the fur trade. 

The Grand Hotel, which opened in 1887, played a key role in establishing the island's reputation as a fashionable resort.  

• The Grand Hotel kitchen staffs over 100 people, who prepare and serve some 4,000 meals per day.

The car-free environment, the horse-drawn carriages preserve the island's historical character and charm.  The island's reputation as the Fudge Capital of the World has led to tourists being named fudgies.

Grand Hotel

 

• The first thing to do upon arriving on the island is take a carriage ride.  It's the best way to get one's bearings.  Simply hop on a fringed surrey and learn the history, some fun facts and a lot of tall tales.
• No cars, no horns, no sirens and no motorcycles allowed on the island.  Visiting the island is stepping back in time.
• Despite the ban on cars, there is one police car, two fire trucks and one ambulance on the island.
• There are over 1,600 rooms available to tourists in hotels, resorts, B&Bs, condos, cottages and homes.  Each place is unique, and ownership of many date back to the 1800s.
• The ferry ride to the island takes between 16 and 26 minutes, depending on the route and the ferry company.
• The lighthouses on Mackinac Island are the "little jewels in the crown."

• 

  Fort Mackinac

  Mackinac Island played a significant role in U.S. history.  It became the scene of fighting during the War of 1812.  British forces captured Fort Mackinac without firing a single shot.  The fort is a maintained landmark today.
• About 500-600 people actually live on the island year-round.
• The "c" in Mackinac is silent because the name has French roots.  When the French built Fort Michilimackinac in 1715, they adapted the local Anishinaabec name to their language, incorporating a "c" that sounded like an "aw" at the end of the word.  While the French spelled it with a "c," they pronounced it with an "aw" sound, which is how the name is still pronounced today, regardless of whether it's spelled "Mackinac" or "Mackinaw."
  

  

  Crack in the Island

• Crack in the Island is located very close to Cave of the Woods in the interior of Mackinac Island and, according to legend, was formed when the Great Spirit stomped his foot in anger at the first arrival of Europeans.

GREAT LAKES ~ 5 ~ Lake Superior

Our drives along the North Shore of Lake Superior bring back heart-warming memories.  We love lake country.....always have, always will.

• Lake Superior contains more water than all the other four Great Lakes combined, plus two more Lake Eries.  It's water volume is enough to flood North and South America to a depth of about 1 foot.
• It is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area.
• If its shoreline were straightened, it would extend about 2,726 miles...a distance comparable to Duluth, Minnesota to the Bahamas.
• 
  Lake Superior has over 400 islands, including Isle Royale, a national park.  Isle Royale is a remote island wilderness in Lake Superior, and vehicles are not permitted on the island itself.  It's accessible only by boat or seaplane.   Isle Royale was designated as a U.S. Biosphere Reserve, giving it global scientific and educational significance.  The national park is owned by the U.S. government and administered by the National Park Service.  It's part of the State of Michigan. 
• Lake Superior is also known as Gitchigami, which is its Ojibwe name meaning great sea or big water.  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow used the name Gitchigami in his poem, The Song of Hiawatha.  
• I visited Longfellow's home in Portland, Maine.  While there, I bought a book of Longfellow's poetry, and The Song of Hiawatha is in that book.  
• The first French explorers to reach this lake referred to their discovery as "le Lac Superieur."  When the British took control of the region, the name became Lake Superior.
• It's difficult to pinpoint the exact number of shipwrecks in this lake due to undiscovered wrecks and historical discrepancies.  There is an estimate out there of roughly 550 wrecks in Superior, with a whole lot more undiscovered.
• The North Shore Drive is a 154-mile scenic byway in Minnesota that follows the Lake Superior shoreline, starting from Canal Park in Duluth and ending at the Canadian border.

• 

  Lake Superior Agate

  The Lake Superior Agate is a stunning gemstone found along the shores of Lake Superior.  These agates were formed about a billion years ago when gas bubbles in ancient lava flows filled up with silica-rich groundwater.  Over time, the process created its distinctive bands and intricate patterns.  They can range from about the size of a pea to up to more than 20 pounds.  Red, orange and yellow are all caused by iron.
• Agate Beach, a public beach at the end of M-77 in Grand Marais, is one of the best beaches to hunt agates in Michigan.
• Lake Superior is larger than the State of Maine.  It's a little smaller than Indiana and is larger than South Carolina, West Virginia, Maryland and Vermont.  Superior is 30 times the size of Delaware and more than seven times the size of Connecticut.
• The lake is known for its muskie, walleye, sturgeon, trout and perch. Several tribes in Wisconsin and Michigan have treaty-reserved fishing rights.  This plays a significant role in the commercial fishery, with their own licensing and regulatory frameworks.
• 
  In Along the Bowstring,  Julian Ralph (1853-1903) wrote this about Lake Superior:
• "The seas of the world are salty, but this lake is like a colossal diamond--clear, pure, sparkling, lying like a heaven-lighted gem in a bowl of rich greenery fringed with a lace-work of chromatic rocks that take on the most weird and enchanting shapes."
• Gail, Illinois wrote:  
• "We Americans are privileged to have this magnificent, beautiful, bountiful, life-giving resource in our country.  We must take care of our Great Lakes.  It is our duty to protect them."

GREAT LAKES ~ 4 ~ Lake Huron

Lake Huron

•  Lake Huron, the 2nd largest of the Great Lakes by surface area, has a shoreline of over 3,800 miles including 30,000 Islands. 
• It is shared on the north and east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the south and west by the U.S. State of Michigan.
• There have been more than 1,000 shipwrecks on this lake, with many still at the bottom.  Some are preserved as artifacts.  The Fathom Five National Marine Park is home to 22 of these wrecks.
• The wooden paddle steamship, The Keystone State, that was used during the Civil War, disappeared in Lake Huron in 1861.  152 years later, it was found under 175 feet of water near Harrisville, Michigan.
• On November 3, 1913, Lake Huron was hit with a storm that produced winds of 90 mph and ocean-like waves of more than 35 feet.  The storm lasted 16 hours, sank 10 ships and killed 235 seamen.
• Lake Huron's name originates from the French explorers who named it after the Huron people who lived along its shores, calling it "Lake of the Huron Indians."
• Lake Huron's extensive shoreline is dotted with unique rock formations.  Flowerpot Island has incredible rock structures resembling flower pots that decorate its shoreline.  These structures are made up of layer upon layer of sedimentary rock that's been eroded over time by wind and waves.

Flowerpot Rock Formations

• 

  Straits of Mackinac

  Lake Huron and Lake Michigan are culturally known as two lakes, despite being connected.  The splitting point is the Straits of Mackinac, the short waterways between Michigan's Upper and Lower Peninsulas, traveled by the Mackinac Bridge.  (I'll save the story of Mackinac Island for another post.)

• Lake Huron has an underwater forest....7,000-year-old petrified trees have been found off the shores of Lexington, Michigan.  The discovery provides researchers clues about human activity in the region before the Great Lakes were formed. 
• Goderich Mine, the largest salt mine in the world, runs partly 1,800 feet under Lake Huron.  The mine has a production capacity of 9 million tons per year, and produces 7,250,000 tons per year.

Pudding Stone

Lake Huron, particularly along Drummond Island, is a popular place to find pudding stones.  These stones are made up of smaller fragments of rock cemented together by a variety of materials including silica, iron oxide and other mineral elements.  These cements fill the spaces between the pebbles, holding them together. 

When one thinks about the these large interconnected freshwater lakes, it helps to understand that the water flows from Lake Superior, into Lakes Huron and Michigan, then into Lake Erie, over Niagara Falls, into Lake Ontario, and out the St. Lawrence Seaway to the Atlantic Ocean.  This flow is the key reason why the Great Lakes remain freshwater bodies, as the salt content is carried away with the outflow.  The Great Lakes are refilled by rain and snow, surface water runoff from streams and rivers, and groundwater.  

"Those grand freshwater seas of ours--

Erie,  Ontario, Huron, Superior and Michigan--

possess an ocean-like expansiveness,

 with many of the ocean's noblest traits."  

~Herman Melville