Kate and Otto
Date: 08/13/2006
As previously documented John brought Kate and Otto over from Ann Arbor so they could travel north with us. It was nice to have a dog around the house again for a few days.
Mandatory table shot
Date: 08/15/2006
This was not, of course, our first family dinner. That was Monday in Marquette. But Tuesday we were at Bass Lake.
Miriam on the floor
Date: 08/15/2006
I don't think she did it by laughing, but she certainly was once she landed there.
Fluttering
Date: 08/15/2006
I don't remember why or how we got started waving our hands around, but once we started, I had to document it.
East branch of the Escanaba
Date: 08/16/2006
Miriam and Kate and I went looking, unsuccessfully, for my Mystery Model Town Letterbox. But when I got back home I had an email from someone who just found it so I think we just didn't dig around enough.
River dog
Date: 08/16/2006
Otto hadn't previously had the opportunity to swim, but he comes from water-loving breeds, and sure enough, he was delighted to prove he knew how to dog-paddle.
Lahti beach
Date: 08/16/2006
The next night's family dinner was hosted by Mag and Steve. Kate said her one goal for the week was to swim in Lake Superior. Mission accomplished.
Well-dressed dog
Date: 08/16/2006
For some reason, Miriam thought it would be amusing to put a tee-shirt on Otto. Well, she was right.
At Lakenenland.
Date: 08/16/2006
I've previously taken too many pictures at Lakenenland but never one with Miriam and Otto in it.
Ann with owl's nest
Date: 08/16/2006
This is by far my favorite of the pieces in Lakenenland. I especially like the discarded fish skeletons beneath the nest.
Something-a-saurus
Date: 08/16/2006
We wondered about the name, but forgot to ask Tom Lakenen when we saw him.
Maggie and the artist
Date: 08/16/2006
Here he is by the shelter where he displays articles about the park, petitions to the Chocolay Township officials (who finally said "why don't you just tell us what you're not doing on that land"), and keeps coffee and snacks available for snowmobilers and other less hardy visitors. One of his signs explains that he's never taken an art class or visited a sculpture park. He explained that when he sobered up seven years ago he suddenly had a lot of time on his hands and needed a hobby. He's about to get his 15 minutes of fame. HGTV came by this summer and filmed him for an episode of Offbeat America, to be shown this fall.
Lumberjacks
Date: 08/16/2006
I think this is much more impressive than the similar piece in Raymond, Oregon.
At Black River Falls
Date: 08/17/2006
I've always liked this waterfall, eight miles southwest of Ispeming. Here are Jamie and Miriam at the top
Black River Falls
Date: 08/17/2006
And Jamie and Kate at the bottom. Otto was there, too, gamely slipping and sliding his way across the rocks.
Cliffs Shaft Museum
Date: 08/17/2006
On our Ispeming Day we also visited the new (well, new in 2002!) Cliffs Shaft Mining Museum. I gather the real highlight is the tour, which we were too late to take, but still found it well worth our $5.
Rock club exhibit
Date: 08/17/2006
The Museum also incorporates the Ispeming Historical Society (back copies of The Gossardian--the magazine of the Gossard Corset Company (as Maggie points out, in the 20's, Ispeming was the China of the time)) and the Ispeming Rock and Mineral Club. The latter had some fun interactive exhibits, including this classic science fair project where a light went on when you matched the rock with its correct name.
Mag and Sen. Stabenow
Date: 08/17/2006
We were stopping by the breakwater to give Otto a chance to run before dinner when we realized U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow was there with a small group. We never found out what she was in town for. You might think it was this visit to Marquette, especially as how she seems to be wearing the same shirt, but our encounter was a week later. No mention of the visit in the Mining Journal either. Probably fund-raising.
Back to Otto
Date: 08/17/2006
He did get his chance to play on the little beach by the breakwater. This was a heavy water-logged stick, but he couldn't have taken better care of it if it were a precious dead duck.
Ramada display
Date: 08/18/2006
Miriam, Mag, and I had lunch at the Ramada with some of the retired women faculty. Miriam liked this corny display.
Looking a photo albums
Date: 08/18/2006
An essential part of any trip to Marquette. A nice picture of all of them
Getting goofy
Date: 08/18/2006
But of course they can't sit there sedately looking beautiful indefinitely.
