A Little Robert Frost

"These woods are lovely, dark and deep." And damp. And so very cold. It was about 40 degrees with a 23 mph wind, gusting over 30 mph while I was out riding. The wind chill was 31.
Why did I ride today? Perhaps Ruby made me do it. It was a numbers thing. An eight mile ride would give me an even 200 miles for this month -- of no real consequence, other than it's a nice number. Yesterday's ride put this November into 3rd place, ahead of 6 other years, and rolled Ruby's odometer over the 12,000 mile mark. (I'd have posted a picture, but they all turned out blurry. I got tired of standing in the garage taking fuzzy pictures, so I'll let you all just take my word for it.)
It was the coldest 12 miles I've ridden in quite a while -- the last few miles I was regularly hitting my right hand against my leg to try to keep the blood circulating . I rode along the north side of Lake Mac, using the houses and cottages for shelter from the wind. It was -- oddly -- sort of fun. It felt pretty hard core. I turned around near the willow tree below.
So we've reached the end of the month, and I did my best to live up to Emmy's blogging challenge. I'll be taking some time off from blogging for a while here. Unless I take another bike ride. Today felt like the last day though, and unless the weather guru's are wrong again, we're going to get some accumulating snow overnight, and lake effect over the next few days. I'm leaving Ruby in the garage until the snow begins to accumulate. Most likely my next ride will be in Port Charlotte. Snow birds gotta fly.

Southwest Lower Michigan

As I walked out into the garage to take a picture of Ruby for the blog, I realized two things. One, this may be a new low in blogging about blogging. And two, there just haven't been enough pictures of Ruby in my blog this year.
The fact that Ruby is still in the garage says something, I think. To me it declares that I have not yet called the end to my hometown biking season. Through the open garage door you might notice that the snow that was supposed to arrive on Thanksgiving day and continue falling until March has not yet arrived. Hooray, I say. And WooHoo.
I hadn't been on a bike ride for a week before this afternoon -- too cold, rain, Thanksgiving, Christmas shopping with the COTU. Stuff. Life sometimes includes some excellent moments that don't include my bike. But today was warm for late November (mid 40's), and the roads were clear and dry. I took Ruby out for what may -- or may not -- be my last Michigan ride of 2010. It's been a fair November here, and I've accumulated almost 200 miles, making this the third best November since records have been kept. I rode out to Tunnel Park today, posed Ruby next to the stairs up the dune, and took out my camera. Yup. Once again, "No Memory Card." Another IQ test failed. But fodder for the blog, so all is not lost.

A Favorite Photo

From the archives.

Seiches

"Seiches are periodic oscillations of water level set in motion by some atmospheric disturbance passing over a Great Lake." More info here. We had a strong wind from the west yesterday, which pushed water into Lake Mac. The wind then let up considerably, and the water sloshed back to Wisconsin's shores. Look at the difference in water level between this photo and the one I took yesterday.
I try to be educational. And helpful. Here's a gift idea for someone on your gift list who has an iPod Touch or something similar. It's called a Smartouch glove, made by Isotoner. It allows you to use your iPod Touch while wearing gloves. (Nikki likes purple.) Available at JCPenney, and there is a mens' version at Macy's. $25 at Penneys, $35 at Macy's.
Here's a link to another similarly goofy gift idea. A hoodie with built in earphones. They are available at Kohl's and WalMart, as well as KMart. Enough for now.

Funny Things

Our local TV weather people have been predicting lake effect snow "west of highway 131" for today, for quite a while. And to my ear, at least, they've been a little smug about it. "The rest of us will be dry. All of the snow will be along the lake shore." Here's what it looks like right now out of my back door. See any snow?
It has been snowing lightly in Grand Rapids all morning, though. Lake effect. Inland only. It happens now and then, but it is pretty rare.
I took a walk after lunch today. GZ assures me that walking works as a maintenance exercise, so I put on my warmest gear, stuck my camera in my pocket, and headed out for an hour walking around the beech woods. I took my camera out of my pocket down near Marigold Lodge to photograph some nice beech trees, and got the "no memory card" message. I'd left it in the computer slot yesterday. So photos of my back yard are all I have for today. It was cold out there, by my standards. Below freezing, so too cold for me to ride. And wind gusts around 30. I saw one biker about a block from home. I gave her the "thumbs up" sign, and said "hard core." She smiled.

Turkey Day -- After The Food

This guy had a lot of mashed potatoes and gravy. JB didn't think the gravy was as good as usual this year. I think TJ would disagree with that.
This was ASG's (almost step-grandson) second Thanksgiving with us. He liked the pumpkin muffins, and the banana split dessert that his sister brought.
There were a few people who napped after dinner. One reason that JB likes having Thanksgiving at home is that he can nap in his own bed. Brad had to make do with the family room floor -- risky, since Ryan has a camera in his cell phone, and knows how to use it. (The Lions lost. Surprise.)
Mallory had the couch, but didn't nap long. There was dessert to be eaten. It was her first Thanksgiving with us. It was good to have her (and Ryan) here. Her laughter is infectious.
OSLO declared that she will never eat again. She says that nearly every time I see her. She also took enough leftovers home with her to cast some doubt on her statement.
COTU #1 helped out quite a bit this year. She makes appetizers every year (olives and cheese), and she's another pair of hands when it is time to move all the food from the kitchen to the table.
Only one of my dishdrawers is functional at the moment, so there is a sink full of dishes still to be washed. It'll get done eventually.
I mentioned to OSLO that Wireless was in charge of cooking the turkey this year, and that she should step up and take over that task next year. She threatened to poison us with bad turkey if she had to do it -- I think she doesn't want to do it.

The Countdown Continues

This table is about 44 years old, and it tends to get used only once a year, if that. We put all three leaves in it today, enough seating for 12 people, even though there will only be 9 of us eating Thanksgiving dinner here. Plenty of elbow room, and enough room to put some food on the table, as well.
I cooked up some wild rice ahead of time, for Barbara's stuffing. It doesn't look like quit enough, so I may cook up some more.
The jello salad is in the refrigerator. It is supposed to chill for 24 hours before it is served. It has raspberry jello, crushed pineapple, cranberry relish, celery and apple in it.
My turkey has been thawing in the refrigerator since Monday, and with luck will be ready to roast tomorrow. I still have a couple of food prep things that I'd like to do today, to make tomorrow a fairly relaxed day. JB will make the gravy, as usual. OSLO is bringing Mary's corn casserole and a green bean casserole, among other things. So in the tradition of my youth, there will be plenty of creamed vegetables to choose from. I'm thinking of roasting some sweet potatoes, just for a change. OSLO and Mallory are also bringing the desserts. I think we've got all the food bases covered. Good luck to all you cooks.

Half As Warm

I believe I mentioned that it was in the 60's here yesterday. Today November returned, and the temperature barely broke 30. Half as warm felt twice as cold, or something.
I stood at the top of the bluff just long enough to take a couple of photos, until the cold wind burned my face and chased me back inside.

Starting The Turkey Countdown

Today was the day to purchase the turkey. I bought a 12 pound frozen butterball hen. There will be just 9 of around our table on Thursday, so it should be plenty. The rule of thumb that I have heard is one pound per person, plus a couple of extra pounds.
It rained off and on all day today. I finally gave up all hope of a long enough dry period for biking to occur, and put on my raincoat and took a walk. In the tradition of photographing the turnaround point, here's the turnaround point. A measly mile and a half from home. Still, a 60 degree November day is a rare enough event at this latitude. It must be getting close to time to change latitudes.
I tried the trick of using the portrait setting on macro, but couldn't get a decent close up photo of the red berries on this bush in my yard. A damp, dark day, but no snow yet.

Haze

There's no reason to expect weather fit for biking by this late in the year. Today was marginal, I suppose, but I rode anyway. Not very far, not very long.
Still no snow, though. The forecast continues to be snow on Thanksgiving, continuing until March.

Red Right Returning

This house sits on the edge of Pine Creek Bay. It's along the route that I walked today, a mile or so from home. See those two lights on the roof? It is my understanding that one of the rules of navigation involves red and green lights. Channel openings are marked with a green light on one side and a red light on the other. When returning to port from the sea, a vessel can stay in the channel, and thus deep enough water, by keeping the red light on the right side of the boat. The people who built this house apparently know the rule, and have applied it properly.
I haven't been past there after dark, so I do not know if the lights are used regularly, or not. I can't imagine that the neighbors would be too pleased with that.
Closer to home I saw this -- Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving? Although the current forecast calls for snow beginning on Thanksgiving Day, and continuing through until March. I know I've said that before, but it bears repeating.

One Year Ago Today

Here's my post from one year ago today. Oddly, to me at least, other than the back spasm part, it works for today as well. Except I went to Family Fare, not Meijers. And I didn't do any baking. So I guess it isn't a close match at all. But it did rain, and it does qualify as JBAB, and I did go grocery shopping today and I used a shopping cart that looked a lot like this one. I'll buy the turkey later, but I've got most of the other fixings on hand now for a good turkey day dinner. It's at my house. You're all invited. Oh, and it is supposed to snow beginning Thursday, and lasting until March or so. Ugh. Without further ado, I present last year's November 19th post: "


It rained yesterday, so instead of biking I went shopping at Meijers -- where I bent over to get something from a lower shelf and my back went into spasm mode. I'm always reluctant to take Ibu, but have decided that it is necessary. So today I'm baking instead of biking. Amazing the difference one little letter makes."

Totally Jammin' Photos

This is a photo kind of day. Here's one of the birthday boy, sitting in his Dad's lap, with his sister at his feet, totally in control of his world -- and his sucker. Such a cutey. Late 1990's, I'm pretty sure.
Here his is with his sister and his 'almost' step-brother, getting ready for people to shower him with birthday presents tonight. My grandchildren, and my 'almost' step-grandson. (That's the description he prefers, so we'll go with it.)
Totally Jammin' again -- as a boy of about 2, playing in a leaf pile with his sister at the beach house.

And here he is with his cake. Or cakes, to be more accurate. One chocolate, one marble.
Time flies, of course. He's still the Center of the Universe to me, though.

Meetings

We have spent the last couple of mornings at the beach, meeting with builders. We are considering/planning to do some remodeling there (again) so that it would work better for us as our primary residence. The plan includes, but is not limited to, a two car garage. We hope to retain the cottage feel, and the final result would probably have a slightly smaller footprint than it currently does. Think Abe Lincoln-like.
I took this picture at the DeGraaf Nature Center last week when I rode into town to get a photo of our veterans' memorials. I think it's just the right size for JB and me to serve out our remaining terms here on earth.

Running Low on Blog Material

There's a pretty good reason why I average about 15 blog posts a month. I really, really don't have 30 days worth of material. As it is, I am reduced to blogging about blogging. Fortunately November is a shortish month.
Oh, yes, I did ride my bike again today. Quincy Park. Semi-artsy photo above.

Historic Cottages

You wouldn't think that there was anywhere new to ride within a couple of miles of home, would you? Me either. I was wrong. I've known more or less forever that there was a small community of cottages up in the dunes behind Mount Pisgah at the State Park. Between Spyglass and the State Park, for those of you familiar with the area. I was of the opinion somehow that 'you can't get there from here.' These cottages have no road access, you see. None. Park your car and walk in.
Clearly, if you can walk in, you can bike in. On Saturday, while I was JRA, I took a right turn back into the dunes just beyond the Mount Pisgah stairways on Ottawa Beach Road, and followed the street until I found a sign that said 'No Outlet.' That has become one of my favorite signs of late -- you never know exactly what it means. In this case it meant a short, steep Idlewood style hill up to a parking lot -- marked Private Parking. I didn't go any further on Saturday, as the parking lot was in use by residents, and a couple of them were giving me the old stink eye. Today I went back, and the lot was empty. Free to explore.
There's a sign that says Holland Historic Cottages district, which I took to mean that the path back into the dune was public. There were two paths going the same direction, more or less, so I took the high road. It went back towards the lake for about a quarter of a mile, past some of the most precariously perched cottages that you can imagine. It eventually got both high enough and rickety enough to trigger my fear of heights, so I got off and walked Ruby the rest of the way. Eventually I got to a spot that even Ruby couldn't negotiate -- photo above. And over the sand dune is ..... Lake Michigan.
The photo I took of Big Red from the front of the dune came out dark, so I'll just have to lead you back there the next time you ride with me here. It comes out right at the edge of the State Park beach.
I took the lower path back to the parking lot so I got to see the rest of the houses. There did not seem to be anyone around at all -- a beach house with no automobile access probably seems less charming in the late fall than in the summer. The path that I exited on said 'no bicycles.' I checked the one that I went in on, and it didn't say a thing. So apparently it's okay to ride in, but you're supposed to walk out. Good to know. A fun little ride.

Wild Chef

We try to do a family dinner for birthdays, and the Wild Chef is easily the favorite restaurant for most of us for these occasions. COTU-2 will be 12 years old on Thursday, a school night, so we did his family dinner tonight.
COTU-3, OSLO, COTU-2, COTU-1, and OSLO's BF, left to right around the hibachi table. Notice the fried ice cream with a candle in front of the birthday boy. Good food, good times. Still no snow here.

Shades of Brown and Gray

We're on the "warm" side of the storm that is currently dumping snow on Minnesota. It was around 50 when I headed out just before noon, hoping to beat the rain. I got hit with a few sprinkles, but it was essentially a dry ride, though dark and cloudy. The beech trees in the beech woods are still hanging on to quite a few leaves. There are a large number of oak trees mixed in with the more silvery beech, which are also late to drop their leaves.
One of my neighbors was taking advantage of this last 'warm' day to hang his Christmas lights, while another one, right across the street from him, was still in the process of raking his leaves. Seasonal confusion.
I didn't ride far -- mostly I stayed in the neighborhoods along the Lake Mac shoreline. Eventually that leads to the State Park. It's raining here now, and the forecast is for cold and windy through the weekend. The current prediction is for snow by Thursday, but not yet, not yet. I'll take the brown and gray over the white stuff any day.

Town

I got some letters from a soldier once, around 1970-71 or so. Rather a lot of them, in fact. I read them all quite carefully at the time -- he was my little brother, and he was in a war zone, so I worried some. It worked, he came home. I put them all in a brass tin -- the big round kind that popcorn sometimes comes in, and I put them in a closet. The thing is -- I don't know what to do with them now. If I'd lost them years ago, in a move or something, no one would have given it a second thought, but I didn't. And now they're historical documents, so once a year or so I spread them out on a bed and read a few of them, to see if I can remember the boy who wrote them or the young mother who got them. I generally find that those two people are mostly lost in the mists of time. It always makes me a little sad.
I rode into town today -- it felt like the last time I'd do that this season. All my recent rides feel a little like it's the last time I'll do that ride this year. The wind was from the south today, about all the reason a biker needs for a clue as to where to ride. The sky was a little milky, the sun low in the sky, and American flags were flying all up and down the streets. I was the only visitor at this memorial during the time I was there -- admittedly mid afternoon is a quiet time. But still.
There will be a parade in Saugutuck at 6:30 p.m., I read in the paper. But none in Holland this year. It doesn't seem quite right. The local Christian High School is having some sort of special event, though, with bands and such, in honor of the day.
This memorial is in Centennial Park -- I knew its location from visits to that park over the years. I used to work a block or so away from here, and I'd sometimes take a break from class prep and student woes and walk around the park on a nice fall day. Today was one of those.

Time Capsule

The girl -- okay, young woman -- who organized us to do this NaBloPoMo thing is the same one who convinced her Dad that biking was like, totally bloggable. I think that convincing people to do things is her secret power. She should be in sales, or something.
Here she is in 1998. I chose that year because it is the year that COTU-2 was born, and his birthday is coming up quite soon. She hasn't missed many years at the beach, and then only for France.
She commented on TT's blog yesterday that she was enjoying the older photos that he's been posting, so I thought I'd post one of her, because she was a babe in 1998. (Still is.) I'm less certain about the date on the second photo. It's my great Aunt Minda (Hansine's sister), my great Grandmother Jacobine, and her daughter, my grandmother, Hansine. The handsome guy that she's snuggled up to is my Grandfather, Richard Anderson. The photographer captured a nice moment there.

Echoes of Summer

It was another really nice day for November. About 20 degrees warmer than average, with plenty of sunshine. We used to call this Indian Summer.

Bonus Miles

Today wasn't quite one of the nicest days in the history of days, but it easily qualified as ARNDFN. (A really nice day for November.)
I hadn't been on my bike since Thursday, and the landscape seemed to have changed in just that short a period of time. Harvest work appears to be completely done in all the fields that I passed, with only a few geese grazing leftover kernels of corn here and there. The red color of the blueberry bushes is, if anything, even deeper than the last time I checked.
Quincy Park, one more time. The gate at the road was closed and locked with signs warning that the area was under video surveillance. There is no gate at the pedestrian path about 100 feet past the main entrance though, so Ruby and I checked out the status of the public water supply. As expected, it's been disconnected for the season. At least I got a photo of a bench out of it. Back west through the golf course -- a couple of lawnmowers, but no golf carts today. It was a pretty nice ride.

Walking Waukazoo

We had a couple of visitors from Brazil this morning, and following that the grandkids and I did a quick shopping trip to Best Buy and Old Navy. We managed to keep track of the time, though I had to pull out the owner's manual to reset the clock in The Beast.
It was too nice of a fall day to stay indoors all afternoon. So the COTU and I took a nice, longish walk around the neighborhood and had an interesting chat about landmarks. No one got lost.

Power Shopping

I picked the COTU up at their house this morning. Usually when they visit us their Mother drops them off here, but I volunteered to make the round trip today so that she could supervise the installation of her new dishwasher. She later texted the girl COTU that the new dishwasher was very quiet. Success! (Good job, OSLO's BF!)
The girl told us the story about how half of her history class raced to the window yesterday, to witness the first snow of the season. "Like they'd never seen snow," was how she put it. Accepting the inevitability of winter, their Mom had them try on their winter coats before we headed for Holland. They both had outgrown what was in their closet, so we dedicated the afternoon to coat shopping. We did good. The girl made her choice quickly -- a little fake fur around the hood, in a deep blue plaid. She then moved on to look at sweaters and such (she's wearing a new one in the above photo) while the boy and I went to look at winter coats for him.
Five stores later we were back at the original store, purchasing the coat he's showing off to his grandfather in the photo above. (The girl is wearing a new hoody -- that isn't her new coat.) His coat is both water and wind repellent, and fits perfectly, with some room to grow. I had originally rejected it as not being bright enough to show up when he's waiting for the bus in the pre-dawn hours. In the end it was the best fit and his favorite color. And I was pretty worn out. We returned to the house to chill-ax for a while before heading out for Mexican food for supper.
We're planning on a home movie tonight -- Ironman I, I believe. So the projector is coming out, and furniture will be moved. Fun for all. The picture above is the bay at sunrise this morning -- nowhere near as spectacular as Emily's sunrise photo from earlier this week, but still nice enough.