Work Observed

Mark and I had an agreeable day trip to Petoskey on Thursday.  Arriving at the lunch hour, we asked the lady at the Chamber of Commerce where she might recommend we eat.  After a moment's hesitation (possibly not to show favoritism among local businesses) she pointed us to Julienne Tomatoes.  The place was mobbed, but the meal certainly worth waiting for.

After lunch we strolled around downtown Petoskey.  Its sidewalks were awash in tourists.  No sluggish economy here!  First we found Murdick's Fudge, where Mark made a sweet purchase and I resolutely (make that sullenly) exercised discipline.  Then we found a gift shop selling Petoskey stones, which Mark wanted to take back as gifts for his Cambridge colleagues.  Our ramble then took us to one of the local book stores, where I bought Madeleine Albright's new memoir, and finally to American Spoon foods, where I stocked up on their Thai-Orange Grilling Sauce (excellent with chicken).  The only downside was the heat, especially the still, humid air in the stores.

On our way home Mark and I stopped at the Gauthier and Spaulding fish store in Rogers City and bought a large filet of whitefish — for the princely sum of $4.15! — for dinner.  It was delicious, and a reminder of how good Great Lakes fish can be when it's only a couple hours off the boat.

Yesterday morning Mark and I planted four shrubs — two lilac and two forsythia — which have been sitting around the yard for a month or so, waiting for the Slugabed-in-Chief to dig holes.  In fact, Mark did most of the digging!  I find it very gratifying to watch people work!

Then I introduced Mark to my electric log splitter — I could only get him to do a couple logs! — and he gave Amy, his dog, a good airing.  Make that, "Amy of the North."  She was entranced by all the novel odors in my neighborhood.  Amy was the perfect houseguest, and reminded me ever so much of my late, beloved pal Mabel.

The obligatory Woodpile Portrait.

Mark wields the shovel while I wield the camera.

My favorite toy, the splitter, fascinated Mark.  What a smart
labor saving device!

Amy is a rescue dog.  Mark found her through friends and
brought her back from Georgia.  What a great personality!

During the afternoon Mark and I visited our two lighthouses, including the 1905 Keeper's House.  Mark commented on how well these Township facilities are maintained, and how interesting are the artifacts in the museum areas.  Mark also climbed the 130 steps to the top of the New Light.  I plan to do this myself this summer, but I'm waiting for a crystal clear day to make panoramic photos.  At least, that's my excuse now... I'm not really happy with heights.

Mark meets Patrick Garrity Sr. at the Old Lighthouse.

The bell at the Old Light once rang the hours from atop
Lansing's old city hall, which was torn down in the 1950s.

Mark checked out the Old Lighthouse...

...and then chatted with one of the docents at the
New Light's 1905 Keeper's House museum.

Finally, Mark climbed to the Lamp Room of the New
Lighthouse — 130 steps above ground.

We ended the day in Alpena where we shared a Chinese dinner and took in the Thunder Bay Theater's production of Cats.  I'd never seen this Andrew Lloyd Weber musical before, and didn't know what to expect.  It was fantastic!  All cast members are from the local community, and most are high school students.  These folks sang and danced their hearts out in a very credible rendition of this smash Broadway production, which closed a few years ago after a run of more than 7,000 performances.  For community theater, this was surprisingly well done and a couple hours well spent.

This morning I took Mark to Grace, Long Rapids, for the monthly men's breakfast.  He and Amy then headed down the road on their return trip to Massachusetts.  More on Mark's visit in my next post. •••