My Heart is in the Woods

My favorite time of year is autumn. My favorite place to be is in the woods. I love to walk! These pictures are from a couple weeks ago, on our first autumn walk, in the woods. It was a wonderful, crisp walk at Leelanau State Park.

"Cricket" (waiting for the picnic!)

Grand Traverse Lighthouse

~Michele

Family Visit

We had a fun time last week and somewhat of a surprise. We didn't expect Michele's parents to visit us this fall, but they told us a few weeks ago that they wanted to make the trip. It took Michele a couple of weeks to find a nice cottage that could work well for them and then, voilà, a week later they were here! 

September weather is always an unknown in our area. A friend of ours was one of the Chief Meteorologists until he retired a few years ago. He explained that September is historically the most difficult month to forecast--it's all over the map. And, that's about what the week was like. We included some shots of a foggy, rainy evening.

We had good stories, good food, and good wine. We have to mention, of course, that we had great jokes also, but they mostly centering around toilet risers.  ;-> To quote Michele's Dad, "Ah, you got to love the golden years!" LOL.

We hope you and your family are doing well too and that you all enjoy each other as much as you can!

Michele and Andy

Michigan Bavaria?

Or, . . . Frankenmuth, MI? Yep, it's both. When down state a few weekends ago I was able to visit this well known German heritage center of Michigan on the slightly southeast side of the lower peninsula.* Bavarian architecture, horse and buggies, lots of German baking and cooking (chicken dinners, strudels, sausages), a Glockenspiel, etc. It's a sort of House of Hapsburg legacy.

I was able to have a great meal with my Mom, Aunt, Uncle, many cousins, 2nd cousins, 3rd cousins twice 'extracted,' you know the drill. (I was never good at genealogy.) There were many people and I think it is safe to say that I was not the only relative who truly enjoyed the day.

Thanks for making it everyone and it was wonderful to see you!
Andy

* For those not familiar with the geographical layout of Michigan it consists of two peninsulas. One is the lower peninsula that looks like a "mitten" and one is the upper that looks vaguely, if you use your "imagination," like the side view of another hand. When asking people from Michigan where they live or come from they will inadvertently hold up their hand and point to the spot from which they hail---we carry our maps at the end of our arms.

Soccer: Keeper Miranda!

A couple of weekends ago I was able to photograph (stalk?  ;-> ) my niece, Miranda, playing soccer. Now, I'll be the first to admit that I do NOT know anything about this sport, but it was fun and it looked like she did a good job. Many of the parents and fans cheered her on and stated how well she did.

If she does as well in soccer as she is doing in school then I think she will be a very successful athlete. However, I think the former is more important . . . IMHO.  ;->

Regardless, keep up the great work, Miranda, in all that you do---follow your bliss!

Andy

Fresh Peach Scones

Breakfast is my favorite meal, which I'm sure I have mentioned in the past. With the fall harvest of fresh fruit, I enjoy trying new recipes. I found this recipe on a very interesting and beautiful blog called "Sugar Plum." I didn't add the nuts and instead of the glaze, I sprinkled with coarse sugar. For baking I used my small scone pan . (This small pan makes baking quick and easy, just reduce the baking time.) Happy fall baking...

~Michele

A Different Path

Taking a different route on my walk, I enjoyed some new and beautiful gardens.

~Michele

Christmas Cove Farm

We had a chance to visit one of our favorite "apple stops." Christmas Cove Farm is owned and operated by John and Phyllis Kilcherman and is a cherry farm by most standards in the summer and then specializes in antique apples in the fall, after cherry season is over. 

Antique apples are very old apple varieties that you cannot find in your standard grocery store. They never made it to "main stream" apple consumption for a whole slew of reasons: some are hard to grow, don't ship well, don't last long enough, don't look pretty enough, etc. 


Despite this they are wonderful to try. Most have a written history card next to the carton so you can read about the apple first. They have some strains that have been in existence for many hundreds of years. 

The "Lady Apple" was small and carried in purses of young ladies in medieval times. They'd take a small bite before or during a party or gathering---it was a breath freshener! Another is the Spitzenburg which was Thomas Jefferson's favorite apple and he grew them at Monticello.

Also, and as you can tell from the other pictures, John collects more antiques than just apples. If we recall correctly, he has over 10,000 collector soda pop bottles from virtually every corner and era of the US. He's got a great selection of signs too. 

Click the link to get a neat glimpse of their operation--they ship too! We stopped by, got about a peck of apple varieties, and cider. It's the best way to kick off the fall season!


Andy


PS: This is Michele's little guy (Cricket). She's enthralled with the idea of getting shots of him in various gnome-like poses. 

Sand Hill Cranes

Can you believe it? I travel down state Michigan thinking I'm in a more urban area only to find, across the road from my sister's house, a flock of Sand Hill Cranes! At least 20 or so----I lost count. 

These wading birds are in the same taxonomic Order as Herons called "Gruiformes." I'm sure this descriptive grouping is more of a compliment than an insult (as in, "Did ya hear 'bout poor Fred? He came down with Gruiformes!"). Males are larger than the females (vice versa in the Raptor world) and they can be up to 5 feet in height with a wingspan up to 7 feet. "Big Birds" . . . even for . . . "Sesame Street."  ;->

Hearing their sound is a real treat. You feel like you are living in some prehistoric era surrounded by exotic animals---very eerie and out of place by today's fauna noise. They have one of the oldest fossil records to date.

Guess how many typically reside in Michigan? Last year's count was over 9,000. Best viewing time is the fall, late October. One last trivia question: what do you call a baby Sand Hill Crane? Give up? Yeah, me too . . . a "colt."
Andy

Cranbrook House and Gardens

If you haven't gone, do so if you ever get a chance. Learn more here: Cranbrook House and Gardens


Until then, I hope you enjoy these sneak peeks of the grounds; inside pictures are NOT allowed. Lots of amazing landscapes, fountains, and sculptures. Some of the latter are "alive" . . . or just my . . . family!  ;->


Andy

Crêpes

I love 'em and haven't made them in a couple of months. Got back from a last minute trip down state to see family, found we had tons of eggs in the frig, and just had a craving! For the filling I sautéed chopped apples (locally grown Zestar), walnuts, cinnamon and . . . BUTTER! Yes, I love butter too.


Here's the recipe I used and hopefully soon I'll try chocolate crêpes per a recipe from a fellow foodie (thanks, Melissa, and stay tuned!). 


Enjoy!
Andy

• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup white flour
• 1/2 cup barley flour (gives a slight malt flavor I like)
• 1 tbs melted butter then slightly cooled
• 1/4 tsp salt

Combine ingredients and blend in a processor or whisk/mix thoroughly. Allow the batter to rest, ideally at least an hour. Heat a 6 inch or so sauté pan (ideally well-seasoned instead of non-stick) to medium and wipe with a little butter on a paper towel. Pour around 2 1/2 tbs of batter into the pan and tilt to spread the batter evenly over the bottom. 


Cook the crêpe for about 30 seconds until dull on the top; when lifting a corner the bottom should have a nice mottled golden brown. Flip it and then cook the other side for about 20 seconds or so. I garnished ours with drizzled maple syrup and powdered sugar.