Things to Do on Beaver Island: Kayaking

Beaver Island is a great place for outdoor-oriented people to visit and spend time. There are super accessible hiking and birding trails, the biking is stellar, the fishing is good, the bonfires are big, and there is never a shortage of wildlife to view.

One of my favorite outdoorsy activities to participate in on Beaver Island is kayaking.  We have seven inland lakes (yes, you read the correctly, we have seven lakes just on our little island). We also have the added bonus of being entirely surrounded by the stunning body of water also known as Lake Michigan. You can rent kayaks from Happy Paddle, and they also have bikes and paddle boards for very reasonable rental rates. Cody and I use their bikes often and highly recommend checking them out.  (Now, if you're like me you can also opt for the inflatable kayaking route.  I'd definitely rent/use a regular one if you want to go out on Lake Michigan, but the inflatable ones work well on the smaller lakes.)

Last weekend, my aunt and I went out on Font Lake in the inflatable kayaks that she brought with her to the island.  Font Lake is the second largest inland lake on Beaver Island, but it is quite shallow which makes for some fun viewing opportunities while paddling around it. It also happens to be a loon preserve.  The loons are constantly making noise while you're out on the lake and it is beautiful.  You can also see (and try to avoid) swans, look for giant turtles, or try your hand fishing for largemouth bass.

We kayaked all around the lake, which was a pretty big job because it is a rather large body of water.  There are small "islands" within the lake that you can paddle around, but we tried to avoid them because some rather vicious looking swans had taken up residence near them.  The wind can get a bit ferocious out in the middle of the lake, so my recommendation is to hug the shore as much as possible, with the occasional side trip out into the middle to check things out.

Kayaking is a fun way to see the lakes and beauty of Beaver Island.  You definitely get a different vantage point of the island when you are cruising around slowly at lake-level. It's an activity that is totally worth it.

Your turn...Do you like to kayak?  If so, where is your favorite spot?
Currently listening to...Bubble Toes - Jack Johnson

The Faux Day

School was cancelled one day this week because of a Faux Day (at least that's what I am calling it). As some of you may know, there are certain policies and laws in place in our public education system that call for 75% attendance in order to receive funding for the school day. In bigger schools, this would mean a huge number of students out for the day.  In our tiny school though we run the risk of losing funding for a very small number of absent students.  Unfortunately, with fourteen ill students on Monday, we hit that number. Small school problems.

My very empty classroom on Monday morning. 

The administration and school board made the decision to send us all home roughly fifteen minutes into the school day, which caused much grumbling among parents and staff, but much less grumbling among students.  This meant that Cody and I had suddenly found ourselves with a whole day to spend as we pleased.

We left school relatively soon after the students went home and we headed out to the one breakfast place in town for some tasty treats.  I feasted on apple pie stuffed french toast (seriously delicious) and Cody went for a classic egg, toast, and bacon dish.  

After breakfast, we spent most of the day doing little projects and lounging around the house. It turned into a seriously nasty day (ridiculous winds and snow), which probably would have gotten us sent home from school for the day anyway.  Hence, the reason why I started referring to the day in question as a "Faux Day" instead of a "Snow Day." 

Your turn...Have you ever had your job/school close for an unexpected reason? 
Currently listening to...White Winter Hymnal - Fleet Foxes

Fighting the Winter Blues

It's been awhile since I last blogged and it's definitely got something to do with the fact that this winter hasn't been one of my favorites.  It's been a weirdly warm temperature for most of the season, fluctuating between the upper twenties and low thirties.  The sun has rarely made an appearance. Everything is ice covered and the snow, which is always my favorite part, has been ridiculously lacking. On top of that, I'm enrolled in two graduate courses this semester and work has been overly stressful. To be quite frank, this winter has given me a case of the winter blues.

On Sunday, I hit a wall and decided that I needed to suck it up, throw on my ice cleats, and deal. Complaining was only taking me so far, and the dogs were feeling my stress too.  Cody, Specks, Luna, and I headed out to one of our favorite hikes.  The weather wasn't fantastic, and it was difficult to traverse the ice in places, but we did it and I felt much better afterwards.

Somehow, I always feel better after being outside. The dunes and frozen Lake Michigan served as a bit of a reminder of this truth.  By the end of our walk I found myself feeling lighter than I'd felt in weeks.  The heavy burden that I'd been feeling over the last weeks was lessened, as I should have known it would.  I suppose I just needed to feel overwhelmed to remind myself that self-care is an important part of fighting the winter blues.

Your turn...How do you fight the winter blues? 
Currently listening to...Sentimental Heart - She & Him

Shopping on Beaver Island

Shopping on Beaver Island is unlike shopping in most places in the United States, unless you are factoring the Alaskan Bush into the equation. We have one grocery store on the island, and while I enjoy the things they sell, it is expensive and occasionally quite limited. There have been days where the milk is out, or the bread didn't make it over on the airplane.  That means that we tend to stock up when we head to the mainland.  Cody's parents did a great grocery run for us last time they came up to visit.

Here's what they brought:

3 whole chickens
2 large pork shoulders
1 box of veggie burgers
2 bags of veggie sausage
20lbs rice
5lbs black beans
5lbs kidney beans
5lbs garbanzo beans
5lbs pinto beans
5lbs lentils
3lbs split peas
20 cans of vegetables
5 cans of whole tomatoes
4 cans of buillion
3 boxes of Bisquick
10 boxes of mixed pasta
5 loaves of bread
2 bags of apples
1 bag of oranges
1 butternut squash
1 bag of onions
1 bag of potatoes
2 bottles of BBQ sauce
3 bottles of olive oil
various spices

On the mainland, they were able to score all of these goodies for just over $200.  Here on the island it would have cost us more than double that price.  For example, a (small) bag of rice here on the island can cost $4-$6, while they
were able to buy bags that were twice the size
for less than $3.  We still stick to buying most
of our fresh stuff on the island, things like dairy
and fruit. As much as I prefer supporting local
businesses (and I do love our little store) we
have to look at ways to cut costs in such
 an expensive place.

Your turn...Do you ever buy in bulk?
Currently listening to...Float On - Modest Mouse

For The Love Of Snow Days

As per usual, on Tuesday morning I woke up, walked the dogs, and started a roaring fire in our stove. I noticed the snow was particularly deep and heavy when I took the dogs outside, but I didn't think anything else of it at the time.  My main concern was the chilly house and the need for a fire to be started quickly. Then, as soon as I got the fire going, the phone rang. The call informed me that school was cancelled, and after I made the rounds calling my students, I crawled back into bed.  Ahhh...sweet, sweet freedom.

The day was wonderful and relatively uneventful.  Windchill had us sitting below zero, which is typical for northern Michigan in January, and the drifts were forming like mad. The dogs could care less about either of those things though. so we ended up on multiple lengthy strolls throughout the day.  It was a beautiful day for it, but we were all frozen by the time we made our way back to the house.

The majority of the day I spent pouring over books, both educational and relaxation related.  I just started two college classes and spent some time perusing through my texts. I am currently doing a reread of the Harry Potter series for enjoyment too.  I read about 75% of book three over the course of the snowy afternoon and evening. 

I must say, it was wonderful to have an extra day of relaxation this week. Although, I'm not hoping for many more days of cancelled school.  We are already going to be running into the middle of June this year, which makes for a very short summer season. I'd be happy with just one more, little snow day...

Your turn...How do you like to spend snow days?

Currently listening to...First Time - Vance Joy

An Island Thanksgiving

Yesterday marked the first time that Cody and I have ever hosted a holiday at our home.  We've spent so much time traveling and moving around over the last few years that we've never hosted anything, and we haven't spent very many holidays even together. Typically, Cody heads down to southern Illinois to visit his family and I head to northern Illinois and/or southern Michigan to see mine.

This year, my mom and her boyfriend, Mark, volunteered to come visit us for a rainy, island Thanksgiving. It was soooo nice to not have to travel and worry about packing, booking flights, or renting cars.  Instead, we worried about planning a meal.

We opted to forgo the turkey this year because they were nearly $40 on the island, and 1/4 of the people attending our meal were vegetarian. The carnivores made a batch of homemade chicken and dumplings. Then, for everyone we made green bean and mushroom casserole, rolls, potatoes, and giant Greek salads.  We wrapped up our wonderful meal with two pumpkin pies for dessert.

It was a lovely Thanksgiving weekend. Our holiday consisted only of relaxation, doggy fun,  and baking, which was perfect for the rainy holiday. And, as much as I love to be a bit of a traveling nomad, it was extremely nice to be at my own house, enjoying a holiday free of airports, hotels, and vending machine food. 

Your turn...How was your holiday? 
Currently listening to...Flapper Girl-The Lumineers

Feeling Like Fall

I really love the feeling that goes along with fall on the island.  The colors are vibrant and beautiful, making the world seem bright for a time...and then everything quiets.  The tourists who scuttle to the island for our very short summer season have all cleared out for the year, their houses empty and buttoned down tight to survive the winter.  Those of us who brave the island year round begin to settle into our regular routines.

As the colors change, so do many small things on the island.  The one grocery store has cut back to winter hours, which means on Sunday it is only open for two hours. The grocery store has also closed-up some of the shelves.  During the winter, a small fraction of the store disappears under plastic wrap and we won't see it again until May. Winter hours also cause new inconveniences in banking because the bank is only open two days a week for a small handful of hours (all while I am working). There are also adjustments to be made by the boat company, and all of the other small businesses around the island. It takes a lot of work to transition into winter in this little remote corner of Michigan.

Fall also means lots of work for islanders.  The summer-only crowd hires like crazy to have locals close their houses for the season, or to fix last minute things that can't wait the winter.  Roadwork is at an all time high because any little, leftover projects have to be finished quickly. The school is buzzing with end of the quarter insanity and the beginning of basketball season.  And, for many of us, the firewood can no longer be put off and we must cut and stack in all of our free time.

Like all good things it must come to an end though.  The trees shed their last leaves and ice has been coating everything the last few mornings.  Snow is in the forecast, which is unavoidable this late in the year.  I am always (secretly) a bit excited for the first big snow though.  I don't think it'll be too far off now.

Your turn...What has fall been like for you this year?
Currently listening to...Summertime Sadness - Lana Del Rey