Cherry Festival

The tourists had the weekend and the 4th to enjoy the Festival - today we decided it might be safe to brave the crowds and try for lunch at the food court in the Open Space.

It took some logistics to get me and my walker properly dropped off and met up with, but Dick is getting really good at it, thank goodness.

There were still hoards of people, but there were some empty tables, even at lunch time. Dick got a Greek salad from the U&I and I got fish and chips from Minerva's. Yumminess. We sat with some businessmen - a contractor, a realtor, and one other. It was interesting.

It was another ideal day to be outside - the Festival people have been blessed with good weather this year. We walked around a little bit after lunch - over to the water to check out the boats, and around Gibbyville. The mini train was absolutely loaded with families - we saw one empty seat.

These posters are at the entrance to Gibbyville - no way to tell how accurate they are, but evidently people are here from all over.

The Fourth

How to Avoid the Cherry Festival

07/03/2011	You found End of the Road Uba		Visit Log
On a beautiful July day in northern Michigan, with the Cherry Festival in full swing, we decided to get out of town on a caching expedition. This find capped off what is for us a normal full day of caching, eight interesting finds on a nice drive with stops for lunch and beverage replenishment. On our tour, we spotted 5 other happy groups cruising along in their yellow rag top Jeeps but none as nice as ours. This cache is definitely in muggle heaven on a warm summer day, we had to wait out two sets of them but the scenery makes the wait more than bearable. Spotted the cache, scooped it up and took it back to the cachemobile to sign. Then, after the boat pulled out, the young lovers left and the next boater was backing down the ramp, quickly replaced it. Thanks for the fun.
07/03/2011	You found Williams Cache		Visit Log
We were aware of the story, we have both read Al Barnes books, but we have never visited this site before. Once more we write, "Were it not for Geocaching, we would never have known this was here." Thanks for showing it to us.
07/03/2011	You found The Old Roadbed		Visit Log
Cache was sort of out in the open. We covered it in place. Picked up quite a bit of trash, signed the log and left Jack Squat. Thanks for the smilie.
07/03/2011	You found MLT Lodi		Visit Log
We like the MLT series and we love ammo cans. Put our sticker in the log book and left our card. TFTC
07/03/2011	You found The Unwanted Headstone		Visit Log
We were out caching on a beautiful Sunday. After finding the Historical Kalkaska cache, we cached our way home. We think that the stone is probably someone who was reinterred nearer his family or home. We singed the log and placed it in a ziplock. Traded what we think is a gold nugget for some geojunk. TFTC
07/03/2011	You found North Branch of the Manistee		Visit Log
Our goal today was to find and log the Historic Caches of Kalkaska. After finding that one, we came over here. The area around the cache is heavy with poison ivy so we tread very softly and carefully and I washed my hands and legs off thoroughly after replacing the cache. The original log book and the cache contents are wet. Some one has replaced the wet log with a new one but placed it in the same unsealed zip lock. We dumped the water out of the container, removed the geojunk and dried it out as best we could, We put our sticker in the damp log and placed it in a fresh baggie. TFTC
07/03/2011	You found Historic Caches of Kalkaska County		Visit Log
Today was a fantastic day to be out and about. With the Cherry Festival in full swing and the second day of the air show, we wanted to get out of town. We had found all of the caches required for this cache and so this was today's target. Our first three we logged on a busy day in eight years ago. On July 5th, 2003 we visited GC4D3A Stop Pining at Seven Bridges, GCA060 Ghost of Prince Froggers, and GCE309 Take me out to the ball game. Later that year we found GCGJW9 The Cascades at Rugg Pond on December 9th. We learned of the importance of GC36 Geocache 612 and made it the target of our first outing of 2004, finding it on January 4th. We were the 55th to find this, the second oldest cache in the state. In reviewing the logs, we find that more than 60% of those who logged it before us have less than 250 finds. In fact, of the first 10 to log it, only one is still active. We loaded up our kayak and scored GCGPMH Torch River Paddle In on Oct. 13, 2004. Then there's GCJ287 MLT Sharon, we can't log it because we own it, or can we? Oh well, let's not revisit that discussion. We took nothing, left our card, our tag and a magnifying glass. Thanks for the cache, it brings back a ton of memories.
07/03/2011	You found Cache to Eagle #14 Scenic Trails-Bay Trails Dist		Visit Log
Our goal today was further east but we couldn't resist this one. We were absolutely wowed by the bridge! Although GZ is damp, it is far from "mucky" now. We traded one of our tags for a golfball. Congratulations to Cullen Lane for his accomplishment. A job well done!

Happy B-Day Izzy

Sweet little Isabelle is two years old! Adam and Melanie hosted a party/cookout at their new home on Cherry Blossom Drive. What a great address for Traverse City!

All of Barb's kids and grandkids were there - Peter and Melissa and the girls arrived from Kalamazoo just in time for burgers. They're in town for the Cherry Festival. It's always so enjoyable to see everybody and catch up on the latest news. The best part was watching all of the kids play in the water and squirt each other! I only got wet once. It was a really hot day, so I didn't mind.

Jim H. is home recovering from surgery - we missed him - he would have loved this get-together.

We got a tour of the house (air conditioned) and a chance to talk to everybody.

Happy Birthday Izzy

This is the first day of the Cherry Festival, and they certainly planned the weather well - couldn't be nicer. We've been driving past the venue downtown and watching them set up the tents, etc. It's always a mob scene - so many people - it seems to me that there are more people this year - yesterday at the Visitor Center Dick saw 180 people in three hours.

The Birthday Girl




Dick and Shelly

In Which We Meet the New Neighbors

While I was riding around in the golf cart, I noticed activity down at Barker's. Maybe these are the new owners, so I drove down to introduce myself. It was great to finally get to meet them - they've owned the place since last fall, but on their previous visits we've been out of town. Their names are Mike and Jean, and they're younger than I had pictured them,. They're here for the Fourth of July weekend, and their daughters are coming for the 4th.

Mike and Jean live and work in Uruguay, and this will be their summer home. They're both in education - I believe Jean is a teacher and Mike an administrator. I was able to answer some question such as trash removal, etc, and I was very glad to have met them.

Odette

Roger's report:

Thanks to Sue's persistence making sure all the proper forms got signed, faxed, etc. Mom did move to the Bellbrook rehab center last Monday, after a 12-day hospital stay. The staff and facility there are very nice, and the location is very convenient for Dad. Mom has begun therapy and is beginning to steadily recover. She is in much less pain and is mostly bored. She appreciates hearing about what's going on in everyone's life, so feel free to send a card with a note to Spartan Court and Dad will make sure she gets it.
______________________________________

All we can do is write letters and cards - she doesn't want flowers. I hear that Odie is very popular at the Rehab Center because she tries so hard. She really wants to go home. We are really pulling for her.

A beautiful summer day - perfect in every way.

It's always fun to ride around all of the paths and trails in the golf cart, and today was the best day for it!

To top things off, we drove around the entire county in the Jeep - the Old Mission Peninsula is the most beautiful place in Michigan (in my humble opinion).

Meet and Greet

The Meet and Greet for this month was at The Cottage for breakfast instead of at B.C.'s for pizza. They have a very nice room, and we had a good time - the food is good, too! We met some new people, and traded stories with old friends. Next month we'll host the Meet and Greet, and we'll have it at The Cottage, too. Dick's planning to place five new unpublished caches in Hoosier Valley so the folks who come to the M&G can find them first.

Adam and Melanie and friends came out to go kayaking - it was a beautiful day for it. They went from Brown Bridge to Beitner, a really nice, long float. Melanie tipped over, but it was OK. Lydia is coming home for the Cherry Festival and Izzy's birthday - everybody is excited.

Dick mowed the entire yard - no small feat.

Father's Day

What's our favorite thing to do? Touring Leelanau, that's what! So what better way to enjoy Dad's Day.

We started out at The Other Side, a new coffee house by Scott's. It's so new that the staff hasn't exactly figured out how to perform service or clean up. But they do know how to socialize with friends. The breakfast was good - but once again we couldn't eat it all and boxed half of it up.

Driving north we came upon our old bugaboo, the cache at the Clinton F. Woolsey Memorial Airport. Couldn't find it again! Next time we will, though! Dick has since emailed the owner and we got a good clue. Can't wait to go back and check it out.

Near Northport at Peterson Park Dick found a couple that we hadn't picked up before. Despite the holiday, it wasn't crowded at all. We enjoyed driving around Northport and touring the marinas - it's a beautiful day.

It was also beautiful at Glen Haven on Lake Michigan - the historical center has built a new pedestrian deck/bridge/walkway thing - looks terrific.

Late lunch at Boone Docks in Glen Arbor - mostly because Art's was jam-packed with a line of people waiting. Boone Docks is always good. We ate indoors because it was a little too chilly to sit outside.

Dick's Father's Day logs:

06/19/2011 You found Glen Lake (EC) Visit Log
Because of its depth, Little Glen is one of the first lakes to warm up in the spring. A couple of years ago when we were in high school, there was an informal contest to see who would be the first to go swimming each spring. We would drive up here in May and give it a try. It was a different bridge with a lot less traffic when we used to jump off from it. Spent some time taking water samples and answering the required questions. Email sent.

06/19/2011 You found Crystal River (EC) Visit Log
We love to drive through Leelanau county and chose it for this years Father's Day caching tour. The rivers here, the Platte and the Crystal, meander slowly from their source to Lake Michigan. They are the only rivers we have canoed where, when the wind is in your face, you must paddle to keep from floating upstream. It was very busy today with lots of dads and their families enjoying their day. We spent some time observing the river at the portage and answering the required questions. Email sent.

06/19/2011 You found Foreign Exchange 2 Visit Log
Out on a Father's Day excursion. We found our first cache on Father's Day, 2003. Once we figured out how to approach the hide it was an easy grab. As non golfing geocachers, we think this is a perfect use for a golf course. The log book is full, we left a temporary one. Traded a Danish 2 Kroner coin for a quarter. TFTC

06/19/2011 You found 112 Steps to Rock Bottom Visit Log
Caching on Father's Day is a tradition for us since 2003 when we found our first cache. Today's excursion has been a wildlife medley. We've seen deer and fawn, fox, and here a brazen chipmunk and a pair of mergansers. We had a DNF on this one the last time we were here and we had to give it another try. I think GZ was closer to the steps today than it was the last time we tried. Signed log with our sticker, took nothing and left our pathtag and a gold nugget. Thanks for the exercise.

06/19/2011 You found Search & Sunset Visit Log
We came back up to the park today to attempt to remove some DNF's we compiled on our last trip. Went to GZ, spotted the cache, walked to where it was and - - - it wasn't there! Searched, searched and searched some more. Finally found that bugger and signed the log. Thanks for the challenge.

06/19/2011 You found Poet Tree Visit Log
Caching on Father's Day has become a tradition for us. We found our first cache on Father's Day. That was 8 years, 83 Michigan counties and 49 states ago. We stopped here today and found the pickin's in the cache to be pretty sparse. We took out some Geojunk and left a matchbook car, our Father's Day coin, Apache tears and Jack Squat.
Our poem was;
The Boy stood on the burning deck,
Eating peanuts by the peck.
A girl stood by all dressed in blue,
And said "I guess I'll have some too."
As to the trees, Cottonwood, maple and of course, cedar.
Thanks for the fun!!

Prairie Home Companion

Facebook informed us that there would be an opportunity to sign a petition against the State's Emergency Manager Law today at the Open Space. Since this is a program which allows the manager to come into a community and dismiss elected officials, we are only too happy to sign this petition. On the face of it, it's a power grab, pure and simple - unconstitutional and undemocratic: "...the law, gives emergency managers -- with the state treasurer's approval -- the power to effectively dismiss local elected officials, and to cancel all or portions of employee union contracts to restore financial stability."

After signing, we went over to Bay Bread on Randolph Street and got box lunches for a picnic. There is one lonely picnic table at the Open Space, and we were lucky enough to find it available. Great lunch, beautiful bay, fun people watching!

We had tickets for Interlochen this evening - Garrison Keillor and the Prairie Home Companion, and we wanted to get there early. Took a nice ride out around Long Lake on the way over to Interlochen.

We thought we were early, but today's concert was sold out, and the parking lots were all almost full already. Dick let me out by the auditorium area, and drove way, way down to where the parking lots are gravel. It was quite a hike for him to meet me.

Gee, what an enjoyable evening we had. We love to listen to the show on the radio, and it's ten times as much fun in person. Garrison did some funny skits about the cherry festival, and the Traverse City area in general. He also really promoted the Interlochen Academy for the Arts. They featured two students - one a violinist and one a harpist- we were so impressed.

After the show, we went to the newly refurbished Fresh Water Lodge, which is now called Harrington's by the Bay. (We remember when it was Schweitzer's by the Bay!) The dinner was wonderful - especially the salad - they know how to make a salad! The service was great, and it has a nice ambiance - a little noisy, but then it was really busy, too. It got significantly more quiet after one particularly noisy patron left! We would go back there.

Odette

Odie is still in the hospital. There have been some complications from the surgery and from the fall. Somehow her elbow was injured in the fall and has become infected. She'll be having another surgery on her elbow.

Here's an excerpt from Roger's update:

Mom is still in the hospital. After last Friday's leg/hip surgery, she had a lot of pain in her left elbow. By Tuesday her arm and hand were very swollen. Thursday an infection was confirmed, and early this morning (Friday), surgery was performed to clean the infection from the elbow area. The current plan is for Mom to transfer to Bellbrook (a rehab facility that's a mile from Spartan Court) on Monday the 20th.

Doesn't it seem that bad things happen to the best people?

Are You Geocacher Enough?

Dick's log is my blog for the weekend!


Are we Geocachers enough? If one were to simply look at our list of finds this weekend (and the condition of our Jeep this morning) one would probably think so, but looks are often deceiving.

Friday evening we shared a GeoPizza with Dino Duo and Capt. Bud and his First Mate. They graciously accepted our request to be their “Tag Along Teammates” for the weekend. Without their aid, energy, and enthusiasm we would have undoubtedly experienced another of our normal caching days, 10 - 12 finds on Saturday, maybe a half dozen more today.


They kept pushing until we reached our limit at 9:30 last night and had us back in the saddle at 7:00 this morning. Had it not been for a couple of slip ups, most notably at 266 Steps, we probably would have found them all.

(Team BassDinoBud, or Team DinoBudBend, or Team Capt.DuoWood - we couldn't decide.)


Although we wound up thoroughly exhausted in both mind and body, we had a fantastic time! It’s a blast to bump into our known caching friends and a pleasure to meet and make new ones. It’s a good thing this only happens once a year because it might take us that long to recover.

(Most of the caches were along the AuSable River - river caching = wet feet, so Tim and Dick came prepared!)





We appreciate more than we have the words to express, the efforts of the organizers, meaning Chad and his family, Jason and his family, Chris and the others who volunteered to help as well as all of the cash donors and sponsors. Although this was our first Road Rally experience, we believe it to be a major contribution to quality Geocaching in Michigan.

As Mrs. Bend often exclaimed as we were bouncing and jouncing, slippin' and a slidin', down beautiful northern Michigan two tracks toward an ammo can placed at a beautiful spot in the woods, “Now this is what they were talkin’ about!!”

That, and the folks who share our joy, are what keep us involved in this activity.

(Marty and Susie)

Odette

Distressing news this week from Rochester Hills - Odette had a serious fall today in the kitchen of her home on Wednesday, and has broken a bone in her leg.

She's hospitalized and scheduled for surgery and then a stay in a rehab center.

Roger and Susan are keeping us informed, and Dick is keeping in touch with Doug. At the moment, their lives are turned upside down.

George

George H. Howard |

Howard, George H. Burt Lake, MI
Age 72, passed away Saturday, May 28, 2011 at his home. He was born May 5, 1939 in Bay City to George A. and June C. (Davenport) Howard. On March 14, 1964 in Saginaw, George married Janet L. Irving who preceded him in death on March 8, 2006. George was an Industrial Arts teacher for the Van Buren Public Schools in Belleville for 29 years retiring in 1994. He also coached girls and boys middle school basketball and boys high school basketball. He enjoyed fishing, camping, woodworking, home improvement, reading and could tell a good story. Survivors include his two children, Kevin (Cathryn) Howard of Ypsilanti and Kristen (Eddie) Antkoviak of Cheboygan; four grandchildren, David Antkowiak, Jack Antkoviak, Ella Antkoviak, and Maci Antkoviak, and one great grandson, Oliver Antkowiak. Besides his wife Janet, George was preceded in death by his parents and one brother, Richard Howard. A memorial service will be held on Friday, June 3, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. at the Nordman-Christian Funeral Home with his family greeting friends, beginning at 10:00 a.m., with the Rev. Jeff Dinner officiating. Memorial contributions in George's name may be directed to the Cheboygan County Humane Society. Online condolences may be made at www.stonefuneralhomeinc .com. George's family would like to extend a special thank you to Delores Palmer for her companionship and friendship to George over the last few years.

Attended George's funeral today in Cheboygan. There were 5 of us there from Belleville - John T., Mike S., Tommy M. and us. It was interesting to see Kristen and Kevin again - they were just kids last time we saw them. Kristen teaches Kindergarten and Kevin works for Washtenaw County. George's grandchildren were very well-behaved and so cute! Dick was asked to speak at the service and did a really nice job telling some of our favorite "George stories". Kevin delivered the eulogy, and it was well done. There was a luncheon after the service, at Mulligan's. It gave us a chance to meet people and have conversations about George and times past.

Jiggety

Travel Day - all flights were on time, all connections were made, all bags made it home - a successful travel day. A couple of downsides - our alarm was set for 4 a.m. PST, and there was the noisiest baby in the free world on our longest flight Generally, though, things went very smoothly.

Dick wrote a letter to the kids:

And Dorothy was right on at least two counts. 1) We're not in Kansas anymore, (not that we ever were, but we're not in Cal, Nev, N.M., Utah, Ariz, or Utah anymore either) and There's No Place Like Home!!!

The San Diego area is beautiful, Tom is a great host, spending time with Miss Maya is a blast but - - We Are Home!!

Our trip from San Diego to Chicago was punctuated by the nearly constant piercing screams of the 9 mo old baby boy in the seat in front of me. According to Nancy, he was never quiet for a period of 2 minutes. Mostly the shrieks came in 10 second intervals.
So who cares now? We're HOME!! That's where the heart is and right now, that's where the butt is.

Jiggety Jig.

Encinitas Night Life

Tom was our chauffeur for geocaching today. We had five finds, mostly in beautiful places. We had a chance to see the ocean - big waves - big surf. It's a real treat for us to see the Pacific - it is so beautiful. I think Grand Traverse Bay is beautiful but the ocean is beautiful on steroids.

After we cleaned up at Tom's, we went to meet Kevin and Amy to go out to dinner in downtown Encinitas. We had a chance to play with Maya, and watch her play and dance - she's delightful. Then off to the Via Italia Trattoria. Downtown Encinitas has a touristy quality - lots of restaurants, bars and gift shops. This restaurant was really nice - family friendly, and yummy food. Maya was so well-behaved during the meal - it was a pleasure to be with her. Afterwards we went down the street to Berry Happy Frozen Yogurt, where you make your own sundae with a multitude of topping choices! Maya had fun asking each of us "What did YOU get?"

So our last night in California was most pleasant indeed - nice family we have!

California Cook-out !

Tom, Dick and I were invited to Amy's Mom's house for a Memorial Day Picnic. How lucky are we! First we drove up to Encinitas to see Kevin and Amy's new house - what a great place. Encinitas is a beach town, and their house is about two blocks from the beach. Amy's Dad Richard did a lot of the work on the house and he is really good. He and his son Kean did Tom's new kitchen, too, with just gorgeous results.

Then we drove down to Del Mar to Joyce's house. She is always so hospitable and at ease when entertaining. She had all kinds of appetizers set out when we got there, and every kind of beverage. Amy's Dad was the Grill Master - he did chicken and ribs - yummy. We also had beans, potato salad, tossed salad, jello, and veggies. Afterwards, she served three kinds of cake! Kean said that their family motto is "Why do it when you can overdo it." !

It was a great picnic - there were a dozen of us there if you count the two babies - Dick, Tom and I, Amy , Kevin and Maya, Grace, Kean and Luke, Joyce's twin brother Kean and Fran, and Joyce's Aunt Grace.

Bar Mitzvah II

Sniders' whole family:


Mike's brother Ed with Miles and Max; Jake and Adam, Kim and Mike


This is the letter that Dick sent to the kids - I couldn't say it any better!

We had a great time at the Bar Mitzvah, A good visit with Bill, Jan, and her brother Hank, on Friday afternoon and evening. This was followed by the Shabbat service. Jake had a very small part but there was a M&G after and Reiko and Erik were there. The kids stayed with Bob and Tammy.

The only downside was driving in SoCal traffic to get from Tom's to Irvine.

We had a great room (suite) at the Quality Inn at John Wayne. It was a large, beautifully landscaped 3 story complex. Our room was on the 1st floor about 50 feet from parking. The only downside was I ran out of book and they didn't have any.

Saturday started with a cook-to-order hot breakfast that was included in the room rate, and then dressing up to go back to the "temple". The service was great. It is a reformed congregation, very laid back and very personal and friendly. The entire Reines family was involved. Mike's mom Miriam, sister Sarah, who is a Rabbi, Mike's brothers and their kids, and of course Kim, Mike, Adam and Jake.



It was a hoot watching Kim read Hebrew. Parts made me laugh out loud and parts choked me up so I couldn't speak.

After the service there was a DJ, and Jake's band combined with a buffet meal.The kids ate first. The DJ was super good. He just played music while the kids ate. Then he started the action by getting the boys (aged 5 to maybe 16) involved. The first event was a musical chairs type treasure hunt. He would shout an item like "Girl's shoe" or "credit card" or "$10 bill" and the last one back with that item had no place to sit. The call for "Diamond ring" blew me away. Then the chairs were turned around and Jake's band played. He plays bass guitar. They did selections from Beach Boys to Beatles.

I thought they were good. (But what do I know?) They started in the fifth grade for a talent show and have kept at it.

Then, while the adults ate, he got the kids up and moving with "dancing", lots of hopping and clapping. Gradually he got the adults involved with more dancing. Jan and her girls are dancing animals.

We pulled the plug early. Kim was having more party at her house, both last night and today but we begged off pleading fatigue.

Then it was back on the freeway. O - M - G !!! 8 lanes wide and - Parking Lot! It took us over 30 minutes to go 15 miles! In a stick shift! If you left any room between you and the car in front, two cars would pull into it, one from each side. If you crowded the car in front, (always, it seemed, either a huge SUV or a 4x4 pick up) they would constantly slam on the brakes. I think maybe I'm getting to old for this. Rush hour at Chum's Corner looks good now.

Enjoying the celebration:




On the way back to San Diego, we drove through Oceanside and saw this sign for Steiger Real Estate. That's always fun :)

Bar Mitzvah I

We left around 1 p.m. to drive up to Dana Point to visit Bill and Jan. They've rented a great condo just a couple of blocks from the beach - it's beautiful there. Jan's brother Hank was staying with them for the weekend. We had fun chatting, and then we agreed to meet for dinner before the service and we left for our motel in Irvine to change clothes.

We couldn't find the Asiana restaurant that Hank wanted to go to, so we settled for Taleo - a very nice Mexican restaurant, where we got more food than any of us could finish. Luckily, Sniders had a cooler in their car.

On to the synagogue - the service was short and sweet - Jacob read a couple of prayers and did very well indeed. Afterwards cookies and beverages were served, and we had a chance to see Eric and Reiko.

Reiko and Hank

Jacob, the Man of the Hour:

Jacob and the proud papa