Christmas 2012

 Merry Christmas to everyone...and we hope you all had a great holiday.  The Nolan's worked at the holiday party thing with lots of energy.  We had Timothy and Casey for almost 6 days and got hug them lots and pat the "bun in the oven".  Casey's mother Kym also joined us from Kalamazoo for the holiday, so great to have her with us.  Patrick and Heather came in with their holiday hats on ready for anything!!  But of course Finnley stole the show every step of the way.  What else is there that makes 5 adults blubbery idiots!!  A baby!!
It was so much fun to have her to squeal and smile at us.

 We did not get a picture of all of us...too much else going on so next time we are all together it will be a priority!!

 Finnley dressed in her Christmas dress ready for the party.  She was all about the lights on the tree!!

 What a sweet picture of our boys with the little girl that melts their hearts..

 Timothy, Casey and Kym helped me with Finnley on Christmas eve...my day to Grandma sit.  We were baking and doing deserts in the kitchen...her first cooking lesson!!!  loved the spoon.

 Finnley sleeps with abandon even with activity all around...so precious

 Talking with Aunt Casey....and the new little McKenzie-Nolan to come...May 4th due date!!

 Uncle Tim doing a feeding...she loved his beard.  I think he will do well as a new Dad!

                                           Timothy sandwich...lots of love to go around.

                                                  Beautiful daughter in laws!!!

                                Handsome brothers...hard to tell in the pic but they are dressed alike!!!

The joy of the season...Miss Finnley!!  We hope all of you had a wonderful holiday and that the new year brings joy and peace.  Winter is finally here in the TC area so I hope we can do some XC skiing and walking in the woods.

December Fun and Finnley

 December and holiday parties are in full swing in Traverse City.  We have attended several and have a few more to go.  I met with my former investment club friends for our annual get together at Ruth Stow's home.  We have a great soup and potluck dinner with wonderful Christmas cookies for desert.  Our investment club was about 28 years old when we all cashed out.  I was the only original member.  They are great friends.

 Grandma and Grandpa sitting for Finnley is also in full swing.  We are lucky to have here Monday and Wednesday.  She is 3 1/2 months old now and a very happy baby.  Lots of smiles and coo's.  We are looking forward to having everyone together for Christmas in a few weeks...Timothy and Casey can get a little baby practice for when their baby arrives in may of 2013.  I am working hard to be organized...C. Cards are almost done, presents are wrapped, cookies need to be made, dog cookies need to be made, final food shopping and two sewing projects to finish...then the final clean of the house.   Lots to do...I will get it done somehow. Hope all your preparations are going well.  We will be at the cabin this weekend and in Traverse City for Christmas.  Love and hugs  Kathy and Mike

Thanksgiving 2012

 Thanksgiving 2012 was  special because we traveled to San Fransisco to join Mikes family for the holiday.    We spent a week with Bonnie and Jim and had Thanksgiving Dinner at Cathryn and Jon Coons lovely home in Orinda.  It  was a beautiful day with sunshine and 60 plus  degrees.  We sat on their wonderful patio and then had a great dinner with everyone doing their special  part.  I am sorry I did not get a group picture but above are the Nolans...Bonnie, Harry Jackson(a Nolan by default)  Fran and Michael.  Lots of toasts, memories and wishes that everyone could have joined us.  The boys are growing up so fast...Max and Will Coons and Daniel Jackson...the cousins had a great time together.

 Mike and I took several trips into the city to go to Fisherman's Wharf, China town, a Presidio tour, ate  Thi and Vietnamese restaurants and walked all over (people watching is such fun in SF).  We spent Friday in Napa valley visiting wineries.   Bonnie, Mike and I took several hikes in the area and this was very close to their house...a beautiful day with lots of sun.  This lake, Bon Tempe, is one of the lakes that provides water to Fairfax and the surrounding area.

 I had never been up to Mt Tamapias and so we took the long very very twisting road to the top and then hiked around the top...great views but the fog was rolling in so the views of the ocean and the city were limited.  Still beautiful and a big thanks to Bonnie for doing all the expert driving!

 Many of you have stayed with Bonnie and Jim and had the privilege of eating  wonderful dinners with them..  Jim is such a fantastic cook and each night was an adventure is wonderful cuisine.

 His loyal assistant makes it all come together so beautifully....what a pair!

 Great food and presentation.  Shrimp with wild rice, zucchini and onions and salad!

 WE learned a new card game...Hand and Foot...great fun.  Mike and Jim think that they are winners but Bonnie and I eased them in slowly and then slaughtered  them in the last game

 The first night we were there was Nov 20th and was my Birthday and also my brother in laws, Harry Jackson's, birthday.  We went out to dinner with the gang at a brew pub and had lots of fun

I never got a good Golden Gate Bridge picture...this is from the car.
 We got home safe and sound and want to thank all the Nolan family for a great week.  The weather was  60 to 70 degrees and sunny...a great break for us as we have snow here at home. The company was stellar and we had a chance to catch up with everyone.
I am watching Finnley today and she is sleeping so it is a chance to get this on its way.
I hope everyone had a great and thankful Thanksgiving.  Family is so important and Mike and I value ours so much.
Kathy and Michael

Happy Birthday early

We gathered together the other night for an early birthday dinner for my birthday.  Patrick, Heather and Finnley came in for dinner and then we had Birthday Pie...on the birthday board.  The board is a tradition that Timothy started when he was doing a boy scout merit badge.  We write the persons name, age and date on the bottom and serve the birthday desert.  Started in 1996 with Timothy's 13th birthday.  (a little nolan trivia for you all)
Mike and I leave tomorrow for San Francisco to spend Thanksgiving with the Nolan family.  It will be nice to have most of the Nolans together and we will be spending about a week there with Bonnie and Jim.  We should spend a few days in the city and will probably do some wineries in Napa Valley.
  I had to include a picture of Finnley ...smiling and happy.  I have enjoyed Grandma sitting this month and look forward to many more fun filled days.  I may be able to send out a blog from California but  you never know...so I thought I would send one now.  Hope everyone has a thankful and blessed Thanksgiving.
Kathy and Michael

Grandma and Grandpa sitting

 Today was the first day for me for "Grandma and Grandpa sitting" for Finnley Shannon Nolan.
I have been looking forward to the first day and it was a thrilling experience.
Finnley is almost 11 weeks old and her personalty is coming out strong.   She is smiling, cooing and kicking with joy.   It was a great day and took me back to when my boys were babies....so precious.

Mike took the first feeding this morning and bonded with Finnley.  Mike stayed home this morning and we walked him to work in the late morning in the "BOB" stroller...a Cadillac of strollers!

She is sooo  adorable.
She was watching the teddy bear mobile in the antique bassinet.  My Mom was born in 1917 and slept in the bassinet as did I, my brother David and both Patrick and Timothy.  A special time.
I really enjoyed myself and remembered why I love taking care of babies.
So thanks to Heather and Patrick for sharing their delightful daughter with us....I am sure you will all hear more about how wonderful our Finnley is in blogs to come...
Love and Hugs Kathy and Michael

 Happy Halloween!!!
Happy Birthday Riggs!!!

We celebrated Halloween and also celebrate Riggs Birthday.
He turned 10 this year!!! We decorate for both and
Patrick, Heather and Finnley came on Sunday to help us put up the structure.  This is Finnley's first Halloween as you can see from her bib!!  Her costume was a winner...."Adorable Baby"!
The weather was terrible...40's and rain, rain, rain.  The end of Sandy still hanging on in Michigan.   We usually have a big crowd to watch the trick or treat kids but only the loyal and heart ones came this year.  We also had lots fewer kids coming to the door.  It was still lots of fun

             What a great looking family!!

 The house was decorated with tree wood, lights, smoke machine, spider webs and skeletons .  The kids loved it and the ultimate comment from a little guy in costume  "your house is great!"

      The head Trick or Treater watching the candy

    This is what Finnley thinks about Dad stealing her candy!!  Watch out next year Dad.

Riggs usually gets a cupcake but this year we made a chopped up steak burger with a candle...I think he was a happy dog!   Hard to believe that he is 10!
We are out at the cabin for a short weekend and head back for a friends surprise birthday party.
The weather is rainy, cold and even some snow...but still beautiful.
Love to all   Kathy and Michael

Uncle Mark's Bench

 We have added a new bench at the cabin.
The few times Mark Nolan was in Michigan in the last few years he was able to spend time at our cabin on the Manistee River.  

We felt that it was important to have something to remind us of our visits with him here at the cabin.

We were able to find someone to build a custom bench out of cedar and had the sandblasting done for his name There is a plaque being made for the back of the bench which will always remind us of the great life example Mark showed us.

The bench sits down by the water with a view of  the  river as it flows by our cabin.  We hope that any of you that come to Michigan are able to sit on Uncle Mark's Bench...we will tell stories of a great brother, uncle ,father, friend and human being who we were all privileged to know.

Happy Birthday Michael

 Happy Birthday Michael!!!

This post is a little late but it seems like we have been busy since returning from the UP.

We had an early Birthday party when Timothy was home the last of September and  he gave Mike the Detroit Tigers flag....it is now hanging off our front porch.  I would like to think it brought our Tigers good luck with the play offs.

 We have had several gatherings with Finnley and she is changing so much every time we see her.

She is now 8 weeks old and moving out into the world...She traveled downstate this weekend for her first tailgate party for the U of M football game.
GO BLUE
But what she is best at is making us all smile as you can see from Mikes big smiles.
We are at the cabin this weekend after not being here for about a month.  It is wonderful.  Finally sunny and temps up into the 50's.  Walking, kayaking,bird watching,  saunaing(is that a word?)  and  catching up with friends.  Fall is wonderful in Michigan.  Love to you all   Kathy and Michael

UP Adventures

Mike and I had a wonderful week in the UP.  We were not able to make any blog entries after the first one because we did not have Internet access.
Riggs loved the water of Lake Superior and even though it was cold he was willing to fetch a stick.
We stayed in Grand Maras at the county park, in town and only a few blocks from the downtown.  I use that term loosely as there are two bars, a grocery store, gas station and hardware.  It was a logging boom town that had 2000 residents in the late 1800's.  A beautiful harbor, beaches and tourism is their industry now.  Jim Harrison, the writer made the area part of many of his stories.  We ate at the bar he frequented... the Dune Salon...a famous Michigan landmark.  Very fun.  We then traveled thru the Pictured Rocks National Park.  The Colors were fantastic with wildly beautiful trees around every corner.  I could not take enough pictures...and none of them do it justice.  We stopped at Hurricane River to let Mike try fishing at the mouth of the river as it comes into Lake Superior.  The picture above is the shot that the photography class was taking ...so I took the same one after listening to the instructor.  No fish for Mike but we enjoyed the beach and talking to other people..many from out of state.

We drove the Pictured Rocks park drive and ended up in Munising which is a nice UP town.  Not sure how people make a living in these little areas but they are lucky to live in the mist of such beauty. We camped in another county park..right on the lake with a beautiful beach.  The nearby overlook gave
us unbelievable panoramic views of the pictured rocks and Grand Island in foreground.

We saw several beautiful sunsets...above is in Munising and the one to the right is at Indian Lake State Park which is to the south near Lake Michigan.  We travel there through some remote areas with spectacular trees vistas.
The weather was beginning to change...lots of wind and cooler temps but still a sunset.  It is a nice park on a lake and has been  around since the 50's.  Mike remembers staying there with relatives on a trip home from Ironwood when he was a teen.  Not much had changed.  Met a nice couple from the Kewanau Peninsula, she had Mikes Uncle Pat Ahnen  as a high school teacher...small world!

We then went further south to Fayette State Park which is on the Garden Peninsula.  It has a ghost town that reflects the Iron Smelting industry of the late 1800's.  The town is restored with some fascinating exhibits.   The log house below is what the workers and their families lived in...it made us feel very lucky for  our way of life.  Lots of immigrants from Ireland, Scandinavia, Bohemia and Germany.

The iron smelting industry was completely unknown to us...it is a complicated process that is very labor intensive.  The Jackson Iron company ran this foundry from the 1860's  till it closed in 1891.  There were about 500 people who lived in Fayette during that time.  The closure changed the town to one that depended on tourism, fishing and farming.  The hotel, bar and grocery store operated until after WWII and the area became a state park in 1959

I hope you can read the picture to the left.  I did not think I could explain the process very well as it is complicated.

The whole process of bringing the ore from further north across the water from Escanaba and then shipping it across Lake Michigan at the end of the production process was a lesson in the economics.  There is a beautiful protected harbor, Snail Harbor, which allowed ships to be safe...they had 900 feet of docking for boats..only the pilings remain.

Riggs is sitting in a charcoal kiln...I had no idea how charcoal was made but they smoke the wood in these kilns..but not burn it up.  Tricky job. Many of the immigrant laborers were employed in this process as it was one of the least desirable jobs.  The smelting process was dependent on the charcoal for the heat to melt the iron ore and change it into the pig iron described above.
The end of this industry was for many reasons..mostly because the process in other areas of the country improved and the cost of production  from Fayette was too much.


The limestone cliffs in the distance surround the harbor.  Many of the buildings were made from limestone bricks.  It was a very very windy and cold day as we toured the ghost town of Fayette.

Saturday we drove down under...and became trolls again as those in the UP call those of us who live in the mitten.  We stayed a Hartwick Pines State Park near Grayling.  I had been there when I was a little girl and wanted to see the virgin white pines...they were saved from being cut and given to the state by the Hartwick family.  Lots of big trees and some examples of the remaining stumps of trees that were logged.  We have to measure our white pines at the cabin but I think they are as big as some trees we saw...up to 12 feet around.  I will let you know.

They had a great logging museum with many exhibits.  The one we were most interested in was the one about the CCC ,  The work done by this group during the depression is amazing.  We know one of the 504 bridges very well...the CCC bridge on the Manistee River near the cabin.
We returned home Sunday...good thing since there was snow on the ground that morning.
It was a fantastic trip, very relaxing and a great way to transition into winter.  I know this was a long blog but I wanted to share all our fun with everyone.
Thanks for listening....Kathy and Mike