The Vermont Experience

 Mike and I just returned from Putney Vermont and a Memorial Day weekend visit with Timothy and Casey.  We arrived in the Big Bad Boy on Thursday after traveling thru Canada , Burlington VT and stayed until Tuesday morning.  The weather was warm and muggy but only a few clouds and a few showers...mostly sunshine and HEAT.   The "tree house" that Casey and Timothy call their little abode is in the picture above and is in lots of trees!!  It is tiny...about 400 sq feet..has two upstairs bedrooms, a bathroom, a tiny tiny kitchen and a living/dining area.  It is built in the round so spaces are odd shapes.  It is powered by solar power and wood heat.  A life style that most of us are not used to.  They seem to be doing very well with it and are always thinking about how much power  they are consuming...we could all take a lesson as it does make you think about your consumption.

 Timothy found these mushrooms in the woods near their house...called chicken in the woods.  We checked it out in the mushroom book and then did a test saute of a few mushrooms and they were delicious!  No one got sick and we served them on Sunday at the gathering potluck with some of their friends.  It was a big hit! We met many nice young people who are working to make a living in many ways...most of them off the land and with farming.  Most are transplants from other states...all had interesting stories and we enjoyed meeting them, eating a great dinner and sitting around the campfire.

 Dinner on the lawn and you can see the chicken coop in the background.  They have 3 chickens and allow them a hour or so out of the coop to wander on the lawn and eat bugs. (dogs go into the house) They have become fairly friendly and will eat raisins out of your hand.  No eggs yet but they should start laying in June.

 Very pretty birds...I can't remember the types of chickens but one will lay greenish eggs!

 This is the road we traveled up to their house...very much a bumpy ride in the BBB with lots of branches hitting the top.  We went to the West River for a canoe ride and a picnic one day.  Saturday was the Brattleboro farm market with a lunch of various international foods that were available, delicious!!   We went to the Putney farm market the next day and helped Timothy and Casey with their garden in a community garden plot.  They are going to have lots of great fresh food in a few months.  Friday night we went to dinner in Brattleboro at a Mexican/Mayan restaurant that was fantastic and then to a movie in Putney...Fargo......don't ya know.   It was a great trip, the BBB drove with no problems and it was fun to be out on the road again.
Thanks to Timothy and Casey for a great time.   Kathy and Michael

On the Road again....Canadian style

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 Today we traveled to Port Huron and then to a campground west of Toronto...it is a "B" campground by any stretch...we have been in some great ones and some not so great ones over the last few years.    Anyway it is fine as it is not the height of the season and is fairly empty of other campers.  We found this phone booth in the campground which is a step back in time for sure!!  Leave it to Canada!!  We took Riggs on a walk in the woods which he really enjoyed.  He is a good traveler as he sleeps lots anyway.  We plan to enter back into the USA at Cromwell Ontario and head thru upstate New York to Burlington.

 Michael and Riggs before our walk...he is excited to be out of the BBB...lots of new smells.  The flowers below are from our walk.  There were lots and lots of dandelions and I had to really search for other flowers.  My friend Cindy gave me this vase...it collapses flat and then opens up when you fill it with water.  I had misplaced it for our trip last year but found it and plan to fill it every day...Thank you Cindy.  
Long day of driving tomorrow so I need to go to bed...Mike is already asleep and it is 9:30!!
Love and Hugs to all   Kathy and Mike

'via Blog this'

May in Michigan

 The flowers are blooming in Northern Michigan and the weather has been wonderful.  We had a hot spell this last weekend but it is in the 60's again today which is very comfortable.  The petunia basket was my mothers day present from Patrick and Heather.  The poppies are all over our yard and just coming into bloom . The Iris's are getting ready as are the Lillies....I hope they hold off till we get back.  We leave tomorrow with the Big Bad Boy to drive to Vermont and visit Timothy and Casey.  We are excited to be on the road again and are all packed up and ready to go.  We will be traveling thru Canada and will take 3 days to get there...we will arrive on Thursday and stay the weekend...leaving on Tuesday for home.  I also got flowers from Timothy and Casey for Mothers day but I guess I do not have a picture downloaded onto the computer.  I send love and hugs to everyone.  More later on the road...Kathy and Mike

Spring at the cabin

 We are at the cabin for the first weekend in May...spring is here and as always lots of projects are in the process of getting done.  We brought out gravel stone in the green trailer to go around the sauna at the roof drip line to avoid the soil washing into the river.  I am gathering larger stones from the dirt road to frame it, keep the gravel in place and make it look more finished.  We are pleased with how it turned out.  We have lots of trees that fell down during the last big  winter storm..the clean up will probably take us all summer.
I will not let mike use the chain saw so our friend Mark will be here Sunday and will help with the big logs.
We have lots of campfire wood for this summer!  Fire danger has been very high so there has been no burning allowed.  After the huge rainstorm on Thursday it is better which is good as will have large piles of brush.

 I have been doing many sewing projects..some baby projects for a baby that will surprise us in August as well as some fabric bowls.  This one is for my units remembrance of a nurse who took her own life...we are remembering her during mental health week later in May.  There will be many different ways the committee will deal with the subject but one is a drawing for several prizes..so I have donated two bowls.

 I am sure many of you saw the giant moon the last few nights. Last night we caught it coming up over the trees as we sat around the campfire with some neighbors.  It was very large and bright and I am pleased that my camera actually took the picture.  Mike has fished Friday, Saturday and will this afternoon before we go home.  Dennis Carney and Patrick Kelly came out on Friday and fished the caddis hatch...the picture below with all the white dots shows the hundreds of caddis flies that were all over the place on Friday...looks like it is a flaw in the picture but not so.  Dennis had such a good time he returned on Saturday to fish again...it rained but they still had fun and caught fish.  So it does not get better than that for fishing buddies.
We are so grateful for the health and recovery of Heather after her emergency surgery last week for a fibroid on her uterus.  She is recovering well at home and we are pleased to report that after the doctor appt. on Friday  the baby is fine.  Thank you for all your prayers and calls of concern.  It has been a crazy April.
We think of our brother Mark every day, talk about him, remember him in various situations and try to heal. I know all of you are doing the same thing.  We send you our love and hugs.   Kathy and Michael

Brother Mark

We are at the cabin this weekend and both Michael and I are still struggling to process the loss of brother Mark Ahnen Nolan. I know each of you are also struggling with lots of emotions. The cabin is a place Mike and I feel renews us. He is fishing right now with friend Dennis Carney. I just finished an hour long kayak upriver with a float back down.

The solitude of kayaking is wonderful. I had lots of thoughts and want to share a few.

Beautiful day, sun, wind and flowing water.

Wind thru the trees but no leaves on the trees yet. Rustling and blowing. The sweet smell of spring and new life in the air.

Hendricson flies in the air and the trout are slurping them up. ..I hope Mike catches a fish.

Woodpeckers...tap tap tap tap tap tap tap...don't they get a headache?

Songbirds with sweet songs...are they building nests?? Is Mr bird chasing Mrs bird in the air.

New trees in the water from the winter storms and the current of the river changes, paddle harder here and don't let it turn you sideways.

No wildflowers yet, we need rain, daffodils are beautiful in my cabin garden.

Lots of bubbling brooks coming into the river...bringing fresh water and musical notes to the air.

Back home at the cabin...I love it here so much and feel so lucky to be here ..we are blessed

Brown eyes and a wet nose...Riggs knows hurt when he sees it and always gives an extra hug with his nose. He is such a comfort

.Silence...but it is never really silent in nature...life is everywhere.

We will miss Mark so much...I will always think of him here at the cabin and how much he enjoyed kayaking with us two summers ago. It is a memory I will always cherish.

Love and hugs to all of you...Kathy...and Mike but he is still fishing!

New Quilt, Great Muffins and Fishing??

Spring is trying to come to northern Michigan but as usual it has a sense of humor. Mike and I spent 3 days at the cabin and Friday morning it snowed 2 to 3 inches...and stayed for over 24 hours. The tulips are up and the trees are almost blooming but had to slow down a bit with the cold temps and snow. We are to get 60's next week so I hope things can finally bloom.

I used the cold nasty weather to start a new quilt...a Log Cabin Quilt...for our bedroom..I have never made one before and pictured here is the first of 80 blocks. It is a labor intensive quilt that will take me some time as I will only work on it at the cabin. Love the colors.

Mike and his friend Dennis Carney could not resist the lure of the fish and floated on Saturday in 40's temps. No fish but a good time was had by them. Notice Riggs looking longingly from the dock as the guys took off on the river!

My new muffin recipe worked out wonderful...very delicious!! low calorie and used items that I do not usually cook with....see recipe below.

Blueberry Muffins 130 calories each makes 18

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup almond flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp orange zest

2 cup fresh blueberries

2 large eggs

1 1/4 cup low fat buttermilk

1/2 cup brown sugar

6 T canola oil

1 T orange juice

1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix flours, Baking Powder and soda, salt and O zest. add blueberries and toss gently. this will help keep the BB suspended in the batter instead of falling to the bottom. (it works!) In another bowl mix eggs buttermilk, brown sugar, canola oil, OJ and vanilla. It will be lumpy. Pour into dry stuff and mix. Muffin pans with liners...bake 400 degrees for 12-14 min. makes 18 muffins

Try and I think you will enjoy them.

Kathy and Mike

St Patrick's Day 2012

St Patricks Day 2012 was a one of a kind!! The sun was out and it was in the 80's...unbelievable for March. We celebrated at Northpeak Brewery and that is where the parade kicked off with tons of people participating and lots of spectators along the parade route. Never has a St Patrick's Day had so many people in attendance or had such fantastic weather. Usually it is raining,sleeting, snowing, blowing or doing all of the above at once!!

Heather and Patrick joined us along with Heathers brother Jim for the parade and festivities.

Mike was one of the Hibernians of the year along with Tim Smith and his father Lou for their work in getting permission to hold the Father Fred Dinner from the state of Michigan. A great feather in all of their caps as it took lots of networking and strong talk. (and a few cigars)

We had our annual party with the group of friends that have been getting together for the last 28 years and enjoyed happy hour on the deck...definitely a first...and lots of laughter with our Irish Auction. Pictured is Colleen (Clancy)Zanotti with "the parrot hat" that has made several appearances as a gift. She says she will be wearing it at next years parade!!!

Congratulations were abundant for Patrick and Heather with their recent announcement that a new Nolan is on the way.

Mike and I feel so blessed to have great family and friends here in Traverse City.

Love to all of you...Kathy and Michael