Welcome to my blog!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I believe that everyone can have a beautiful home without spending a fortune! One of my favorite things to do is find creative ways to re-purpose things I already have on hand, or have picked up at yard sales and thrift stores. Join me as I share with you some of my favorite ideas for crafting and decorating, as well as travel adventures, and fun things that I pick up on my treasure hunts! Much of my work is influenced by my love all things French, nature, and of course shabby chic! I have gotten so many creative ideas from you very talented bloggers out there, and I hope that I can be an inspiration to you as well!

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Autumn Splendor

If you caught me last week, you may have read about our camping trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  I thought I'd show yo a few more pictures (I told you I took a ton of them!).  We were thrilled to discover that the leaves were at their peak color, and they were beyond gorgeous!
We discovered this little lake called "Lac LaBelle" (I just love that name!) on the way to Copper Harbor.  The water was so calm that there was a perfect mirror reflection of the trees!



This was a really cool waterfall that you could walk right up to!


                           I just love this carpet of red leaves in the woods!


Porcupine Mountain State Park.  Here are a few little facts that you probably don't know (unless you are from Michigan, that is!):  People who live in the Upper Peninsula (it's called the U.P.) are referred to as "Yoopers"!  Many of them actually have a distinct accent that sounds much different than we do!  Kind of like a Canadian accent, eh? :)  Of course I am sure they think we sound funny!  I have lived in Michigan all of my life, and I just recently discovered that all of us here in the Lower Peninsula are called "Trolls"!  I really didn't get it 'til someone informed me it's because we live "beneath the bridge" (the Mackinac Bridge that connects us, that is).  Ok, I guess that's just goofy U.P. humor!

If you missed my posts last week, this is the bridge that I'm talking about!  Remember I told you that on the way up we crossed it in our motor home (pullling hubbies car, all 47' of us!) during a high wind advisory? Well, we had a bit of a mishap about 1/2 hour after that on the express way.  Suddenly we hear the loudest rattling, vibrating noise coming from the roof of our RV.  What the heck could that be?  Next thing you know, hubby is announcing that he just saw in his rearview mirror the fiberglass cover (which had been bolted down) of our a/c unit fall off!  Oh my gosh!  My nerves were already a bit shot from our windy ride over the bridge!  So hubs pulls over to the shoulder, and gets out to try and retrieve it.  Thankfully traffic was really light, but even so, I was so afraid that he'd get hit on the expressway!  He finally almost reached the cover, when he saw a car hit it and smash it to smithereens!

So, to make a long story short, we tried getting a replacement cover at an rv center we found, but they had to order one and it wouldn't be in til the end of our trip!  Well, then the rain came.  Hard, pounding rain over the course of several days!  Needless to say, we had some leakage issues, and I was collecting the water in my Tupperware containers!  Hubs got on the roof and tried covering it covering it up with garbage bags. He didn't have rope or anything to tie it down with, but guess what?!  I just so happened to have a bunch of twine that I brought along in my stash of crafting supplies!  When we camp, I always like to bring along some little crafting projects to work on, so this time my craft stash came to the rescue! Yeah!

I guess having just one mishap in the 4 years we've been rv-ing isn't too bad.  Unless you count our trip to Nova Scotia, that is.  We were driving down the road and passed a work truck that was painting the yellow center line down the middle of the road. Yep, we got some of those lovely yellow spatters all over the rv & car!!  But that's another story!

Ok, I've talked way too much today!  I'll leave you with a few parting shots.  Hope you have a great day and hopefully get a chance to enjoy some fall color!



15 comments:

ShabbyESP said...

Wow the shots you took are beautiful!!! I am originally from Traverse City and lived in Sault ST Marie Michigan for 2 years and crossed that bridge several times...even in the deep snow :( But the Upper Pennisula and the Falls are beautiful eh?
Thank you for sharing!
Suzann

Karen said...

These are really gorgeous photos, Donna!

I'd not heard about the "troll thing".

Anonymous said...

beautiful photos!!!

Tete said...

Beautiful! I'll have to remember that you are a troll! LOL- and how did they come up with Yoopers? I think I would rather be a troll!
I got the eh part! My husband has truck drivers from Canada come all the time for corn, and they are the french canadians and they always go eh? after everything they say. Drives my hubby nuts!
So when I got hooked, and I mean seriously hooked, on the show Holmes on Homes- he picked that up right away. I had never noticed it.
But being from northern Ohio- some of that is just part of the area and you never really think about it.
I have been in lower Michigan, but never in the upper. It is so pretty in the fall and your water photos are wonderful!
Too bad you didn't have the older version of awning, you could have just laid that back over the top. My dad did that once when we were camping on the 4th and we ended up having a flood- had to walk to a farmer to get a tractor to get us out. I remember mom and us kids riding out on top of the camper. That was cool!
Twine and tupperware saved the day- moms are like scouts- we come prepared!
Hugs- Tete

NanaDiana said...

Hey Donna! We just got back from the UP too! You took a lot more pictures than I did, I think...but we were following hot on your footsteps! I didn't realize that you had so much rain while you were traveling. We ended up having bright, sunny days and NO rain. Last time we went it poured hard and we came home on the 3rd day.

I love the Trolls- I had heard that before too....which is why I am always hesitant to go to Lower Michigan (hahaha). You have lovely country there too, though.

I forgot to ask you before if you ended up eating at the Steakhouse that is just South of Houghton on Hwy 41? If you like steak it is some of the best I have ever had. AND...did you eat at the Lodge in Copper Harbor?

Well, laundry and unpacking is calling my name! Glad you had such a good time! xxoo Diana

Kendra@Creative Ambitions said...

Beautiful pics... sorry about your RV... that was awful! GO TWINE! :)

Leo said...

Hey there - great photos and what a story. So glad you had the twine. My husband always complains that I bring too much with me when I go to The Keys - he would have been begging me for that twine if that happened to us.

Biljana said...

I love Autumn, so beautiful photos:))
Have a great weekend, hugs Biljana

Deborah@Green Willow Pond said...

I didn't know you live in Michigan. I do to, near Alpena. My parents lived in the U.P. for several years, and my younger brother and his family still do.

The porcupine mountains are absolutely gorgeous. We went camping once in the fall once with my parents. I'm wondering if the picture of that falls is Bond Falls? My dad took us there and we have a lot of pictures of it, and us with it in the background. It is so beautiful. Thanks for sharing. It brought back good memories.

Signing off from one troll to another ;)

Bring Pretty Back said...

I am a troll too! I have lived in Mi my whole life, LOVE the UP. My husband and I plan someday to own property up there. I just visited my friend in wisconsin last week and I drove through the UP to get there. The colors were beautiful!
Thanks for sharing the pic's!
Have a pretty day!
Kristin

Blooming Rose Musings said...

My goodness, what a story! Your pictures are beautiful and I always especially love your sweet puppy pictures. Autumn is gorgeous in your neck of the woods! Have a great weekend.

Simply Debbie said...

DEAR DONNA,
THANK YOU FOR STOPPING BY TO SEE ME. I LOVE YOUR BLOG AND THE PHOTOS ARE SO PRETTY. I AM SORRY YOU HAD SUCH A TIME. I ACTUALLY IN THE VERY FEW PLACES WE HAVE BEEN, CROSSED THE MACKINA BRIDGE PULLING A POP UP TENT AGES AGO IT SEEMS NOW. WE HAVE SOME GOOD FRIENDS THAT LIVE IN GREYLING. I SIMPLY LOVE YOUR YOUR FIRST PICTURE OF THE BRIDGE...ALL THE BEAMS REACHING TOWARD HEAVEN'S BLUE SKY....THEY ALMOST LOOKED LIKE THEY WERE FORMED INTO A CATHEDRAL. IT IS JUST STUNNING.
I LOVE YOUR COCKER SPANIEL. WE HAD ONE THAT LOOKED JUST LIKE HIM WHEN I WAS GROWING UP.
LOOK FORWARD TO GETTING TO KNOW YOU.
HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU BEEN TO PARIS.....I DREAM OF GOING BUT SINCE I AM 55 THE CHANCES ARE GETTING SLIMMER.
HUGS
SIMPLY DEBBIE

Twyla and Lindsey said...

Hi! It's nice to meet you! I have enjoyed visiting your blog. Have a wonderful weekend! Twyla

Debbie said...

Hi Donna!! your pics are wonderful!! I get sweaty hands just thinking of crossing "the bridge". I HATE the open grids in the middle!!
Looks like a great vacation to me tho.
So glad you had a good time with your hubs, and puppy dog.
Debbie@houseatthelake

Pam Kessler said...

I'm popping over from Diana's. I like your bridge story. We went over that when I was a little kid and it seemed like it took forever and I was petrified the whole time! Nice to know about the trolls.