Self Image Adjustment?

So, to begin, I should say that I think of myself as a cheerful person. Also, it is VERY common for me that when I meet people they say something along the lines of, "Oh my god! You look exactly like my neighbor/old friend/barista/cousin!"

This morning, I walked into the knitting group, and one of the women commented straight away, "Oh wow, you look like an unsmiling Brianna."

I am still trying to wrap my head around it.

Beach Ice

I was happy to see some ice washed up on shore while there was still daylight available for picture taking. I think this is entirely beautiful. Also, while I was taking these pictures there was the most lovely sound of the small waves rolling the rocks over each other repeated at intervals. It was a subdued, rounded tinkling that is, like all sounds, hard to describe.

The Winterer's Festival

The North House Folk School Winterer’s Festival is part community gathering, part craft workshop extravaganza, part film festival. I have been volunteering throughout, meeting a lot of people and having some time to just enjoy.

sun setting over newly frozen lake surface

The workshops come in two flavors, classes in which people make something or learn something in depth and short seminars. So, there will be some people leaving the school today with their own handmade snowshoes, mukluks, toboggans or slippers. Pretty impressive! I have been able to see some of the seminars including a winter arctic snowshoe trek slideshow and winter camping for under $200 (making your own stove, sewing your own tent).

winter camping seminar

The film festival is arctic themed so that these Minnesotans can see how things are even further up north! I saw a documentary about an Icelandic band that made it big, “Sigor Ros – Heima,” and a narrative documentary about a Mongolian family who had to go to great lengths to get one of the camels in their herd to accept her new colt, “The Story of the Weeping Camel.” The yurts in this movie were absolutely phenomenal. In “Sigor Ros – Heima” the part that blew my mind was seeing the creation of an artist who lived in Iceland, I think near the band members’ hometown. It was a chromatic marimba made of shards of rock he picked up from a scree pile near his home. Check it out on You Tube. Today, I am going to see “Artic Dreamer: The Lonely Quest of Vilhjalmur Stefansson”

For me, the community events have been the best part of the fest. There is a winter camping area where people have pitched tents on the North House grounds. They are staying there for the whole fest, and I have really enjoyed checking out the little tent town.

looking back on the tent town from the dock


yurts in the tent town

On Friday, there was a contra dance with live music! I got to dance, dance, dance away! There were a lot of people there, and it seemed like everyone was having a super time, even the high schoolers. Yesterday was The Deep Freeze Chili Feed, which was basically a big chili dinner. I especially liked this because a big part of my volunteering has been making cornbread and chili, so I felt a bit like a hostess. cornbread making party

Plus, the chili was yummy, and I had popcorn to put on mine! The school was packed, and we even ran out of food. That was kind of unbelievable since it was cooked in a huge cauldron, an actual, real-life cauldron.

So much fun! The time is going by quickly, and I can't believe I only have a few days left here.

Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign!

As you may know, I love checking out signs when I travel. Love it! Signs really say a lot about a place. Of course, my selection of funny/interesting ones say less because you don't get to see all the mundane ones around them...

Here we have a fine example of the classic "How many miles to..." signpost.

Here's the totally awesome top sign!

Here's a sign indicating the state game refuge, which is right on the outskirts of town. But, wait! What's that sign in the background, top left?
It's Smokey the Bear...

And we all know how polite people are in the Midwest. Though, sometimes a reminder is necessary...
And, yes, this is the Lutheran church!

Overheard in the coffee shop...
girl 1: I'm going to go to Boston to visit my brother.
girl 2: Are you going to ride the Duck Tour!?
girl 1: Ugh, no!
girl 2: Why not?
girl 1: It would be too embarrassing-
girl 2: (forlorn) -more like awesome.

Duck Tours website for those seeking more information.

Heaven is Full of Cabins

The past couple days have been lovely here. The temperature has dropped and the grey weather has cleared. I am loving living in the little cabin that I have rented, and I think that I will seek cabin dwelling as much as possible in my future endeavors.

Here I am at the sign for the Gunflint Trail, which is a way to access the Boundary Waters and one of the reasons that Grand Marais is a vacation destination. This sign is just a block from my dwelling.

The cabin!

table with my breakfast toast

lake view - look closely for the lighthouse
The lighthouse is really neat-o! I don't think that I have ever before been somewhere that I got to see a lighthouse in action. It looks a little eerie at night.

Okay, for those of you that are wondering just how cold it is here......

....

....

Arrival in Grand Marais

I made it to Grand Marais! I got here last night in the dark, so I couldn't tell much, but today (though it didn't get much lighter in this gloomy weather) I was able to see what an adorable place it is. I got a ride up to GM from Duluth from friends of the volunteer coordinator at the folk school who has been helping me make my plans. They even bought me lunch in Duluth! It was a very scenic drive and basically uneventful, but I did know for sure that I was in the Great White North when we hit a grouse and we turned around to pick it up so they could have it for dinner later.

Today, I just did a little exploring, met people at the school and bought a radio so I can listen to NPR.

Me at the Duluth airport. Unfortunately, my head is blocking the view of the fighter jet they have mounted as a sculpture in the front yard.

Me at North House, the folk school, going to check it out for the first time.

Lake Superior. That tiny vertical smudge over my shoulder is the lighthouse.

The lakefront multi-use path.

As you can see it's pretty grey skies here now. I am hoping for a bit of clearing, though I did hear on the radio that November is the cloudiest month of the year here.

Pre-Grand Marais Pics

Here are a few pictures that I didn't get a chance to post before I left Michigan.

Pretty leaves on the sidewalk in Ann Arbor. Surely this person's neighbors hate him/her for not raking, but I was appreciative.

Mom and me posing in the snow, though it's a little hard to see the flakes in this shot...

Caita and I saw this TOTALLY AMAZING praying mantis while we were out on a walk with McKenna. It was huge! I wish that I had thought of taking a pic with something in it for a size reference.

Heading Out of Town

Tomorrow morning I will be heading out of town. Destination: Grand Marais, Minnesotta. I'll be WAY up north!
Check out the map.
I'm super super excited and not totally sure what to expect other than cold, awesome accents, crafty and arty types and a really big lake. It should be fantastic.
I will be staying in an adorable little cabin called "the boat." The renter says that I will know why it's called the boat when I get there. I hope it doesn't sway in the wind or anything that extreme...
For those of you who want to feel all warm and toasty and superior (though not geographically), check out the GM weather report.

Wish me luck!

Snow!

It's snowing here in MI, right now!

Halloween Weekend

Okay, I don't have time to post commentary (sorry!), but these photos are from Halloween weekend including a trip to Manchester for trick-or-treating observations, Mckenna the pea and mostly Uncle John's Cider Mill with Caita's family, where I was stunned to find that the apple dumplings happened to be vegan! Enjoy!

Desire

I must have this!