Volleyball at Northern Michigan University


Paris warming up before the game.



















Sitting with other parents, family and friends at the volleyball game. Brett is talking to his long time buddy, John Tavernini.













Paris gives me a look during the opening ceremony.













Northern Michigan Volleyball Team. Paris is 3rd from the left, back row.

Malins in Marquette



Up the hill from the Birchmont Motel... Brett's parent's house.


They are leaving for Florida soon and have been busy winterizing the house. Note the insulation boards up in the windows.








That's Lake Superior in the view.











Jill (sister), Jay (brother), Ed and Gerry (parents), Karl (brother).... and Brett with daughter Paris.

Happy Birthday to Ryan




Today is Ryan's birthday. He is pictured here with his wife, Rebecca and daughter, Faith.
They live in North Carolina.

Dracula, presented by Peninsula Players

The little community theater group presented a "scarey" play... from Bram Stoker's "Dracula". The thing about community theater is that you have young, elderly, student and business leader ..... and NOT professional actors.

Dan Driscoll, "Dan the Oysterman" from Oysterville played Dracula.


It was quite charming, but maybe the "scariest" part was the prelude... 3 vintage Dracula big band type songs (words changed) sung by Marsha... who was likely the oldest in the room.

They had a gender bending "Van Helsing" with a older female.
Note the younger long haired actor who nicely played alongside the more senior citizens.

Yup, the photos are not great. But no flash allowed and I took them with my little razor cell phone.

A bit of yard/house work.



Brett is busy moving the porch pieces (we used them for the stage at the picnic this summer) and attaching them to the house. Next summer we can finish up the railings, build it to wrap-around, etc.






We are fortunate to work between rain drops.







A large lawn to mow... and a big pile of wood to stack.

Happy Birthday to Paris!

Yesterday, our youngest and last teenager turned an official 20 years old.

Paris spent the day attending class, doing homework, studying for tests and then had a big volleyball match against Michigan Tech.

She has a new blog with photos of her sophmore year. Here is the link.

At the end of the month, Brett and I will travel to Marquette, MI to see a few volleyball matches, check out her dorm room, meet her friends, take her shopping and spend time with Brett's parents and siblings.

We will be staying at the family's Birchmont Motel. Brett's parents will be heading down to Florida soon... except instead of The Keys, they have a new home in central Florida (Ocala). Posted by Picasa

More Mushrooms!

Last night, I joined a house full of guests at the China Beach Retreat in Ilwaco. This 100 yr old Finnish Craftsman home is located on Baker Bay... at the mouth of the Columbia River. It is named China Beach because the local fish canneries employed Chinese immigrants who lived in this area.

David Campiche and Laurie Anderson, (also own the Historic Shelburne Inn) invited Guest Chef, Maurizio Paparo of The Excelsior Inn and Ristorante Italiano (Eugene, Oregon) to prepare a Harvest Feast using the wild mushrooms gathered locally by famed mushroom expert Veronica Williams. There was a stunning view, gorgeous decor and conversation with local restaurant owners (night off), B&B owners and serious world traveled foodies.

We enjoyed a fabulous buffet of mushroom soup, salads, chicken marsala, pork roast, pasta, ratatouille, asparagus and fresh breads baked by Laurie. Dessert was a huckleberry pie ala mode and some nice wine complimented the feast.

Time to get some serious exercise in! I need to hit the beach and get some cardio in.... then perhaps stack more firewood. Posted by Picasa

Aura Look! Moroccan Fashion in Astoria!

When Aura is home for the Holidays, she will be amazed at all the "Moroccan" things... clothes, home decor, cooking.
We were walking down the street in little old Astoria...and there in the window was a trendy Moroccan leather belt. Very BoHO.. of course if Astoria has it...that must mean it is out of style now.
Posted by Picasa

Aunt Ebba and cousin Lori made a road trip out from Littleton, Colorado. Dad called and said they were on their way to the beach for lunch! It was nice to see them (last time as at least 10+ yrs ago). I bought some fresh chinook salmon off the docks and we had a nice lunch catching up on all the families of all the cousins. My mother (Aura) was the oldest of 5. Ebba is the second Swenson sibling. Lori caught some fresh trout the day before...and left us some for dinner! Gotta love a cousin who can fish! Ebba said that my father is like her brother... I think he still teases her like one! That hasn't changed. Posted by Picasa

Wild Mushroom Dinner and "Dunes" Workshop

The kickoff event for the Wild Mushroom Festival was a dinner at The Depot on Friday evening.
Check out those pants that Chef Michael is wearing! Here he is showing the wild mushrooms and explaining the gourmet feast we are about to eat. Cynthia and Guy Stolzenburg posed for a photo with Chef Michael and the SHROOMS.
I must confess feeling like a judge on Iron Chef. By the time you had the Chocolate Creme with truffles...you had a lot of mushrooms! My vote for the BEST dish was on the appetizer plate. I loved the goat cheese and wild mushroom terrine! Yummie! All of the dishes were great and not to be missed were the baked oysters with porcini.... the mushroom, pine nut and roasted pepper ragout.... the quail with mushroom stuffing.... and don't forget about the delicious creamy wild mushroom soup topped with fried sage and creme fraiche. HERE is the menu. Note the outstanding pairing with French Wine too.
We were educated about French Wines by Edward Schlick. His expert pairings of wine were enjoyed as he imparted his vast knowledge of french wines and vineyards.

It was a fun evening and only the beginning of the other Wild Mushroom Festival events on the Peninsula. On Tuesday, Oct. 18 we are looking forward to a Renaissance Mushroom feast at China Beach Retreat.

We always enjoy meeting new friends and seeing the regulars. The next Depot Dinner is the acclaimed Lewis and Clark Wild Game dinner next month. Stay tuned for that report!



On Saturday, the Save the Dunes project had a workshop in Seaview. Very impressive with a professional moderator, ecologist, state parks, real estate, finance, zoning, county people and even a negotiator. The community had many questions and concerns addressed. The moratorium on building lasts another 132 days.... and still there is much work to be done before something can be presented to the county commissioners. Posted by Picasa



On Friday, in the middle of a wind (power went out briefly) and rain storm... Leroy delivered a few cords of wood. We will be getting some exercise...putting it away. We heat our entire house with our wood stove insert... all 3 floors.

Big Weekend! Save the Dunes, Cranberries, Mushrooms, Wine and Razor Clams!

This October weekend is busy in Seaview.
The cranberry harvest is in full swing and last weekend was the Cranberry Festival. (Photo credit: Laurie Anderson... shows Frank Glenn of Cranguyma Farms) Frank is a driving force to preserve the lovely dunes from development. The big meeting about about the rezoning efforts with Pacific County, State Parks, and citizens of Seaview is on Saturday.

Tonight, Friday, the kick-off event of the Wild Mushroom Festival is a wonderful mushroom and French wine dinner being held at The Depot. Check out the menu: http://www.depotrestaurantdining.com/events/mushroom.html

To top it all off.... hundreds of clam diggers will descend upon our little peninsula... due to the afternoon clam tide recently announced. Posted by Picasa


It is cranberry season. The cranberry harvest is in full motion!

Working on the carriage house roof.


While we wait for the main house roofers to start work.... Brett finishes up the carriage house roof with simple 3 tab. He has to work in between rain drops and work duties to finish it up. Not easy to do.


Brett looks sort of wild man here.


Brett's koi pond in the corner.