The fall foliage in Ohio has been absolutely beautiful.  The weather was perfect, with cool nights and clear, sunny days.  I always contend that Ohio’s fall foliage can rival any other state.  We have maples, oaks, sweet gums, birches, and honey locusts, all of which produce wonderful colors. We went on a fall foliage drive …

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The biggest event in our family this fall was the wedding of Jared and Alexandria.  Jared is my youngest nephew, the son of my sister Julia and my brother-in-law Mike.  I wrote about hosting their shower in August and their wedding was just as much fun as the shower. Jared and Alexandria have been together …

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We interrupt this travelogue on our trip to Michigan in order to bring you some of the things that we have been seeing and doing since we got back to Ohio.  We have been back for six weeks from our trip, but I will probably be writing about Michigan through the end of the year.  …

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Everyone says that the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum is the best museum on shipwrecks in Michigan.  That made it a priority on this trip.  While we were staying in Sault Ste Marie, we all piled in the Shaw’s truck for an all-day outing to the museum. The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum is located in the …

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Sault Ste Marie is the second largest city in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  Marquette is the largest.  The population of Sault Ste Marie is 13,000 so it is not a big city, but it has all the things you would expect to find in a much larger metro area.  There are plenty of chain …

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While we were in Sault Ste. Marie, we took the Famous Soo Locks Tour.  It was the best thing I never knew I wanted to do!  I was fascinated by the whole thing and never even realized how interesting riding through the locks could be.  It is now on my “must-do” list if you are …

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While we were in St. Ignace, we spent some time at the Museum of Ojibwa Culture.  The Museum is on the north side of downtown so it is spread out on some land.  The statue of Pere Marquette in the front drew us in, but the Museum was an interesting stop. Outside, in the front …

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The day after our visit to Big Sable Point Lighthouse, we headed northeast to Colonial Michilimackinac in Mackinaw City.  All of the mackinacs in this area are a little confusing.  There is Mackinaw City, Mackinac Island, Fort Mackinac, Old Mackinac Lighthouse, Mackinac Bridge, and Colonial Michilimackinac.  All of these place names refer to the area …

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This is the time of year when you are likely to see more yellow jacket activity outside.  If you had a Labor Day picnic, you might have noticed yellow jackets swarming around the food.  Last week Tom was outside cleaning the gutters and he noticed what he thought were bees going in and out of …

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Last Saturday, the Hartleys hosted a wedding shower for Jared and Alexandria, my nephew and his fiancé.  Jared and Alexandria are getting married in November.  It is a small wedding and no one seemed inclined to have a wedding shower for them, so my sister asked if we would be willing to host one.  We …

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