Hunting, homebrew, family, and football - A Yooper's favorite time of year!

It's beginning to look a lot like [fill in the blank]. Whatever your favorite traditions are between the extreme poles of vibrant autumn color and snow-does-not-seem-so-desirable-anymore/bitter cold winter, it's obvious that Holiday season is officially upon us. At least that's what it feels like here in Skandia where Tracy and I are trying to keep the woodstove full to the brim at all times.

I, for one, am one of those people who cannot stand any type of Christmas celebration pre-December. The original American holiday many (including I) would argue may be the greatest: overdue catch-ups with family and friends, plenty of food, spirits, and football. All kicking off just after the most sacred "U.P. Holiday" - Firearm Deer Season. Unfortunately, much of the anticipation and enjoyment of Thanksgiving is typically ruined since retail establishments, radio stations and that over-zealous, 5 week early Christmas light decorating neighbor somehow believe we should start celebrating in November. I'm sure my crotchety Andy Rooney-esque rant goes nowhere with most Americans - and really, I'm ready to bust out the Bing Crosby and plant a spruce in the living room just as much as the next guy or gal. But let's do ourselves a favor and savor something more than the turkey and stuffing this Thanksgiving (like a Packers dominating victory, some family QT, the back straps off your freshly harvested whitetail, or a draught at the local watering hole with old friends, for example).

While I'm on the topic of savoring...I broke my own pre-December Christmas acknowledgment rule to put the finishing touches on some homemade Christmas cheer for us to enjoy when the time is right - Jolly Tomte Christmas Ale!

That is, if you don't make the Tomte's naughty list. And if Thule and Tracy don't go on a binge.

For those of you wondering what the heck a Tomte (Tom-Tah) is, Chris Petzke can fill you in. Because to be honest - all I know is that it's some sort of cross between a Swedish Santa and a gnome. Or one or the other. And that my siblings and I used to like to take photo ops with the sledding life-sized one my Uncle Carl would always put in his front yard during Christmas. Either way, tomten seem like pretty jovial fellows, so it seemed like an appropriate name for a Christmas themed brew made by a third generation American Swede.

More than Enough

Sitting by the wood stove on a chilly Skandia evening, I thought of a conversation I had with a good friend this weekend about how easy it is to define who we are and our happiness by what we do. Whether that activity be school, work or whatever else it becomes so easy to get caught-up. When really what defines us is the people in our lives that enrich it and bring us the memories and love we're bound to cherish much more than an exam, paycheck, or award. It's those people that will be there during the trying times to assure us everything is going to work out and also there to rejoice during the those times that make us smile and laugh.

Living out here has given us the opportunity to truly appreciate each other and also treasure the time we get to spend with our family and friends. Whether it's driving an hour south to Gladstone, hosting our Petzke family from St. Joe or the Petzke family just down the road in Gwinn, going to a family reunion or MSU tailgate, we've truly appreciated every moment we get to spend with each of our family members so dear to us. Likewise each memory with friends from near and far has been unforgettable. Scouting our land and surrounding areas, plenty of Lake Superior beach time, camping, cookouts, weddings, beerfest, nights out, watching families grow....

After weeks of picking apples and making cider, this weekend was a perfect opportunity to process all these thoughts and share with some friends in the area (and a few out of town) as we hosted our first Harvestfest. The hard and soft ciders were flowing and a perfect October afternoon and evening was spent visiting and enjoying the fruits of our land.

The snow will be flying soon and hopefully we'll do a better job of keeping everyone updated with the happenings in the northland. Until then may we all strive towards remembering what really matters in life.

Mid-Summer Adventures

The end of July and beginning of August have been a wonderful time to be Yoopers. After spending a week downstate Dave successfully has the bar exam under his belt. What a good reason to take in some new sites and spend some quality time with each other and family and friends.

The Keweenaw Peninsula of the U.P. is filled not only with many ghost mining towns full of history galore but lots of vitality and entrepreneurs making the peninsula a wonderful place to visit today.

We started off our long weekend trip with a stop in Houghton to take in the Keweenaw Brewing Company. After trying many of their beers they market throughout Michigan it was great to finally make it to the brewery and try a few beers they don't offer anywhere else.

Next stop was the town of Calumet (previously known as "Red Jacket") to take in the historic town which was once the center of the U.P. mining industry and had an outside shot at becoming the Michigan State Capitol! Our first location was the Calumet Theatre. On a self guided tour we took in the beauty of this turn-of-the-century theater (est. 1900), we learned that it was a main hub for performances throughout the years (including the American march icon himself, John Philip Sousa). Because of many volunteers today it has been restored to its original state and is used regularly, most recently by Michigan actor and musician, Jeff Daniels.

The Michigan House, founded in 1893, was another great piece of Calumet history to take in. Today it is a unique restaurant and brewery with a lot of character inside. Once home to Bosch Brewery, the Red Jacket Brewery now makes a few tasty draughts of their own.

Our campsite near Ahmeek welcomed us with a lakeside site on an agate beach and lots of sunshine to be in store. Our hammock was a welcome spot to read a book, drink a beer or coffee, and take in the amazing sunset view. Even Thule enjoyed the beach and everything it had to offer.

A pleasant surprise came one evening when we stumbled upon a local folk music festival called Farm Block Fest, where we were able to take in some of our favorite artists (Check out Michigan's own, Seth and May) and dance a little in the cool summer eve.

After exploring Copper Harbor and the lakeside roadway running up and down the Keewenaw, Tracy is convinced a summer cottage would be ideal. Dave on the other hand believes this idyllic summer setting in the Keewenaw likely does not exist beyond a few weeks of the year. A future trip this fall will decide the tie-breaker.

We even were able to remember our unforgettable weekend in the following days while eating a homemade pie of freshly picked wild blueberries we collected along the roadside!

What a great weekend to follow that one when our first friend from downstate came to visit--Cait! It was so wonderful to share Marquette with her and take in new sites ourselves. 

Come one, come all to the U.P.! We're sure with the coming birth of our first niece there will be many more friends and family visitors to come :)

Meet the newest Nyberg!

So after a month and a half of being up here we figured it was time to make a new addition to the Nyberg family. Hence Agate, the 6 1/2 week old kitty, became a member. He and three of his siblings were brought into Tracy's work and she instantly fell in love with his little mitten hands (reminding her of the lower peninsula) and his lovable personality. Thule and him have slowly been warming up to each other and even now share a bed with Tracy and Dave. The lucky kitty gets to go in every day to see his siblings and play at Bayshore. All in all the adjustment to Skandia is going well and we love having him be a part of our family. 

Agate in the wine rack

Dave: : "I'm not a cat person..."

Tracy's Boys

It sure has been hot up here these last couple of days! Thule and Tracy spent the weekend afternoons at the beach while Dave unfortunately was studying. Thule is still a little hesitant of the water but managed to lay in it to keep cool. Lake Superior--so clear and refreshing!! Thanks to some friends we even ventured outside town some to find a new favorite dog beach.

Chilling in Lake Superior

Despite the heat the garden continues to grow. Little jalapeno and red peppers are sprouting and everything seems to be doing well. We're hoping for a good harvest later this summer and fall. Pretty neat to watch plants grow from seeds and seedlings as we water them every day.

God Bless da U.S.A.

Our first 4th of July in the U.P. and the first couple weeks of summer I'd say have been a pretty big success.
We started off the long weekend at Black Rocks Brewery then brought a pizza home from Vango's  and were able to show our new place to Erik who was up for the weekend from Grand Rapids. The next day we had a perfect beach day with friends and family. Even the dogs Thule, Leinie, and Tucker enjoyed the sunshine. Taking a dip in Lake Superior was even in the cards!

Brett, Kelly, and Leinie

Hanging out under the umbrella

The Petzkes

Nyberg beach time

Spending some time in Gladstone too we were able to play some beanbags, visit with family and friends, take in the parade, sing patriotic songs at church, and even get lunch at The Up North Lodge . The Nyberg men seemed to be quite taken with the ribs.

The weekend was wrapped up with wakeboarding, boating, and even a plane ride on a 1946 Piper plane. Flying lessons here we come!! (Wishful thinking...) Thanks Warm family for sharing your wonderful cabin on Dana Lake.

Fireworks in Marquette were phenomenal. The way they incorported the ore dock with fireworks above and below made it an unforgettable show for our first 4th in Marquette.

Time for some summer

So after a whole week of rain (sure you noticed in the previous blogs...) the sun has come out this week and it finally is feeling again like summer. About time!!! Just in time for the 4th in the north to roll around.

We were able to relax a little this weekend. After a day of studying and working we enjoyed a beer at Blackrocks Brewery-- a possible Friday tradition in the making. Tracy and Thule headed downstate for the Disterheft family reunion. It was great to see everyone!

All the Disterheft clan

Before we left St. Joe area though of course we had to head to Grand Mere Beach to take the doggies for a swim.

Thule, Tracy and Maggie enjoy a day at Grand Mere

Dave also headed downstate this week for the signing of legislation that he helped to draft with MUCC. It was an exciting moment as Dave's first cradle-to-grave enacted bill as a lobbyist, and it sounds like it will help improve conservation in Michigan. It may not be long again before another quick trip to Lansing as other legislation Dave has been busy with -- the "Hunter Heritage Bill" -- recently passed the legislature and awaits Governor Snyder's signature. A bittersweet capstone to all the hard work and time Dave has spent with MUCC. After the upcoming bar exam new adventures are in store for him and his career.

And we finally had a Wednesday night "weekend" at the farmhouse as it was our turn to host the weekly night out with some of our new and old U.P. friends. Lots of dogs, good food, and fun. A pretty good way to get through a summer humpday!

Joey, Thule, Leinie and Tucker take a break from chasing each other for a pose

Rain Dance

There are two silver linings in this 10 day fog monsoon that has been rolling through the Northern U.P. One is that the mosquitos have been kept at bay. I swear I'm not naive to think moving back to the U.P. would not present some bug problems. I was fully prepared - it goes with the territory. Expected, but numerous and annoying none-the-less. Kind of like the fleet of Subarus in and around Marquette proper.

The other is that the creek is now flowing at spring snow melt levels. The bug damper and 18 inch rise in water flow gave me enough incentive to go on my first exploratory river hike last night and it did not disappoint.

Nelson Creek: 4

Dave: 1

As a resident of East Lansing, spontaneous fishing excursions consisted of a 1.5 hour drive to the nearest decent trout water to try my luck at hatchery trout along with the 5,000 other guys from the Lansing and Grand Rapids areas. Certainly better than not fishing at all, but wild brookies in your backyard is a welcome change indeed - just the right medicine after a day at the library.

Like most Yoopers right now I'm ready for God to turn off the water works, but in a few weeks I'll welcome instructions on performing a good rain dance.

Rain rain go away

With all this rain and cool weather, the only things happy are our garden and our evergrowing lawn as we wait for the lawnmower to be fixed. Today is supposed to be the first day of summer but sure doesn't feel like it.
I guess one good thing coming out of this cool weather is we have been able to get the house pretty much in order. Curtains have been hung, ugly carpet has been ripped up and tiles mopped, pictures are on the walls, and storage boxes are all put away. Take a look below at how the place has come along. I'm sure from the last post you could tell just how much Dave is loving the porch.

Breakfast Nook

Dining Room

Living room shot with picture window

"Extra" Room

Woodstove the merganser was caught in

Kitchen

Porch Shot 1

Porch Shot with apple press and old clothes ringer

Porch with old bookshelf and Michigan Brewer's Guild Sign

Love the stained glass on the stairwell!

A little bit of Lansing art courtesy of Riverview

Office/Runover room upstairs

Our Bedroom

Guest Room

On a lighter note we were able to enjoy this last weekend spending Father's Day in Gladstone, having new parents Craig and Michele LeClaire and little Cale visit our place, and taking Thule for his first trip to Lake Superior along with second trip to the city market. We even found some downstate Michigan wines at Farmer Q's downtown Marquette and enjoyed a Babycakes muffin and Huron Earth Deli sandwich.

Thule & Superior

Little baby Cale

Our weekend was bound to be exciting though after it started off Friday night with a house visitor. Walking through the living room after coming home from work, Dave heard a strange raspy noise coming from the woodstove. After investigating (and Thule barking a lot) we were confident something alive was in there. Using a fishing net to block the door and a camera's flash to better visualize we found a duck in the woodstove! No idea how she fell all the way down the chimney but with a pair of leather gloves Tracy was able to scoop this  merganser out of the stove, clean up a little, and free down by the creek where she flew away. Pretty exciting introduction to U.P. wildlife.