Sun Dogs

Happy Wednesday!

It's pretty glorious out there! Frosty and cold, but the sun sparkles on it all. And the lake is undulating all the pack ice that set in the bay. I'm not going out there today!

This past weekend was the Copper Dog 150. It spent Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning in Copper Harbor. Now, Brady loves animals, but he is afraid when dogs bark.

Can you imagine all the yipping we just had here?

I think he's desensitized for a bit.

We sat on a snow perch and watched some of the racers take off. It was pretty fun! He was into it, so it was fun. Ha!

On our perch - Photo by the legendary Steve Brimm

Boy, there were a lot of people in town. It was a little nuts with parking. I thought "How the heck does this town do it in summer time?" 

Then I remembered that most of the snowbanks turn into parking spots. Just like that!

We also went out for a little... adventure. I pulled him in his blue sled while wearing snowshoes (both per his request). It was the only way I could convince him. 

He is not a fan of winter, but when the sun is out, I try.

We went past the community garden.

He was outside, so I let him be lazy

Then we went down a path that must have been a snowmobile reroute. I couldn't tell, but it was heavily tracked. Then we swerved to where I thought the ski trail was. 

I love this view of the Nose of Brockway.

"Ski" path to the nose

But we did not make it too far down that path. I won't pretend that breaking trail on snowshoes while pulling an eight-year-old in a sled is a walk in the park. I sweated.

A lot.

But he didn't want to go too far, so we turned around and cruised through some more panked areas and went to see the horses. 

He loves the horses. It's his happy place. I have to drag him away from them each time. But I'm glad he enjoys it. They are peaceful to visit.

He is an animal man to the core.

So, I didn't think I'd have anything new and exciting to share this time, but I do. I just can't stop!

Link time!

I just uploaded a new video for Snack Break Sessions. I take you to "The Gap." But this time I also supplemented more content and photos on my adventure blog!

Yes!

I got the CHV adventure blog going again! Check it out and make sure you are caught up.

And here is the link to the podcast. I added a new one to the feed yesterday. This one dispels the common myth that we are all stuck in the Harbor in the winter. It's titled "Gregg Patrick: A Plow Master!" A very knowledgable guest, by the way. I hope you like it.

I still have two more exciting things to tell you, but not all at once. Oh, man. This is just so great!

I hope you have a lovely day!

Photo Tricks

Hi!

It's snowing!

I think Winter heard me talking smack because we just got a snowstorm and another one is on the way. Haha! 

I had to get my snowblower out of hibernation!

It feels nice. It's only February.

It's February 22nd! Shout out to my mom! Mary Wais is 70 years old today! Happy Birthday, Mom! Thanks for all you do.

She is quite the woman.

Okay back to business.

On Friday the Copper Harbor school took a field trip to Mont Ripley ski hill. I went there last year with the kids and had B try snowboarding for the first time. 

I had so much fun with him last year that I bought him a snowboard setup: board, boots and bindings in hopes that we would get out, and I could teach him.

Mind you, this is the first thing I have really pushed on him that he did not already express interest in. Because, really, if he doesn't want to do something, he's not going to. That's why I nurture his interests instead.

But snowboarding is one of my interests. That's why I moved up here 17 years ago. To snowboard at Mount Bohemia!

To think that I might have a little shredder was really exciting to me. 

I was stoked to have him try his new gear on Friday. It was even a beautiful sunny day (cuz it was still Inter). Well, I made the mistake of parking us by the T-Bar lift. 

Why was that a mistake?

Because it mesmerizes him.

Like the waves on Lake Superior.

He can sit there and watch it all day. All day! I am not exaggerating! I got him on his board two or three times to slide down the beginner area with me. And he was doing really well!

But I think he was tired and preferred to be entertained.

The T-Bar did the trick. The rest of the time, he watched people go up, and to his credit, he was a charmer. He waved to them as they went by, and some of them loved that he was there. It was pretty cute.

Plus, he did his body spasm each time the bar passed under the lift pole, so I knew he was engaged. He watched it sitting up. He watched it laying down. He watched it while doing little spin moves in the snow.

That was great, but I was bored.

So I went up the T-Bar a couple times, so he could wave as I went by. Then I rode down to him from a little farther up. I hoped it would inspire him to ride, and it did once, but then he was over it.

Here is something I think is funny.

I snapped this picture of him. He was just doing his favorite activity, so I captured it.

T-Bar squatter

Then, when I couldn't take it anymore, I passed the baton to his teacher, and she watched him for a bit while I took some real runs with this super hunky ski patrol guy (aka, my sweet Esa). Ha!

His teacher took this picture of him.

Photo credit Miss Jill

Way to go, Miss Jill! She is so good at making him get a move on and making memories. 

I love that picture. It gives me hope.

And that shot makes it look like he was king of the hill that day. If I would have posted that on social media with no caption, people would think I had a little shredder.

But it would have been a trick. Ha!

Because I have a little T-Bar watcher.

And that's okay.

Because at least he's comfortable being himself.

Speaking of... guess who's the star of yesterday's podcast episode? 

Brady P! 

If you have me in your podcast app, it's in the queue. If you don't have an app, click here to find the audio file at the bottom. "Brady P. & Mama: On a Mission" is the title.

I might recommend you have a tissue handy. It's a real tearjerker. I cried twice while recording it! 

But hey, that's life.

And I am grateful to life it.

Take care, and be good to yourself!

So Much Excitement!!!

Hello!!!

I have so many exciting things to tell you, but I can't say them all at once, so here is the latest.

This blog just reached 100,000 all time views! Wow! Thanks for always coming back to this free blog! I am honored at the feedback I get. That's why I keep doing it!

If you would like to support this blog, you can scroll down to the  blue tip cup right here and tip $5.00. It's easy, and it tells me that what I'm doing is worth everyone's time. 

If you choose to support, thank you so much!

The ice on the harbor has been in and out. In during the really cold times, then out with the wind, then back again then out again with the... warmer temps.

I was in Houghton today, and 40 degrees F with sun and no wind felt like summer! No jacket needed! Ha!

Here is a picture from last night's moonrise over Bete Gris from my friend the Pedalpixie. She was listening to my podcast while she watched it.

Bete Gris Moonrise

Then this morning, after I got little man to school, I hoofed it over to the west end of Lake Fanny Hooe for some sunrise action because... the sun is rising just after 8am now! It's wonderful to see some color in the sky!

Fanny Hooe sunrise

And when I turned around, there was that moon again. My dear friend Dr. Vye told me we're in the Snow Moon phase. She is so good at keeping me up to date on the moon. It's always a pleasure when we can actually see it!

Morning Snow Moon

Okay, so I won't tell you everything this time, but just one more. 

I had a GREAT interview with the Virtual Yooper for my first real podcast episode. If you don't have an app to load the podcasts on, you can visit my CHV site, scroll to the bottom and click on all the episodes as they air! 

The first and third Tuesday of each month, baby! 

We are still working on the feed, so thanks for your patience, if that's your jam. It's an integral part, I know!

It's been a long day and I need to make supper for a cute little boy, so I'll see you next week! Xoxoxo!

Learning for Yourself

Happy Wednesday!

Were you one of those kids (or adults) who always had to find out why you weren't supposed to do the things your parents or teachers told you not to do?

I was.

And so is Brady.

Every time we get out lately, he wants to go down to the shore to watch the lake. He watches every wave as it crashes. He is quite a meditative soul... watching until he gets a chill.

He's a wave watcher!

Usually we do it together.

Shore duo

Thanks to our sweet Esa for the cool pics!

On a sunny day, he saw some rocks at the edge of the shore line. "I want to go throw rocks down there," he told me.

"Uhh, Braeds. Those rocks are covered in a layer of ice, and they are all stuck together in a giant clump. You're not going to be able to throw them." I mothered.

"Yes, I want to throw them," he persevered.

I tried to convince him otherwise, but, deep in my heart, I knew he needed to see for himself.

The trek down was all ice, so we held hands and found our way to the shore. The wind was blocked behind us, and the sun sparkled on the rocks.

Shore jewels!

While basking in the glory of the moment, I heard him making whiny sounds. "Mama, help me!"

"What's up, Brady?"

"Help me get the rock!"

I slid down next to him and tapped on the rocks with my mitten. Even my boot!

He saw that none of them budged.

"See?" I told him. "All the rocks are covered in ice and frozen together. It's winter, Dove."

"It's winter," he repeated.

He sat for a bit longer and tried a few more rocks to no avail. Then I saw him shift.

"Are you ready to go back up?" I asked.

"Yes, let's go up."

We got up safely and went for a little walk around town.

I didn't need to reiterate my point, but I think he understood the condition of the shore after that.

Sometimes we just need to try it for ourselves... and hope that somebody patient and understanding is there for us.

Soooo, I hope that you are patient and understanding!

My big surprise is not ready yet. Hopefully by the weekend.

But I'm going to tell you what it is, and how you can find it.

Are you ready?

I'm starting a podcast! Woohoo!

If you don't know about podcasts, they are audio (or video) files that let basically anyone upload content about whatever they want to talk about and stream it directly to their listeners' devices.

If you already have an app for podcasts, you just might love this one!

It's called A Fresh Air Inspired Life and showcases Copper Harbor from the inside. As a blog reader, you are the first to hear about this in a public notice. Congrats!

The episodes are scheduled to air the first and third Tuesday of each month starting in February.

I will have unique and local guests, adventures and thoughts on why it's important to be a nice human. (Brady P. enforces the last one. Wink.)

Here's the link to the Copper Harbor Vitality site, and when the page is ready (hopefully this weekend!) I will make it live and you can click the first green "podcast" line or click on "Podcast" in the menu bar to listen to the intro episode!

I hope you love it as much as I've enjoyed creating it! 

I'm working one-on-one with the Virtual Yooper to set it up from files and codes, so you can hear independently run episodes created just for YOU!

Thanks, Virtual Yooper!!!

Alright, you beautiful soul. Enjoy the rest of your day!