Jump!

Oh, hey!  How are you?

Well, all we can do is our best, right?

Good.  Keep it up.  You've got a lot to live for.

Now back to Brady P. who loves to do his best. 

Yesterday we stopped at the general store for an ice cream after our rock throwing session by the mouth of Fanny Hooe Creek which is probably the most raging I have ever seen it.  All the waterfalls are off the hook right now.  If you've got time for a drive, get it.

After we were done mucking on their porch in the sunshine, little man decided to get down from the porch via the highest drop.  I didn't measure it, but it's about 16-18" which is approximately half his height.

I knew he could make it, but he stood there going over his plan in his mind.  Finally, I showed him that I could do it, then told him it was his turn.

He took a deep breath, imagined his landing, then.... jumped!

He put his hands to the ground the first time, but that was not his last.  I think he jumped down about 50 more times.  

Not kidding.

He jumped down, stuck his landing, turned around and crawled back up.  What a workout!  And what a way to work off that Oreo ice cream bar.

With all that repetition, I had to get a video.  A slow motion one, in fact, so you can see what he's thinking as he perpetuates his movements.

(If you are reading this on the email,

you'll have to open the blog page to see the video.  It's worth it!)

Look at him stick that landing!

That's how superheroes are made, my friend.  They try something new everyday and do it till they got it down.  There is always more to learn and give and be grateful for.

Addicted to Rocks

There's no turning back now, baby!

It's rock throwing season!

This weekend Brady P. and I took our first bike cruise of the year to the lighthouse lookout.  I pedal and he rides in the "Chariot" behind me.  With his whip.  Yelling, "Faster!  Faster!"

And yesterday we took our second trek on the bike.  I gotta tell ya.  I love riding a bike.  Even pulling Braeden the dictator.  I just think it's such a smooth, quiet, fun, fulfilling way to get around this town.

So the mouth of Fanny Hooe Creek and the harbor are open enough where we don't have to sit on snow or icy rocks anymore.  It's pretty great right now, actually.  I never thought to start out at the mouth of the creek before, but the shore line certainly isn't giving in yet.

Down by the Harbor Haus beach, we've got a little spot.  It's pretty sandy and wet still, but for a quick fix, I'm down.

And yesterday B-man got his fix all right.  We went to the Harbor Haus beach on our way home from school and threw for about half an hour.  Then around 3pm I spun us to the lookout.

Luckily I brought the Bike Instructor Certification manual for the class I'm taking next month (to get certified as an intermediate level instructor!!!) cuz I got a third of the way through that.

Then I took a little rest lying in the rocks and daydreaming... in the glorious sunshine...

Then I decided to look for rocks myself because I have new art projects to work on.

During all this time, I asked Braeden intermittently, "Are you ready to go home?"

"Uh-uh," he said.  That means no.

He was having a ball.  I honestly don't know how he does it because my arm rebels after like 15-20 minutes of throwing rocks full bore.

 

Rocking my sunglasses

But three hours later...

Yeah, three hours later my tummy started to rumble, and I knew he was getting hungry because he ate three fruit strips in a row and wanted another.

I say no to that.  Time to go home for dinner.

"Three more rocks, Braeden."

"Uh-uh.  Ten!"

"Okay then.  Ten more rocks."

But ten was still not enough.  He would not budge from the beach.  So I picked him up and carried him up the snowy trail and plopped him into the Chariot, so he wouldn't run away.

Then we rode home singing one of the Sesame Street ABC songs.

What a lovely afternoon.  Our faces are sun burnt!

Flashback!

Watch out, Harbor lover.  I'm 'bout to go old school on yo' behind!

Because...

That the that the that that that lake
That the that the that that that lake 

That the that the that that that lake 

She's open!  She's open!

Yeah, boyeeee!

Okay, I don't really mean old school like that... more like reminiscent of  the Little Slice of da Harbor days.  You know, when I was excited about every little thing that meant spring was coming.  Or the buoy was back.  Or the berries were out.  Etc.

Here we go.

On Sunday evening, I took the M-26 Lakeshore Drive on my way back from a weekend in my hometown.  On a whim, I turned off in Phoenix thinking, Okay, lemme just see what's out there.  Even though last time I was severely disappointed.

But this time Eagle River Falls was ripping.  I should have stopped.  Jacob's Falls was getting there.  Great Sand Bay and Eagle Harbor were still pretty ice locked.  I decided not to get my hopes up.

But just before Eagle Rock Studio and the Lizzadro Preserve, I saw splashes near the shore.

Wha-- whaaaaat???

I stared in disbelief.  

I should have stopped driving, but then Brady P. and I would never have gotten home.

I rolled the window down to try to hear Her Majesty's voice whispering in my ear and feel her breath on my face.  I began to tremble and weep.

You might think I'm crazy, but I don't care.  I was under her spell.

At Hebard Park, I pulled off the road, told Brady P. I'll be right back and skipped a few yards toward the shore.

Oh my gosh golly gee whiz.  I was home.

I flung my hands in the air Titanic movie-style and bawled.  Thank you, Lake!  I missed you!  Oh my God, it's so wonderful to see you again!  Oh, thank you!  Thank you!

After a few moments of that, I had the mind to shut my wailing trap and listen for a bit.  Just listen -- still trembling, mind you -- but listening.

It was almost as revitalizing as actually jumping in.  Now, if I didn't have to drive Wee Man home and there wasn't still ice chunks floating around, I probably would have.  But one brain cell still worked in my mesmerized mind, so I did the smart thing.

Still weeping (Braeden thought I was nuts), I drove back to da Harbor.  The harbor itself was still frozen.  Oh well.  I was coming down from my first open water experience of the year, so I could handle it.

But then, guess what???

The.  Very.  Next.  Day... 

The very next day, the harbor was open!!!

My brain tricked me into thinking it was still frozen when I took Braeden to school that morning, so when I got home, I fluttered about getting ready to start as many projects as I could in my two-and-a-half hours of B-less-ness.

Then, on my way up the front stairs, my eyes registered waves down the road.  I stopped in my tracks and stared again, squinting in disbelief.

The harbor is open!!!  I must go!!!

So I plunked my screw gun onto the stairs, yanked my bike off the hook and coasted down the road with my heart beaming out of my chest. 

I dropped my bike in the snow and ran to the edge at the rock line (somewhere under all that snow!).

But within seconds, I said, screw it, and walked down to the very edge of the ice.  The pieces floating by were at least a foot thick, so I figured I'd be fine.  Besides, I was two blocks away from a warm house and dry clothes.

I crept to the edge on my knees and took a big scoop of that holy water.  I rubbed it all over my face and squealed.

Spring has sprung, baby.  And my heart is light.  I am grateful. Yee haw!

Today I went down to get a couple pictures for you.  The sun was beaming, but the NNE winds blew lots of the ice pack back toward the shore.  I did my best to show you it's really open.

 Shot from the edge of the ice

 

 

Trying to show the open water towards Porter's Island

Alright, homie.  Peace out!

Trickle by Trickle

Brady P. is born again.

With spring approaching and the harbor starting to open at the mouths, his favorite pass time is creeping back into our lives.

Throwing rocks!!!

During my alone time last week, I scouted the area by the lighthouse overlook.  It's where Fanny Hooe Creek enters Lake Superior.  And right along the edges of the rushing creek, I saw those smooth beach stones poking their little noses out, begging, "Bring us Brady P!"

Monday, though I was ill-prepared, I took him to the rocks with our friend Stacia and local puppy Fern.  We walked to the lookout area and hobbled down to the "lake" which is still a frozen tundra into the distance.  

(However, her shimmering blue majesty is writhing on the horizon.  Oh, am I trying to be patient!)

As we plodded along the crusted snow, hand in hand, I remembered about the rocks along the ice line.  Fern was already in the creek, so we headed toward her.

When we got to the edge, little Brady P. caught sight of the rocks in the water.  Remember, he was hanging on to my hand, so not only did I see his body straighten out of the corner of my eye, I felt his energy rise through his mitten.

You may as well have told him he was getting a pony or a kitty cat.  He was so excited!  He perked right up at the sight of those rocks, and my heart just beamed at the thought of how much he likes being out there.

I fished out a pile of rocks, so the boy didn't fall in the creek.  He had to stand to throw them because he had nowhere dry to sit in his jeans.  

Our only other conundrum was that Fern loooooves to catch rocks --  just like Duce did!  But we weren't going to subject her to that, so we practiced throwing to this side and that.

Yesterday the four of us set out again.  This time with a seat for Braeden and a change of mittens.  He was pumped all day to get out there and throw rocks.  Man, he was really in his element.

And so was Fernie girl.  We actually had to separate those two, so we didn't bring her back to her mama with fat lips and missing teeth.  Those rock hounds, I tell ya!

 

Look at that boy beam!

Note the ripples in the open water and the ice fishermen perched at the edge of the harbor ice.  I don't think I would even go out there!

But as the runoff continues, and the sun beams and the rain sprinkles through the porous snow, our rock beaches will open up.

Spring is coming... trickle by trickle.

Paint Break

Hey, you!

I am painting my laundry room today.  Brady P. is with his dad and grandparents.

So we will see you next week.  Enjoy the sunshine!

Triple Treat

First off, I have to tell you how quiet it is around here.  It's so peaceful during the week.  It certainly is that time of year when we only see people we know.

Secondly, you will be so proud.  Especially if you have been on this journey with me since A Little Slice of da Harbor.  I got to adventure three days in a row!

That's right.  No death-defying Brockway mountain descents, but some of my most favorite things to do around the harbor in the winter time.

I better back up and say that this was the first week in a month and a half that I didn't need to blow snow or take care of administrative duties while Brady P. was at his short three days of school.  So I took some freedom time.

Monday my friend Stacia and I traversed the harbor from the Harbor Haus lot to Porter's Island.  It was a blue sky day, baby!  Just what I was hoping for.  

The ice was thick and the wind was tolerable.  Here's a picture of the ice.

 

Sleek and sexy bubbly ice

I try to make it there every winter to check out the ice volcanoes and broken tundra of ice fragments, but this year I saw something new.

Other people's tracks.

What???  Other people went out there too?

Yes, siree.  It filled my heart with glee!

We saw snowshoe tracks and fat bike tire tracks.  Signs of life from friends in the harbor!  Here is proof of the bike track next to the lake.

 

Bike tracks on Porter's Shore

Now don't be upset that the background is blurry.  I was focusing on the tread in front.  Besides, I really didn't get any good landscape pictures to do the scenery justice.  I'm a writer, remember?  But here's another try.

Looking toward East Bluff

Tuesday was a super duper treat because it just doesn't happen every year.

WE ICE SKATED ON THE HARBOR!!!

Yeah, buddy!  As Stacia and I traversed Monday, I thought, Man, I bet we could skate on this!

So I told my pro ice skater friend Tanya about it, and she was all in.

We shimmied out a bit past the snow patches until we found a decently smooth area for two.  Before you knew it, we were spinning, jumping and whirling through the air!  

No, wait.  That was Tanya.  Only Tanya was doing that.  I just marveled at her and tried my own meager tricks.  I only fell hard once!  (If I ever get pictures of that day, I will post them here!)

It was awesome.  We seized the day.  It's pretty much the way to do it up here.  I'm so grateful for my friends that are up for anything when I get the chance to be just Amanda again.

Wednesday was a bit drizzly, but there was one other place I've been eyeing up during cross country skis this winter: the ridge across Lake Fanny Hooe.

Brady P. and I take the wagon out to the fishing dock by the boat launch on Fanny Hooe often, so I knew the ice was thick.  I couldn't find anyone to go with me in a pinch this morning, so I just went alone.

I've done dumber things alone.

Looking east on frozen Lake Fanny Hooe

One cool spot of note was Manganese falls, of course.  

 Manganese Falls from the bottom

And here's a slow motion video from below that bridge for you just for fun!

After that rushing action, I climbed pretty much straight up the ridge until I hit the Keweenaw Point Trail.  Someone had been skiing up there!  

Want to know who else I saw evidence of?  Otters!  I imagined them sliding down those slopes on their bellies (because I saw their slide marks) as I huffed up the hills.  Ah.  So lovely.

It was really refreshing to be out there all by myself after all this time that I used to do those adventures everyday.  Now they are sparse, but I am still so grateful to be breathing that fresh air, following my curiosity, finding treasures in Mother Nature and just plain feeling connected to the earth.

I think we all need to do that, so I am glad that it's still a priority for me when I can swing it.

Well, thanks for spending another few minutes of your time with me!  See you next week -- spring break for us!

Decisions, Decisions

Brady P. is really something.

I phrase that vaguely because I honestly don't know how to describe him sometimes.  But I can describe what he does.  Here's one of his latest.

When he knows what he wants, he will tell me in a word or two.  Sometimes those words are accompanied by a sign.  "Eat."  "Music."  "Computer."  "Rocks."  "Help, please."  Etc.

But sometimes I ask him a question and give him options.  All children should be able to make decisions about daily events and choices.  So we've been doing it more.  However, I have never seen a person react to a choice quite like Brady P.

"Braeden," I'll say as he zips up his jacket.  "Would you like to wear the football hat or the rainbow hat?" I ask, holding them in front of him.

He looks up at me like I just told him the juiciest secret in the world.  His eyes get big and his lips mash together like they are sealed.  I think he even blushes.

Then he starts to rock from side to side lifting each foot off the ground as he sways.  His eyes shift from the football hat to the rainbow hat and back again.  Then they shift up to me, beaming, as if to say, "Are you ready for my answer, Mama?  It's going to be the best answer ever!!!"

But he doesn't say a word.  He just rocks back and forth with that tight-lipped grin and wide eyes.  

"Which hat would you like to wear?" I ask again, hoping it will prompt a response.  But instead it shifts him into another fit of facials.

He will scrunch up his nose, open his mouth and stick out his front teeth while squinting his eyes.  Then he will lift his eyebrows while he rocks side to side thinking about which hat he wants to wear.

But he already knows.

He is being dramatic about it.  He is keeping me in suspense.

However, I am not suspended.  I already know, too.

After a couple minutes, if I still have the patience, he will look at me like he is about to burst with the most exciting news in the world.

Then he points to the football hat.

"Okay!" I shout.  "The football hat it is!"  And I put it on his head.

Whew.  Another two-minute decision initiated for Brady P.

Watching him go through this process is really interesting to me.  I can just see his wheels turning like they did when he was learning to kick a ball.

It's like I can watch the path of neurons firing in his body, through his brain and out his pointed finger.

Quite amazing.

And when I ask if he wants milk, juice or water with his oatmeal, he'll do the scrunchy face.  But, like with the hat, I already know the answer because his lips form an "m."

"Mmmik!" he shouts as if he just gave the world's greatest speech.

You know what?  For a little boy who is proud of his decisions and can actually verbalize them in a way someone can understand, I'd say it's a pretty great speech, too.

Guess what.

You didn't miss out!  The Vitality buy two get one free sale is still on until St. Patrick's Day!  Woohoo!  Shop now and get one item absolutely free with coupon code 3COLORS.  I've even added free shipping for these last few days.  I mean, what more could you really want shopping online?

Thanks for your support.  See you next week!

Survival Tips

I'm not an expert on the Mom subject, but I do have a unique situation.  And within that unique situation, I have found out what works and what doesn't.

In a nutshell (as you probably know), I am a single mom of a child with Down syndrome living in Copper Harbor.

I have been asked by multiple people, "How do you live in Copper Harbor through the winter like that?"

I'll tell you how.

I am crazy.

Ha!

No really.  "We're all here cuz we're not all there," is a quote on a shirt at the Gas Lite general store.

I love living in Copper Harbor.  And while maybe it wasn't the smartest thing for me to do by myself while Braeden was in emergency mode four years ago, I still did it because something in me just wants to be here.  I haven't felt at home like this anywhere else.

But with that choice comes survival techniques.  A person certainly can go crazy up here, and you don't need to be in my situation for that to happen.  Just take a look around!

So I wanted to share with you a few of the tricks that really work for momming it here at the end of the earth.  Because without them, both of us would be crazy.

1) Change the Scene

Preschool is very helpful.  It's 7 1/2 hours a week of liberation for me and Brady P. -- from each other.  He sees Mr. North, who he adores, and he sees his friends.  He sees other books, toys, games, people, chairs, lights and everything.  It just needs to happen.  Switch it up.

Also, I have finally created a place for Brady P. in the basement.  No, I don't lock him up down there.  I go there with him, so he can play in a different environment with different toys.  While in the basement, he is mesmerized with his race car track.  Two cars go around and around about 18 feet of track.  The coolest part is that he watches them and purposely makes obstacles for the cars, so he can rescue them.  What a guy.

He also has several modes of gross motor physical therapy to play on while improving his balance, strength and coordination.  I love it.

2) Music All Day Long

Now, I don't know why I used to think this was a bad thing.  Brady P. looooooooooves music.  He absolutely adores music.  Especially music about animals.

So, I kid you not, from the moment he wakes up, he turns on the speaker, so I can play music.  Usually Bounce Patrol to starts things off.  Then we cycle through animal sounds and Old MacDonald and even my songs for a bit, so we can have a dance party or two.

The difference I see in him when the music is either in the background or the main event throughout the day* is simply amazing.  I see improvements in his speech as he sings songs and says the animal names, and I see improvement in his focus and over all demeanor as it soothes him.

 *We do take music breaks during the day.  When we eat or I have to make a phone call or we FaceTime family.  Then, when we're done, he tells me, "Music!"

3) Ask for Help

The other day I woke up to a leaking roof.  Well, I'm not bringing Brady P. on the roof with me while I shovel.  "Hey, friends: Help!" and help came.  Bless their hearts.

After the storms I needed to snow blow.  I'm not going to set Brady P. out in the banks for him to bruise his ears from my noisy beast and get covered in flying powder!  "Help, friends!" and help came.

I am so lucky and grateful for the people in this community that come to our rescue when life hands us more than we can do on our own.  I honestly could not live in this town if it wasn't for them (you know who you are!).  

So thank you, Copper Harbor for wanting to keep us around.

Those are the main tips I have for our harbor living.  Maybe you can or can't use them in your own life, but I find it interesting that there are a few things that just need to happen for the survival of our wits.

Here's another tidbit for you.

I don't often think about this because he is a little rock star, but Brady P. just had his four year anniversary of his patched up heart.  

That's right!  Four years with his new heart -- a heart of gold, as I like to think of it -- and he is doing amazing.  I hardly notice the scars on his chest, and I rarely hear him breathing too hard.

Brady P.  He is my little angel boy.

Here's my favorite picture of him as a fragile little nugget just after he was born.  He even needed to be on oxygen at the beginning.

 

My fragile little nugget

Yup, those were the days of living on pins and needles.  Luckily, today we just live on EIEIO.

Keeping Winter Bright

Hello from the ridiculously white great north!

Yes, we got a lot of snow.  The report was 20-something inches, but the wind gusts dispersed that into drifts, so it wasn't an even layer of snow... in most places.

It was blown clean over here and over your head over there with an extended peak at the top making it clear which direction the wind came from... for hours.

I'm not going to bore you with my sob story of how long it took me to dig myself out (or the fact that I haven't even finished yet!) because Yoopers everywhere have their own story.  And many had it worse.

I want to talk about the snow being FUN!

Because, before the storm, I was dedicated to making the Copper Harbor tunnel luge right off my front porch.  Yup, that's right.  A tunnel luge.

It took a few random hours of digging when I could get outside according to Wee-man's schedule.  But the day before the storm was predicted to come, one friend watched Brady P while two of my girlfriends came by to help me dig until the bottom tunnel met the top tunnel.

Oh, glory and joy in my heart!!!  We did it!!!

Then we quickly tried to shape the rest of it to get a smooth ride from the top to the bottom -- a length of approximately 30 feet.

Haha.  The smooth ride never happened.

But we rode anyway with our limbs whipping around and voices squealing.  Here's a video of one of the pioneer rides!

Oh, man.  It was so fun.  We had about a dozen people try it out the first day.  And the next day, some of the town's school girls came and sledded for three hours!

I was elated.  That was exactly what I wanted to do -- create something fun to bring the community together over outdoor activities.  I mean, that's the mission of Copper Harbor Vitality!

We sledded for those couple days, but then it snowed and snowed and snowed as I mentioned above.

I did a few runs today to see how much work the luge needs.  The tunnel needs to be dug out a bit.  I'm not normally claustrophobic, but I started to feel that way as I wriggled myself out backwards at the bottom.

The only problem is that I can't find my scoop shovel!  I honestly think it's buried in the snow. 

How ironic.

Well, I'll get that baby up and running again, don't you worry.  If you want to come and check it out, please do!  Just bring a shovel.  Wink.

And now for a special offer!

All this snow is very, well, white.  And I'm a woman who loves bright colors.  Do you know what is full of bright colors?  My wildflower pictures!

 

A teaser of color!

Right now, I'm offering a great sale on all items on the Copper Harbor Vitality website of buy 2, get 1 free!  Woohoo!  Put a little color in your life, save some cash and support one of your favorite artists!

Sounds like a triple win to me!  

Just use the coupon code 3COLORS at the checkout.  And start shopping here!  The offer expires on St. Patrick's Day.

Thanks again for reading.  You are a rare breed -- a person who reads!