Snowy December

We've had a lot of snow in northern Michigan, particularly in Gaylord.  A few weeks ago it snowed 29 inches in 3 days breaking a previous record.  Snowfall, Christmas and log cabins go together. Scout thinks so too.

It's snowing in Northern Michigan!

This morning I woke up to this powdered sugar winter wonderland!  The high temperature today is 37 degrees.  Autumn is definitely over!  Has anyone else had an early snowfall?

Shelley, Greg & Scout go to a parade!

Part of the allure of the northern Michigan towns for me is the quaintness of the downtowns. I love all the events they have whether it be a Christmas tree lighting ceremony, a maple syrup festival or better yet - a parade! Last week we attended Gaylord's St. Patrick's day parade and we took Scout with us. The day was rainy and dreary but we still had fun.







I love Gaylord's downtown, it is styled in an Alpine Swiss theme. Its' sister city is Pontresina, Switzerland. There are so many cute shops here and great restaurants.







Can you guess who was Scout's favorite in the parade?





Hey - doesn't it look like Greg is choking Scout?!





Here comes the cops! Except I think they've been drinking some of that green beer...





Just kidding! Greg was adjusting Scout's collar as she got very excited at that Irish Setter boy in the parade. I told her she's too young to date. In fact, she's never allowed to date!





I think this guy needs a leash...


I am so looking forward to sunny days! Trying to decide what I'm going to grow in my garden this year. What will you be planting?

Live from the Snowman Cam!

I have a little addiction I need to tell you about! I am addicted to the live streaming Snowman Cam in Gaylord, Michigan. This isn't too far from our log cabin. This live streaming snowman cam originally started out as a way for a gentleman named Ken Borton to keep his family informed about the weather conditions in his area. This web cam has now become famous and has been featured on ABC, USA Today as well as receiving many awards such as the Top Nature Cam. His web cam is focused on his wooden snowman, his goose statue and a thermometer. If you check it out sometimes - you'll see bear, turkey, deer, birds, squirrels and much more! I check it almost every day (this photo is from this afternoon) and I love seeing who visits his yard. Sometimes you'll see the goose and the snowman dressed up. Overall, its just a fun site to visit! www.snowmancam.com

P.S. We weren't able to make it to the log cabin this weekend - there were just too many winter warnings for us to risk it. So now that my crying is under control, I am going to do a little shopping and find some cool items for the cabin. Hope you are all having a wonderful weekend!

Exploring our town

I love to go exploring every nook in our log cabin town. I will drive down side streets, back roads, dirt roads...all in my quest to discover interesting houses, small lakes, wildlife and new trees. When I went driving down this snow covered road and watched this solitary man walking down it and occasionally looking up at the trees, I felt this photo captured the true essence of Northern Michigan - the place I love so much.

"Winter, a lingering season, is a time to gather golden moments, embark upon a sentimental journey, and enjoy every idle hour. "

- John Boswell

Decorating the cabin with history

I love history - especially learning about the early pioneer times. Our log cabin is located in an area which was once a lumbering town in the late 1800's. History of our town reveals there were draft horses pulling stacked logs, log cabins dotting the area and one-room school houses. I went to our local museum this past summer and had them scan some historical photos for me that I could frame and put in our log cabin. I'm going to group them into 2 areas in our home.

Greg hung this first group of photos in our hallway. I just love having this piece of history in our home. My favorite is the horses with the logs. (You can click on the photo to see a larger image.)

37 Degrees, deer and an owl

Well I bragged too much about the 70 degree weather at our log cabin in Gaylord! It is now 37 degrees and we've had a mix of snowy rain this morning - though nothing is sticking. The bird activity at our feeders has increased tremdously and the chickadees like to buzz around my head and use my hand as a trampoline. We went to Greg's hunting property in Grayling yesterday and checked out his deer cam (see pic down below.) He was excited to see a lot of buck rubbings on the pine trees.

Mrs. Doe was having a late night out!

Marvin is going crazy for that feathered owl I bought. I let him stalk it and lick it for a few minutes - then when he gave it a bite - I gave the owl a new home on top of the kitchen cupboards.

A favorite cabin decor store - The Old Spud Warehouse

I am addicted to the Old Spud Warehouse in Gaylord. This building was used by potato growers in the early 1900's and is now an ecclectic home decor shop mixed with new and antique items. There is something for everyone here whether you own a traditional home, cottage or log cabin.


They always have new inventory so I always stop in for a peek. I'm driving Greg crazy - he wants me to give it a rest for a month.




























In the basement, you can find some neat antique tables, lamps, old wooden skis and much more.












See that large owl on the bottom shelf - left hand side? Well he now has a home at our log cabin!

Why I love Northern Michigan

I had the most beautiful drive this morning up to our log home. As soon as I reached Northern Michigan, the trees showing off their beautiful colors (Gaylord is at 80% peak), I saw 2 baby deer off in the field and I watched a hawk fly over the interstate. I had escaped the suburbs! But that's not the only reason why I love Northern Michigan.....this view off my deck says it all.

Guests at the Log Cabin - Part I

Our log cabin has been completed since March of this year and already we've had several guests at the log cabin. Some of them have already been repeats! Part of the vision Greg and I had when we were planning our log home was all the friends and family we would have over. We've taken them fishing, kayaking, to a parade, State Park and even to the Stampede Saloon (best wings and beer list in Gaylord!)

Now what's really been very nice (and totally unexpected - really!) is all the gifts we have received from our log cabin guests! I feel like it's been Christmas all year! And not only tangible gifts, but we've had quite a few even cook for us! One person even brought their own towels (you know who you are, you don't need to bring towels - I have some for you!)

Here are some of the gifts we've received:



A Weber grill from my sis and brother-in-law. He's the pseudo Bobby Flay!













These decorative (well I'm assuming they are since they have polyurethane on them) log mugs - aren't they great?















A bird feeder that's very popular with my feathered friends!












And who can resist a stuffed moose??

















A big thank you to all our friends and family! Just having you at our log cabin spending time with us is all the gift we need! (But Jim & Brian - we do like having you cook for us...you just do it better.....)

Rocks & Log Cabin Projects

Gaylord, Michigan has miles of trails for ATVs and snowmobiles. On one of these roads, Greg has discovered "free rocks!" He drives down these trails, tossing the rocks into the back to be used for our future landscaping.

This past weekend we didn't really concentrate on our log home projects. It was nice to be carefree (never mind the popped deck board, the bathtub drain that doesn't work....you get the idea.) Instead, I took my first ride on Greg's "Rhino" and joined him on his rock hunt. It was a great sunny day going through the woods.....seeing the leaves starting to change....

The projects can wait until next weekend.

Kids at the Log Cabin

Watch out - my 9 year old stepson is bringing his 2 cousins with him to our Log Cabin this weekend! This means we have to find entertaining things for them all to do. The hubby is already planning on taking them fishing and hiking. Alpenfest is also going on in Gaylord this weekend - a swiss themed event with a parade, art fair and contests such as who has the best knees (hubby won't win this one unfortunately) - yodeling contest and a bubble gum blowing contest (maybe my stepson or one of his cousins could win this!) I love small town festivals!

Now....what to feed these kids?! It's going to be a busy kitchen!

Reviewing the progess of the Log Home

During the of building our log cabin (a.k.a. log home now!) - I documented the progress with close to a thousand photos. It is great to look back and see how it all came to life and also all the fun memories. It's still amazing to me how the crew unloaded and stacked the logs - especially as they reach the loft level during the major winter storms in Gaylord. I hate heights but I would climb the ladder to be in the center of the building process and watch the logs go up. My husband was harrassed by me every Friday at 4:00 with the questions "what time are you leaving work? What time can we leave for the log cabin?" As I'm getting ready to piece all these photos together in an album, I realize what a fulfilling family history that Greg and I have embarked upon and how my stepson will be able to look back and recount it with his own family one day. We are creating memories.

Log Cabin Hunt

My husband and I drove around hunting for other log cabins in the Gaylord area. Thank goodness neither occupant was home while I was snapping photos. I would've had to explain that I am a log home stalker. I love seeing other people's designs and trying to guess what inspired them. It gives me ideas as well. The stone looks complimentary at the entrance of the darker brown cabin. I am hoping to finish the exterior of our walkout basement with the faux stone this summer so we are not looking at ugly concrete blocks. I also like the wraparound deck and the bright sienna color of the other cabin. We are trying to decide on our exterior stain right now and I'm rethinking the dark golden color. Spring will be here soon and it will be time to stain.

History of Our Log Cabin Site

I love historical photos and was especially interested to know the history of the town where our log cabin is being built. We are technically in the city of Waters, but have a Gaylord address. In the late 1800's, the town was originally established as Bradford Lake. It was later renamed Waters. The White Pines and hardwoods of Bradford Lake attracted the numerous lumber mills that were established in the city in the late 1800's. The pictures above depict the lumber workers and log cabins from this area. I had the Otsego County Historical museum scan some old photos for me from this era. I am going to frame and hang them in our log cabin as a history reminder.

About Gaylord, MI (our log cabin site)

We choose Gaylord, MI because of the many recreational opportunities (fishing, hiking, birding, skiing, golfing, snowmobiling) and simply because it made us feel like we were truly "Up North" with all its beautiful scenery.

Gaylord is located north of Grayling in Otsego County. Some information and things to do in Gaylord:

• ALPINE VILLAGE - Downtown Gaylord has an Alpine Motif which they adopted in the 1960's. There are many great specialty shops - clothing, chocolate, beads, home decor, quilts, birdhouses, sporting equipment and so on. Check out Mossback Creek Company - I buy something every time I go there. In July, Downtown Gaylord has the Alpen Festival with people dressed in Swiss costumes, arts & crafts and a carnival.
• GOLF - Gaylord is known as the Golf Mecca in Michigan with over 20 championship golf courses - some of which have won many awards from golf magazines. They have so many courses to choose from - no matter the level of your playing. I am not so good - my personal favorite is Marsh Ridge with it's beautiful wooded setting and the fact I'm not so far away from the hole! Visit http://www.gaylordgolfmecca.com/ .
• SKIING - Gaylord has 2 local ski resorts - Otsego Club and Tree Tops. Boyne Mountain is approximately a 30 minute drive.
• SNOWMOBILING - Gaylord is recognized as a snowmobile mecca as well! They have over 300 miles of groomed snowmobile trails. To check trail conditions and obtain a trail map visit http://www.gaylordmichigan.net/ .
• FISHING - Great fishing opportunities in Gaylord. Otsego lake is stocked with Walleye by the DNR. Other lakes for consideration include Big Lake, Big Bass Lake, Big Bear Lake and Bradford Lake (my husband's favorite.) Ice fishing is also quite popular here!
• ELK VIEWING - Pigeon River State Forest (105,000 Acres) hosts the Midwest's only free ranging elk herd. It's also a great place to go hiking.