A nice shot to start my second week down south, far from the UP. Z-Man has captured a picture of the majestic Lake Superior that I never tire of viewing. Reminds me of the first time I visited the Atlantic Ocean... I remember thinking that the ocean wasn't all that impressive. It looked like good old Lake Superior to me, with the vast expanse of water and no land in sight.

Spent the weekend touring around the Brunswick, GA area... took in a Mardi Gras celebration at Redfern Village on St. Simons Island on Saturday. Then on Sunday, we headed southwest for a boat ride, and a train tour of the Okefenokee Swamp. Made me think of the line from the Polk Salad Annie song... Gator got your Granny. :->

Today marks one week away from the U.P. and Pasty.net Nationwide Dial-in has been keeping me close to home! Comforting feeling...

Beautiful pic. Where is it shot from?

Mary,I too had that first impression of the Atlantic.I also thought it smelled....badly.I'll stick with the Great Lakes.

Hey nice shot Z-man! It was taken in the Mclain State Park - according to Z-man himself in his album.

We have also received a nice autumn feeling shot of the Portage area recently. Please visit and check it out on our website http://www.cutonion.com/.

Did the Superior get frozen again this year? Looks like it.

If only that tree could talk, I bet it could tell lots of stories about beautiful sunsets, violent storms, blizzards, ships in the distance, wildlife, and people stopping to rest under its branches. Great picture!

Any one for a picnic in the shade of? Wouldn't want to get a sunburn! I'm so homesick I wouldn't even shiver!

SNOW SWEET HOME!

'Bout this time of year we used to rent one of the McLain Park cabins for a weekend. We would hang out and get the cabin good and warm, put some food on the stove and then go for a ski or snowshoe. The highlight was ice skating at night. We would find one of those patches of black ice located a quarter mile (or so) off shore and go skating. Sometimes the ice would tremor (like a drum head). The frequency was so low that you could not hear it, rather you could feel it in your gut (infrasonic). Also got married on the beach at McLain's - course that was in August not February,... MAN, DO I MISS THE U.P.!

George in Milw. We Yoopers sure miss the UP hey. Nice pic. Are you heading home soon Mary? Is mom behaving ha ha Just a little over 2 months down here yet

I think I'll never see
anything as lovely as a tree
catches snowflakes in it's hair
raises up it's hands in prayer.--etc

Hey John in New Hampshire--where 'bouts in NH do you live? I used to live up in Laconia and then down in Exeter. New Hampshire is a nice state with a unique beauty of its own and some awesome mountain biking. Live Free or Die, eh!

Well, MY first impression of Lake Superior was that it was as big as an ocean but strangely not salty.

CK in Chassell - I live in scenic Temple, NH. You are right, NH mt. biking is spectacular! Just found out yesterday that some great friends just moved into a new place there in Chassell, out on the Tapiola Road. Hello to Marshall & Dawn P. and twins (Forest and Col) CN in Wisconsin - Hello Guppy!

I remember, I remember
The town where I was Born,
A little village, where the sun
came peeping in at morn.

I agree with both Mary and Troll from Eagle Harbor. I live by the Atlantic Ocean and you can really smell the difference. You can definitely tell when it's low tide around here but Lake Superior just smells clean.
I've been trying to convince my wife that we need to vacation in the UP in the winter also instead of just the summer but she has some silly excuse like there's too much snow or it's too cold. I can't figure out what she means.

Taka, You can get info. on Lake Superior ice conditions by going to ( www.indiancountrysales.com ),To reference links./ice analysis & ice chart.

John in New Hampshire, did you graduate from Houghton High?

Anyone from Calumet?

Hey, Bettsa in CA, where are you? I'm in Sacto
and I'm from Calumet.

Hi John how did they play? The wife and I are planning on going out there for the colors in fall.

When I lived on the west coast in Wasington State everyone said you have to go see the Pacific Ocean. We did and I felt the same about it as the others felt about the Atlantic. Would much rather walk along the shore of the big lake anytime. And like they also said didn't much care for the smell of the salt water. Can still remember walking on the rocks above Lake Superior and have the waves breaking below us and sometimes the spray would reach the top of the rocks.

Taka, so glad you are keeping in touch. To answer your ? on e-mail: nope, don't have a digital cam. Just appreciate your work.

Jennifer / Wisconsin - No, I am a troll. I started at Tech in '79 ended in '93. Chris N. / Wisconsin - I didn't make it out on Friday night but I heard rave reviews. I work with Mark Fowler (who I understand you have met on your visits here.)

looks like an old lonesome pine i used to know

Hey John in NH, we got married on the beach at McClain too, in 1977. (Can't remember the exact date.......right) I lived in Claremont N.H. during the early years and my brother still lives and teaches in Pittsburgh, N.H. (just north of VT) NH is a lovely state, but tough like the UP. I guess NH has everything the UP has except one small item....LAKE SUPERIOR.......enjoy NH...Angelflight to Houghton/Hancock this Wednesday and I can't wait. Looks like it will be a pretty day............

I felt the same way when we were at Virginia Beach. Everyone was saying how beautiful and big it was and I kept on saying you must have never been to Lake Superior.

By the way, I think it's "Poke Sallit" Just a thought from Amarillo.

poke sallit

SYLLABICATION: poke sal·lit
PRONUNCIATION: slt
NOUN: Chiefly Southern U.S. Greens of the wild pokeweed eaten boiled.

John in N.H.

You were at Tech for a long time. '79-'93 holy wah! Did you attend classes once a month? :)

Perhaps John acquired more than one degree while at MTU.

There was the smell of pastys in N.Ga. tonight. Ummm sooo good!!! Wish Alex and family was a little closer. They could have joined us.

Helloooooooooooooooooo Sandy of Ca.
I am from San Jose.

Is anyone else having problems with the Daily Mining Gazette web site? When I go to it, I can only get the Feb 14/15 paper.

OOPS! I got it working by clicking the refresh button.

As a long time michigan resident, now in arizona, and a long time vacationer to the outerbanks, all i can add to this is there is nothing like the smell of the sea spray as you stand on the beach watching the sun rise over the atlantic, the only thing that matches that is watching the sun set over any of the great lakes as you sit on the bank and listen to the crickets begin their chatting. The oceans, lakes, rivers...even swamps offer a chance to recharge yourself and your senses.

To C. Bellfy..AZ...I'm with you, a "crick", puddle, river, lake or ocean is a special place, especialy to meditate and dream. But my favorite is still Superior.After all, our bodies are, what, 90-some percent liquid ? It figures. Some of my favorite time is spent daydreaming by our nearby Mississippi River when I can't be "up north."

In re Steve the flying troll
Hi steve, may be NH has no lake sup, but then it's blessed with another lake, the one of the great spirits smile. Or so I am told is the translation for winnepesaukee. What is a commonly as "upper" named lake against that? ;-)

THERE'S NO APOSTROPHE IN THE POSSESSIVE "ITS"!!!

Dear Grammarian,

In the message above yours, the "it's" was not possessive, but rather short for "it is". The apostrophe was correctly used.

Dear RD,
The blurb on the weekly page reads "stakes it's claim" and DJB wrote "in it's hair" above--both possessive.
G

Why do we need to be so grammatically correct? isn't it all in fun and enjoyment and pleasure and.............? Lighten up!