Keith Meyers snapped a shot of someplace we don't think about daily, but affects our everyday life here in the Keweenaw. In the entire Upper Peninsula, for that matter. The Victoria Dam provides hydroelectric power for the Upper Peninsula Power Company, generated by the water collected in three storage dams located upstream - the Bergland Dam, the Cisco Dam, and the Bond Fall Reservoir. If the river-run exceeds the storage capacity of the Victoria Dam, it's then necessary to spill the excess water through the spill gates. Which is what you're viewing in the second photo by Donn de Yampert, taken from our July 2003 Archives. Of course the greatest amount of water spilled over the dam is during the spring run-off of melting snow. July and August are normally when the river-runs are at their lowest. So when you flip that light switch today, think about all that has gone into making that electricity a reality!

Wow! How beautiful.

Morning all!!

Always amazing how falling water can light our homes. Good morning, all.

Hydro power is the best!

Good morning everyone!

It's the prettiest drive to get to the dam although I haven't been in a few years. Thanks for the memory.

What I like is the sunlight of 40 summers pouring out of wood as light and heat. A winter fire brings summer sunshine.

Good Morning from Florida, Looks like a rainy day here (good) The weather in the UP is always the best when I leave.Wish I was still there but have to work.

Please tell me what town the Victoria Dam is located in....thanks ahead of time.....Ray in Miss.

Good Morning - Thanks to all for your response yesterday. 12 days until we will be in Eagle Harbor. It is always a part of the thrill and anticipation of our vacation is to wonder about the weather and have checked the different web sites in the past but really wanted to hear from the yoopers along with the weather sites this year. Again thanks!

Good Morning,

I have a question that I hope someone can answer for me. The other night when the northern lights were happening in the UP got me thinking about how I can view them best from Iowa! Now I know the best direction for viewing is actually from the UP itself, but that will not happen until the end of September when we make it up there. Since there is a great view of the sky, in what direction does the Airport web-cam face? Also does that web-cam stay on all 24 hours? I thought about looking intently at Sharon's since she has a view of the sky as well, but I believe her camera turns off during the night. I have seen the northern nights twice this far south; both have been with solar flare-ups. But since I work night shift and am a night owl by nature, I would love to leave the computer screen on all night and watch. Any helpful hints or suggestions?

Thanks for any insights you might have. I am getting ready to put away some sweet corn today, and get set-up for canning bread and butter pickles tomorrow--my favorite! So I will check back periodically.

Take care and have a good day,
Cindy

10 Days! :-)

Hydro Power is great as is Windpower. I know the guy who owns the wind mills just south of Mackinaw. I think it would be neat to have a Power Producing Windmill on a home I build some day... Cheap clean power so we can keep areas like the UP as untouched as possible!!

Another neat feature at the Victoria Dam is the Taylor Air Compressor!

...A beautiful sunny day in Escanaba with a gentle breeze off Lake Michigan it's 63 and expected to get to 76 so I will get to the beach by noon..for a day in the sun watching seagulls and finishing a book I started yesterday.......it's the "good-ole summertime" in Escanaba.....we still have the city band concerts in the park on Wed. nights and the city Jazz band concerts on Sun. nights.......Ludington Park and Marina is so beautiful!! ..life is good in th UP...

Ray, Miss: The dam is located in the town of Victoria. A neat place, too!

Sure nice to see someone other than "BRAD from Canton" getting first post. He will be in the Keewenaw for three weeks without internet access. Have FUN everybody.
Aunt Mary, see you in 3 days..
PS: Yooper in Westland, where in Westland??? My residence is in the north end, Joy & Merrimen

Hello Cindy in Iowa and everyone else too!
I do not know of any UP cam that might show the Northern Lights but here is one featured in AK:

http://www.aurorawebcam.com/

It is off line at this time due to the sun being up there most of the time right now but it will be back online come Sept.
I love seeing the aurora and have many interesting web sites about such. If you, or anyone else reading this, would like any of these links just drop me an email and I will let you know what they are.
Speaking fo aurora......anyone from the UP get any pictures of it from the last few days when it flared up?? I would love to see one as a picture of the day!
Best wishes to all!
Renee

I would like to thank all of the 1/8, 1/4, 1/2 3/4, and full blooded Finn friends, especially Little Mermaid Deep Blue Sea, helping me to learn the Finnish language. Mina varma rakastaa kupari maa!

It would be interesting to find out what all the pasty cam regulars do for a living. When you check in today, let us know! I teach early elementary students to read when they have been unable to learn in their regular classroom. It's a very rewarding job. Let us know what you do!

I am a legal secretary and work in the heart of Chicago. I travel to Copper Country no less than 12 times a year to escape the hectic city life and enjoy the peace and quiet that the Keweenaw has to offer. Last week, I was up on Bumbletown Hill in the early morning to watch the sunrise and was lucky enough to spot a coyote hunt for field mice. Very relaxing!

Marsha: great idea. I'm a newly retired (this June) middle-school counselor. Was a great job, but very hard, high-stress job. Just beginning to comprehend my retirement freedom!

What type of birds are native to the Keweenaw area?

Hi, great idea, I am a housewife looking for part time work. Love this website keeps me on a mini vacation everyday.

hi, i'm a loan originator for natinal city. lived at tech 20 years ago. planning on being up there this fall for a reunion. love this site with all the pictures and commentary. would have loved to come up for the light house cruise around the penninsula. hopefully they will do it again. would like to see some pictures.

Marsha, I am a stay-at-home gal. I have a BS in education, but only worked at home homeschooling my young, actually they were old: in high school and jr.hi.
I am now taking care of my elderly mother-in-law. OK, I DO deserve the best-daughter-in-law award!
I am the type that always loved being at home. I am an intelegent, informed woman whose grown kids are college educated and have had the priviledge of having been reared by a Yooper Mom! They have a Troll for a dad, but he is a Tech grad, so that is ok.
I paint and sew....and sometimes I paint what I sew.
Tammy: you are an insiration to me! I get up to see my elderly mom only about 4 times a year. You go girl.
Love todays pics! Miss the water...any water!
p.s. happy birthday to duh sistah in SF

re "What type of BIRDS are native to the Keweenaw"...couldn't resist noting that SNOWBIRDS would hafta be on this list!

I'm a quality engineer, educated at MTU, now working in the Twin Cities

I am a credit manager for a newspaper in Jacksonville FL. Raised a troll. My mother lives in Houghton but I only visit in non snow months. I need sun and sand not snow. I do love the pictures on this site.

I check the site and read the posts every day but never added to them before. I am a retired fireman from the City of Detroit and a Designer.
My Grandmother was born and raised in Mandan and my Uncle work at and then owned the Swedes in the "Harbour" as our family calls it. I try and get there at least once a year if I can. This is one of the best sites on the web.

I am a middle-school teacher -- 6th grade English and Reading. I will retire in 2 years but meanwhile I am gearing up for the coming schoolyear -- we go back on Mon.

Birds? I know what you mean by snowbirds, but when I was in the UP, there were real birds that people called snowbirds. I later learned they were Snow Buntings. You seen them often on the sides of the roads and in fields; they have a lot of white on them.

August Hautamaki, born in Ishpeming, MI (7-5-1894 to 4-14-1969), a Mass City, MI resident, was a brilliant,self taught electrician. He worked in South America setting up electricity plants. He went on to wire the electrical panel at Victoria Dam. Mr. Hautamaki is my great-uncle.
Thanks for featuring the dam and how important it is to that area of the U.P.

MTU grad. Design Induction Heat Treating Tooling. Just did one for Outokumpu. Look familar? It's a Finnish Copper Producing Company.

Howdee to "Yooper in MN"--from one to another!!

I keep clicking my heels cuz there's "no place like home" !! I must need new shoes cuz I'm still here and not there :-(

Thanks Donna Rae, would have been nice to see you again. It's been a long time.

I am a RN working in Utilization Review/ Case Managment. I live in IN, but grew up in Sarasota, FL. Every once in a while I need to see big water, so I make my way up to the lakes. I love it.

I am a Technical Writer in St. Louis, MO. I live across the river in Illinois. My husband and I are positively pining to move to Copper Country (back for me).

Can anyone tell me the best sources for finding jobs up there? Newspapers, web sites, etc. I would greatly appreciate any information.

Chickadee's--my favorite. Am an English teacher for "exceptional" students who are not permitted back in their regular school. Teach 14-22 year olds in an alternative school for seven rural school districts--Yes, I love it. Being a Northern Wisconsiner does not hurt!Tolerance.

I was a teacher for 20 yrs. (5 in Michigan, 15 in California), then went into medical billing when there were no teaching jobs when we moved to Santa Barbara. I have now retired (huh?) to sell small tools (Dremel, hobby, beauty) on eBay and at the swapmeet in Ventura. Beading has now taken over my spare time, although my walls are covered with quilts I have made.
Love the daily pictures and great information on this site. Thanks for the Finnish words, links to other sites! Everyday is a great adventure.

I sub in our local school district, mainly with kids with
special needs, other times as health room staff as an
ice-packer, bandaid'er and booboo kisser. I also
volunteer weekly at a therapy riding center (see
www.littlebit.org for info). I have degrees in
anthropology and art, have four kids, and try to keep up
with it all. Both of my wonderful parents were raised in
the UP.

i live like i wish and swim like a fish!

I am an applications engineer and business development manager of commercial and military sonar products. Educated at MTU. I'd move my office back to the Keweenaw in a second if I could make it work,........

Trish, WA - thanks for your work with special needs kids. The riding program sounds interesting.
I live in Carol Stream, IL (a suburb of Chicago). I am a mother of two wonderful kids, one severely disabled and one with special needs. I work from home doing various work for a large medical billing service. Allows me the freedom to be with my kids (instead of caregivers),take them to their endless doctor appointments and be more involved with their schooling. I can work any hour and on hectic days, I work in the wee hours. My younger sister lives in Seattle and hopefully someday, I'll get time for a visit out that way. Been going to the UP for vacations since I was little and have lots of family in the UP as well.

I'm a Network Engeineer for a national cellular phone Company, work out of Grand Rapids Michigan. Went to school at Northern Michigan University with Degree in CIS (Computer Info Syst) Network Managment.

Someday my wife and I will move back to the UP. Probabley when we retire. Untill then 1 or 2 weeks a year just has to suffice.

Let me be the first to wish everyone good afternoon. Talk about a cool last few days. Here in Brighton we were setting record lows and now today its back in the mid 80s. The Yoop was warmer the the Lower which is a rare occurance. On a different note anyone going to the Hessell antique wooden boat show the 2nd weekend of August? Quit a sight if you have the opportunity.

I have to laugh at my job title. Official title is Food Service Assistant. School says I'm just support staff. I call myself a lunch lady.
I am considering getting back into 'Flagging' with road construction again. You know who flaggers are right? Those annoying people who hold you up in construction zones. Hubby is a Heavy Equipment Operator for almost 20 years and that would allow me to be with him.

Not sure where that leaves me with all the degrees floating around the board here but I can say this...it leaves alot of time for travelling around the good old upper peninsula. We'll be up in mid August and it seems like an eternity from now.

I'm another of the site's "lurkers". Been reading here a couple of weeks, my husband is awaiting an employment offer from a company in Escanaba, and we are probably moving from Madison(WI) in the very near future.

Currently I am a Program Assistant at UW Madison in Research Administration.

As long as I am posting, I have to say I love the wonderful attitude of all the folks at this site! Everyone seems so friendly...sure hope that's what it is like if and when I move up there.

PS- How cold does it get...REALLY?

It gets so cold the polticians put their hands in their own pockets!

Judi in Wi-
I lived in Mass City for 7 years right across the street from August and Amelia Hautamaki. Great neighbors. His wife loved to bake and would come over and make orange cake, nisu and raised doughnuts all the time for us. My kids loved to see her coming. They always had lots of flowers in their yard.

VERY COLD!

pungvait mi - hahahahahahaha good one!

Hi Cindy from Iowa
I read at my planetarium website that there was a lot of auroral activity as of July 26. It was very far south; we coulda seen it down here in troll-land if it hadn't bee so cloudy and rainy. The following site gives aurora forcasts & viewing tips (http://www.sec.noaa.gov/pmap/}

I am a Assistant for our Engineering Department. Engineers-- you gotta love em! A breed of their own.

Hubby expects to retire in January, unfortunately, we can't move up yonder just yet.
In the meantime, I just log in and read all the informative conversations going on and oh yes, enjoy the pictures too! And when I need an answer to something, I get it rather quickly from all you informative folks. Much Appreciated!

ten more days! :-)
anyone want to trade Colorado for da UP?
didn't think so!

http://www.mininggazette.com/loclnews.html

Thanks to all that said a little prayer for me on the dy of my hip replacement, Made it and now on the road to rehab and recovery, before they put me under I thought if I never wake up again, maby heaven looks just like the U.P and if that is the case it totaly calmed me.

Good afternoon, everyone! I'm a secretary (for about 35 years now) and would love to live in da U.P.(need a job, tho). Try to make it up to God's country as much as I can (which isn't often enough). Love this site with all its pictures and comments - 1st thing I check every day!

Engineer by trade, grad of MTU!

elm---I'm one of the Chet and Mabel Maki kids. I am trying to imagine who lived across from August and Amelia??? She taught me to make all those wonderful things.

Robin in MI, look at it this way: flaggers are helping to
improve our roads. If folks can't be patient, then ask
them if they'd rather spend a few hours at the shop
while their suspension is repaired -after hitting all the
potholes! Be careful out there, and a reminder to
everyone who waits in a road construction zone: "Give
'em a brake!"

I check the site every day or so. It's a nice break. I'm from the lower central but my mother was born in Houghton. I have spent a lot of time west of Steuben in the Hiawatha National Forest deer hunting. I miss the quiet solitude of the woods. I am now in Southern Florida working as a Technical Assistant for a Wholesale Insurance Company. I don't miss the Michigan winters!!

Have only posted a few times, but I'm 'the payroll person' for a manufacturing company headquartered in Waukesha. No degree and tons of work.

t,wa- Thanks for the nice response. When I was flagging in Grand Rapids, there was never a dull day and barely a dull moment. It was everything from rain and sleet with 7 degree wind chill to days so hot you feel like bacon in the fry pan. For the most part people are nice. They bring you a drink or a candy bar now and then...which is nice with 14+ hour days. On alot of crews flagmen don't get lunch breaks and they don't get to sit down either. I personally think it's an underrated and unappreciated job. I've never ever regretted a moment of it even when it required putting the hotheads back in line. If they get too bad you just jot down their info and notify the cops...tickets get issued with an accurate description and license plate number. I never had to do that.

I worked with a vietnam vet on the other end who called himself Wolf...he'd never tell me his real name. I'll tell you this though, with Wolf on the other end our line pretty much ran smooth. The operators on the crews watch out pretty good for anyone hassling the flagman/lady. They are often a large breed of man to deal with. Hubby for instance has a pinky finger ring size of 14. It was the largest ring I could get while on the cruise and it wouldn't fit his ring finger. I always thought that was funny.

I never knew for certain but was always told flagging is to most dangerous position on a crew. Does anyone know for sure?

Left the UP 23 years ago with every intention of coming back. Got sidetracked on a career path that took me further and further away (Chassell -> Big Rapids -> Lawrence, KS -> Nashua, NH -> Temecula, CA). I currently manage a group that does scientific software support for products in the pharmaceutical industry. Probably won't be back to stay until retirement.

My grandmother grew up in Calumet and taught at schools there, in Sidnaw and Amasa. My mother grew up in Crystal Falls. Grandfather was a Cousin Jack who came to Norway with his family at age 6 (1882) and was a miner & bookkeeper in Amasa mines. I was born in Washington D.C., am now a writer and TV producer for a state university in California.

Darrell, glad to hear from you and are on the road to recovery. After your daily rehab just log onto this site. This alone should help anyone get better (unless you get depressed about not being up there).

I've seen pileated woodpeckers in the UP.

Judi-
My husband worked for the DNR, our oldest daughter played with Craig Maki and I think went to Kindergarten with him. The house we lived in has been torn down we noticed on our last ride thru there.

elm,
did your husband know Mac Frimodig? when did Mass
become Mass City and why the name change?

Knew Mac very well. Don't know when or why the name change for Mass. The summer tourism slogan used to be, Before going to •••• or Paradise come to Mass.

After working as a reporter and news editor in the Copper Country, and as managing editor for a Sacramento health care publication, I'm now the regional editor (Northern California) for a national nursing magazine. Raised in Calumet and a Tech grad, moved to California nearly 4 years ago. Don't miss the snow (thanks to Charlie and our vigilant pasty cammers, I can see it every day during the winter, and sometimes in the fall and spring) and love the area where I live here. Hubby is a Sr. Planner for a laser manufacturing firm here, also a Tech man. (Go you Huskies!)

Mary D, don't worry about the cold. It's not like in Wisconsin or lower Michigan where the dampness goes right through you with every blast of wind. Yooper winters are little less cold and a lot more snowy, but Escanaba is on Lake Michigan, so you might feel the dampness a little more there than in the Copper Country. Less snow there, too.

Hello Denver "Break'd" readers!!!

Pasty Central is highlighted today as the "Link Worth Sharing" on the Denver Post's Break'd daily email!!

My home town is getting more and more world fame.

One thing though, Pasty Central is out of Keweenaw County, not Calumet County. Take out the word "County" and everything is right!!

IF you click here: http://denverpost.publishmail.com/login.html
you can put in your email and have it sent to you, but tomorrow is another day!!!

Take care!

Accountant for the past 33+years and an NMU grad. Someday I'd like to come back to the place I love and build a new home on Bumbletown Hill. This is a great website... I check it out every day!!!

I'm an Office Manager for ACT (the test you took in 11th grade to get into college) in Aurora, Colorado. We don't administer the test out of this office, but we do provide information for students who need test prep information or score information. WE do not have access to any score, however, that information is confidential. I graduated from Houghton High School in 1980.

Bill, CO - Sounds like we will be arriving in the Copper Country on the same day... Where are you headed?

re: Mass City......I think Mass City was always Mass City, literally since Day 1.......until the State saw fit to change it to just plain Mass for whatever reason (road signs, maybe maps, etc) say maybe 30 years ago or so; the good folks of the Mass City area rightly raised such a fuss that the name eventually was officialized as Mass City
by the State, this maybe some 20 plus years back.
I'm sure people in Mass City can elaborate....

Did you know....Mac Frimodig's son is the owner & baker of Toni's pasties in Laurium?.....Mac's sister, Betty, lives here in Escanaba. I just got in from the beach....it was great!! 78 degrees and sunny..

There is a White plane on the runway on the airport cam.....

Good to hear from Darrell.

I teach in a children's mental health center.
The children at our center have been
diagnosed with emotional, behavioural and/or
learning disorders. I enjoy working with a very
dedicated team and provide individual
learning programs for each child in my class.
Every day I learn something new and have
never been bored. Discouraged by the the
fate of some of the kids I teach, from time to
time, but happy to have the job I have.

Marsha, for what it's worth, I'm a retired MSR Administrator from Chrysler Corporation Sales & Marketing, Chrysler Headquarters in Auburn Hills, MI. I'm a Suomi College graduate (now Finlandia University), Detroit Commercial College & Wayne State University. I moved to the Copper Country (Sedar Bay) on March 23, 2004, and am marveling at the incredibly different environment from Royal Oak, MI. Today Lake Superior and the sky blend into a soft blue-gray and it looks like we may get some badly needed rain. I look forward to a magnificent color season but am extremely apprehensive of winter driving. Yesterday while trying to find the Sherwin Williams Paint store in Houghton, I about had a stress attack going up and down hills and worrying about winter driving.

Here at Sedar Bay we enjoy magnificent sunsets and even Northern lights. Have had many laughs from a previous comment by one of Pasty.net commentators stating in response to my comment about drivers not signaling their intentions that when I've lived in the UP long enough, I won't need to signal because everybody will know where I'm going anyhow. LOL!

Tonight we're going to enjoy hearing students from the Sibelius Academy from Finland perform at the Calumet Theatre. Sure am pleased to see so many cultural activities available here. I've particularly enjoyed playing golf at the Calumet Golf Club, MTU golf course, and last week in Copper Harbor. Although I deeply miss shopping hours after 5:00 p.m., we do have the opportunity of shopping at Walmart, Office Max, and Econo Foods in Houghton. Almost feels like "home" in Troll-land.

To all Yoopers, Wanna Bees, and Hungry for the UP, best wishes to all. Come on up and enjoy our scenery, bugs, pasties, and wonderful hospitality. This is from a new Yooper (I registered to vote in Keweenaw County). LOL again. A²

I was raised in Ahmeek, went to Calumet High School (class of '71), graduated from Northern Michigan University (Go Wildcats!), and moved to Seattle in 1975. I've been working in the Graphic Arts field ever since (everything from typesetting to graphic design to pre-press services). I started my own business in 1980, and, though very small, it helps pay the mortgage, fills a niche in my community, and is very satisfying work. In 1985, I married a wonderful guy who was originally from Walla Walla (a town name that always made my mother chuckle). He is a real techno-geek. He installs custom home theaters for a prominent Seattle-based electronics retailer. I can't tell you how many times his techno-smarts have saved me when my computers have given me fits. It helps that he has the patience of a saint (unlike his wife). I've introduced him to the Copper Country, and he understands and shares my love for the area. We were last in the Keweenaw in 2001; I don't know when we will get back to God's Country again. Thanks to Pasty Central, I am able to visit daily, albeit in a "virtual" mode.

So, any takers? I'll drop the price of Colorado!

Bill, CO....what's the price?

andytofu: to me, driving up there in the winter (with a few days' exception) is so much saner and safer than down here in troll land where they over salt when it's due to get frigid, and roads freeze to ice, or worse, black ice that you can't see. Or any morning squall in rush hour, and you have solid glare ice. It once took me four hours for a 35 minute ride to work because of solid glare ice. They know how to care for the roads up there!

Wheatman, what do you do?

The UP got into my blood during the two years I served as Commander of the former Calumet Air Force Station. Now I'm the Quality Assurance Director for a small medical manufacturer in Tampa, FL. I love the "family feel" of this website!

One of the best sites for spotting northern lights is http://www.spaceweather.com/

The site includes a gallery of the latest sightings from the around the world in addition to a forecast of solar activity (which of course helps create the lights).

how about 1 pastey?

There are two Maijas out there?!!! I'm enjoying all the responses to my earlier invitation to talk about yourselves! Toronto Kosk, it seems we have similar professions, except I work at an elementary school. I work with about 25 students each day, 1 or 2 at a time, a half hour each. Each one has a different lesson and is being taught to his/her own learning style and needs.

I live and work outside Flint in the small town of Genesee. We've had our cottage in Aura on the east shore of Keweenaw Bay for about 12 years and try to get up every three or four weeks from about May to October. We also make the bean soup in our 55-gallon kettle at the Aura Jamboree most years. This year we were unable because of my husband's class reunion. Nice "meeting" you all!

hey thats nice pic

i was there last year very nice place

hey

nice pic

Great idea about listing occupations. I am a Senior Production Control Planner at the Kalamazoo plant for a large corporation headquartered in Dallas.

Just got back from 2 weeks in the Copper Country, camping at McLain State Park. It was absolutely wonderful.

I’ll start with the disclaimer that I may be completely wrong (again), but I seem to remember that it was changed from Mass to Mass City 20 or so years ago because of the confusion at the Post Office delivering mail intended to Mass (the city in Michigan) to Massachusetts, which was often abbreviated as Mass. on envelops. Where’s Jan Tucker when you really need an answer to a mystery like this?

JOANNE Mi...Birds???Pretty much the same as you have except in the 10 years I've live in E.H. I have yet to see a cardinal....I saw some white pelicans fly by during my first summer up here('95)but not since.Barn swallows,lots of owls including the great grey and snowy.All kinds of raptors..osprey,eagles,hawks and falcons.Tweety birds,dirty birds...and the afore mentioned snow birds.We don't have penguins...ostriches or none of the exotics...Wait a minute....Seems like someone spotted a peacock a few years back.Who could EVER forget EVERYONE's favorite the various species of seagull?(Does anyone note the sarcasm here?)I hope this helps you out a bit,Joanne...

Hi Marsha-neat idea. I am a Finance & Insurance Manager for a large car dealership out here in Olympia. Translation-when you buy a car I'm the one that gets your loan approved and that you yell at about your interest rate.

Robin, MI.
I used to be a new Construction Inspector for the Oakland County Road Commission. The flaggers as far as I am concerned have the hardest job on a road construction site. They have to put up with the anger of the motorist's due to the delays.
And yes thay are out there in every kind of weather. More then once someone from the crew or myself came to the rescue of a flagger that was getting grief from some idiot that was mad cause he/she was 5 minutes late for dinner. These flaggers are just doing what they are instructed to do to get the job done. And it is not true, as I had heard many of times, We are not tying up traffic to be idiots, we are doing it to make travel in the future faster and safer. So next time you are held up in construction traffic, don't take it out on the flagger's. Give them a smile and a wave and tell them what a great job they are doing.

Controller for a large Auto Dealership....but would rather be up there!

What an interesting chat today! I will hopefully be a licensed attorney come November when I get my bar exam results. I just finished the exam about a half hour ago, and am headed to the Copper Country for 10 days of much-needed R&R bright and early tomorrow morning! I got my master's at Tech before heading to law school, and would love to move back there too!

Darrell, hope your recovery continues to go well.

I am a RN Clinical Manager for P. A. Peterson LSSI a retirement home here in Rockford, Il. The home (as we call it) was started by the industrialist P.A. Peterson in 1940 for the poor Swedes here in town with a one time endowment that would cover expenses until death. In 1974 LSSI merged with P. A. Peterson to expand into a nursing home. It was during this period of time I was introduced to Lutefisk, Rutemoos (spelling?) and more of my Swedish culture.

mckenneyp, GR MI
I'm headed for whitefish point, crisp point and the falls.

Are you going to the MGB V8 meet GR on Aug 12-14?

Also -- how are the teaching and nursing jobs in the UP? Since my husband and I are wanna be yoopers and would like to move up there would appreciate any assistance.

I really enjoyed reading what people do for a living today. I'm a fourth grade teacher. Our basic curriculum revolves around the study of Michigan, and I cannot tell you how many times I have used Pasty.com in my classroom. I am able to project what is on my computer to my TV screen in my classroom, so I often find pictures from the Guest Gallery to use in my teaching. The kids enjoy it a lot, especially the pics of deep snow in the winter.

I am an administrative assistant at a hospital located onboard Naval Air Station Lemoore. My grandmother, parents, brother and sister live in Laurium. I have a sister in Detroit and a sister in Arkansas. I spent a few of my growing up years and every summer at my grandmother's camp on Lakeshore Drive. Even though I live in California (for the past 24 1/2 years), I consider Laurium my home as that is where the family home is. I plan on retiring there in 2016. I have a count down started. I already know the exact day. It happens to be my birthday.

My husband and I will be leaving here on August 7 to come up to the UP. We are looking forward to our much needed vacation.

this day has like the most post i every seen

there r 104 posts so far amazing hey make that 105

This is my first posting, altho my wife has posted before. After 37 years with the State Police I retired two years ago. Being born and raised in Kearsarge (Wolverine Location)I wouldn't mind moving back. I also knew Mac Frimodig when I worked for the Conservation Dept.

Sounds like things are much the same as it was 50 yrs ago when I graduated from school. I left the U.P. to find work and never went back except for an occasional visit. I was a Machinest for most of my life and when I retired I was a Tool & Die Machinest. I also am like a few of the others I don't think I could handle the winters up there anymore. Also enjoy all the comments and the great pictures.

I'm an accounting geek at a hotel in Rochester. I also design websites. I did one for my hotel, one in Dunkirk, NY on Lake Erie, and a massage therapists. I'm currently working on one for another hotel in Greensboro, NC.

Me, my wife and, get this...my MOTHER-IN-LAW just got back from vacation in Tobermory Ontario. That's on the bit of rock separating Lake Huron from Georgian Bay. It's a great place, but I couldn't help staring over the water imagining I could see Michigan from the dock and that the UP was "just over there a little."

Well wishes for all.
Here have a sunset:
http://www.clarionriversidehotel.com/b3ta/ss1.jpg

Jan tucker can be heard on the net it seems.
http://www.pirateradionetwork.com/


click launch radio tuner and look under country music..I just found this a few days ago .Sadly ,the radio staion I work for frowns when they catch me listening to others so I have not had the chance to listen to her. http://www.wupy101.com

Dee cols,OH

I was born in Painesdale moved to Lake Linden And then in Houghton, worked at the Douglass House, got married in 57 and have lived in Columbus OH ever since ,but still call the UP home..

Well where would you all be without us BEANCOUNTERS? OK, OK don't say it... I am a non-degreed accountant who has been at it for 30+ yrs. Have worked in medical, manufacturing, legal, education, heating & cooling, CPA firms, title insurance and others. Counting beans is the same no matter what industry it is. Been a visitor to the UP since 1970 and was blessed when my son decided to go to Tech 3 years ago. It gave me more excuses to go up there. As he begins his senior year I am all ready saddened that he is forced to go to another school for his masters program as Tech has dropped their mining program. So instead, I will have to visit Golden, CO. Could be worse I guess.

Very interesting day...along with a couple of great pics...

I'm retired from the National Park Service, having worked as a ranger in such places as Big Bend,TX, Lake Powell, UT, and Blue Mesa, CO. I now volunteer with a civic group raising and releasing trout and land-locked kokanee for the enjoyment of visitors to our area.

While we will likely remain out here by the "big dam", we enjoy getting back to the Copper Country at every opportunity.

TrollnEagleHarbor;
Thanks for the bird inf.I'm moving to Houghton from White Lakeand am hopeing to see some of the ones we have down here.
I know you have hummers and chickadees, thats the main thing.

I moved downstate back in l969. Have been working
for Oakland County in Management since l976. I
plan to live in the U.P. during the summer months,
when I retire. Which is going to be soon. I look
forward to spending time hiking and walking the
beaches and breathing some of the purest air in
the world. Looking forward to the breath-taking
view on top of Brockway Mountain.

Nice pic's today! I've been away on a mini vacation with the kids so I've been playing catch up. I'm a part time loan processor. Born and raised in the Houghton area but have lived in WI for the past 11.

Phyllis M IL - this site shows us just how small the world is. A small part of my medical billing is for one psychiatrist who visits PA Peterson! I am of Swedish decent too. Have never cared for Lutfisk but still love to make gingerbread cookies and klenetter. A HUGE thank you to those who have posted and told us of their work with special needs kids. My daughter suffered a brain injury in 1989 and my son has Aspgergers. It is thanks to people like you who work with them in the schools which gives them a fighting chance for receiving an appropriate education and the hope of a brighter future.

I have owned my own business for many years, and have several degrees in music, business, teaching and environmental studies.

Anybody catching any fish up there, for a first timer going to the UP where would be a good fishing area.

Joe NJ: Where will you be staying in the CC? What kind of boat or equipment are you bringing for fishing? What are you hoping to catch? Are you asking for our "Top Secret" fishing holes? ROTFL

Marsha: There are probably many Maijas out there because Maija is Finn for Mary. I noticed Maija from Seattle a long time ago and wondered when she would check in again. (Hi, Maija) I'm the Maija you met at pasty fest.

Thanks for the great idea!

Also thanks to all the educators who have posted, especially those dealing with special-needs kids. My son was also one and is doing absolutely great now as a 29-year-old, (probably undiagnosed mild aspergers) and I know he would not be where he is today if it were not for the excellent education he received.

Interesting how many posters are educators or in technological areas. (Well, maybe not since many are Tech grads!)

I am a 7th grade English teacher a few years away from retirement and a less stressful life. It is nice to read the comments from retired educators who are now enjoying a well deserved life of less stress. My hubby and I travel to the UP as many times as we can each year to sit on lawn chairs on our yet to be developed property. All we do after we clear some brush, is gaze at towering pine trees, vivid blue skies, and wonder at the wildlife. I can't wait to retire and make a permanent trip north.

I have 3 cane poles,red and white bobbers with angle worms for bait; hope to catch blue gill and lake perch.

Phillis M, IL: just posted some info at the end of yesterday's postings. Hope it can be of some help.

my father was friends with Mac Frimodig, too. Our
summer trips back to the Copper Country always
included a visit with Mac. He was a very nice man, and
wrote a few books on the Keweenaw, including some
children's coloring books, which I've kept. Are his books
still in print, and if so, does anyone know where I can
find them? thanks

usedbooks.com I have found everything from Earnie Gann to whatever......great search engine for used books

Rachel,what is a deer whistle?

I am a Tech graduate ME class of 69 who became a S/A for the Justice Dept in 70 to beat the draft and ended up in the Army. Quit DEA in 75 and finished Law School at WSU. Became a plumbing contractor and do that yet today in the inner city of Detroit. Fly Angelflights to the UP in my little Mooney and run a 60 year old animal shelter in the inner city. Some days I just can't keep it all straight, but I have way too much fun trying...........Ann Arbor to Escanaba on the 4th of August for another Angelflight. I can't wait to meet my next victim. Since it is a Saturday flight, I may have mechanical problems and have to spend a day in Houghton..........(she'll understand....probably)

DARRELL!!! So good to hear from you. I knew you'd do great! Now you're on the road to recovery, and whenever you're stressed, you've got that beautiful UP picture in your mind.

Forgot to say in my earlier post about what I do for a living: I attended Northern Michigan University for 1 semester -- loved it.

Speaking of special needs children and educators...my ex Mother-in-law was a teacher of "challenged" (those with emotional problems) children for years. Sharon Kangas(Guy-Harju). She passed away earlier this month. A wonderful lady who had a huge impact on many lives-she will be sorely missed by many.

Bill CO - We are headed to Chassell in the Kewenaw for a week of cooper country cruzin and fishing. Won't be back in time for the MG meet, we will still be in the UP fortunatley!!

Kevin K Lodi, CA

Thank you too for the boost for flaggers. God Bless you all and Sweet Dreams.

I was born in Detroit,and raised in Mohawk. Enlisted in the US ARMY in 1955 and then the US NAVY in 1960. I retired in June 1980 after 25 years of military service. In July of 1980 I went to work as a senior electrician at a pharmaceutical company. I retired from there in 2001. Now I am busy with the honey do list.

calumet high grad--started at iroquois mine 1956--to seneca mine to kingston mine to no. 3&6 centenial mine to oseola till aug 1 1968 (the end) then to mather B mine (negaunee) 10yrs to tilden(surface mine)to empire mine--back to tilden--43 yrs retired 1999--One of boss simonsons boys--played football-track 4 yrs-- basketball 3

Hi MaijaMI -
Yes, you sure are correct about how many Maijas there must be out there! I'm curious, did you grow up with that nickname since you were little? My earliest recollection of being called Maija was my Uncle Eino (there's a good Finn name!) calling me that. My older brother Jim credits himself for giving me that nickname, but he's mistaken. I've always liked being called Maija. My closest friends--in Michigan and Seattle--call me Maija. But, the rest call me Mary.

Thanks for all of the help today. PJ MI - I went to the daily mining gazette and was able to check the weather through their site and to Diane IL - are you in the Rockford or Chicago area? It shows what a small world this is that with one comment about my employer to find out that we have a common interest.

trish Wa
One of Mac Frimodigs books that I enjoyed most was Keweenaw Characters. Copper World in Calumet did have it, don't know if they still do.

I just want to thank Renee in AL, Ryan from Hancock and Kathy from Ann Arbor/Cheboygan for their help with the northern lights suggestions! I knew if I turned to this site, I could get some answers.

Thank you and have a great evening!!

Cindy in Iowa
Registered Nurse in a Cardio-Vascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU) and a student once again working on my Master's Degree in Nursing and a Family Nurse Practioner licensure!

Phyllis M IL - I'm in Carol Stream. Computers and fax machines make it easy to bill for providers that are far far away!

I was born in Hancock and learned to walk in Bootjack. My Mom was born in Franklin Mine and my Dad in Ripley. I lived my first five years at 911 Carroll St., Houghton. Moved to Detroit and have lived in the Detroit area since. I want to retire in the Keeweenaw but those dreams are on hold for now. I'm a third generation Plumber, Master Plumber to be exact. I work for Visteon/ Plymouth as a Pipefitter. I have an Aunt with a hair salon still in business in Lake Linden.

elm, will try Copper World. Notice they have a link here
on pastycentral.
Flying Troll, will try usedbooks. com. Thanks to you
both.
By the way, Troll, what is Angelflight?

to Joey in Olympia, sorry to hear of your mother-in-law.
She sounds like a sweetheart.
to Darrell, glad you are on the mend. Hang in there,
buddy.

Hey, am I the only student around or should I read again? Oops, no time for that.
University, majoring forestry and environmental sciences - at least that's what they call it.

You're not the only student around. We're all up at weird hours looking at pasty.com - I mean studying...yeah, studying! I'm here in Orlando, FL at the University of Central Florida in their Texts and Technology PhD program. Way too much sun and heat for a northern girl dreaming of her home in the U.P.

I am originally from Calumet, Class of 1988. I am a stay at home mom working on finishing my bachelors in Economics. I sell hairbows for little girls on Ebay in my spare time. Stop in to State Farm in Calumet and say "hi" to my dad. LOL

Hi, to all in the U.P. from Kiel WI!

Dianne, Il and maija, MI

It's parents like you that people like me love to
work with. A team approach to challenges that
includes parents works best .

By the way, though I teach Canadian history to
the children in my classroom, they all know
how to put their hands in the Michigan position
and know that when they learn the names of
the Great Lakes, the correct answer to the
question, Which is the greatest lake? is
Superior.

One day when I was talking about something I
had done on one of my trips back to Michigan,
a young boy asked if where I had been was in
the "Land of the Trolls" or in God's Country.
I guess my class is not bias free...

Hi Becky, glad to read that. Although the distance from my native Berlin to south-western Germany is nowhere near as distant as from the UP to FL, your comment about sun and heat sounds definitely familiar!
Guess some folks are simply not made for southern climates!;)

Maija in Seattle, when we were in high school most folks met you as Mary Lynn! It wasn't until we got to know you (as well as the Keweenaw kids did) that we found you to really be 'Maija'!

I have been checking in everyday for the last year but this is my first posting. I graduated from Tech in 1982 with a BSME and work at Harley-Davidson in the Product Development Center

danbury; germany. I'm definitely not meant for this warm climate. The 'natives' look at me very strangely when I exclaim, "Man, I sure wish today was cool, grey, and cloudy." I guess I should have known better - moving to the Sunshine State!

To sg/Milford

A deer whistle (actually, they come in pairs) are small plastic whistles that attach to your car. You can get them in the auto department of places like Wal-Mart. DEFINITELY worth the money. And they are unobtrusive on the car. They come in chrome or black.Maybe I can get a picture. They are about 3 inches long, and about3/4 inch wide.

To sg/Milford

Deer whistles are small plastic devices that attach to your car grille. The deer hear the sounds they make when you drive, and don't run into the road. Some websites say they don't work, but from personal experience, I believe they do. Wal-Mart has them in their auto department. They are unobtrusive, inexpensive and come in chrome or black.

Amen to that, Becky! And then their faces when I dream of a crystal clear autumn - and a nice crisp winter day ...

Thanks Rachel. I appreciate your tip.

well everyone else is stating what they do, so here goes, born calumet michigan and now I am an electrical technician/autocad draftsman, I design airport lighting systems, runway and taxiway light configurations and power and control systems, projet management as I am the engineers ears and eyes in the field. Highly specialized field as not everyone can design, stake out and manage an airport project. Just another 15 or 20 years untill I retire back to calumet, time flys by for somthings and it just drags for others.

Hi all, just catching up on the postings that went on while away. Great posts. Im a Pulmonary Case Manager for a hospital in Detroit. My dad was from Lake Linden and my mom from Phillipsville. Have a great day.