December 25, 2018. How do you know your partner is more practical than romantic? When he gives you tools for Christmas! Loppers, in this case. Loppers are a type of scissors used for pruning, or "lopping," twigs and small branches. These are the sturdy Fiskar brand, and I know they will withstand tough jobs. It's … Continue reading When Your Christmas Gift is a Tool
Category: Camp Many Moons
Sauna Sadness – History’s Mist
August 28, 2018. Old wood-fired saunas carry memories, and I was washed with them as I bid a final bittersweet farewell to this sauna and the farmhouse next to it. Both were built by my Finnish-immigrant grandparents. This is where 21 children were born, created from the same parents. (Three died in infancy.) This is … Continue reading Sauna Sadness – History’s Mist
The Compost Toilet (Not Outhouse!)
August 15, 2018. When developing land (or living on boat), one faces the need to manage essential human processes. I'm a former back-packer who doesn't mind doing her business in the woods if necessary, but that won't work here. We're a far cry from building a septic system or a cabin. So what to do? … Continue reading The Compost Toilet (Not Outhouse!)
Cruisers Come to Visit
Aug. 10, 2018. Cruising boaters are delightful people - cheerful, flexible, hardy and super-organized. That's especially true of those who visited us today in two C-Dories and a tug. These boats are 25' or less -- sturdy craft, meant for comfort over speed. Their owners are all over 60 years old. All have spent weeks … Continue reading Cruisers Come to Visit
Inviting Vikings: Rune Windchime
June 22, 2018. I think of the Vikings as distant relatives, although there's scant evidence that any came from Finland. They were nature-lovers, as I am. They needed the sea, as I do. They had wisdom, as I hope to; I discovered that when I uncovered an old volume of The Book of Runes years … Continue reading Inviting Vikings: Rune Windchime
The UNpretty Side of Developing
April 20, 2018. My first purchase to start developing Camp Many Moons is a silt fence, so-called to prevent silt from running into public waterways. If you have waterfront, you need to put one of these in place before you start moving dirt around. You need to get familiar with regulations and regulatory agencies and … Continue reading The UNpretty Side of Developing
Our First Visitors – The Displaced
December 28, 2017. They were here first, the deer. Their trails crisscrossed this land. Before we crashed into their home to make space for ours, this was their winter refuge. This deer seems confused to come across our new road, and more confused still to see my vehicle approach. There I go, ascribing human emotion … Continue reading Our First Visitors – The Displaced
The First Big Burn
December 26, 2017. Step #1 in land development: clear a space to work. So we clear and burn, clear and burn, with an enthusiasm that surprises me. Is it the day after Christmas? I hardly notice. While others are returning gifts or recovering from big meals, we are chain-sawing and chopping and hauling and heaving … Continue reading The First Big Burn
And So It Begins
Dec. 23, 2017. The papers are signed. I am the proud owner of 300 feet of waterfront on Huron Bay in the Western Upper Peninsula. Just in time for Christmas! Within hours of my text ("It's mine!"), Jeff arrived with his heavy equipment to start creating a road through the rugged bush. I followed him … Continue reading And So It Begins
From Navy Captain to Yooper Girl
December 20, 2017. I'm about to purchase a rough and undeveloped patch of land on the waterfront of Huron Bay in Michigan's Upper Peninsula (U.P.). It's so rough that we can barely walk through it...lumpy and wet and thick with underbrush and fallen branches and rotting logs. Jeff is my partner in this adventure and … Continue reading From Navy Captain to Yooper Girl
For Many Moons 