Pointing the Way

mosaic arrows

This past June, my husband and I spent a week in the Upper Peninsula. We were supposed to spend the time camping, hiking and photographing nature. Our campsite was right on the beach of Lake Superior and I imagined several evenings sitting in front of the fire, listening to the sounds of the waves crashing on shore, while watching the sun set.

We knew it would be a little cool … we took hoodies and fleece-lined sweats to keep ourselves warm overnight. And, we packed plenty of blankets, as well.

We knew if might rain, so we bought waterproof coats and shoes.

What we didn’t count on was three days of wind and rain, on and off, all day and all night. By the third night, everything in the tent was damp feeling — even though it was dry. The wind picked up to about 40 mph, the rain was coming down in buckets, and the temperature dropped to 48 degrees. We went to bed early (there was nothing else to do) even though we weren’t really tired. Every few minutes, a gust of wind would lift open the rain flaps on the tent and suck out all of the warm air. Every time the wind blew, I got a little colder. I had my hoodie up and layers of clothing on, but I was still cold. And, I must admit, I was a little scared that the tent was going to collapse in the wind. I asked if we could get a hotel room. Matt told me just to snuggle a little closer and he would keep me warm. So, I snapped a few pictures of the raindrops on the tent, snuggled a little closer and prayed morning would come soon.

I had just about fallen asleep when I heard Matt asking if they had a room available for the night.

Ten minutes later, we were comfortably settled down the street at a motel. We cranked up the heat, put our shoes in front of it to dry (we had been playing in Lake Superior earlier in the day and the exteriors of our shoes were still wet) and took long, hot showers before going to bed. It was wonderful to be completely dry and warm that night.

We called it an early Christmas present, since we stayed at the Christmas Motel in Christmas, Michigan.

Amazingly, our tent survived the night … Everything was just as we left it, although it was still so windy the next morning, it nearly blew away as we were trying to get it down. A neighboring camper had to help us! We weren’t able to pack it up, but we did manage to get everything into the car.

Of course, I had to scrapbook this crazy night.

While waiting for Matt to register us at the motel, I had taken pictures of the temperature and the rain on the windshield. The next morning, I took photos of the sign and outside of the motel. I used those, along with the pictures I had taken of the rain on the tent, to help tell the story on my page.

I also used the Mosaic Moments Arrow Die … it’s a versatile die because you can use either the inside or the outside or both together! I made a video to show you how it’s done … click here to watch.

Have you ever scrapbooked the weather?

NOTE: I was compensated for creating this video.

 

Back to Scrapbooking

lumberjack

I’ve been working on what I love … home decor, upcycling and mixed-media, but I still found time to do what I love most — scrapbooking. Here are a few of the pages I completed from my recent trip to the Upper Peninsula. The page above is of the Lumberjack Tavern in Big Bay, Michigan. This is the site of the murder the story and movie, “Anatomy of a Murder,” was based on. We were the only ones in the bar and the self-proclaimed town drunk, and bartender, filled our heads with all sorts of details about the murder and the filming of the movie. It’s a really cool place — and is currently for sale, if you’re interested in owning a piece of history in a very small town.

camping

I was excited to finally use this paper collection from Bo Bunny … I’ve been holding onto it for at least three years! We camped on the shores of Lake Superior.

trail

Two of the trails we explored … one was all boardwalk. The other was through a sandy woods along the lake. It used to be a beach. There was something really strange about being in a forest and hearing the waves lap along the shore! By the way, if you know what this lichen or fungus or whatever it is in these photos, please tell me. It is beautiful! I spent an hour online, but couldn’t identify it. It seemed to occur only in areas that had recently burned.

sasquatch

A highlight of our trip … this was the cutest Sasquatch I have ever had the privilege to meet. The sculpture was extremely well done.

pottery

We found this pottery in Marquette. I fell in love. We talked to one of the artists for quite some time and she let me take a few photos. It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen on a piece of pottery!

flip page

This one uses a flip page from Close to My Heart …

flip flop open

Here’s the open flap. The paper is from a new Bo Bunny collection … I love the foiled vellum deer and bear!