Water!

We learned that our well driller was finally going to make it up the first week in June to complete the installation.  It has taken 18 months since we contracted the company to get to this point.  Ridiculous!  Apparently, wells in this community can range from 40 feet to 240 feet.  Ours came in at 260 feet- of course!  They installed a constant pressure pump which one of us had to be present for in order to be sure that they kept the footprint small since we are limited on space.  I took the opportunity to head up by myself for a few days and worked from the comfort of my camp chair with dogs at my side.

This was not only the first time up at the cabin for the dogs, but it was their first adventure together since we lost Sola in February.  RIP Sola!

I took the opportunity to do a few things that I had been wanting to do but typically didn’t have time because we spend so much time working on the cabin.  The dogs and I hiked from Christmas Cove all of the way to Cat Head Bay.  We only passed on group of guys hanging out on the beach and other than that we didn’t see a soul.  They were off-leash so we practiced recall with my treat bag on my side.

I also brought a couple of old canoe paddles that I had sanded and stained before I left.  I sat outside next to the fire pit and painted until it became too dark to see.  These paddles will eventually hang just below the peak of the roof and above the front door.

I really wanted to be sure that as we continue to visit up here we are supporting local businesses.  So, on this trip I managed to get to 9 Bean Rows for croissants, fresh greens, pea shoots and fennel and salt whole grain bread.  YUM!  I also attended the farmer’s market in Northport on Friday for the first time and purchased a small bumbleberry pie from Sweetie Pies and a block of smoked butter from Boss Mouse Artisan Cheese.  We cooked asparagus from our garden in tin foil over a fire using the smoked butter.  I think I will need the butter in my life from this point forward.

Once Tim arrived, we took the opportunity to hide treasures all over the peninsula and create a scavenger hunt for my sister and her husband’s honeymoon.  I purchased gift cards from several of our favorite small businesses in Leelanau County, wrapped them in plastic and duct tape along with a clue and left them in various locations for them to find.  We love to support businesses in Fishtown including The Village Cheese Shanty and Carlson’s Fish.

We finally got down to business with a fresh coat of paint on the cabin.  We decided to stick with blue but went a little brighter and darker to compliment the orange door.  We decided that because we love our banana trees at our home in Mattawan, we would like to transplant some up at the cabin to give it a little bit of a tropical flare.  We also finally came up with a name for the cabin and are excited to get working on a sign.  You’ll have to wait until we have a sign hanging party to know the name!