Outside My Window

Happy New Year!!!

2010-01-01T00:01:00.000-05:00

Myspace Graphics, New Year Graphics at WishAFriend.com

Weren't we just worrying about Y2K? It seems like last year. Wishing you good health and much happiness.

Lake Michigan - Winter

2009-12-30T18:25:00.002-05:00

Lake Michigan has more ice on it than Lake Superior. As we drove along the shore of Lake Superior the waves were crashing on the shore, there was too much movement for ice to form.

The ice wasn't far out on Lake Michigan but there was ice and as we crossed the Mackinac Bridge there was lots of ice floats. It's hard to imagine there are still huge ore carriers on the Lakes.

2009-12-29T13:00:00.000-05:00

The Manistique Waterworks always facinates me. Does anyone know the history of this structure?

2009-12-28T18:18:00.002-05:00

Old barns and building make very interesting photos. Do you think this one will make the winter?

Fire Update

2009-12-27T17:28:00.002-05:00

Arson has not been ruled out in the fire that destroyed the Surplus Outlet Store in downtown Houghton.

The fire destroyed the apartments on the second floor of the building on Shelden Avenue, and severely damaged the contents of the store, which sells outdoor equipment and clothing, on the first floor. The store contained approximately $500,000-worth of inventory.

The owners would like to rebuild the store. If that happens it looks like the entire second floor would have to be demolished. They hope to be able to salvage the first floor.

There are signs on the windows of the building offering a reward for information about the possibility of arson causing the fire although the investigation is ongoing and no reports have been received.

Fire in Downtown Houghton.

2009-12-26T11:00:00.001-05:00

Many of you are familiar with the Surplus Outlet Store in Downtown Houghton. It was destroyed by fire this morning. The fire started about 3:30 AM. The building also contained 6 apartments.

There were no reports of injury in the fire but loosing the Surplus store will be a huge loss to downtown Houghton.

Click here to see a photo posted on the Daily Mining Gazette homepage.

Wishing you Peace..

2009-12-25T10:03:00.000-05:00

Now that the hussle and bussle to get ready for Christmas is past, may you find the Peace, Joy, and Love of Christmas. May it be with you thoughout the year. Merry Christmas!

It begins early

2009-12-24T08:24:00.000-05:00

It's Christmas Eve and I needed to be on the roads for only 10 miles but they are not in good condition. Along with the snow, the roads are icy underneath that snow. You don't need to leave your car outside for long to need to brush the snow off again.

I hope you are all ready for Christmas and have a fun fill day and Christmas.

Storm in the making

2009-12-23T08:22:00.000-05:00

Santa must love this weather. The weatherman is predicting a snow storm for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Be safe out there. Allow plenty of time to get to your destination. I'll be worried about each and every one of you.

Smurfit-Stone Container

2009-12-22T06:00:00.002-05:00

It's a sad day for Ontonagon. After a year of uncertainty it was announced that the Smurfit-Stone Container Plant will permanently close.

The announcement comes after a series of layoffs at the mill, the most recent in September. The company has stated that there is too much product on the market. The closure will impact one hundred eighty two employees and their families plus numerous loggers and other vendors.

A Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation mill in Missoula, Mont., which employs 417 workers, will operate until Dec. 31 and then close the doors permanently as well.

The company has stated that the decisions to close the plants were made to ensure the company's long-term growth and profitability and do not reflect on the hard work and commitment of the employees at the Ontonagon and Missoula mills.

We've all thought that the economy is improving. Try and convince Ontonagon.

Send money..

2009-12-21T12:52:00.000-05:00

Hey, we're living on a fixed income. We can't afford another increase in the cost to cross the Mackinac Bridge. Kim.. send money so we can visit.

The toll for passenger vehicles to cross the Mackinac Bridge goes from $3 to $3.50 effective Jan. 1. Tolls for motor homes, buses and large trucks increases from $3.50 to $4.50 per axle.

The increases are part of a series of gradual fare boosts the Mackinac Bridge Authority approved in December 2007. The authority voted by 2014 to increase fares for passenger vehicles to $4.50 and trucks and motor homes to $6.

They say the increase is for essential maintenance work on the 52-year-old span. The Mighty Mac is expected to undergo a complete deck replacement within a decade.

The bridge is maintained and operated exclusively with tolls. There hasn't been a time in recent years where I haven't seen repairs on the bridge. It is constant.

Just kidding about the fixed income. He's retire, I'm not. I think we can handle the increase, at least for this year but I'll let you know about 2014.

Winter Driving

2009-12-20T06:00:00.003-05:00

Most years you'd be thinking you are glad you don't live here. This year much of the country looks like this. Do you think we can all fit in Florida? How far south do we need to go to get away from the snow

Michigan Tech Huskies

2009-12-19T19:45:00.000-05:00

Are there any MTU Alumni out there? I thought you'd like to see the sky boxes in the ice arena.

I wish the team had been practicing but no such luck. You get pictures of an empty arena.

MTU Alumni

2009-12-18T00:00:00.000-05:00

Are you a Michigan Tech Alumni? Do you miss MTU? Do you miss the winter? I thought I'd remind you of what it was like for you.

Prospective student? Don't let the snow discourage you. You are young and can handle it. There is a lot to do in the winter, most notable would be to work on a snow statue for Winter Carnival. Something tells me they will have all the snow they need this year.

Almost 5 feet of snow.

2009-12-17T06:00:00.000-05:00

Really. Houghton/Keweenaw County have really been hit with snow. For those of you who don't live in a snow belt, that doesn't mean you can measure 5' of snow. Snow settles and compacts. On the ground, if you were to measure in an open area, let me guess you'd find 12" to 18".

Hamar House, Chassell

2009-12-16T11:53:00.001-05:00

This is the Hamar House in Chassell. It's a Bed and Breakfast. It's for sale!! Does the snow help or hurt when trying to sell something like this.

Here's a link to the Chassell website.

New Web Site

2009-12-15T07:16:00.000-05:00

Watch for a new web site promoting the Keweenaw.

The soon to be created site will be host to 10 or more entities which includes governments, schools, higher education institutions and housing organizations.
Best of all the site will have no corporate sponsorship and no advertising, is intended to inform people about the Keweenaw area.

The idea to create the site came from Portage Health, which was recruiting a doctor to come to the hospital. The doctor was unable to find much information about the area online, and chose to go to Bozeman, Mont. instead.

The purpose of the site will be to inform people of not only the area's natural features, but also what services and institutions are available.

I'll let you know when the site is up and running. It doesn't sound that unique to me but I already live here and probably haven't searched for the kind of info it will contain.

Elections

2009-12-14T09:00:00.000-05:00

And you thought you had it rough listening to months and months of campaign advertisements. We have more than you. Our area has Tribal Elections for the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community. Yet another set of elections for those who belong to the KBIC. Those who don't belong still get to see and ear the ads, a necessary part of any election

And the unofficial results are in from Saturdays election:

Three of the four tribal council incumbents were re-elected, as well as Chief Judge Bradley T. Dakota. Incumbents Jerry Lee Curtis and Warren "Chris" Swartz Jr. won in the Baraga District election, narrowly beating out Debbie Parrish and Donny Shalifoe Sr.

In the L'Anse District, newcomer Eddy Michael Edwards was the top vote-getter, earning 294 votes, while incumbent Susan J. LaFernier held her seat with 271 votes.
Incumbent Jennifer Misegan had 159 votes in a bid for reelection.

Dakota earned 201 more votes than Paul Smith to retain his position as the chief judge. The chief judge serves a three year term. Curtis, Swartz, Edwards and LaFernier will all start three-year terms on the 12-member council beginning in January.

The results will not be certified until the January regular meeting of the KBIC council.

Busy, Busy

2009-12-12T18:31:00.002-05:00

We decided to do some Christmas shopping in Marquette today. We got and early start so the drive was slow. The roads were still a little snow covered and slippery under that. We made it safely with no problems and didn't see any other cars in the ditch so I'm assuming we yoopers have adapted to winter driving conditions.

Many of the stores in Marquette opened early again this week. It was great shopping early, the stores were not crowed at all. Great deals too.

The Sun Shines

2009-12-11T18:08:00.000-05:00

It's bitter cold but the sun is shining, at least in Baraga County. In some areas the temperature was below zero. At noon it was 9 degrees. The body hasn't adjusted from the warm November temperatures. This sudden change to cold is a difficult adjustment.

The sun was wonderful but with all our fresh sparkly white snow we needed sun glasses. That's a good think. Any time we see the sun after December 1st our spirits automatically lift.

Not all areas of the UP we luck enough to see and end to the snow. Several people coming from the Houghton area had a difficult drive. Northern Houghton County had storm conditions most of the day. Lake Superior causes varied weather patterns across the UP until the Lake freezes and I'm not ready for that yet.

The storm continues

2009-12-10T22:03:00.002-05:00

Today the Houghton/Keweenaw Schools are closed and most of the other schools have reopened. The roads are snow covered and icy but we're used to that.

The snow totals varied across the UP. Ironwood had 27 inches and the Marquette area 24 inches. Areas away from Lake Superior near the Wisconsin border only manage a scant 4 inches of snow. Lucky them.

The good news? Many of the ski hills are open. There's enough snow to use a snow machine or snow shoes. Dave's happy, he got to use the snow blower. Men and their toys!

It will take us a few days to make up for all the postponed events. We had no mail on Wednesday. FEDEX just called and said they had a package for me, their plane just got in. Sears called and said the order I placed with them that should have arrived today won't be in until Saturday or Monday. The truck was stuck in Chicago. Nice time of year for delays like that.

Winter Storm Warnings

2009-12-09T18:00:00.001-05:00

Yes, we had snow, lots of snow. It was difficult to tell how much because it was blowing and drifting. Some spots had an inch and others two feet, like right outside my garage door.

Schools across the UP were closed with the exception of the Houghton/Keweenaw Schools. They were spared the worst of the storm for today anyway.

There were numerous roll over accidents reported. It was slippery under all that snow. I didn't hear any report of injuries in our area.

A Yooper's entertainment..

2009-12-07T05:00:00.002-05:00

I'll bet you don't see wood piles like this in the city. Many people in the area have huge outside wood burners that require lots of wood to keep them going. Some people have the wood burners in town and run them all year to heat their hot water. Some towns are banning the outdoor burners because to the smell. You may be thinking that wood smoke is a nice smell but it isn't a nice smell all the time. My husband tells me that the kind of wood they burn makes a big difference.

A touch of color

2009-12-06T21:41:00.000-05:00

These berries really stand out when there are no leaves on the trees.

Darn Deer

2009-12-05T21:36:00.000-05:00

Mom is not happy. She hit a deer on the way home from church. See what happens when the hunters don't get them, they get us!

I should mention that Mom is fine but naturally upset. The deer is no where to be found even though he got hit pretty good. There was plenty of damage to the vehicle and also plenty of hair left as proof that it was indeed a deer.

Every day we hear of car deer accidents. Be careful out there, those deer are on the run.