Early Fall in Michigan's UP

If you saw the firetruck below then you know that we worked out our problems about uploading pictures to the blog. Well, OK, Nancy found the problem. We have been having this type of problem since we installed a new pop-up blocker. We just never know what it's going to block. She fixed it just in time to upload these pictures from the U P taken while we were working the fair at Kinross Mi. These pics were taken at the end of August from the front door of our photo trailer. We can not remember seeing the colors change so early up here. The dull brown shows the lack of rainfall this year in Michigan's U P. Normally the fall colors are blazing up here. We have left the northland and are now in Allegan Mi. for the Allegan Co. Fair.

BCYF

This blog will not let me post a picture today so I will have to be satisfied with a pictureless post.
That's tough to do when you make your living with a camera. We are at the Berrien County Youth Fair in Berrien Springs Mich. This is one of our favorite fairs as it has everything a fairgoer could want. Today there is a large fire truck across the street and they are demonstrating the ladders and lift bucket(aka the cherry picker). The truck has hydraulic lifts that lift the whole firetruck off the ground and makes it level so that they can send the bucket up 4 stories. I'll try again to upload the pictures.

2007 Season

At this date we are two festivals into our 07 season. The first two were new, the Rhapsody in Green at Elkhart, Indiana and the Water Festival at Three Rivers, Michigan. The two shows were good for first timers and we would definately go back to them, however the first show will need some scrutiny as to next years placement. We are in Flint, Mi. today getting ready to leave for Algonac for the Pickerel Festival. We did this fest last year and were very pleased with the outcome.

These festivals are good for trying out new procedures and equipment. There was a problem with the flash attachment which has been fixed and this week we will be installing a new cis for the Epson 1280 printer, (cis stands for continuous ink system). We are hoping this will save us $$$ that we will probably put in our gas tanks. Gas prices have forced a rise in our prices this year. So far the new prices have not been a problem, but this will be the first time we will see last year's customers.

This must be the Bush administration's remedy for the soaring national debt, (now close to 9 tril), raise the rate of inflation so that the debt doesn't look so bad. Sorry I didn't mean to get so political but I really hate to have to raise my prices just because of the stupidity that is coming out of Washington. It's going to be a long 18 months.

We will have more from Algonac with pictures.

Reflections

For the past few months we have been posting about camphosting at Georgia's Ft. Yargo State Park. We left that park after volunteering for five months and are now traveling to Michigan to work the summer fairs.

We very much enjoyed our stay in Ga. and look forword to comming back in the fall. Over the years we have returned to this place for a few weeks at a time because it is only twenty miles from Eric & LeAnn. During this time we have come to know the staff and now regard them as old friends, so much so that returning is like comming home.

So we reflect on the incredible beauty of the park and the hard working people on the staff who keep it that way. Eric Bently (not to be confused with our son Eric Doyle), Claire, Artie, Cathleen, Debbie, Kiri, Jessica, Larry, Rhonda, Eloise, Wes, Chris, Lucas, Jud and our gatekeepers, we want to say thank you for your hard work and your friendship.

You are our extended family.

Leo & Peg

Leo & Peg Murray, from Flushing, Mi. took over as camphosts after our short stint nine years ago. They have had that post all these years and have become very good friends of ours. Also it is common knowledge among several park managers that leo & Peg have set the standard for camphosting in Georgia State Parks.

The Littlest Ranger

Meet Kevin Murray. He is the grandson Of Leo & Peg Murry who have been camphosts at Ft. Yargo for the last nine years. It is well known that Kevin is one of the hardest working volunteers at the park.

On Camphosting

Coming to the end of our stay at Ft. Yargo and thinking of the last 5 months. There have been some interesting moments, some hectic days, and some really terrific people in our lives. One of best things about being a camp host is that our job discription is to be nice to people. Well, OK, sometimes it is difficult, like when a cubscout leader is trying to burn two ten foot logs crisscrossed over a two foot fire pit and throwing piles of pine needles into the fire sending flames high into the trees during a drought. It makes you wonder what he is trying to teach these youngsters. Then you meet campers like Nardy & Brent Hudson who are the nicest people you would ever want to know. You also get to work with some of the best people you will ever meet, fellow camphosts Leo & Peg, Bill & Darline, Ed & Gail and Ed & Avis just to name a few.

It takes a special kind of person to dedicate his or her life to working with mother nature to protect and preserve the wonders that the rest of the world take for granted. The staff and all of the volunteers at this park and all of the Georgia State Parks are these kind of people and we are proud to call them our friends.

The Real Ft. Yargo

The couple shown here are members of the local historical society. Thier clothing was made by hand, following patterns as old as Fort Yargo.

Yes there is a real Ft. Yargo. What makes this small building a fort is the presence of rifle slots on the front and rear walls about shoulder high and to the right and left doors. The pictures shown above, clockwise are, the front of the building, an interior shot of the fireplace in the single room, a rear view and workers wearing period clothing and using tools from the early 1800s who are busy building a cooking shed. An interesting note; the materials for the shed are from a 100 year old barn that was severly damaged when a tornado ripped through this park. The tornado came through here following hurricane Katrina. Inside the fort is the single room with a stairway that leads to a loft for sleeping. It is said that the ghost of Mr. Humphries, a former resident, can be heard walking around in the loft late at night.

Easter Sunday

Cherry Blossoms and a Daffodil are our Easter Greeting to you. We are going to Eric and LeAnn's for dinner today. More pics of the southern GKs for the blog.

Love to All on this beautiful, but cool Easter Day.

Our park is finding it's way into spring. These are only a few of the flowers that are blooming all over the state right now. It just seems as though it's all happening right here. Above are (clockwise) oriental non-fruit-bearing cherry trees, southeastern redbud and my favorite, dogwoods, two views. This last weekend the temps were in the 90's and that caused an explosion of color, the most dominant being a very light green in all of the treetops.