The Diva

We discovered something interesting on this trip. It's all about Marilyn.....Monroe! It started with our ferry trip to Mackinac Island. The minute we boarded, other passengers began oohing and aaahing and asking if they could pet her. Marilyn would gaze at them with her baby brown eyes, bat her lashes, and wiggle a bit and settle into a love fest. Men, women, children,shop keepers, all enthralled with her story of service, and her current retirement status. People brought her her own water bottle and dog treats for the road trip. She loved her first grilled chicken breast sandwich, with a side of fries. After a long day of walking around the island, I was afraid I might have worn her out. She stumbled a bit on ferry steps and flung herself down on the deck for a snooze, then slept on the drive back to Nina.

The next day, however, we again discovered that Marilyn was the star attraction of any tourist stop. While we looked at the scenery, others looked at Marilyn. We met quite a few dog lovers. Most would ask tentatively if she was a poodle, and then we'd have to explain all about her bad hair cut (see earlier blogpost for details)  One lady went too far, we thought, when she remarked, "Oh, she's just a poodle, not a golden doodle. " WELL! We soon set her straight!!!

In case you are wondering, as I was, just how far north this part of Michigan is, see the billboard above! That doesn't quite tell you how lovely it up here, though. It is clean, quiet, beautiful, and everyone seems friendly and relaxed. One man asked where we were from, and when I said Ohio he quickly  responded, "Oh, I'm so sorry!"  Ha, I thought that was pretty funny! (Since I'm not a fan of football-I wasn't offended.)

We drove down the coast yesterday, from Petosky,where we are staying, down through Charlevoix, and further south to Traverse City, then up Rt 37 to Old Mission Peninsula. When I inquired about the   piles of rocks stacked in the water, I was told people stack a rock and make a wish. See my rock below (the wet one).

I hope it doesn't spoil anything to tell you I wished for a long happy and healthy retirement.....

We stopped at several farm stands to sample the apples and peaches. Skeptics that we are, we noticed a few boxes that said the produce was from Mexico. No worries, tho, we didn't point it out to the other customers.

Today, it is raining and cooler. After a gander through Harbor Springs, our favorite town thus far, we've settled back for a quiet afternoon at the campground.  Ron and Marilyn are napping, and I'm going to pick up my needlepoint and knitting projects-the first time I've touched them since before we    left Ohio five days ago!! Later,we'll squire Miss Daisy, I mean, Miss Monroe around for her daily dose of  ooohs and aaahs. Don't worry, Kate and Jack are getting extra attention from Jim back at our house. In fact, I suspect that they don't miss Marilyn at all!