Tag Archives: Fall

Bier Art Gallery

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On our recent trip north to the tip of the mitten to see the beautiful fall trees, we also found some great art galleries.  Just south of Charlevoix is the Bier Art Gallery housed in a beautifully restored school house.  The gallery is owned by Ray and Tami Bier.  The Biers were both artists when they met and after marriage they began selling their stoneware pottery.  As time passed and they met many other artists they decided to purchase a place to showcase not only their art, but that of the many friends they had made through the years.

They purchased an old school house and turned it into the beautiful gallery it is today.

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Among the many different galleries in the school house is the pottery gallery which features the Bier’s art.  So many beautiful artifacts.  Since we have downsized this past year I had to just look but not buy.  It was so tempting though to purchase something.

The sculpture gallery was such a fun place.  So many different characters and ideas!

 

Beautiful pieces in the glass gallery – but I was afraid to even touch them lest I break one.

Many of the works in the metal gallery were actually displayed outside.  We thought of our youngest granddaughter, Zoe, and how she would love some of the displays.

Being a jewelry nut – a woman can never have too much jewelry – it was hard to walk through the jewelry gallery without buying something.  But I am proud of myself!  I resisted these beautiful pieces of art.

What a nice addition this gallery was to our trip.  Seeing the beauty God created in nature with all the fall colors and then seeing the beauty God also created through the talents He has given to men and women.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Wait Was Worth It!

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Home again after taking a trip to the top of the mitten to see the Tunnel of Trees.  Since moving to Michigan last year I have heard a lot about this short section of highway (approximately 27 miles) that follows the shore of Lake Michigan and the Little Traverse Bay.

Told by many how beautiful it is in the fall when the trees all turn beautiful shades of red, yellow and orange, I have waited all year to make the trip.

Was it worth it?

Yes – and no

Basically I was told three main things about the tunnel.  Two of which I found to be true.

The road was said to be very narrow.  Boy was it!  There is no center line painted on the road.  Many places were so narrow when we met another car one of us had to pull over on the tiny shoulder so the other car could go by.

I was told it was very windy.  Boy was it!  We would just get through one stretch of curves when we would find another one waiting.

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But there were no colors!  No oranges, reds or yellows!  The website for the Tunnel of Trees indicated that this time was the peak for the colors.

Disappointed!!!

I am guessing if we returned in a week we would find the colors and the beauty they talked about.

However, the trip was not in vain.  While there were no colors in the tunnel driving across the middle of the mitten getting to and from the tunnel there were colors everywhere.  We discovered that the trees near the lake turn colors slower than inland.

So – now we know.

While the tunnel was a disappointment – the trip was not.

 

Acres and acres of trees – as far as the eye could see – brilliant colors!

What an artist God is!  And what variety!  He could have made one tree – but look at all the different trees we have.

The wait was truly worth it!

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Off to the Tunnel of Trees

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Last year we moved to Michigan in October – just in time to enjoy the beautiful fall colors!  The street we moved to had big trees up and down the block and every time we went somewhere I loved driving down our street.

 

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We were told about a place on the northern part of the lower peninsula called the Tunnel of Trees.  It sounded like it would be gorgeous and I wanted to make the trip up north.  But, just moving in and trying to get settled that was not feasible  We did not have the time or the energy to make the trip.

All through the winter (which was not all that bad considering our home back in Illinois got clobbered with lots of snow), the dreary spring (where I came to understand the warning I had been given about Michigan cloudy days), and the magnificent summer with all the road trips spent exploring the state I waited for fall to come.

Today we head north and I am excited about seeing all the oranges, reds, yellows in the trees up north.

We made some trips up north this summer so I know there are lots of trees to see.  On one trip we stopped to get pictures of all the trees when we saw this sign.

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Seeing that warning we decided to just keep driving for awhile before stopping to take pictures.

While I do not want to run into any bears, I am so ready for this trip.  Like all things I have heard pros and cons about this stretch of road.  Most reports have been very positive telling me it will be beautiful and I will love the small towns along the way.  A few have said it was not that great and not really worth the trip.

Well – I will soon find out.  Knowing how I have always had a love affair with trees – and how I have so enjoyed my new state of Michigan because of all the trees, I think I will enjoy it.

Stay tuned for pictures – and you can decide if you think it was worth the wait!

 

 

 

 

Taking a Leisurely Fall Walk

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I love this time of year!

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Time for rides through the country.  Time for leisurely walks enjoying the beautiful colors of the trees.

We humans are not the only ones who enjoy a family walk this time of year.

Driving through the woods we had to stop to give this family of wild turkeys a chance to cross the road.

They took their sweet old time – no hurry here.

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What an Artist!!!

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It’s Fall!  My favorite time of year.  This year I am experiencing Fall in a new home in a new town in a new state.  Talk about change!

And I think I have moved to the perfect location to see all the beauty that God creates for us in the Fall.  Let’s hear it for Michigan!  These were just some of the views my husband and I saw on our drive through the country yesterday.

One of my favorite trees is the white birch tree.  The bark is so beautiful even in winter when the leaves are all gone.   In our home in Illinois we had three white birch trees and two paper birch trees.  I really hated leaving them when we moved.

But on our drive yesterday we discovered Michigan has a lot of white birch trees and they are at the height of their Fall beauty.

Spring is wonderful when the first blades of grass and flowers peek through and the leaves begin to appear on the trees.  Summer is gorgeous with all the various flowers in bloom.  Even Winter has its beauty with the fresh fallen snow.  But I think Fall is when God shows off!

I understand the science behind the change in the leave colors.  But I think of the Mind that designed such a process that brings such beauty to the world.

…the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.

Though I am probably taking this Bible verse out of context, I loved to think as we drove by all the beautiful trees they were praising God with their spectacular colors.

Yes, God is an artist and Fall is when He shows off His talent!

Thank you God for the beautiful display you give us every year!

 

What makes a man a Grandpa?

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My daughters “Shadow” and “Giggles” with their beloved Grandpa

I remember his big hands.  They were very large, yet always gentle.

I remember the love and care he gave my daughters after their father was killed in an accident.

I remember the nick names he gave to both of them.  My oldest daughter was “Giggles” and my youngest was “Shadow.”

I remember how he understood my deep grief and sorrow after my husband’s death in a way no one else in the family did because he had also lost his first wife in death.

I remember how he just stood by my side in silence with his big hand on my shoulder in the days following my husband’s death while others in the family would be sharing their opinion on why God had allowed Lonnie to be taken from me and my little daughters.   Or, how he would give me a hug at family gatherings when my heart ached for the empty spot at the table where my husband would have sat and no one else in the family even mentioned his name.  It seemed at times as if they had never seen him as a part of our family.  But I knew that Grandpa Gerling missed him along with me and my girls.  He never had to say a word.  His hand on my shoulder, his hug, his whisper to me “It will get better in time” said it all.

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My mother and step-father — Grandpa Gerling

He was not biologically a grandfather to my girls but if love counts for anything, he was their grandfather.  My husband’s family seemed too lost in their own grief after his death to offer any love or comfort to my daughters.  My own father had deserted me and my mother when I was 13 and although he came back into my life later, he was always very negative when we were around him and critical of me.  So, the only love they were shown by a grandfather was my stepdad, Grandpa Gerling.

He has been gone now for many years, but I still miss him.  I often think how much he would have enjoyed seeing my daughters’ children, how much he would have showered them with love.

This time of year, I always think of him.  In the fall he would always fix us his goulash.  My girls and I now make that dish – and remember his kindness and love to us.

He was not their “real’ grandfather.  They shared no DNA.  But he was the only “real” grandfather they knew.  Because what makes a man a grandfather is more than sharing his DNA, it is sharing his love.

So as fall comes and I think about the trips at this time of year to Mom and Cliff’s house for goulash, I thank God for giving my daughters a “real” grandpa.