My husband and I left home Thursday morning to driving rain, driving in our motorhome. Traffic was horrible. Several times we had to panic stop-not an easy thing in a motorhome. Thankfully, we arrived in Elk Rapids, just north of Traverse City without any issues. As you can see from the photo, the day ended up being beautiful. Twisted Fish Gallery is a wonderful place with a beautiful garden full of sculpture. My husband collected seeds from Lupins? Charlie has a wonderful garden.Late in the day we drove up to Mackinaw City to camp for the weekend. We had a campsite not far from Lake Huron, a beautiful site.
Friday we took the ferry over to Mackinac Island and spent the day touring stables owned by the wealthy "cottage owners" on the West Bluff. Several owners were gratious enough to give the tours personally and tell of the rich history of their houses and stables. We later sat up on the porch of the Grand Hotel and had a glass of wine and looked out over the Straits of Mackinac conecting Lake Huron with Lake Michigan. The day turned rainy, but we perservered and watched a parade of antique carriages down main street (no cars are allowed on the island).
Saturday was a special treat for my husband and I as we were invited to Bill Murcko's studio and home on the East bluff of Mackinac Island. Bill spends summer on the island and has a winter home outside of Detroit. He is very active with the Detroit Institute of Arts. Bill retired a couple of years ago and specializes in portraits in oil. He has very quickly excelled and is painting a new series for his second one-man shows in Washington D.C. One of his latest works in progress is on the easel next to Bill. Hope it wasn't a secret!!! Bill and his wife Betty were very gracious and gave us a tour of their gardens and view of Lake Huron from the bluff where their house sits. Betty, I discovered works with bats and has a huge bat house in their yard. I relayed the story of how we had to go through rabies shots because we discovered a bat in our bedroom. I know they do a lot of good getting rid of bugs, but I must admit I am a bit afraid of them!
We also visited with Mary Lou Peters who was the featured artist at Victorian Summer Gallery. Mary Lou lives in Mackinaw City and commutes quite often to the island. We had a wonderful time visiting outside while the tourists passed by.
We arrived home on Sunday and I am back to work painting.
till next time,
Gail
