During July, which slipped away just last week, I reveled in the cool temperatures of Northern Michigan and sagged and sweated in the sultry 95-degree days in Clinton County, Kentucky. I took many photographs in each location, but I failed to write any blog posts last month. Now, with summer camp over, I’m immersed in the comedy/drama of trying to work from home whilst siblings squabble in the background, I’m not sure when I will be able to dedicate my time and thoughts to writing. So instead of researching and pondering, I’ll share a smattering of photos from my travels.
Lake front cottages in Oscoda, Michigan.
This was only my second trip to the Great Lakes – many years ago, I spent a week at a friend’s family house on Lake Michigan in Traverse City. While I would love to go back and see the historic districts in Traverse City, I found the early to mid-20th century lake cottages along Lake Huron charming.
Alas, this was not a trip of my own dictates, so I only snatched photos of a few cottage courts from the car. (My ideal vacation involves the beach in October, a day or two of historic architecture-gazing, and many, many books.) My husband, bless his heart, did take me out for ice cream one evening and then drove me around so I could photograph a few historic buildings – I believe he hoped the twin effects of sugar and architecture would keep me contented for the week.
The Tawas Point Lighthouse and Keeper’s House.
Our first historic site in Michigan was the Tawas Point Lighthouse, a circa 1876 brick lighthouse that stands around 67 feet high. Attached to the lighthouse is a 1.5-story brick keeper’s house. Kentucky is not a lighthouse state, so I ferret them out whenever we travel.
Shifting sand dictated the construction of the 1876 lighthouse to replace its 1850s predecessor, and by 2016, the lighthouse was again too far inland to serve its intended purpose. The Coast Guard erected a modern light on a pole (aesthetically lacking, but it gets the job done) on the “new” Tawas Point.
The Au Sable River.
We spent one day tubing on the lazy Au Sable River. The most important lesson I learned is that I am not lazy enough for a five-hour tubing ride. My youngest child lost his hat in an expanse of lily pads, and after many tears and wails, he fell asleep (which was a blessing for us all).
I wished fervently for an outboard motor to speed our trip along, but the wind was blowing against us, so we just…drifted. And drifted. It was beautiful, but water and cameras don’t mix for me, so I just enjoyed the landscape and the enforced “relaxation.”
The Lumberman’s Monument at the Huron-Manistee National Forests Lumberman’s Monument Visitor Center. It was built in 1931 by sculptor Robert Ingersoll Aitken.
Toward the end of our stay, we made a pilgrimage to a historic, 1930s roadside attraction (my idea, of course!) by the name of Dinosaur Gardens.
A historic image showing the Brontosaurus under construction.
Originally known as “Domke’s Prehistorical Zoo Gardens” in Ossineke, Michigan, the roadside attraction sprang from the mind of Paul Domke, a native of northern Michigan who returned there during the Great Depression. A Navy veteran and former church decorator, Domke dreamed of recreating the prehistoric past. The self-taught artist sculpted over a dozen dinosaurs, based on his research at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC, and the Field Institute in Chicago, Illinois.
One of Domke’s creations at Dinosaur Gardens.
One of the most beautiful parts of this folk art attraction was not the dinosaurs (which were incredible), but the setting – tall trees, ferns, and filtered sunlight – a balm to my soul and skin.
Returning to the Upland South (that is, Central Kentucky) was akin to entering a blast furnace. That feeling of slowly melting only intensified as I left home again for a week in Clinton County, this time for work.
A collection of historic barns and corncribs in Clinton County, Kentucky.
While I am devoted to Kentucky’s historic agricultural landscapes, I am not so enamored of fieldwork on 95-degree days.
My first morning in the field, trudging along the side of the road in my usual fashionable ensemble of hiking pants, bright yellow highway safety vest, and large straw hat, an extraordinarily nice gentleman stopped and insisted I take a popsicle from the box he had just purchased at the store. It was only 10:30 in the morning, but his kindness was greatly appreciated (although I shudder to think how bedraggled I must have looked to prompt his gesture).
A shed roof entrance to a root cellar. I like the inclusion of the four-light window on the side to shed some light on the steps descending underground.
One of the necessities of fieldwork in a rural area is that I must pull into every property and notify the residents/property owner of my presence and request permission to document their historic buildings. According to a local I spoke with after my week of fieldwork wrapped up, I played a starring role in every security camera for six miles or so up and down the highway.
Cave Springs Cemetery and a tobacco barn, Clinton County, Kentucky.
Despite the sweltering heat, I enjoyed spending time in a Kentucky county that I’d previously only passed through.
One of the many tiny friends I met.
I saw some great historic buildings, met many four-legged friends (the dogs were always too busy to sit still for a photo), and thanked my lucky stars for my good fortune in doing what I love, and the opportunity to tell stories from many parts of the Bluegrass.
Now, if I can just catch up on my real work, I might be able to spend some time on research for blog posts that are more than travelogues!
Love your posts and pictures.
All are enjoyable……..you always are able to put a smile on my face…thanks!!