Marty and Donna came to our place, and we hit up a local antique shop and 2 junk shops. Marty bought 2 interesting little bottles for his honey business (Marty's Bee Farm - "Where Everyone Gets a RAW Deal"). We grilled some steaks and watched NASCAR - just a laid-back day in the Keweenaw.
Sunday was our church picnic. Marty and Donna attended the morning service with us at Keweenaw Baptist Church, and we all headed to the Calumet Waterworks Park for the picnic that afternoon. It was considerably cooler next to Lake Superior and some folks weren't prepared with jackets, so the decision was made after the meal to return to the church for the afternoon service instead of having it at the park. It still seemed too early to go home after that service, so we headed to Hancock for some exploring.
Marty is always interested in the local copper mining history, and he knew of the existence of an old water tower near the site of the Quincy Mine. He always wanted to find it and photograph it. I did a little research about it and found a map on the Internet. It's the last remaining railroad water tower in the region, and we found it. Actually, Marty found it. The rest of us were totally mesmerized with the beautiful view from that hill and the 2 lovely homes across the road from the water tower. This is what you could see of the water tower from the car.
I zoomed in for the next one.
We did some more sightseeing in Houghton - showing them things like the waterfront, the "fast food strip" and the Houghton County Courthouse.
Time for more food? Hey, why not? We couldn't allow Marty and Donna to leave the Keweenaw without tasting the fish tacos and Cheesecake Xangos ("rich, smooth cheesecake rolled in a melt-in-your mouth, flaky pastry tortilla then fried to a golden brown") from Joey's in Houghton. I'm convinced that Cheesecake Xangos will be served in heaven. They're that good!
OK, let's take the long way back to Calumet in order to stop by Lakeview Cemetery to find the grave of local boy, George "The Gipper" Gipp, as in "Win just one for the Gipper."
His life story is an interesting one. If you would like to read more about it, click on the following links:
We relaxed at home with Marty and Donna for the rest of the evening. They spent the night in our "guest room" in the basement and headed home to lower Michigan early the next morning. We had a great time with them all week and are already looking forward to next year. We all have reservations for July 3rd and 4th in Copper Harbor again. Now. . . if we can just convince them to be in the parade with us. We have some great ideas!
All is well in the Keweenaw.
Sad to see this final posting of our trip to the Keweenaw. The hosts were cordial, the scenery was outstanding and the memories were abundant. Just remember if you are ever invited to the Hamilton Hotel, bring your coffee cup and be sure to pour yourself a hot cup of their specially blend coffee. Famously called the Yooper blend or sometimes called the girly drink.
ReplyDeleteForgot to add at the end...Feet up, sit back and enjoy!
DeleteActually, we usually refer to our coffee as the "Hamilton House Blend." It takes 2 people to make our special blend. I grind and mix the 3 types of coffee. (Proportions are not disclosed to the general public.) Then, Steve uses some sort of secret measuring system to put it in the coffee maker. When one of us tries to do the entire process by ourselves, it doesn't work.
ReplyDeleteMost coffee houses "brew" in Keweenaw is generally quite strong. Some have even labeled it as tar water. The Hamilton House Blend is a fresh alternative to a Juan Valdez on steroids type brew. Next time a grab a cup of that Hamilton House Blend I will try to be more appreciate of this fine brew and try to remember " when in doubt, pinky out.
ReplyDelete