We welcome another new addition to our Guest Gallery... Neil Harri has joined the family and starts us out this week with a lofty view of the mouth of the Big Betsy River. It's been awhile since I've taken a drive out that way, so I was surprised to see the new homes that have been built around her. Plus, the clarity of Lake Superior never ceases to amaze me, especially when viewed from above. Check out the little white speck just to the left of where the mouth of the river enters the Big Lake... I think it's a seagull...

Happy Flag Day! Don't forget to fly yours, celebrating our great Flag!

Good Morning! Terrific picture.

Welcome Back Mary!!!!

Beautiful shot! And a welcome addition to the galleries!

Good Monday Morning!
Awesome shot!

Good Morning from Wisconsin. What is the dark color flowing from the river and why is the shoreline so dark?

Notice how deep blue the river water is? That's one of the sources of Parker ink. They'll send a tanker up occasionally for a load. Torch Lake gets that deep blue color also. Another great source for ink.

It is the tannen in the water from the leaves of the trees. It stains the water like tea

Roudy :) are you trying to start something.

Nice. Wasn't it tannines in the water, turning it to ink?

That's the secret ingredient that makes our coffee taste so good "UP" here.....

Beautiful! Mornin'

You should check out Neil's aerial picture of Calumet on June 4th. Very cool.

What beautiful pictures! Loved them all Neil - thank you so much for sharing! One of these days I want to be able to experience the Keweenaw from a bird's point of view.

The natural beauty of the Keweenaw area is astounding, and perhaps reflective of the following note --

As memory serves, one of Keweenaw's finest and an avid Pasty Cam viewer/contributor achieves her sixth decade of mysterious and adventurous living today:

!!__HAPPY FABULOUS BIRTHDAY --
!!________ LOIS HART _________

-- from a childhood admirer -- tho' our paths have not crossed in 4.(something) of those decades.

With the Pistons win last night, it looks like the Governator is well on his way to "Eating Pasty"! -- Can't Wait!!!

Great picture of Big Betsy,my favorite place to stay when in the up, My mother and brother in law have camps there and neil is another brother in law who takes great pictures.Trying to get there sometime in july,wish they had jet service into houghton (cmx).

Mike, Detroit & Whitehall:
Well Mike, if Arnie doesn't want that Pasty, you can send it my way!

All along I thought my feet turned blue cuz the water is so cold!

Confirm the tannin's.

With all the spring rains, we've washed down all the decaying organic debris from the uplands.

AHHHH, Little Betsy! Can't wait to get there, maybe this month and in August! Also October and of course November 15th, best place in the world!Great Pic today, thanks!

Wasn't that a great game last night? Go Pistons!

Good Morning!

Only 12 more days till I'm hanging out with the Yoopers!

They do have jet service into CMX - but it's very expensive!

GREAT picture!

Dad always told us kids that the "root beer water" came from the cedar swamps which are so plentiful in the UP. I know that's not wrong, but did he fall somewhat short of being right?

What a picture!! Sure wish i could take them THAT GOOD!! HAPPY FLAG DAY.

Do the rivers in the UP flood often or at all? Can't help
but wonder.... those houses are built so close to the Big
Betsy!

Wonder if there is anyone who has knowledge of the "St. John de Baptiste Society", which apparently flourished in Lake Linden at the turn of the century??...it was celebrated on June 21 or 24...and I guess the French children looked forward to it even more than July 4th. It must have been a holiday brought here from Quebec, Canada. Was told my grandfather, Jacques Pierre Boudreau, was President of the society and he would lead the parade dressed in a white uniform with a plumed hat riding a white horse......it must have been a religious holiday.

Teri - Farmington Hills - I heard very recently that the service from Oakland County Airport to CMX is no longer in operation. My Dad used it once this past March and it was great. He was the only passenger though, which could explain why they no longer make that trip!

rob in dc....No, your dad was mostly right. The 'root beer color' does indeed come in part from the Cedar and Hemlock swamps as a result of tannic acid from the trees. Oak trees also have the tannic acid. But it also comes from decaying organic matter on the ground. We have had a lot of rain this spring and as a result the 'root beer water' is in large abundance this year.

I understood the reason the water in the rivers and inland lakes is primarily brown is because of the rich iron content in the water. Anyone know for sure? Just got back from a glorious visit to the U.P. Brought back some Eino and Toivo Pasty Sauce...have to say that having eaten many pasties while visiting, they are NOT all created equal! Also came back with some souvenirs from the mosquitos! Lovely itchy bites! ALL of the bugs were there to greet us....no see ums, gnats, black flies, mosquitos and deer flies...wasn't that thoughtful of them? I felt blessed to see several bald eagles and loons....watched an eagle dip down into a lake and pull out a large fish....this happened while I was sitting in my brother's boat with a line out trying to catch one too....seems I only fed the fish some juicy worms. It's been awhile since I visited the U.P. and I have to say that every single person I met there was incredibly friendly, helpful and genuine. Youse guys are some hardy folks, I tip my hat to ya.

another Pasty recipe from the BBC...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A2503289

and click on the Michigan link. The UP resembles a rabbit?

Go Pistons!



Still in time to order for Father's Day

Teri There hasn't been Jet service to CMX since Republic pulled out. Only Turbo props sofar!!!

I'm sure Gov. Schwarzenegger is familiar with Pastys since he is a graduate of UW-Superior

Ahhhnold may have had a pasty before, but I'm wondering if it was at UW Superior. He got an "individualized" correspondence degree from there that required minimal on campus presence. No offense meant to UW Superior or alums.

For more info on that program see: U of W Extended Degree Program

FYI, if you pull up the pictures in the Guest Gallery and click once again on the picture it will enlarge. Easy to find your house, etc. in the shots of the towns. Nice picture today!

Eino the wonder boy,
I visited the BBC page and am still wondering if it was meant as a joke or if they really think like that.

Kate, CA: The water is coloured more from the tannin than from iron.

Also, what's with the "polka" dots for troll-land?

To Kate in CA and others suffering from bug/fly bites: I talked to someone yesterday who said he was recently so covered with bites on his head that he jumped into the shower for relief, lathered with Head & Shoulders shampoo, and after leaving it on for a few minutes, he rinsed and discovered with amazement that he didn't itch any more. So, then another day when he was bit on the arm, he simply lathered the itchy bite(s) generously with Head & Shoulders and found immediate relief. Haven't tried it myself, but I'm passing this tip along in case anyone wants to try it. And, if it doesn't work, you won't have lost anything because you'll have shampoo for the next month or so.

Another friend uses a paste of meat tenderizer on her bites. As a new Yooper, I accept all recommendations for alleviating the agony of insect bites. Last summer while visiting the UP, I sat on a log which unfortunately was infested with some sort of little insects and for the next three days, my butt and upper thighs itched something awful. So for any "city kids" out there, don't sit on a log until you inspect it carefully. In retrospect, while the bites gave me some sleepless nights, I did enjoy viewing magnificent Lake Superior at the Tamarack Water Works while eating a picnic lunch.

Andytofu, it sounds like chiggers may have been the
culprits. Were they tiny red mites?
We use Adolf's meat tenderizer, too, for stings- at least
for yellowjackets. The papayin in it is soothing.
As for mosquitoes, nothing quite relieves the itching
than the ol' childhood remedy of making an 'x' with your
fingernail... just my 2centsworth...

CCfan, thanks for your note. Don't know if my bites were caused by chiggers or tiny red mites because I simply didn't see anything moving when I happily plopped myself on that log. But whatever insects they were, they did a job on me and the itch sure was indescribable!

It sure feels good when you scratch it, No?

Mary Lou

MY Father joseph RACINE PLAYED THE PART OFF JOHN THE BAPTIST. WHEN HE WAS FOUR YEAR OLD/ HE HAD LONG CURLS AND WORE A WHITE DRESS AND CARRIED A BLUE BANNER WI8THFRENC INSCRITION ON IT THE BANNNER WAS ENCRUST WITH GOLD. THEY CELEBRATED IN HANCOCK MICHIGAN....... THEY THE FRENCH PEOPLE BOARD A SCOW AND MADE THER WAY TO WHITE CITY FOR A GOOD TME AND BANDS PLAYED PEOPLE HAD PICINIC LUNCHES, MR GENE DIMET WAS AT HELM OF THE BIG SCOW.

I think chiggers are invisible? They like to tunnel into your skin and make a nice home. I heard clear nail polish over the red bite where they made entry drives them crazy and they pull up stakes and leave. :)

Jack,
It is a joke. See footnote 5. Someone who knew Gilda Radner all too well. It still fools some of those who think the UP is all pine trees. They cross the bridge, go to the Soo, gamble like fools and return home knowing all there is to know about the UP. Please don't tell 'em otherwise, let them vacation at Cedar Point.

Hi Pat...Thank you for the information..I seem to remember my mother telling me that the family would go to White City for the day.....I guess it was the biggest day in the year for the French Families...I remember Jean Dimit from Demit's Gas station. Do you have any pictures of the parade on June 24th?...I would love to see "Pipiere" in his plummed hat on the white horse.....Your father must have been so cute in his outfit too!!...Are you and Eldred going to class of '49-- 55th reunion? July 1...?

I am confused. Again. I thought the losing state of any champonship team had to send their most famous product to the Governor of the winning team. What kind of bet did the terminator make? Sounds like he can't lose. He probably had a pasty when he was at Superior, and now has good negotiators.

Click on the link below to read about the bet between the Michigan and California Governors.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=nba&id=1815394

Hey, cousin Neil and Susan,
We are coming up a bit early because of not being able to be there last year. We will be in Eagle Harbor July 3rd. So happy your photos are now on pasty cam, Neil. Great one today.
See you soon!
Mary, Charlie, Kathy, and Rachel

TODAY IS THE ANNIVERSARY OF GETTING BACK MY OLD GUITAR WHICH I SOLD 19 YRS B4.1965 -1984 IT WAS DOWN IN MISSISSIPPI!!!I HAVE HEARD A LOT OF STORIES ABOUT GUITARS & VIOLINS--SO MANY PEOPLE FEEL SENTIMENTAL ABOUT OLD FAMILY INSTRUMENTS, HANDED DOWN THR GENERATIONS. I MAY WRITE A BOOK.

Karin - Thanks for clearing up the root beer water question! And to others, thanks for all the tips about insect bites! I've used the "x" method for years....ice helps too.

To D Belo - Getting back your old guitar must be like getting back together with a long lost friend. I envy you! I sold a little Gibson B-52 acoustic guitar I had while living overseas....I originally picked it up at a pawn shop in Detroit in 1969. I've regretted selling it for years. Interestingly enough, a luthier bought it from me. Said luthier even made a guitar for Mark Knoffler from Dire Straits, so I guess he knew what he was buying and that it remains in "good" hands.

D.BELO LAKE LINDEN: Check out Accordian Crimes by C. Annie Proulx, who also wrote The Shipping News. It's a collection of stories about a green accordian and its travels over 100 years. 'News' was a better book, but you might really enjoy 'Crimes,' too.

"E." Annie Proulx, not "C." Sheesh!

For black fly bites nothing works better than a antihistamine ointment like Benedryl cream. Most of the itch is your antibodies binding to proteins in the animal's saliva, which causes localized histamine release and itching, edema, etc. Sometimes our immune system over-reacts a bit.

The nice thing about the cream is the antihistamine is concentrated where it's needed, not dispersed though the body to make you feel jumpy or sleepy. Of course, having a hundred black flies biting you would make anyone jumpy.

D Belo so..was it sold in Lake Linden ..then what Eh.

Pasty Central,

Will Toivo be at Pasty Fest?

D. Belo, Lake Linden: My dad use to entertain us with his harmonica. We would be spellbound at what he could do with it. The sounds of a train on that harmonica was something else. He brought music into our lives. My sister excelled with the oboe and woodwind instruments, I played the french horn and brass, the Calumet High School provided all the instruments. Don't know if they still do.

At first when I looked at the picture, I thought it might be a sandstone beach. But then I don't remember sandstone being so dark. Didn't realize it could be tannin. Does it ever clear up. (Question: When you jump in the lake, do you get an instant tan?) LOL

Mary Lou,
I am Jean M Dimet Daughter-in-law an would like to knoiw more of this French holiday?
My E-mail Address is theresedimet@a1access.net
Are you form Lake Linden I'm from Hubbell. My husband is jean F Dimet

range guy. your right, there's a lot more to the story, but the names are omitted to " protect the innocent" ho ho ---I can tell you I sold it to a good freind,because he helped me find a newer Martin. the martin was sort of a classical guitar, which I traded in on a new Gibson J 45. Well one evening while jaming ,the old guitar drowned out my new Gibson & my heart sank to think ai sold the old guitar. I lived with that Gibson until I sold it 3 times, taking it back on trade each time.--- I wanted strong treble for "pickin"- more ?

Theresa Dimit...I have learned that St John de Baptiste is the patron Saint of Quebec Canada. His feast day is June 24th. At the turn of the century there was a large French Canadian community in the Keewenaw, especially in the Lake Linden area. They had a St John de Baptiste Society. I remember my mother,who was the youngest of 7 daughters and 2 sons, said that June 24th was more important than the 4th of July. Her father was the president of the Society and rode a horse at the head of the parade. Please read the above statement by Pat Faller where she said the festivities were held in Hancock her father and your father-in-law were involved. Apparently, the festivities ended up at White City. I wonder if your husband might have family photos of some of the events. Through the years the events ended as did the society. I suppose as the old-time French Canadians of the area died off. I understand this feastday is still celebrated in some Catholic countries. Hopefully someone else in Pastyland has more information...

The Big River actually does look big this year. Looking from the sky, it looks almost big enough to canoe on. Thanks for the shot of home.

There once was a man who was nasty
Until he was served a hot pasty
He burped with a grin
Then he wiped off his chin
'With ketchup this'd be awesome!', sassed he.

'night, all....

Big Betsy,Tannic acid,Bugs and Guitars! Life should be so simple for all to endure.I vote for the Great state of pasty where we all can ignore.

Hi Mary Lou,
no I don't have any pictures but maybe some one reading this may have that can share it with us.
I do have a picture when he was with queen for a day of Jean Dimet who was the mayor at the time an also pictures of his loging days an there is ia boat but don't know who they are?
I do Have picture of His Station.
Love Therese
my E-Mail is theresedimet@a1access.net