Monday, 7/31

Have I run out of things of which to take pictures?

The reason I ask that is that, like I’ve mentioned before, I take a camera with me wherever I go. Usually, it’s to make sure that I don’t miss some kind of once in a lifetime and/or freaky event, but I also carry one just to capture the beauty of the area.

However, when I looked in my camera bag this weekend to make sure my camera was still functioning, I noticed something—since the beginning of June, I’ve only taken two or three dozen pictures at the most.

That number stunned me.

I mean, sure, the weather hasn't been the greatest this summer, but it's not like I haven't been outside as much as I normally am. Usually, when Loraine and I are out walking on a nice warm weekend, I can take a dozen pictures in an hour. I’ll be shooting buildings, people, flowers, or whatever catches my eye. But I’ve noticed this year—an observation backed up by my empty camera card—that I haven’t been taking as many pictures as I normally would. I’ll start to take a picture, and then realize that I’ve already shot that particular building, or person, or flower, so I put my camera back.

So does that means that I’ve taken all the pictures that can be taken in Marquette? I’d hate to think that’s the case, even with the thousands of pictures I’ve shot over the last 13 or 14 years. I mean, Marquette is a wonder of nature; no matter where you turn, there’s another impressive building or beautiful vista or colorful character. There’s no way you could run out of photographic opportunities, right?

RIGHT?

So I guess I’m just gonna have to look harder, travel off my usual routes, and open my mind to different possibilities than the ones toward which my eyes usually gravitate. If I do that, who knows what’ll I see? All I can be sure about is that if it’s Marquette, I’m sure to see something wonderful.

                                                ***

By the way, if you're wondering how the Great License Plate Count went (I and know, deep down, you are), 43 states, the District of Columbia, and 4 Canadian provinces, so just a little less than last year, not too bad considering the weather we've been having and the general sense of chaos that seems to be engulfing us these days.  We had a TON of visitors from places like California, Colorado, New York, Nevada, and, for some reason, Nebraska, which I've never noticed before.  I was a bit surprised that I didn't see ANY plates from states that usually have multiple visitors, like Oregon and New Mexico.  But then, for the first time ever, I believe, I saw a Mississippi plate.

So there you go.  That's this dork's report for another year.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Friday, 7/28

One month from Sunday we leave for Europe.

Don't ask me how that happened; it just did. But for whatever reason, I’m actually farther ahead at work than I normally am. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve finally figured out what I’m doing, or if it’s because June and most of July sucked so much weather-wise that I couldn’t go outside and play, forcing me to stay inside and work, but I’m at a very comfortable point in working ahead to leave.

And that’s a good thing.

I think I may have mentioned in here before about how when I go on vacation, I have to work ahead to be able to go on vacation. Because I have such a specialized job, I can’t just slough it off on my coworkers, or wait until I‘m back from vacation to deal with it. It has to be done before I leave, and it has to be done by me. So every year we go overseas, I know that starting in June, I have to begin working ahead. And since the weather didn't cooperate, I actually started working in May for a vacation I‘m taking at the end of August.

But it looks like it’s working out.

Aside from the stuff I need to do here, I still have a list of things that needs to be accomplished outside of work, and one of those is getting our trip Blogspot site back up to speed and ready to go. Leaving a story and pictures on the site works quite well; every year we seem to have more & more people checking in every day to see what we were doing, and we certainly don’t want to leave them hanging. Besides, we've now been using it for six different trip (this being the seventh) and before we go it's kind of fun to look back and see what we previously did, especially when (like this year), we're partially re-creating an adventure we first tried in 2014.

If nothing else, it's like our very own electronic scrapbook!

Finally, I’m also starting to review my French. We’ll be in French-speaking areas a little over half the time this year, so I need to be ready. Like I mentioned a few months ago, I've been looking through all my notes and reference books, including a huge 800 page French-English dictionary we bought a few years ago. It’s a cool book, if only because it has a section in the middle with phrases that English-speaking people going to France or French-speaking people going to the U.S. or the U.K. can use. And it’s there that I made an interesting discovery, one that probably speaks to a major difference between French people and Americans--

Did you know that, in French, there is not an equivalent to the phrase “All you can eat”? Nope, there’s not a French translation for that. They actually use the English words “All you can eat” because, apparently, the French and their language can’t fathom the concept of “All you can eat”. And if THAT doesn’t speak to a major difference between the two cultures, I don’t know what does.

Amazing what you can learn while you’re getting ready for something, isn’t it?

Anyway, that's what coming up in a month. Coming up this weekend? Art on the Rocks, among other things. I'll be around there tomorrow morning, so maybe I'll see you. If not enjoy the nice weather, including (believe it or not) a Sunday that's actually supposed to be sunny & warm. Yes, in 2017. Go figure!!!

8-)

(jim@wmqt.com)

Thursday, 7/27

Okay...I'm guessing that THIS isn't a list that people are proud to be on.

You know how Marquette and Marquette County are always featured on those lists of things like “10 Best Places To Retire” or “15 Places to Visit Before You Die”? Well, in case you haven't heard, a Marquette County community made another list, and to Ishpeming goes this “honor”--

One of the “10 Most White Trash Towns in Michigan”. Ouch.

As far as I can tell, the article  is serious; they even explain the methodology behind how they figured it out, everything from percent of people who are white to the number of Meth arrests in the past year. Ishpeming, at number eight, was the only U.P. town that made the list (Warren was number one), although the people who put the list together did point out that they only used places with over 5,000 people, because data from the U.S. Census Bureau is only available for communities over that size.

Now, I worked in Ishpeming for 14 years, and I know a lot of people who live there. They're great people, and while I know a lot of them are joking about the “honor” the town has just received, I have a feeling that the list is a huge irritant to them. No place is perfect, and to play upon stereotypes, even if people in community joke about those stereotypes themselves, isn't fair. Ishpeming has a lot to offer—affordable housing, and schools that people say are above average—and being on a list like this, while a list meant in fun, might cause people to just drive past the town as quickly as possible.

So hopefully Ishpeming will soon make another list, a list that shows Ishpeming to be something other than, to quote the authors of the article, a place with a “high number of mullets” and “more tattoos than teeth”. Because it is. And if you don't believe me, take a trip out there Saturday and visit the Italian Fest at Al Quaal. You know those great people I mentioned earlier? You'll meet a lot of them there, and they'll show you that Ishpeming is anything but the way the list described it.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Wednesday, 7/26

I had to laugh when I received a note yesterday that said, basically, “You know how to drive”?

Yes, I do. And thanks for noticing!

The note was from a downtown acquaintance of mine, one who sees me (and usually Loraine) walking everywhere we go. As you know, we do that for many reasons—for exercise, for the environment, and because it’s nice in Marquette in the summer. Why WOULDN’T you want to walk if you could? Anyway, this acquaintance said she was driving through downtown when she noticed Loraine & me in Loraine's car, with me driving, in the opposite lane waiting for a stoplight. She had to look several times because she just couldn’t believe that I was behind the wheel of a car.

A foreign concept, I’m sure, but not a totally illogical one. While it’s true I don’t drive at all during the week and try to avoid it if I can during the weekend, I still do hop behind the wheel of my car on occasion, if only because I do need to get some groceries I can’t within walking distance (and it’s kind of hard to pick up several bags at Econo or Super One and then ride home with them on your bike) and because my dad, who knows everything there is to know about cars, keeps telling me that I do have to start it up and drive it every once in a blue moon, if only so the parts in the car actually move and get used, like they’re designed to do.

Hence, that’s why my acquaintance saw me behind the wheel Saturday. We were driving to Au Train to have lunch. And to give Loraine's car a workout.

Loraine and I actually get a lot of people who mention they’ve seen us walking here and there, and some of the people who say it have a small bit of incredulity in their voice, like it’s really strange that they see us walking instead of driving everywhere. Why is that strange? Up until 70 or 80 years ago, people did the vast majority of their in-town traveling on foot. You didn’t hop into your car to drive three blocks to get a gallon of milk; you walked to the store, picked it up, and walked back home with it. Getting into your car and driving everywhere is a fairly recent phenomenon. And I hafta sometimes wonder--is it a coincidence that this fairly recent phenomena matches up with both global climate change and the ever-expanding waistlines of most Americans?

Besides, I like walking. I always have. I used to walk to school; 3 blocks to Whitman, half a mile to Bothwell, and all across town to Marquette Senior High School. When I was in college, I used to live several miles from the buildings where I had most of my classes at Michigan State, yet I hoofed it there, often several times a day. In fact, the only time in my life I don’t remember walking is when I worked in Flint, and that was only because I wanted to live long enough to move away from Flint.

Which, thankfully, I did.

The note I received yesterday wasn’t the first of its kind that I’ve received, and I’m sure it won’t be the last. After all, I plan on walking as much as I can as long as I can. In fact, I often joke to my nieces that they’ll be introducing their children (and grand-children) to their crazy Uncle Jim as “the one who’s always walking everywhere”. Of course, that’s when Loraine usually adds, and I quote, “And talking to himself, too”. But that, however, is a tale for another day.

See you on the streets!

(jim@wmqt.com), walker.

Tuesday, 7/25

The count is off to a smashing start.

Those of you who've been reading this for a long time know that I have a very bizarre habit during the final week of July, the week leading up to Art on the Rocks here in Marquette. For the whole week, Monday through Sunday, I keep track of every single different state and Canadian province from which I see a license plate. Then at the end of the week, I see just from how many different states and Canadian provinces Marquette has visitors.

Yes, I know it's weird. But I think I've been doing it for almost 20 years. Why would I stop now?

I'm not quite sure why I started doing it, although I'm sure the geography nerd in me is responsible. No matter how it started, I've now come to look forward to see what the little “survey” brings. Over the years, I've been able to follow the explosive growth of tourism in Marquette, and over the years, I've found that the final number accurately reflects how the national economy is going. During the depths of the Great Recession, I only saw plates from 17 different states. Last year, with a strong economy, I saw 45 different license plates.

So you see? I'm not just a nerd. I'm a social scientist, too.

8-)

Anyway, as I always do, I started the count when I went running yesterday. 40 minutes later, I was home writing down the names of 16 different states, which really isn't too bad when you consider I was just running up & down the hills of downtown Marquette. I can't say I'm surprised by the number. After all, this was the low hanging fruit, the Michigans, the Wisconsins, the Minnesotas, and all the other states you expect to see on the street on a daily basis. The one surprise?

The second plate I saw yesterday morning, right after seeing a Michigan plate, was one from Hawaii. And it was a legit Hawaii plate, too. It was on the back of the car, which means one of two things—either someone had their vehicle shipped over from the islands, or I missed the news about a new bridge being built between the state and the mainland.

I'm guessing it was probably the former.

I have no idea how the survey will turn out this year. It could approach the numbers of last year, because I know the area has gotten so much media attention recently. Of course, those numbers could also be down, thanks to things like our crappy weather and lessening consumer confidence nationwide. That's why I do this bizarre count—to see how it turns out.

So if you see me walking around Marquette the next few days and it seems like my head is on a swivel, I'm not having some kind of attack. I'm just looking at every single license plate I can see.

(jim@wmqt.com), dork.

Monday, 7/24

Okay, Sundays, what do you have against us?

After yesterday's cold & gloomy & yucky day, we've now gone through a period where 7 out of the past 8 Sundays have had temperatures have been below normal, the rain has been above normal, and the waste of a summer weekend day has more and more glaring.

Don't believe me? Here's what it's been like those eight Sundays, at least here in Marquette--

Sunday, June 4th—58 & foggy

Sunday, June 11th—77 early, with rain & falling temps (down to 58) throughout the day

Sunday, June 18th—57 & rainy

Sunday, June 25th--63 with a cold north wind

Sunday, July 2nd—sunny & 72.  That day was almost okay.

Sunday, July 9th—cloudy & drizzle, high of 60.

Sunday, July 16th—sunny but only 60 degrees because of a cold north wind

Yesterday, July 23rd--56 and rainy most of the day.

What gives? We've had one—ONE—Sunday all summer long that's been, well, “summer”-like.

I mean, if you consider June through August as “summer” (which meteorologists do) we have 13 summers this year. And with 7 out of the 8 of them so far much like yesterday, that means that 86 percent of our summers Sundays have been consumed by clouds and/or rain and/or cold. And the way things are going, there's a good chance that number could go higher, and our summer will join the 2008 Detroit Lions in the “what the heck just happened” hall of fame.

That, by the way, would not be a good thing.

We now have five “summer” Sundays left. I have no idea if they'll be nice, bad, or somewhere in between. But if I were a betting person, I'd be more than willing to bet real money that more of them than not will be subpar. That's not based on any scientific evidence or any talent in weather forecasting.

That's just based on the fact that Sundays don't seem to like us this year.

(jim@wmqt.com), who probably shouldn't write blogs on a summer Sunday when it's cold & gloomy, nor post them the morning after when it's sunny & warm.  8-(

Friday, 7/21

Wait. You can use the Internet to say NICE things about people, too?

If you've ever wanted to find out just how mean human beings can be, just read the comments section of an Internet post. If you've ever thought humanity could sink no lower than it already has, just log onto a Twitter feed. It seems like the anonymity of Internet allows people whose comments would wither in the sunlight of decent society to have those comments flourish without a second thought like the mold on two-year old cheese.

It's not a nice place.

So imagine my surprise in the 36 hours since I wrapped up my “Docks of Iron Bay” tour, my surprise (and astonishment) that people have used the Internet to thank me for showing them a great time, for teaching them a few trivial facts, and for sharing my geeky love for this place we call home. It's almost like there's a shred of humanity in humanity these days.

Who knew?

First of all, thanks for the kind comments. You really didn't need to make them; I was just doing what I do, this time in the company of 190 people. But I'm glad you enjoyed yourselves. Secondly, thanks for raising 900 or so dollars for the Marquette Regional History Center. That was the whole purpose of the outing. And finally, thanks for restoring my faith in humanity. I'll admit that it's crumbled a bit in the past year or two, what with the virus-like spread of hate and cynicism that seems to have overtaken our daily lives. But you'd be amazed at how one or two small acts of kindness from people who actually care can overcome hundreds or thousands large acts of hate from people whose lives consist of nothing but large acts of hate.

It was cool to see.

Like I said, thanks to those people who actually took a few seconds out of their day to post kind words or to send me a note of appreciation. You really didn't need to; I'm just glad you enjoyed yourselves. And thanks for giving me hope, too, that one day—maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but hopefully one day in my lifetime—we can all read the comments section of an Internet post and not feel like you need to take a shower of Lysol when you're done.

Have a fantastic and hate-free weekend, everyone!

(jim@wmqt.com)

Wednesday, 7/19

After tonight, it's three down, one to go.

Those of you who've been reading these with any regularity recently know that I've had a busy summer vis-a-vis the Marquette Regional History Center. I gave a bike tour last month, I turned in the article I wrote for their Harlow's Wooden Man newsletter last week, and in a few hours I'll be leading a gaggle of humans around Lower Harbor in the “Docks of Iron Bay” tour.

I think I've mentioned this, but if I haven't I should. When the Programming Committee of the History Center met last year, someone made the suggestion that there should be a “dock tour” and that I should be the one to host it. Normally, I just do the tours & programs that I come up with myself; in this instance, I begrudgingly agreed to go alone with the suggestion, and you know what?

I'm really glad I did.

While doing all the research on the program this past spring I found out all kinds of cool trivia about which I had not been aware. And then when I strolled around the waterfront in April and May while trying to figure out where to go, I discovered all kinds of little things that were hidden in plain sight, little things that I could point out to a crowd. And, to top it all off, I came across one of the most amazing pictures I've ever seen of Marquette.

And I thought that I had seen them all.

So to whomever thought it'd be a good idea for me to do this tour, just let me apologized for whatever grumbling I may have done under my breath when first given this assignment. It's become one tour I wish that I had thought of doing myself, and one that I wish I had done years ago. And if you wanna see everything I'm talking about, you can join us. It's gets underway at 6 at the History Center.

Hope to see you there!

*****

Before I go, I do really need to note that in another way it's a sad day here in Marquette, as Gopher's Bakery is closing. No more cupcakes, no more dreamsicle cookies, and no more of that amazing key lime pie they cooked up on occasion. The worst part about it, though? Well, I feel bad for Gemma & Eric, the couple that ran it. They're genuinely fine people, and I'll miss chatting with them as I peruse the yummy stuff on the shelves.

Good luck, guys. Loraine & I will miss stopping by!

(jim@wmqt.com)

Tuesday, 7/18

Let's call it the tale of two bike stores.

Loraine decided she needed a new bike. She's been using her current one for thirty years now, and while it's in pristine condition (and while she can kick my butt when we're out riding, even though I use a bike a lot more than she does), she decided it was time for an upgrade, for a bike that would kick my butt even more. So she went online, did her research, and found the perfect model. She also found that there were two stores in Marquette that sold them.

And that's when the fun started.

We went into store “A”, and asked about the model for which she was looking. At first, the guy working there wasn't sure they even carried the particular model; after consulting a co-worker, they figured that they did, but not with some of the stuff she wanted. They then proceeded to tell her why she shouldn't want the bike she wanted, even pointing out that her preferred choice was a “man's” bike, and “wouldn't she rather have a model designed for women”? And in describing the features she SHOULD be looking for they were very condescending, as if they didn't think she knew anything about bikes at all. I tried to hint that she's a monster on two wheels and knows of what she speaks, but it didn't seem like they were buying it.

Finally, they said that the model year was changing over, and she might be able to get her bike of choice when the new ones come out this fall. We left store “A”, quite disappointed with both the news and the way she was treated.

Now, if you know Loraine, you may know that once she sets her sights on something it gets done. So we decided to head to store “B” and see if things would be different. And trust me—they were.

First of all, we were waited on at store “B” by a young woman who listened to what Loraine wanted, and found the exact bike. She quickly figured out Loraine knew what she was talking about, let her take it for a little ride, and then had the bike quickly tuned up before Loraine wheeled it out the door and back to our apartment. No hemming, no hawing, no excuses, no nothing. As frustrating as shop “A” was the experience she had at shop “B” was smooth and enjoyable.

The difference between the two bike stores was amazing.

So now Loraine has her new bike, and with any luck it'll serve her for as long as her old one. I already know that she can now kick my butt on a bike even more than she did before, but I'm okay with that. And more than anything, I'm glad there's at least one place in town that got her what she wanted and made the whole experience something for which she's grateful.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Monday, 7/17

There's no way it's half over, is there?

Sigh.

If you consider “summer” (and this year, of course, we must use the quotes around “summer”) to be the months of June, July, and August, then this past Saturday, July 15^th, the middle day of the middle month of “summer”, marked the halfway point of the season.

Yup. “Summer” is half way over already.

I don't mention it to bum you out, nor do I mention it to set myself up for an epic session of whining about the unfairness of it all. I just brought it up because my mind is blown by the simple fact that we're now past the halfway point of a season for which I live but, because of whatever, I've yet to even start enjoying.

“Summer”, we hardly knew ye.

This actually all came up while I was off on my meandering Saturday morning run, one of the only meandering Saturday morning runs this “Summer” when it was warm enough for me to be sweating like a pig. Now setting aside the question of whether or not pigs can actually sweat (can they?), it was one of those runs about which I (literally) dream. And as I was running and sweating like a pig, it occurred to me that this was perhaps the first time all year I was doing both—running & sweating, at the same time—and it had taken all the way to July 15^th for that to occur. Once I realized it was July 15^th, the mid point of “Summer”...

Well, that's when the whole thing spiraled out of control.

The sad thing about that observation is that it really doesn’t SEEM like summer’s been with us long enough to be half over. Most of June (and July) was so cold, and so many of us spent the month complaining about it, that it really doesn’t seem like we’ve used up half of our allotment of summer. It just feels like April spilled into May, which then spilled into June, and that, well, summer just started. Not that it’s halfway over.

But since I don’t seem to have the capability to be a pessimist for long, let me share a very interesting weather fact. According to records, Marquette gets an average of four 90+ degree days a year. That means that since we’ve only had one so far, the second half of summer promises at least three more.

Whether that's a promise that'll be kept, I have no idea.

I know there's nothing I can do about it, and I feel like I'm starting to venture into whining territory, so I'll shut up about it now. But if you happen to see gray matter splattered here or there on Front Street in Marquette the next few days, don't worry. It's nothing serious.

It's just what's left over after my mind gets blown.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Friday, 7/14

And happy Bastille Day!

Yeah; I know the French version of our Fourth of July probably doesn't ring many bells with the vast majority of you, but I do know that we have a couple of people who read this everyday who live in France (bonjour, Thierry, bonjour, Nathalie!) so I figure we might as well mark the day, right?

That got me to thinking. And that, as we all know, can be a dangerous thing. I've been writing these little...whatever you wanna call thems for 16 years now, since 2001. Over those 16 years, I wonder how many other countries we've touched? I know that when I write my trip blogs there's a little thing you can click on to tell you what countries readers are from (or, at least, in which countries the servers they're using to connect to you are located), but I've never actually set anything up for this little thing.

Looking at the statistics for the Blogspot site makes me laugh, on occasion, if only because of some of the, uhm, interesting places from which we get hits. The U.S., of course, always pops up first, followed by the countries in which we have friends we're visiting—France, or Belgium, or Germany. But then it gets weird. One year, India provided us a large chunk of readers—in fact, we even received a few nice notes from several of them—another time, it was South Africa. Another, Russia.

How people from those countries stumbled across a blog from two Americans traveling in Europe (or how their spiders or search engines robots did so), I do not know. But apparently it happens, and apparently it happens quite a bit.

So here's the deal—if you read this regularly, or have even just stumbled on it by accident, and you're from a country outside of the U.S., please let me know. My e-mail address is always at the end of each post, and don't worry—I won't mention you in any way. I know almost everyone who reads this does so as a “lurker”, and I'm cool with that. I don't want to “unlurk” you. But I'm curious, so let me know, and we'll see how many people in how many different countries read this.

Who knows...I may then have to start wishing people happy holidays OTHER that Bastille Day. And that would be one of the coolest things that I could do.

On that note, have yourself a great weekend, whether you celebrated Bastille Day or not!

(jim@wmqt.com)

Wednesday, 7/12

Repeat after me—the sidewalk is NOT a parking lot!

I'm sorry, but I'm gonna spend this blog complaining about something. I know I seem to have been doing that a lot recently, and if you don't want to hear me do it again, you have my permission to come back tomorrow. I promise to talk about something cheery, like sunshine or rainbows or unicorns.

Honest.

Now, on to my rant. There are, sadly, many places around the city of Marquette where people do not know how to park. I know this because I run and walk up & down city streets all the time, and I always have to duck into the roadway when I come across something like this--

I see this a lot--vehicles, especially vans and pickup trucks, blocking the sidewalks, sometimes so far that they're even out to the street itself. That means that every single person who walks or runs down this particular sidewalk, plus many others in the city, every parent pushing a stroller, every child riding a bike, and every person who needs a wheelchair or some unblocked access to the sidewalk, has to veer out into the Street, where traffic, because drivers are too busy staring at their phones, is often speeding past at 10 or 15 miles an hour over the speed limit.

All because one individual does not know now to park.

Now, if this was just a one time event, I wouldn't be raising any kind of ruckus about it. But this happens all over the city, thanks to people oblivious to the both the fact that the sidewalk is not a parking lot and to the fact that they could be putting people in danger by making them veer out into a very busy street. I don't understand people who do things like that. I don't understand why people would break the law by using the sidewalk as a parking lot. The sidewalks belong to everyone, not just whoever happens to live next to it.

They're OUR sidewalks, not yours.

I think that's what getting my goat here. It's the same thing that gets my goat when I see dog owners bring their pets on a beach or some other place where there are “No dogs allowed” signs. These are public areas; they're not your personal playgrounds. By using them as your own, and by willfully flouting the rules, you're disrespecting every other single person who might need to use them and every single person who does try to follow the law. There are 22,000 of us living on a small piece of land, and the rules (like not blocking the sidewalk or not taking your dog on the beach) are there to make sure that we can all live together in harmony. I try not to disrespect any of the other 21,999 people in Marquette. I'd hope everyone else would return the favor.

Apparently, though, that's not the case. At least for that's the case for people like the one pictured above.

Okay; I'll shut up now. I just needed to get that off of my chest. Like I said, tomorrow we'll talk about puppies or flowers or chocolate.

And I won't complain about a thing. Promise.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Tuesday, 7/11

Let's just call it “The Case of the Mysteriously Appearing Beer Can”.

Three times now in the past week, three times since the 4^th of July, I have noticed something very strange, something quite out of the ordinary. Three times in the past week I've been walking down a Marquette street, and I have come upon an unopened can of Busch Light beer just sitting somewhere. On the 4^th it was sitting on top of a trash container on Third Street. A few days ago, it was on my walk to work. And on Sunday, it was in the street-side garden of my next to next door neighbor.

Every single time, it's been an unopened can of Busch Light. When I first saw a can I laughed, figuring that some underage person was soon to become a very happy underage person. But when I started seeing the cans over and over again; well, that's when I started to wonder what the heck is going on.

Lest you think I'm just seeing things, I'm not. Loraine was with me on the 4^th when I first saw it, and she was with me again on Sunday when I took the picture above. And neither of us understands what's going on. Is it just a drunk person losing cans as they're making their way to and from the store? Is it a performance artist trying to make a statement? Is the Easter Bunny getting tired of eggs and leaving cans of Busch Light instead?

I don't know. But I'd be curious to find out.

I highly doubt this will happen, but if you happen to see an unopened can of Busch Light beer on your journeys in and around Marquette, please let me know. Part of me, after all, just thinks it's one strange and bizarre coincidence. But then another part of me, the part that knows the talented, creative, and/or just plain weird kind of people who live in Marquette, wonders if there's something a little more to the whole situation.

Either that, or Busch Light has developed the strangest marketing campaign in history. These days, nothing would surprise me.

So with that in mind, just call me Encyclopedia Koski. And just call this whole thing “The Case of the Mysteriously Appearing Beer Can”.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Monday, 7/10

I don't know much about real estate, but even I'm thinking that this is good news.

I stumbled across a map a few days ago from Harvard that shows the areas of the country where real estate prices have finally climbed back from the big hit they took during The Great Recession. In other words, the map showed, among other things, where housing prices are now at or above where they were in 2008. There are big swathes of the country where prices still haven't recovered; in fact, there are only three counties in the state of Michigan where housing prices have gained in value, and there's only ONE county in Michigan where prices have now risen almost 40 percent above where they were a decade ago.

Wanna venture a guess as to what county it it? Yup; you get yourself a cookie if you said Marquette County.

It's kind of amazing when you look at the map. There are many counties, both downstate and here in the UP, where values are still below 2008. If you look, you'll notice there are only three areas—Marquette, Grand Rapids, and right outside of Detroit—where values have actually risen about their 2008 levels. And there's only one county in the state that's orange, and that's us.

In fact, if you look at ALL the Great Lakes states or the entire Upper Midwest region, we're one of the few counties with values that have gone up that much.

Like I said at the beginning, I think that's a good thing, right? I mean, it shows people want to live here and that homes & property have value and are a good investment. Hopefully, the 40% rise in values is a sign of good supply and high demand. Hopefully, it doesn't mean that things are so overpriced that we're about to have another real estate bubble that's about to burst. But I don't think that's the case; if you look at the map, the places across the country where real estate prices have recovered reflect a lot of places with a high quality of life and/or access to things like water and recreation. In a nutshell, that's us.

And even though I know nothing about real estate, that's why I'm thinking it's a good thing.

If you wanna read the article that goes along with the map, just click here. Otherwise, just pat yourself on the back—once again, Marquette leads the way!!

(jim@wmqt.com)

Friday, 7/7

With your permission, I’m going to re-post a blog I wrote a little over six years ago. But I‘m doing it for a reason.

Over the past few weeks I’ve come in to contact with a ton of people who’ve been visiting Marquette. Between bike tours, the Fourth, and just giving people directions on how to get to where they want to go, I’ve spoken to visitors from Wisconsin, Illinois, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Iowa, among other states. Because I’m, well, me, I’ll often ask them how they like the area, and they all seem to give me the same type of response, a response I noticed in many people one weekend six years ago. So that’s why I thought I’d re-post what I wrote then.

Because it’s just as true today as it was when I wrote it.

Have yourself a great weekend, and thanks for indulging me!

(jim@wmqt.com)

*****

(as originally posted June 28^th, 2011)

I wonder how much of what we do in our everyday lives, stuff we take for granted, also becomes an enduring memory in the life of someone visiting up here?

The reason I ask is because of two separate incidents that occurred Saturday. The first was early in the morning, when I was out on one of my long, meandering runs. I was coming up Front Street in Marquette and didn’t realize, until it was too late, that I had inadvertently run right into a picture a couple was trying to take of Lake Superior. Being kind of sensitive to stuff like that, I apologized as I ran near them, and was told not to worry--they were actually waiting for me to run into the picture, so they’d have my silhouette in part of the shot.

Nice photographic trick, by the way.

The other incident occurred a few hours later, as I was leading a private tour of 4 out-of-state residents around downtown as a favor for a friend. People in Marquette were out doing what people in Marquette do on a sunny summer Saturday; they were out pushing strollers, riding bikes, eating muffins, and shopping at the Farmer’s Market. They’re all activities we take for granted because, like I said, that’s what we do on a summer Saturday. Yet for the people I was showing around, these activities were part of something. . .magical. They kept commenting on every new sight they came across and every person they saw doing something different & new. They took dozens of pictures of people out doing what people around here do every Saturday.

They were entranced by our everyday lives.

In both of those cases I just mentioned, plus untold others that day, I’m sure, we, without trying, suddenly became a fond memory for someone. We became part of a photograph they’ll share with friends, and we became the subject of stories they’ll tell for years. And we did this all just by doing what we do every day, whether or not there are people taking pictures or taking tours.

I have to admit I’m guilty of the same thing, especially when I do something like go to Market Day in Bayeux, France, and take a ton of pictures. For the people in that picture, they were just going about THEIR everyday lives, picking up food for dinner or flowers for their homes. It wasn’t anything special for them; they were just doing what they usually do. Yet for me, it was a magical moment, one that was photographed and shared with friends, and one that will be talked about for years to come.

So the next time you’re out and about doing the things you always do, the things that you take for granted, remember this. Somewhere in your immediate area may be a person who’s taking everything in, noticing everyone that’s going by. They may see you walking, riding, talking, laughing, eating, smiling, or thinking. And at that moment, just an average moment for you, a memory is being formed for someone else.

A memory that will live on for a long, long time.

Thursday, 7/6

I’m a freak. There’s just no way around it.

(And we’ll pause here for a second while you shout out at the top of your lungs “Tell us something we don’t already know”. Go ahead, do it. I know you’re dying to.

There. Feels better, doesn’t it?)

Anyway, I found out I’m a freak last night while I was reading the June edition of “Men’s Health” magazine. Yes, I’m a little behind on my reading, but I’m trying to get caught up, and that’s when I came across an interesting statistic. The story had to do with losing weight, and the statistic was one of those little factoids that “Men’s Health” sticks everywhere it can in the magazine. The statistic was this--only five percent of American men have a waistline that’s 31 inches or smaller.

Guess who has a 31 inch waistline, and therefore qualifies as a freak? Yup; you guessed right.

I now know why it’s hard for me to find pants that fit. If only five percent of us have waistlines that are 31 inches or smaller, there’s probably not much of an incentive for clothing makers to make pants of that size. Add to that the fact that I have freakishly longs legs (a 34-inch inseam, to be particular), and well...I’m screwed.

You can find a few pair of pants that have a 31-inch waist; it is hard, though, and not just because pants makers seem to find odd numbers weird and make most of their product with 30 or 32 or 34-inch waists. Most of the 31-inch pants that you can find have shorter inseams. You can find men’s pants that are 31-30 or 31-31 (the first number being the waist size, the second the inseam); it’s near impossible, though, to find pants that are 31-34. Apparently there aren’t a lot of skinnier, long-legged people out there.

Those of us who are, then, apparently qualify as freaks.

This is a problem I’ve had most of my life. While in college, my pants size was actually 29-34, which is now impossible to find, so in a way I guess starting to work out and thereby adding a little muscle to my body was a good thing. If I’m having problems finding pants that fit properly now, think what it would be like if I actually had a smaller waist than I do now.

I’d be keeping several clothing alteration places in business single-handedly.

I can get away with wearing pants that have a 32-inch waist, even if they do look a little baggy on me. It sure would be nice to actually have pants that are designed to fit my body; however, after reading that statistic last night, I know that’s not gonna happen anytime soon. After all, it appears I’m a freak. And with the way Americans are expanding these days, it looks like I’ll become more and more of a freak as time goes by.

A freak, of course, with pants that don’t fit.

(jim@wmqt.com)

Wednesday, 7/5

I kinda miss doing the 4^th of July parades.

After doing them for almost 20 years, we once again skipped doing the 4^th of July parades yesterday in Ishpeming and Marquette. I was the only one in town, and we couldn't find enough people to help out, so instead of marching in one I joined several family members and watched the parade in Marquette instead. I mean, that was fun, but it was different.

It wasn't a bad different. It was just a different different.

Parade Day was always one of my busiest of the year, getting out to see our listeners and, believe it or not, getting more exercise in one day than in most days of summer (you try doing two parades literally running back & forth between sides of the street!). But after doing it for all these years I can see why co-workers want the day off; last year, the first we didn't do them in two decades, felt very weird, but also felt very nice, like you're in an entirely different world that you didn't even know existed.

So for us, the holiday is now just that. A holiday.

In total honesty, the one thing I actually miss the most is the walk up to the beginning of the Marquette parade route. I'd get home from Ishpeming, give Loraine a kiss and grab a bite to eat, and then walk to the beginning of the Marquette parade. Why did I do that? One, there's no place to park at the start of the parade route, and B, the parade ends just a few blocks from where I live, so if I had driven to the start of the parade route I'd have to walk back there to get a car anyway. This way, when the parade was over, so were my responsibilities.,

Why did I like the walk? Well, for one, because it was closed to traffic I could walk up the middle of Washington Street and not have to worry about getting hit by a pickup. Not only that, but I'd get a chance to talk to people along the way, to actually have a conversation with them for a second as opposed to just yelling “hey” as I ran past. That was nice, and a big part of why I enjoyed that stroll on a yearly basis.

So that's why I kind of miss doing the parades on the 4^th. However, as I re-discovered yesterday, it was also quite nice to have the day off, a day to just laze around and not have to head through two U.P. cities at a full sprint. And trust me—I enjoyed myself!

(jim@wmqt.com)

Monday, 7/3

Slowly but surely, the story’s becoming apparent.

I've been trying to spend the non-glorious summer days recently trying to put the finishing touches on the last of the four things I'm doing for the Marquette Regional History Center this summer, the program called “21 Pictures”. I’ve been talking to people and gathering information for the past month, and I have all kinds of great stories and facts to pass along with the really cool pictures I'll be showing. Getting the stories and facts organized and into a cohesive tale, an over-riding arc, however, is something that’s been eluding me. So that’s what I decided that I had to “break” the story.

Back in the 1880s when I was a college student at Michigan State, one of the classes I had to take was a screenwriting class, and that’s when I learned how to “break” a story. In this case, “breaking” a story involves putting all the ideas and plot points you have, either on 3x5 cards or on a white board, staring at them for a long while, perhaps even moving them around a bit, until the story arc become apparent. Sometimes, it doesn’t work, and you have to start from scratch, but oftentimes, it’s a good way to gain a new perspective on things.

So I’ve been taking all the stories and facts that I want to use on the walk, and I stuck them on a bunch of 3x5 cards. After staring at them a bit, I discovered what one of my problems was. Unlike almost all of the other programs I've done, this show will not have one over-riding theme. It's not about one place or one person or one topic; instead, it's pictures I find neat and the stories behind them. My task, then, was to find something that links all of the pictures into a cohesive whole. And you know what? I think I’ve found that link, and it’s. . .it’s. . .

Well, actually, do you think I’m gonna spill the beans now ? Nope. If you want to find out how all the pictures come together, just join us outside the History Center on Friday, August 18^th, at 10pm. We'll show pictures on the side of the building, have some laughs, and (hopefully) go “ooh” and “aah” over some images (and stories) you may never have heard of. If fact, bring a date if you'd like.

Because, well...that's all I'm gonna say for now.

8-)

Have yourself a fun (and safe) Fourth. See you Wednesday!

(jim@wmqt.com)