For your amusement: Last Summer Song

Today is the last full day of summer.  The autumnal equinox has come upon us.  If you are interested in scientific specifics, the equinox hits and the seasons turn at exactly 8:43 AM on Sunday, September 22.

While some people embrace the fall (pumpkin spice is overrated--hate mail may be submitted in the comments), I always miss the long, hotter days of summer.

So, to bid farewell to summer, I offer "Last Summer Song" by Acoustic Alchemy.  Soak in the last moments and enjoy.

Trunk or Treat 2023

These photos were taken before the madness kicked in.  We were excited to host so many guests this year (300 was a guess, and it was a reasonable guess!).  Apparently, people were parking in adjacent subdivisions and walking over because our parking lot did not have enough space.  Kudos for doing that.  We also ran short on cider and candy and had to make an emergency run for more supplies.  Still, I had not heard about any complaints from our guests.

Many thanks to the members of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church who donated items and volunteered their time.  This was a great event!

And in case anyone was curious, there were 444 M&Ms in the jar.  Congratulations to Raniya N. who won with a guess of 452.

Trunk or Treat -- Sunday, October 22 (3:00-5:00 PM)

Trunk or Treat -- Saturday, October 22 (10:00 AM - Noon)

In addition to the Trunk or Treat on Saturday, there will be a pumpkin carving event on Friday, October 21 at 6:30 PM.  A bonfire (weather permitting) will follow.  Adults may bring suitable beverages for the evening.  If the weather is poor, we will invite people into the parsonage.

All are welcome to join us for the Trunk or Treat.  Spread the word!

Maybury State Park--Seasons change

November 11

December 8

Autumn in review

It has been a while since I documented various parts of our family life, so here are a series of photos which give a glimpse of our Fall.  This covers late September through Thanksgiving.  Comments are inserted to supply pertinent information.

The October break from school allowed us to visit Colonial Michilimackinac in Mackinaw City, MI (above) and Fayette State Park in the Upper Peninsula (2 photos below).

Our October break also has visit Faith.  We hiked in a Waukesha County Park (above).

Below, Nathanael, Andrew, and I enjoyed a number of rounds of golf, mostly at Kensington Metro Park.

The two photos above are from Maybury State Park, just five miles from our house.

Below is the new bench put in by the City of Novi, along our church's walking path.

The two photos above are from a late October evening in Northville.

Below is a Schmidt family photo taken at the wedding of Hunter and Emily.  Unfortunately, pastoral obligations and distance prevented David from being in it.

Above, Philip had been exposed to COVID and had to leave Martin Luther College.  Faith agreed to host him during his quarantine.  To our knowledge, neither Philip nor Faith (nor Radon) got COVID.  Thanks for the help, Faith!

Below, Andrew, Caleb, and Philip get in some football in the church yard.

Thanksgiving 2020.  Faith had been exposed to COVID and was unable to be with us.  (Sniff.)  Grandma and Grandpa Schmidt were also with us for the weekend.

Local Tourist -- An October night in Northville

The Local Tourist went to downtown Northville to walk around on a crisp October evening.  Main Street is blocked off for two blocks, as well as one block on Center Street.  It was set up this way to allow for outdoor seating for the various restaurants, bars, and cafes during the COVID social distancing times.  It was not exactly bustling on a Monday night, but it was a nice evening to walk around.

After that, we walked through Mill Race Village.  Since there is really only one path that goes through the village, that was a short walk.  I think it would be a lot nicer during the day when it is brighter out, but it was still an enjoyable, quiet walk, even if it was a short one.

Some photos.

Summer into Fall

Today marks the last day of summer.  As a result, this is perhaps one of the saddest songs out there.  

Last Summer Song by Acoustic Alchemy.

In order to overcome the melancholy, I suppose it is time to turn on some James Taylor.  I always thought that his songs had a kind of fall feeling to them.  But there is never a bad time to listen to James Taylor.  So, here are three James Taylor songs, all with an autumn vibe.

September Grass

October Road

Walking Man

Traveling with the Schroeders -- Fall trip to the Mackinac Straits

We had planned to be gone for the Teachers' Conference, which got us out of town from October 8-13.  We ended up going up north, hoping that decent weather and peak fall colors would all come together.  While we did not get everything we wanted for the entirety of the trip, we did get to enjoy good weather for Wednesday-Friday (with a little rain on Friday), and we got to see peak colors up in the U.P.

The first leg of our trip was to start in the Tunnel of Trees on M-119 along the Lake Michigan coast, just north of Petoskey.  While it was an enjoyable drive, we did not get the splendor of fall colors we would have hoped for.  (Note: Before we got to Petoskey, we stopped at the Cross in the Woods at Indian River to see the world's largest crucifix.  Pretty cool.)  After the Tunnel of Trees, we went to Mackinaw City to our hotel and pretty cheap rates (yeah, off season!).  We spent Thursday on Mackinac Island (Peter's first trip there) to see Fort Mackinac and other places on the island.  On Friday, we went up to Tahquamenon Falls to see the upper and lower falls.  On Saturday, with the weather taking a turn to colder weather (highs in the low to mid-40's; that was highs in the low to mid-40's--with stiff winds, no less), we decided that walking around town was not going to be that fun.  So we traveled back up the U.P. to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, most of which is indoors.  Then on Sunday, we made our way back home after church at Hope Evangelical Lutheran Church in Indian River.  The trip back home had peak colors down I-75 for the first hour of driving, too.

In addition to this, we got to enjoy a waterpark at our hotel, including a massive hot tub which was very welcome when the temperatures began to dip.

Anyway, here are some photos from a neat fall get away.  Enjoy!

Trunk or Treat

A big shout out to Mary Buccilli who has produced so many fantastic sandwich board signs!  

She has produced another great sign for our Trunk or Treat to be held on Saturday, October 20, 10:00 am - 12:00 Noon.

All are welcome.  More details to come later.  But another great sign is on display now.

For Your Amusement -- Jim Gaffigan on Fall

This is for those who are enamored with everything Fall -- though he failed to cash in on the rich amount of material he could have included with pumpkin spice.

Anyway, here's Jim Gaffigan.  Enjoy.

Local Tourist .. Autumn Dusk in Maybury

There is never enough time to enjoy the brilliance of autumn in Maybury State Park.  It especially does not help when the schedules of the Local Tourist and Mrs. Tourist limit the hiking to the dusk hours.  Therefore, the photos are a bit dark and the magnificent colors of the trees will not be as good as live.  (And when are photos ever as good as live?)

The days of enjoying autumn at Maybury are running out, as the leaves are dropping fast.  The leaves on the paths make shuffling the feet a bit more fun as we kick up the leaves, but the reality of the coming of winter is punctuated by every bare tree.

Some photos from October 14, 2016.

Some photos from October 25, 2016.