Sandhill Cranes in the Irish Hills of Southern Michigan

Living Dinosaurs- Sandhill Cranes hold the record as the oldest Living bird species. If you laugh at "bird-watching", you haven't met the cranes, or heard their loud, resonating call. Imagine hearing hundreds all hollering at once-it sends shivers down your spine.

The Crane is the tallest bird in Michigan,standing 4 feet, with a wing-span of 6 feet. Their feathers are a "mousy" gray with white cheeks and the signature red forehead. Average life expectancy is 7 years, but potentially could live 20-30 years
When forming and maintaing pair bonds, they are "fancy dancers". They bow, bounce into the air, flap their wings and jump on their stiff legs.
To see these wonderful birds by the hundreds,visit the Phyllis Haehnle Memorial
Sanctuarywww.haehnlesanctuary.org, near Jackson, Michigan. Hundreds gather in October and early November prior to migration South in November.
There is even a vineyard named after them SandhillCraneVineyards.com,that teams up with the village of Chelsea, Michigan,chelseamich.com, to celebrate their presence.

At  www.deweylakemanor.com, Dewey Lake Manor B&B, we enjoy them on our lawn-it's great.

See History come alive!

This weekend,  Saturday and Sunday, August 25 & 26, in Jackson at Cascade Falls Park is the 28th annual Civil War Muster. The camps open at 8am both days-these are authentic military and civilian camps. There is a Union Battalion drill and a Confederate Battalion drill. There is also a battle reinacted each day. This year there is also the Bluegrass and Acoustic music Festival with 8 groups performing throughout the two days. To learn more, checkwww.civilwarmuster.org.

Sizzling Summer

Summer in Michigan has only been here 10 days, but we are sizzling! Dewey Lake Manor B&B is lucky-we have Dewey Lake to cool off in. Take the paddleboat out in the evening, enjoy the sunset and the purple martins and their night song.
Cherry Creek Wineryhttp://www.cherrycreekwine.com/ , only a few miles from Dewey Lake Manor is having wine tasting and entertainment Saturday evenings. Sit under the pergola, be cool and sip some wine.

And remember, the Ann Arbor Art Fairs are happening next month , starting the 18th. We're only 30 minutes away.

Hunting the elusive Morel

This is the time "shroom pickers" are out and about ,looking under dead trees and underbrush for the springtime prize. I am not a mushroom lover -or hunter, but last year several sprouted up in our back yard under an apple tree.We didn't realize they were morels until our son identified them. We left them and so far haven't seen them this year. There is a Michigan Company out of DeWitt that might offer them fresh, this month, http://www.earthy.com/ . Good luck Morel lovers.

Earth Day

We just passed Earth Day for 2012-April 22. The first Earth Day was celebrated in the spring of 1970, and the goal was to bring attention to the need for everyone to work toward a healthier environment. One of the most common ways we all can help is to recycle, not only our plastic and paper, but now there are places that take appliances. We, at the B&B, recycle everything, and also compost. It takes a little extra time, but it is necessary. And we just found out that we can recycle computers, printers, cell phones at a GREEN FAIR in Chelsea, May 19-20. http://www.livegreenfair.com/. Remember the 5 r's-Reduce,Reuse,Recycle,Replenish, and Restore.