Oooh, pretty day! If I have to see snow, I prefer to see sunshine gleaming off it,


Uh oh, don't get too close - your tractor looks too heavy for any ice! We lost about one car per year in our neighborhood growing up = at least one person per year thought they could go out on the ice and do donuts in their cars. Luckily we never lost a person in all that.

Ooh, I see a big job coming up, is this going to be the making of that road for tractors?

Your Dad is Awesome, so glad he pulled out of that health issue last year!

Oh yeah, that tractor is heavy as heck! If you come help me with my driveway, just bring your little yellow 'Cavator!


Well the exhaust pipe is blocking my view of the connecting road, urk!


Er...what is all gone? Did something fall through the ice here?

Oh SubRosa, this is beautiful! I love how they built that upper deck over the main floor! Did you drive up to here in the snow? You live in Michigan, but in the big "D City," right? Is this anywhere near "Hand" Michigan; (the bachelor capital of the world) ?


WOO HOO! Now I know your modelesque height runs in the family; your Brother is tall too! Looks very mountainman-ish in the woodcutter jacket and ball cap, too! (Not to mention the loyal Father's dog at his side). I love this picture, it is gallery worthy!



OMG, you DID drive up to this area of Michigan in the winter! In that little front wheel drive car, too! I am glad you've got a strong brother to pull you out of the snow drifts, looks like it is stuck here! Gorgeous scenery, though. Did you freeze your head off?


I love these shots! A lot different than where you live in the city, so I'm dying to ask - did you grow up in this gorgeous place? This is Awesome, gorgeous, but ... brrrrrr!










Ah, there she is in all her yellow glory! I do need to see her in my Son's back yard, I really do!


Does it not have a cabin heater? Your door is open! I'd have the doors closed/heater on/radio on,


Aw, I thought you were going to use it like a snow shovel, lol.


What are you doing, making another path? Don't you get my little yellow girl too close to that waterway!


Great shots, I love seeing the 'Cavator at work!

Too many question from mALX, I can´t answer them all...


I´ll answer two; what´s gone is the roaring bonfire and no, the ´cavator´s cabin heat doesn´t work. The fan does but even though I have the crank on heat nothing happens. Could be the thermostat, could be glogged up heat element. Dunno.


And yeah, sorry bout the exhaust pipe being in the way

OMG, did you win all those stuffed animals at one of those machines on your trip? You are as much a ball of fun on a trip as you are at home! I dare you to try and eat that Subway sandwich while driving and not get a bunch of it in your lap,

Looks like you are def lower down here, the snow is diminished a lot from where you were!

Gaaaah, I just realized - who took care of your kitty cats while you were gone? I didn't see a kitty sniffing around that Subway sandwich in the car, lol.


I can just barely catch a glimpse of you in the "Fields" picture's reflection! Woo Hoo!

"Sunrise" is gorgeous; did you drive all night?


I have friends from Michigan, never realized how pleasantly rural it is!


OMG, don't you dare drive out on that icy lake, even if your car is so light weight! Just kidding. Gorgeous shot, I've seen Irondequoit Bay in New York looking just like this! (Off Lake Ontario). I've been to Lake Erie, but the extreme east end of it (Buffalo).

Do you stop here on all your trips from your Father's house? Does it have a special significance in your life or is it like a (touresty-style) looking at the sights while you are on a trip? (I do both when on trips, want to see all the states special sites that are near my route; but also will always stop at any place where I had personal special memories).


GAAAAAH, did you drive along that lonely abandoned lake road in the winter? What if you got stuck, no one would be along at that time of year, urk! Glad you made it back safe from your trip!!!



** And PS: I looked up Hand MI, it is close to "D City," lol. Now I'm tempted to Google Satelite it and see what all those bachelors up there look like out in their fields and barns,


These are great shots, thank you so much for sharing your trip with us!









Oh, okay! That is the bonfire site! Geez, how strange the heat doesn't work, I thought she was brand new. But as long as the rest of her works as well as it does, she is still Awesome.

Oh no, it´s not new. It´s a 2006

My car is a Chevrolet Cobalt. One of the cheapest cars you can buy here in America. But it has always been reliable for the six years I have owned it.



I did drive up there. My father's house is up near Mackinac Bridge, and I do live in The D. So it is a five hour drive. And it always snows or rains whenever I make it. Otherwise there would be no point in my going, right?

I have never heard of Hand, but I do know Hell!





The stuffed animals are my dad's. We were driving in his Jeep on that second trip yesterday. My brother and I went together, and he was driving, so I was able to give my egg and cheese sandwich my full attention. We left at 5am. We have to leave early because it is a 5 hour drive, and we had to get there in time to pay all my dad's bills at the bank, credit union, and other places before they closed.

Most of Michigan is rural like these pics, either open farmland or dense woods. Detroit is a massive urban sprawl, but is just down in the south east corner. Hunting is really big here in the fall, and now that the snow is here, snowmobiling and skiing. Some people are dumb enough to go out on the frozen lakes and rivers and ice fish. We actually saw someone in an ice shanty on Black Lake in the morning. Morons. They usually end up stuck out there when the ice breaks loose, their trucks sink to the bottom, and they have to rescued by search and rescue helicopters.

I just took some pictures with my phone as we were driving. None of it is special or anything. Just ordinary Michigan.

Well she sure looked pretty enough to have been new when you bought her. I love the yellow color, around here they only have white and black Bobcats that I've seen.

Then I was right, we don't have Cobalt here. There are a lot of other Chevrolets available for sale like Cruze, Orlando, Aveo and others, but not Cobalt.

I got a kick out of you driving on Interstate 75 up there and I'm driving on it down here, lol. You must be due north of me, lol.

Oh, I love the history of Hell! I have to figure Michigan has a great collective sense of humor by the names of the towns!

Hand - (I am pretty sure it was Michigan, but I could be remembering it wrong and it may have been Minnesota) - Johnny Carson brought it to the attention of the world because the population of single men there was the highest in the world (in their report), even beating out rural places in Alaska (which the highest of these came in second places to Hand). So he was calling it the "Bachelor Capital of the World," (and with the name "Hand," get it? )

Anyway, after Johnny Carson brought it to everyone's attention, Hand experienced a huge influx of marriage hunting women; they came up there in droves. So the news media latched onto it, and went up there to follow the "success" of several of these women in their "hunt."

The Hand Bachelors were like scared deer caught in the headlights; trying to continue running their farms and ignoring the herds of women picking through the cow manure in high heels to wave seductively at them; their (the women's) goose-pimpled legs sticking out like blue popsicles underneath short skirts. None of them capable of offering those strapping men a "hand," but hoping the men would stop working long enough to lend a "hand" to get them through the cow patty fields.

One woman bought an old store building and set up shop; and after two years was still single. Well, it seems the bachelors in Hand won that battle, I believe they were relieved when the following year they drifted back into their beloved obscurity and the hungry women moved on to Alaska, where the pickings were easier, lol.

Cobalt was made only from 2006 until 2010 model years. It was actually replaced by the Cruze. I was peeking at its wiki article and was mildy surprised to learn that it was plagued with safety issues and had a major recall on the ignition switch. But other cars made by GM companies in the same period that used the same parts also had the same recall.

Cobalts were very popular around here because of their low price. Cruzes are the same way, but whether they're plagued by the same mechanical and safety issues I really can't say.

But if SubRosa's particular Cobalt is serving its purpose well, no need to worry . . .

Aw, how sweet that your Dad likes stuffed animals! My Mom loved them, it was the best loved presents you could give her to find a cute soft cuddly stuffed animal to give her.

Urk, I hope your Dad is okay, if you are having to do things for him it is worrisome. Really great that you and your Brother are close enough to help out!

Egg and cheese from Subway? (Urp) I like the tuna fish or the one with the turkey/roast beef/and ham - I put pepperjack cheese on it and load up the salad stuff on both of those sandwiches. Egg and cheese = no no, urp.

This is the first I've known about the extent of how rural Michigan is! My friends lived in Flint, which I guess is more of a suburbs of Detroit's urban sprawl. It looked really big city compared to Knoxville, lol.

I love that you took these pictures and shared this trip with us, it was great to see another side of Michigan - and really surprising to learn that it is the majority of the state, makes me wish I'd gone up there some summer vacation in the past! (just in the summer months though, lol).

Upstate New York is like that too, surprisingly. We had to travel from city to city for horse shows or various relative visits; but between those cities was rolling farmland/pine forests and apple orchards/pristine lakes, etc. It was beautiful, I love the Great Lakes region.

So, my stay abroad has been productive. We invested in some land a few years ago. I had the opportunity to take some pictures. If and when I get older, this will serve as a small retirement getaway. For now it will be a spot for family vacation. We're still building.

It is a bit distanced from the city, and its private and just peaceful to be at. A nice place to get away for the weekend. I think I'm going to buy a hammock hehe. The view doesn't do the real thing justice. One day I hope to get a better view.







This post has been edited by Darkness Eternal: Jan 22 2016, 05:00 PM

Nice pictures, DE

Where is it?

It is gorgeous, DE! I am still hoping to see you back in the States, but can see how the beauty of South America can be a balm from the hectic pace of North America, lol. Awesome! When will we hear of some little mini-DE's pattering feet? (just kidding).





This post has been edited by mALX: Jan 22 2016, 05:41 PM

Thanks, Mirocu.

Brazil. In the mainland.


If everything goes well, this year I'll be back home. But it is a place to go once and awhile to get away. Mini-DE's? I'll have to be home first, and when I return home not for many years to come. I hope.

Very beautiful landscape indeed. But a little hard on a snowmobile..

I was just teasing about that; but if and when it happens you will be able to hear me whooping wherever you are.

I can't wait for you to be back, has your wife ever seen the US? Will South Florida be frightening to her after the peaceful quiet of Brazil?

This place is gorgeous; Awesome that you have already found such a beautiful spot to enjoy in your future!




This post has been edited by mALX: Jan 22 2016, 06:17 PM

Brazil looks fantastic DE!

Great shots, DE. Thanks for sharing!

I just got the keys to my new apartment. I expect to start moving in tomorrow night. I took some pictures of it empty, so I can compare them to ones I take after the move.

The living room

Dining room - the tile floor is brand new

The kitchen - everything is all new, cabinets, appliances, tile, etc...

The bathroom - new sink, counter, cabinets underneath, and new tile floor

The bedroom with vanity and closets

Facing the bedroom door

The bed will probably go in this corner

Finally one of the big reasons for the move - a washer and dryer in the apartment