Monday, September 6, 2010

Fish Town


Last week when we went to the Leelanau Peninsula, we took some time to explore.

Two whole wonderful afternoons. One afternoon was calm and serene, with puffy clouds alternating turns overlooking the scene with gray clouds and a mix of sunshine.

The place was so intriguing that we are going to make it a point to go back and look around and discover even more about the place. We hope to make our trip again in the fall for the colors on the trees, and again in the winter for the snow and ice and beautiful landscapes in glittering white and shorelines littered with sharp gigantic pieces of turquoise ice that are sure to be tossed all over.







Of course, you know anything that looks remotely old or "vintage" or antique automatically catches my eye. I know that most of my readers feel pretty much the same way. I knew you'd want to see with me this tiny little village of Leland or "Fishtown" , as it's called.



On the day we visited, the red flags were a flyin' and the waves crashing on the breakwall. The winds were very high: 40 mph or more and the clouds looked ominous.

In my book, it all made for some unmatched, wild beauty....
gorgeous enough to make your heart ache: just a little.

But then I picked up the camera and my heart felt all better.



I worked on getting some photos of the spray of the waves as they hurled themselves into the sharp rocks, and I had a few successes. I wasn't the only person aiming the camera at the little marina.




There were a bunch of us nuts with cameras. We were all running around looking for the best vantage point to get our shot. And strangely, we were all smiling.





The smell of smoked fish begged me to stay and explore for just a little while longer. Smoked fish is a childhood memory burned into my brain from all the Great Lakes lakeshore travels we made in the summers with the old station wagon, a musty old tent and a cooler full of cold cuts and cheese.







The old green boat there on the left outshined all the new ones, in my book. It has more character and beauty than the most expensive, loaded multi-tiered vessel that was anchored here.

Plus, it's just plain CUTE, don't you agree?




I allowed it to be included in the most photos possible and it cooperated nicely.









Doesn't this place look just loaded to the gills with all sorts of interesting stuff?





The little downtown was as cute as can be, quaint, with general stores, a gas station straight out of the 1940's and a bridge with flowers spilling over the railing.









The town's population that day was from states all over the country.
We saw plates from the north, south, east and west.









It wasn't just the wind and the high waves taking our breath away...

It was the step back in time we took, just for an hour or so.

Hope you enjoyed your look around with me!

Next I will share a Coast Guard rescue we watched happen just down the coast a bit.

Stay tuned!


7 comments:

Meadowbrook Cabin Primitives said...

What quaint photos ! There is something about water and boats that just seem to relax the soul. I could just sit and look at scenery like this all day long !

Thank you for sharing these *back in tyme* photos !

Hugs,
Linda

aimee said...

What a wonderful place to visit--or live! I LOVED the photos!!! TY for sharing them:)
Blessings for a good week!
Aimee

Unknown said...

Oh my! What a beautiful place! I love the water and this reminds me of the marina in St. Augustine. Great post!

Gaia said...

We love Leelanau! Smoked white fish, great wine...love it!

Dena said...

Oh what a storybook place! Yummy pictures indeed.

Hugs,
Dena

Unknown said...

Wow - some beautiful photography there!

the photos kept getting better as I went down :)

these little fishing villages are always so quaint and inspiring. this one you've captured reminds me of bearksin neck, in rockport, massachusetts - I love renting bikes when we go visit family there, cruising the oceanside town, and snapping photos.

Mrs. Cherry Heart said...

Joni these pictures are postcard perfect!
What a beautiful place to explore!
I am gonna put that on our list of escapes! :-)

Thank you for taking us along!
Hugz, Dolly