Time really does fly when you are on vacation. We are back home now working to get back to normal (my normal anyway, which isn’t saying much.) It was nice to see old friends and visit with family on our trip to the UP. Sorry to say I was too early for the thimbleberries. I did get one little jar of jam made. Next year…

It was fun to be involved in the Eagle Harbor Art Fair sponsored by the Copper Country Artists Association. I believe it was their 57th fair. It was the first for me. We had two beautiful sunny days in the lovely harbor town. I failed to get a lot of pictures. Here are a few of the tent while I was setting up.

I did two little cupboard hangers based on vintage sand pails. I found an old shovel at an antique store so I did a companion piece.

Finally, here is my patriotic pig sitting on a cheese grater.

Now it’s time to look towards fall with needle punching. I will have a booth at the Spring Run Farm Harvest Celebration on September 16 in Lowell, Indiana. 46315. My sister Carole, picturetrail.com/lady of the lake  will also have a booth.

Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy the rest of your summer.

So, after at least five years away from any biking, I accepted an invitation to take part in a 10 mile bike trip through the city of Detroit on Sunday. (It’s like ‘riding a bike’, right?) What a great day. We began at Ste Anne’s which is situated in the shadow of the Ambassador Bridge. Ste Anne has the distinction of being the second oldest parish in the United States. It was founded in 1701 and built just two days after Cadillac landed of the banks of the Detroit River. I’m sorry to say I did not get a picture while we were there.

Our next stop was at St Aloysius located on Washington. Nestled between two buildings it is almost hidden away. We learned that as the congregation grew, the church was unable to grow sideways due to location, so they added a balcony and also opened the floor to add a lower level.

From there we biked to St Peter and Paul, whose front door faces Jefferson. I must say all the churches we visited were just beautiful and awe inspiring.  St Peter and Paul is a Jesuit parish affiliated with University of Detroit Mercy. While not the oldest parish in Detroit, it is the oldest church building. It piqued my interest to learn the pillars, which looked like marble, are actually tree trunks that came from my Upper Peninsula.  On the front sidewalk a statue of Homeless Jesus.

We learned so much history! I wish I had a better memory.  Our next stop was at Old St Mary’s in Greektown. (Let me just say this was one of the few times I was that close to the Greektown Casino and didn’t go in.)

Now it’s time for a little switching of activity. As I said, this was my first bike ride in many years. I was prepared with my helmet and my good spirit and did pretty well. Our next leg of the journey brought us to the Dequindre Cut. This is an old railroad route that has been beautifully transformed into a walking/biking area. I’m not sure where it begins, but it does end at the Detroit River. You enter the Cut like driving onto a freeway entrance. Downhill, I gathered speed to the point I started braking. Age has taken away some of my abandon and I feared flying off the bike at 100 miles an hour.  I should have kept up the speed because as we reached the end of our Dequindre Cut experience, I saw the uphill exit. Perhaps the speed might have propelled me to the top.  Recognizing that I no longer need to prove anything to anyone, my bike and I separated and I graciously pushed it up to the top.

Our last stop was at St Joseph Oratory which is near Gratiot. St Joseph was founded by German immigrants in 1856 and is listed on the national register as a sit of national importance.We were a part Vespers prayer service in Latin sung in a Gregorian chant.  Again, a beautiful and spiritual experience.

After all this we were provided a nice supper with hot dogs and chips and fries and beautiful cold beers of several varieties. There were about 250 of us included in Holy Rollin trip. At this point, we proceeded straight back to Ste Anne’s where our vehicles were parked. So…that would be 4+ miles. By now my banana seat on my borrowed bike had almost become one with my not-banana butt. Have you ever tried to ride with just one cheek on the seat? (Also, did you really think I’d make it through this entire post without a little cheekiness?) Don’t forget, I had to portage the Evil Cut once more.  But I made it and I’m so glad I went. It was a great day with great friends. I highly recommend visiting some of the beautiful spots we have here in Detroit. It was like a museum trip. I saved the pictures below because I didn’t want to incorrectly identify them.

This isn’t punch needle, but I hope you enjoyed your visit.

Hello Friends. We have been enjoying a quiet Father’s Day beginning with a little bit of weeding and ending with New York strip steak on the grill.  I will not complain about the heat and humidity. I’ve been waiting is seems forever for summer to arrive. I hope you too are having a relax day.

I am looking forward to being a part of the Eagle Harbor Art Fair on August 12 and 13. (Looking forward and working furiously to prepare.) Eagle Harbor is in the heart of Yooper Country and I’m very excited to be involved. I have several projects in the works and some ready to share. This first picture began in my head as two black bears, but my son-in-law thought of polar bears when he saw my drawing. So, polar bears they are. I think I might do another with black bears too. I’ve also been experimenting with paint. This frame was done with layers of red and black painted on and wiped off. My photography skill aren’t the best. I see this picture is cock-eyed. Oh well..bend your head slightly.

Next are a couple little pieces The bird is representative of a fraktur and the flowers sit in a blue mason jar.

My little horse heads are inspired by an antique rug. I got the pony shoes from my cousin. This was fun to work on. I found half inch wood and cut the hornbooks. I have carpet tacks holding the shoes on. If I can find some real horseshoe nails I will replace the tacks.

I had fun with this last one also. The yellow background is really far from my norm of colors I use, but I think it works.

Thank you for stopping by.

I met a woman at the Farmers Market Think Spring show who was interested in owls. It was coincidental that I have recently been thinking about doing an owl. So, this is what I came up with.  I strayed from my normal muted tones with his eyes. At first I wasn’t sure I liked the bright yellow, but I think it works.

I tried my hand at frame painting with this one. I used a red undercoat and then sort of smeared the black paint over the top. After it dried I used some tinted BriWax. I enjoyed both processes.

So, what are you working on these days?

Hello to all my punchneedle friends.  I don’t know where the time went since my last post. I hope you missed me during my hibernation.  Here in Michigan we are hoping the few inches of snow that fell on Tuesday will pass for the St. Patrick’s Day storm that we expect every year and the weather will warm and carry us into spring.

I’ve been enjoying a new punching energy as I prepare for a show at our Farmers’ Market this Saturday.  Let me share some pictures with you.

This is my second time punching Lori’s sweet little piece. I was fairly new to punch needle (as well as new to Valdani) the first time.  It was interesting to see the difference in my punching from the first attempt to the second.

The above is a little doodle I drew up myself. It is shown with a beeswax lamb.

One more bunny. This one is mine too.

Thanks for visiting me here at Yooper Trails. Keep on punching.

I have a few Halloween/Autumn punch needle pieces for your consideration. If you would like to purchase something, you can email me at

mschmidlin8168@wowway.com

This witch silhouette comes from Rebecca at A Simple Quiet. Ms Boney Finger casts her spell.

Mr warlock enjoys his pipe as his beard curls on his chin.

These silhouettes are from patterns by Rebecca Lindquist at A Simple Quiet.

They are 4.5 by 2.25 and perch on book covers. Both have hangers on the back.

Kindly asking $23 each plus travel fare.

This busy wytch searches for the perfect pumpkin. Sitting in a 6×8″ frame, the piece is punched in  Valdani perle cotton. Whych One comes from a pattern by Rebecca Lindquist. This comes comes with waxed jewelry cord for hanging.

Kindly asking $40.00 plus travel fare.

This whimsical finish is my design. It measures approximately 5×7. Boo brings to mind the primitive rugs done in the 1800s.

Kindly asking $30.00 plus travel fare.

I hope you are enjoying this autumn season with it’s cool mornings and evenings and brilliant color display.

Greetings Yooper Friends. I have succumbed to the dog days of summer and become very lazy. It is just as easy to hibernate from the heat as it is from the cold. I see messages from friends in Vermont experiencing mornings in the 50s.  I’m seeing more and more signs of autumn, so I guess it is time to shake of the laziness and get moving.

I’m never too lazy to be punching, however. These two that I’m showing you today I drew up myself, taking cues from talented punchers that I see ‘out there.’  I’ve completed the G for giraffe and the H for (what else?) horse.  Gee, there is an entire alphabet out there. I could be busy for a long time…as long as I can stay creative. What do you think?

Wow, it is amazing what a picture shows. As I look at the giraffe, it looks stark white to me. I used the Valdani ecru, but I think I might need to back up and do some walnut crystal staining to tone it down.

Mr. Horse is much more to my liking. The variegated Valdani adds so much texture. Well, there is nothing that can’t be fixed. As my brother the carpenter says, “I can fix anything but a broken heart.” Stay tuned for further updates. Same station, not sure about the time.