Since the blog post “Losing Ground” was published on January 10, 2021, the situation has reversed; and dramatically. As you can see in the photo below, taken March 27, 2025, the water level in Lake Michigan has dropped considerably. However, compared with 2013, it still has a ways to fall. […]
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Our friend, Ray, who lives in Florida, informed me that there was a good chance that the Northern Lights might be visible on the evening of September 18th. Carolyn and I found our way to the shore, shortly before 11 PM, and were greeted by this magical display.
It’s no secret that the water level of Lake Michigan has risen dramatically in the last few years. But it’s difficult to gauge just how much shorefront has disappeared under water without having seen how it was when we first built Killasonna. The photo above shows the shoreline in 2005. […]
The COVID-19 pandemic made an almost immediate impact once lockdowns and travel was limited to essential workers and purposes. All of our renters up to that point cancelled their 2020 season vacations and we didn’t receive another inquiry until mid-May. We assumed that 2020 would be a season without renters, […]
When Carolyn and I bought the land on which Killasonna Lodge stands today, there was a great deal more depth to the shoreline because the lake water level was much lower than it is today. Indeed, Lake Michigan is now a nearly a record high. Initially, there was point of […]
Winter this year has been cold and snowy. We stayed for a couple of weeks in February and experienced an impressive blizzard on February 5th. Another snowstorm hit a week later. We drove to Green Bay the following day and counted fifteen cars, vans and pick-up trucks that had slid […]
Our friends Lora and Rob came up for their inaugural visit to Killasonna Lodge in time to enjoy the June 9, 2017 full moon. They are no strangers to Door County, but have been spending their time largely in Ephraim, so this was an introduction to “the quiet side.” For […]
Yesterday, our friends Paul and Tom concluded their annual Spring visit to Killasonna Lodge. Lousy weather kept us indoors on Saturday and until mid-afternoon on Sunday, but catching up on personal news, travels, politics and current events had us busy the entire time. Wouldn’t you know it, shortly after they […]
Killasonna Lodge just after dusk Looking west from Jorns Road, just south of Highway 57 A grand old barn north of Sturgeon Bay Ice along the shore at Killasonna Lodge View from the porch at Killasonna Lodge The Circle of Truth, covered in snow Path to the lake at Killasonna […]
Lake Michigan has been wild lately. The water level is higher than we’ve seen in decades. The “Low Water Datum” (LWD), which is a fixed datum for each lake relative to International Great Lakes, is 577.5 feet. Yesterday, the lake level was nearly two feet above the LWD. Meanwhile, violent December storms […]
Lake Michigan has been rising during the last two years. So much so that we’ve lost three fire rings as the lake takes over more and more of our shoreline. We built the latest fire ring in mid-October. When we returned a few days ago, there was no trace of […]
Unfortunately, Newport State Park isn’t free, but it’s worth the few dollars that it costs for the daily fee. Following are several photos of just some of the many photos John took of the amazing and varied mushrooms and fungi in Newport State Park. Above, the Monarch butterfly haven, just […]
Evening on the shore of Killasonna Lodge. A Walk In The Woods With Paul & TomCherry & Raspberry pie from Schartner’sA wild morel. (For recipe click HERE)Colorful chairs facing the Bay in Ephraim.The water is so clear that you can’t see it!Early evening on the shore.Killasonna Lodge The door that took […]
This winter we have a rafter of 5 turkeys that walk past the cabin every morning and then in the oposite direction every evening, at dusk. They walk very slowly and warily, constantly contorting their necks into comical positions as they listen for danger. About eleven years ago we stayed at a […]
When we were building Killasonna Lodge (2003-2004), the only way to make or receive a cell phone call was to drive to “downtown” Jacksonport and then drive west on County V, to the top of the hill. A few years later, we could make calls from the house, but that […]
Lots of snow, lots rain and an extended run of colorful autumn leaves. 2014 has been a year of extremes. It’s incredible how quickly the leaves dropped in the last week. Actually, it’s been less than a week. I took the first photo below last Tuesday and the second yesterday. […]