Sunday, April 17, 2016

My Two Princesses


Dear Dad and Friends,

I know I've been flying under the radar lately.  There have been a lot of changes in our lives.  Kicky and I are now Aunt and Uncle to these two wonderful little Princesses.  These are Kit Kraft and Lonesome.  There is a long story as to why this girl on the right is named Lonesome, but that's not for the telling here and now.  Just let it be known that these two girls are now the very best of friends and maybe, if things keep going as they are, they may one day be sisters.  Kicky, Ondag and I took the winter off from work so that we could help home school Lonesome.  She's a little bit behind due to the fact that she had been kidnapped under the strangest of circumstances.

I know I'm being enigmatic here, but these things are really so strange that I can't even go into them in a public Blog.  Kicky was also abducted by the same group that abducted Lonesome.  He was able to escape early on, but knew that he couldn't go without Lonesome.  her education has been severely lacking because she lived with this group for so long, five years in fact.  She is now 7 years old and has a lot of learning to catch up on.  Rick and Kit Kraft became involved early on as did Kicky's cousin Luca, a Sheriff from the Red Lake Reservation of the Ojibwa.  Together we got Lonesome back to her mother and safety.

Now that Summer is again nearing we have plans to go out toward South Dakota to revisit the ground of my abduction two years ago.  That's not why though.  It's something that Ondag has been on us about.  I think he is interested in a lady on the Pine Ridge Reservation.  I tease him and he acts like he doesn't know what I'm talking about.  But I want my brother to be happy.  So off we go.  Maybe this year no one will be abducted!  Fingers crossed!

We plan to meet up with Luca and his new wife, Kate, when we get to Pine Ridge.  I plan to cover the big Pow Wow there.  Something interesting may happen, well to Ondag if no other.  I fully hope that there will be four of us plus Woofy traveling together in the near future!

Until then, Dad's digits are still on the right.  And I'll post as to what articles and reviews I have as I go along, so stay in touch!

Tessa Gates, on the road again!

Friday, October 31, 2014

Continuing on toward Upper Wisconsin and Minnesota

After spending the winter writing travel articles on Michigan’s great ski hills and selling them everywhere in the United States, it is now, alas, spring. Kicky, Ondag and I will now put our skis and snowshoes in the storage bin on top of the RV and head out again to do more restaurant reviews and travels articles. We’ve heard about some nice pasture, hills, and forests in northern Minnesota and plan to go there next. I will again be hiking with my trusty Wolf, Woofy, and my adopted father Clyde said that he wanted to join us when we get to Red Lake Reservation for some fishing this summer. So we look forward to that as well.

Those of you who follow this blog know that we encountered a serial killer last year who used his pet wolf as a weapon against people. I know that many of you have been wondering about my long absence from this blog during that time. I felt a need to take some time off last fall to recover from my ordeal. But I was back in the swing of things by mid winter and writing again. Now I’m happy to report that I’m fully recovered and the Dogman of Michigan is now only an occasional nightmare.

I’m really looking forward to getting more hiking in this spring and summer and lots more restaurant reviews. I do love to eat! It a good thing my staff does too. In fact Kicky has put on a good ten pounds and I think Ondag might have fifteen. But they both get plenty of exercise so it’s all gone to muscle. They both look very buff!

We are right now visiting some friends we made in Marquette and eating at my favorite place there, Coco’s which is owned by a great gal by the name of Jacquie. As of tomorrow, we will be heading up toward the Wisconsin border and then on to Duluth where we will stay a day or two and explore the restaurants in that area.

If you are interested in any of my restaurant reviews from the areas where we plan to visit or indeed in any of my travel articles, you may contact my agent, George Gates, (yes, we are related) ((hi daddy)) whose digits are in the box at the right side of this screen.

In the box at the left are the places we are headed to next. So keep a lookout for me in your area and if there are any places you especially think I should go, please feel free to let me know.

Till then, see you in the woods!

Tess and Kicky

Thursday, March 8, 2012

In Brimley now and I heard a good story

Dear Dad and Constant Readers,

Woofy and I are spending quality time at the Bay Mills resort and casino in Brimley Michigan. They have excellent room service here, I can recommend the Reuben sandwich especially. Love that sweet kraut!

The Native Americans here on the Bay Mills Reservation have been especially hospitable toward me. I owe them a lot! Yesterday I was sitting down at their camp fire and they were telling stories. Here is a particularly good one that was told to me by a storyteller named Kent Robin.

It took place back in the time of his Grandfather's Grandfather. (I guess that just means a really long time ago).

Back then the Ottawa and the Chippewa Indians were not the same tribe like they are now. There was an Ottawa warrior who was a member of the Eagle Clan. The Eagle clan was a clan of shape shifters and they were called the Eagle clan because they believed that one of their ancestors was a Bird man. The Bird men were a tribe of people who were very long lived and they too were shape shifters. When this Bird man mated with an Ottawa woman all of his offspring could not only change into an animal but could change back at will and they all lived much longer than most human beings.

This man of the Eagle Clan had gone a long time 50 winters, and had not found a mate. He decided to go on a trip to see if he could find his mate. So he travelled a long time toward the North and eventually he came to a great lake (Lake Superior) He built a canoe out of a fallen log and began to paddle along the lake. Every time he saw people he would stop and see if his mate was among them. If he didn't find a mate he would only stay with the people for a short time and then go on his way. Winter was coming and he knew he had to find shelter. He stopped at this one place where there were many rocks and cliffs by the side of the Lake. He walked a ways inland and found a cave in which to spend the winter. He soon realized that a family of wolves lived in this cave. So the man changed into his wolf form and joined the pack. Soon he realized that one of the she-wolves was his mate. He challenged the leader and being that he was bigger and stronger and smarter than the other wolves he was soon their leader. That winter his mate had a litter of three fine pups, two males and a female. By spring they had grown enough to go out and learn to hunt.

In the fall when the pups were almost a year old and nearly had their full growth, their father took them out to a field past their den and changed into a human in front of them. They were amazed since none of them had ever seen a human being before. He changed back and communicated to them in the Wolf way that he was a member of the Eagle Clan and so were they, that they too could change into human beings. So each of them tried. The female was the first to succeed. She changed into a young woman with long black hair and dark flashing eyes. The boys then changed as well not to be outdone.

For many weeks after this the father took his three offspring out to the field and they changed into humans. He taught them to talk and walk and act like a human. One time when they were there they ran into a hunting part of Chippewa men. One of the men fell in love with the daughter at once and wanted her for wife. The father allowed her to marry and sent the two boys back to their wolf mother. He went for a time to live with his daughter and her new husband, but soon he became unhappy and missed his wolf-mate. So he went back to her.

The daughter never again changed back to a wolf, but her children were all Eagle Clan children and each one could change their shape to that of a wolf upon reaching their time of puberty. Eventually, as these Eagle Clan children married among the Chippewas the Eagle Clan offspring became less and less prevalent until finally they had become almost forgotten. Only one Eagle Clan child is born out of every generation now and sometimes generations are skipped entirely. The last one that was born was back in the turn of the 1900's and he is believed to be still alive.

If so he would be over 100 years old.

Good story huh Dad? I wonder if such things really exists? The Native Americans say they don't lie and their stories are all true.

Well, at least they believe it to be true, which is not the same thing as a lie.

For those of you interested in the food, it was very good at the Bay Mills restaurant as well. If your interested in seeing the whole reviews please contact my father whose digits as always are on the right of the post.

I've also had some very good pasties up here, more on that later,
Tessa Gates
and Woofy!

(Disclaimer-This is not a true Native American Legend, I made this up as part of the story of Tess and Woofy. I admire and wish to respect all Native American Tribes and especially the local Ottawa and Ojibwa tribes. I do not wish to offend anyone with my writing. I am open to further discussion on this or any other topic that my writing evokes. Thank you, Cindy Koch-Krol)

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Tri-colored Tortellini Carbonerra in Interlochen

Hello Dad and potential customers,

This is a picture of a great meal I had in Interlochen Michigan at a place called Giavanni's Roadhouse, just east of the Interlochen traffic light. The perfect bite could not have been more perfect. It had thick sliced bacon, shrimp, mushrooms, peas, fresh ground pepper and Romano cheese, and tri-colored Tortellini in a rich, creamy Carbonerra sauce. It was served with a side of crusty bread and as an appetizer they left a bowl of pretzels on the table with a lovely brown mustard that just woke my palate. A truly wonderful meal!

That is just one of the meals I sampled at that restaurant. If you are interested in my whole review please contact my father whose info is at the right. On the left you can see other towns that I will be going to the near future. If you have a favorite restaurant or dish that you would like to see reviewed please let me know by leaving a comment on this Blog.

I have a pet now, as you all know. And this pet seems to be fairly intelligent. He surprises me at times with how readily he follows instructions as if he knows
English. I think he must be at least part wolf, because he doesn't bark like any dog that I've heard before. He can bark, but it's more like a short howl. At any rate, he keeps me company. He also keeps me warm. It's still summer but up here in the tip of the mitt the evenings still get fairly cool. My friend, whom I call Woofy, sleeps next to me on top of my sleeping bag. His body heat has kept me from waking during the night. He's a good Woofy! Yes he is! (I am scratching his ruff under his neck right now as I write this. He is looking at the laptop like he can read what I'm writing. LOL!

Dad, I know that you have been alarmed at the reports from this area. There have been several animal attacks near places that I've been camping, but I have not heard anything unusual in the past few nights. Woofy I think might have noticed if another animal had come near our camp sites. I think this animal is a good protector for me. So please don't worry so much. Whatever this animal is, I'm sure it is not any danger to me.

I'll be in touch again as I get nearer the straights. I'll have to find a ride across the bridge, since I don't think they will allow Woofy and I to walk across. I'll have to make a friend and beg a ride. Don't worry, I'll be sure it's a family with kids, by far the safest people to ride with. Either that or a single lone woman.

OK, I love you Pop, and I'll call you later.

Tess

Sunday, November 6, 2011

An adventure!

June 13, 2011

Dear Dad and Faithful readers,

I had an adventure. After stopping to eat at a restaurant called "The Great Moose Lodge" in Northport Michigan run by a family of Ottawa Indians, I spent the night on the beach by the opening of Lake Michigan and Grand Traverse Bay. A young man by the name of Kicky (younger brother of the owners of the Great Moose) gave me a ride, and told me that he could arrange for me to get to Elk Rapids via a short cut. He had a friend who could take me across the Bay in his fishing boat. The two men met me in the morning and rode me across the bay. It was very fun! The water was clear blue and like glass that early in the morning. Hardly a ripple! I was handed a fishing rod and half way across we stalled for a time to troll. (Get me, I even learned the lingo!) I caught nothing much. Snagged what they told me was a weed, I thought sure it had to be a fish but they were proven correct. I told them it didn't matter, I probably should keep it and have it mounted. When was I ever going to get another chance to fish in a big boat like this on a big lake like this one?

I got to Elk Rapids about 3 pm and found a little lunch restaurant that had a great Pesto Pasta Salad using Tortellini and mildly spiced up with green and red bell peppers. It was very good. Kicky joined me for lunch but then the two men had to get underway again. I was very much enjoying Kicky's company but he had to go back. Oh well, sigh!

I've got one more place here in Elk Rapids to try, and I've been told there are several good places in the neighboring towns to eat and explore, so I'll be heading next to Alden, Bellaire, East Jordan and then up to Charlevoix. For a list of restaurants and reviews available to purchase please contact my father. His contact info is at the left of this post.

Signing out from the wilds of Northwest Lower Michigan,

Tessa Gates

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Lush and Green North Woods

June 5, 2011

Hi Dad and other readers,

I'm in the lush green North woods of Lower Michigan. Three nights in a row I've slept in deep forest. The summer nights have been warm and wonderfully rich with the sounds of nature. I think last night that an owl came and landed on the peak of my tent. At least it sounded like that's where it was. Most of the time if I am awakened by animal noises in the forest it's a simple matter of turning on my flashlight and they flee, but this owl kept hooting into my ear for nearly an hour before it finally found a farther perch. Dad knows I'm a pretty hearty soul that doesn't scare easily, but the eerie sound of the owl so close was starting to creep me out. It went away about 3 am and I was able to get a little sleep. A quick wash in a stream the next morning and I felt ready to go. Tonight I'll be in a medium small town called Manistee and I'll find a motel room, hopefully one with HBO, so I can catch up on sleep and shower. There is a little mom and pop restaurant here called Glory Diner which is purported to have unusual dishes made partially of jerky. We shall see! I will be showing up there about three pm today, if the calculations and road signs are correct. There is a dive between here and there called Tony's that I plan to try for lunch. I fear that their deep friar is used frequently for most of the dishes though. I'll report more later.

Tessa Gates