"Exploring Southeast of Traverse City......"

Don and I decided to take a drive and explore the area Southeast of Traverse City, which has numerous small lakes in close proximity to each other.  We are familiar with some of the lake names because when we were seriously looking for a home, we found several houses for sale in the area while checking the real estate listings, but when we found the listing of this home, we knew it was "The One".  :)  We figured it was time to become more familiar with that area and what it has to offer, so since it was a beautiful day, off we went!

On our way there, we would be passing Grand Traverse Academy, which has the type greenhouse we want for ourselves, although it is a much larger one that we hope to eventually purchase, which makes sense since they use it for classes.  They are manufactured by a company in Colorado called "Growing Spaces" (http://geodesic-greenhouse-kits.com), and are designed for year round growing.  Don had found the company online and we have read everything about them.  While reading some of the comments on their site, I had learned of the Academy's greenhouse.

So......last year after I moved here and Don was still in Wisconsin.......Patrick, Julie, and Abigail visited me and while here, I had mentioned the Academy having one of these greenhouses.  When we were " out and about" that day, we drove over to look at it.  The school has since done some more work around the outside since I saw it last year, adding the raised beds.  They actually are in the process of this work but had managed to complete a couple beds and plant some vegetable seedlings, which "I assume" they had grown in the greenhouse for this purpose.  It will be a great experience for their students to actually see what their Spring sowing has produced when they get back to school in the Fall.  I "assume" that when/as the produce is harvested, records will be kept and used during subsequent lesson plans?

As I mentioned previously, this greenhouse is much larger than the one we want, but it is exactly the same in style.  Inside each of these greenhouses has a large water tank inside, sized according to the greenhouses square footage, and designed to moderate the temperature fluctuation inside, keeping the greenhouse warmer in Winter and cooler in Summer, allowing for year round growing conditions.  Once we get our "Must Do's" done around here, then it will be time to get serious and order one.  :)  As the saying goes, "Good things come to those who wait"......so I am patiently waiting.  ;)

After leaving the school and while driving around one of the small lakes, we saw a deer cross the residential street ahead of us, so I slowed down hoping we could see where it was going, surprised by its appearance in the middle of the day in a "neighborhood".  Its destination was not far from the street.......its goal was to snack on someones excess bird seed that was scratched by enthusiastic birds from a bird feeder and located in their front yard, several feet from their house!  As far as we could tell, the only inhabitant in the house aware of it being there was a cat, guarding its domain from the windowsill.  :)

She showed no fear or concern that we had stopped our vehicle so close to her buffet, but continued to calmly eat.  She was still munching away as we left.........