Discovery

Last week my husband, two Shelties and I took a trip to Mackinac Island. On the way we stopped in Graying to visit Hartwick Pines. The day was beautiful and we enjoyed the walk through the woods. On the way to our motel room for the evening, we passed by a shop in town called Apollo's Lyre and there was a very old harp in the window. I left my husband and dogs in the car and ran in for a moment to see what this shop was about. Inside was a collection of many different types of art, the old harp and two newer cross-strung harps. The small one didn't interest me much, but the medium sized one boggled my mind. The woman in the store couldn't tell me much about the harp, except that it was a Clement. The thing that freaked me out are the dampening "paddles" near the top of the strings. There are also pedals. I've been waiting to hear from the owner of the harp to get more information, but if anyone out there knows how this harp works, please let me know!

The next morning we traveled on to Mackinaw City and the ferry ride to the island. Duncan and Gracie drew many exclamations from our fellow passengers about how beautiful they are, and as always, it was like discovering old friends as we stood and talked about our dogs.

Throughout the entire time on the island we were approached by Duncan and Gracie's fans. We told them about the breed, or they told us about their own Shelties. We heard many times about the family on the island who owned 4 Shelties but we never ran into them until we were at the dock for the return ferry home.

Northern Michigan in the autumn is a beautiful place, even if the leaves have only begun to turn. The air was cool and crisp, and the feel of the breeze off the the lakes was energizing. The tourists were few and far between, making feel like we had been transported back in time on the "no-automobile/horses only" island.

It was a great trip that left me with memories of friendly faces, beautiful scenery and a harp mystery. What more could you want from an autumn vacation?