Gift Guide: The Local

Hey guys! Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I don't know about you but I didn't eat enough mashed potatoes this year.

Now that Thanksgiving is over it's time to start talking about Christmas. Here in Traverse City we have a great variety of small businesses from boutiques, book stores, restaurants, and more. Since today is Small Business Saturday, when you're encouraged to shop from your local small businesses, I wanted to highlight gifts that are made in Northern Michigan (mostly right in TC).

- Soaking salts from The Great Lakes Bath + Body or any of the other good smelling body products they offer.

- A gift certificate to see a movie at The State Theater (with enough for popcorn too!)

- A favorite wine or beer from a local winery or brewery.

- Something sweet or savory from Cherry Republic.

- Olive oil from Fustini's for the cook in the family. They also offer cooking classes which I hear are a lot of fun, plus you get to eat the food after it's made.

- M22 clothing and accessories so they can show off their love for Northern Michigan.

- Locally made cold weather accessories from Baabaazuzu.

Have a good weekend and don't forget to shop locally for Small Business Saturday on November 28th!

-S

What A Weekend

This weekend was a bit of a blur. Saturday and Sunday could not have been more different. Really I don't have a whole lot to say. There's much more to show you. 

Saturday started out with sandwiches from The Cheese Shanty in Leland. If you're ever in Northern Michigan it's a must visit (you have to come during the warmer months though because this places closes right down when temperatures start to drop).

Wednesday was my brother's birthday but we were all busy with work so we spent Saturday celebrating together.

My brother requested a beach day so we drove out to the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore to lay in the sun and play in the waves. It was the perfect day. Enough breeze to keep you from burning up in the sun, but hot enough to be comfortable in bathing suits. The water was even warm!

Not a bad view.

We parked by a really beautiful forest. I was mesmerized by the trees' perfect alignment and relatively clear forest floor.

Then Sunday came and so did one of the biggest storms I can ever remember having in this area.

The picture above was the only photo I took on Sunday while we were driving around after the majority of the storm hit checking on places around town. We turned down this road and discovered that tree blocking our path. The roots were so deep it brought up the entire sidewalk. Huge trees came down all around the city causing lots of damage. Most of the area lost power and some houses were severely damaged. Luckily I don't believe anyone was seriously injured due to the storm.

The rest of these photos were taken during a walk around my neighborhood Monday morning. All you could hear around town Monday were chainsaws and beeping trucks. I'm incredibly thankful that the least we had to worry about was the power outage at my house. Our power was back on early Monday morning, but in some parts of the city they don't think the power will be back on until Thursday.

This house looked like it suffered the most damage in my neighborhood. The entire garage was crushed under that tree but the little bird house next to it was completely unscathed. Conditions are even worse in Glen Arbor, Empire, and the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore area. It's sad to think of all the beautiful old trees that were lost on Sunday and of all the people who no longer have homes to go to now. I'm sure it will be a long time before everything is back in order.

Like I said, Saturday and Sunday could not have been more different. It's a little ironic that I spent so much of Saturday admiring the trees and finding myself amazed at how many are in the area. I was just sitting down Sunday to write a whole post about our beach day and the beauty of nature in Northern Michigan (trees being the main focus) when the storm rolled in. Just a reminder to take the time to admire what nature has to offer you before it's gone. You never know what's around the corner.

-S

P. S. Here's a picture I saw on the M22 Facebook Page of the storm coming in.

Weekend Recap

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! Spring seems to have already sprung in Michigan and although it's not bound to last it's definitely a breathe of fresh air. I will take mid 40's and a drizzle any day over falling snow and temperatures below zero. Even the piles of snow we had just over a week ago have all been diminished to tiny lumps.

Friday turned out to be the best day weather wise. It was absolutely gorgeous with lots of sun and temperatures high enough to go outside without a coat. In the afternoon my mom and I headed to Tandem Ciders for a little fun. We might not agree on our wine preferences, but we both love cider.

Tandem's tasting room is in an old white farm house with a casual bar area and lots of outdoor seating for the summer months. Since the property was pretty muddy on Friday we opted for inside seating where we sipped a variety of crisp cool ciders and munched on my favorite pickled eggs. The only downside to the trip was my inability to taste or smell a whole lot due to my recent cold. Hopefully next time we go I can savor the goods a bit more.

We still walked away with two bottles of cider. One of Sweet Heart and one Smackintosh.

Afterwards we decided to stop in Suttons Bay and walk around for a bit. Suttons Bay is a quaint little town located right on the water along M22 highway (and the end of the TART trail). It's home to many lovely shops but my favorites are Enerdyne and Brain Storm. It's hard to consider these separate stores since they're physically connected. Enerdyne sells mostly nature and science products while Brain Storm mainly sells games. Both stores are dedicated to the notion that learning and exercising your brain can be lots of fun.

On Saturday my dad and I decided to hit up the local record store. We've been record shopping every weekend lately. I love sharing a passion for records with my dad. It's been fun hunting for certain albums or artists that we both like, although we both agreed that we need to start bringing lists. Every time I walk into the store I get distracted by all the names and forget what exactly I wanted to look for.

My dad and I both managed to find worth while purchases Saturday. I walked out with a 2008 limited edition remastered version of Pain In My Heart by Otis Redding in red vinyl and my dad went with a greatest hits kind of album from The Beatles. I had been looking for a Redding album for quite some time, and although I prefer old over remastered I was still quite happy with this purchase. Since my parents only had one Beatles album in their collection (Let It Be), my dad's been trying to find a reasonably priced record to add to the list. Some of those Beatles albums can get pretty pricy! I almost bought The Beatles White Album last weekend, but I just couldn't manage $50 at the time. It's definitely an album I would like on vinyl, so I might try saving up for it.

That night my parents had a work party and my brother had to work, so I was left with the house all to myself. Taking full advantage of my time alone, I decided to make cookies. I always prefer to bake cookies alone because that way I can blast music, dance around the kitchen, and eat as much dough as I like.

Later, just as I was about to go to bed, I found my brother watching a feature on the Mercedes Benz Formula 1 racing team. After a few minutes I was totally sucked in. It's fascinating what all goes into making the vehicles. Soon after I decided to just stay up to watch the whole Australian Grand Prix with my brother. I don't go out of my way to watch Formula 1, but I find the races exciting. It's one of those sports that I always find interesting and want to know more about. There's just a lot that goes into the sport between it's careful engineering and constant teamwork.

Sunday morning, after unfortunately forgetting I set my alarm before decided to stay up so late, my dad suggested we try one of the antique stores for more vinyls. Browsing the antique store usually requires a little more digging and careful inspection, but you can usually find better prices.

Lastly, Sunday afternoon my parents and I went to see the new Cinderella movie. My mom and I were already on our way to the theater when my dad called to say he would meet us there. My dad is kind of finicky about watching movies, so we were both pleasantly surprised that he decided to join (the more the merrier!) The movie was excellent and I was very happy revisiting a story that I hold so close at heart.

I ended up having a very family oriented weekend. I'm thankful my family is still able and willing to spend so much time together. Cheers to the great weekend!

-S

Winter Sunday Adventure

On Sunday my family drove out to Empire and the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore area because we had heard the ice caves from last year were back. Unfortunately once we got out there we learned there were no ice caves yet this year (major bummer). The temperatures were below zero, the wind was blowing hard and snow was coming down, but we decided to drive around and explore a little anyways. Might as well enjoy the area while we were there.

My dad, brother, and I all went out on the ice at Empire. The snow was deep but climbing down onto the ice was a slipper task. Surprisingly none of us ended up on our butts during the process. After a few minutes I was getting cold and worried that my pant legs were getting wet, so I headed back to the car. My dad and brother both had snow pants on so they explored a few minutes longer.

Even though it was cold and windy we still had a lot of fun exploring. I don't think I've ever been out to the National Park in the winter (or if I have it's been a long time).

I love this picture of my parents. We were walking back and they reached out to grab each other's mittens. I'd image holding hands with mittens on isn't the easiest, but they're pretty dedicated hand holders. Aren't they adorable?

-S

Family Day on Mackinac Island

Earlier this summer my mom purchased a few tickets on UpNorthLive for the ferry ride to Mackinac Island. Because trying to find a weekend where five adults are all simultaneously free from any other plans is quite a challenge we couldn't find a weekend all summer that would work for everyone to go. Finally, last Sunday morning arrived and we all piled in my dad's truck and hit the road. Fortunately it's only about a two hour drive to Mackinaw City, so we didn't have to get up too early.

Mackinac Island has never been my favorite place to visit, but I promised my parents (and myself) that I would try my hardest not to complain or act unhappy to be there. I'm sure that sounds silly that I have to tell myself those things, but I can be annoyingly cranky for myself and definitely for others. I love my family and have always been grateful that spending time with them has never been a chore or something I dread. I always want to be able to appreciate the time we spend together and wouldn't want to ruin a good day with a negative attitude. And guess what? It was such a good day.

None of us had ever been to the island this late in the year so we were all pretty excited to see what it had to offer in October. Last weekend was actually the very last one of tourist season on Mackinac. If you've experienced the island before this is definitely the best weekend to go for a visit. In the middle of summer it can be super hot and smelly and packed with people (which is basically what has fueled my dislike for the place).

Last Sunday was slower and felt more secluded. Half the restaurants were already closed and the other half closed later that day. All the shops had sales going on, so it made for the opportune time to check out the cute stores and get some great deals. I even bought some books because, you know, I need more books. They were 30% off and I can't resist a sale, especially when it comes to books (God help me).

I felt like we were in on some sort of secret being able to witness all these people packing up and saying goodbye to their friends. There I was waiting in line for coffee and people are shouting their farewells and sharing hugs. Friendships truly do change with the season. I like being a witness to other people's lives.

It was a gorgeous day. The past month has been on/off rain and cloudy skies with increasingly colder temperatures, but last Sunday was actually pleasant on the weather front. It was windy and chilly but not in a miserable way; plus the sun brightened the skies and warmed you right up. 

Another plus about making the trip in October is the colors. Everything in nature takes on a whole new dynamic in the fall. When you looked over a hill all you could see were rows of trees in reds and greens and yellows and orange. The island was so peaceful and we were able to walk around relatively undisturbed. Usually navigating the paths between the carriage tours, the horse poop, and the crowds of people on bicycles trumps being able to stay next to the people you're there with and often hinders conversation flow. Now that I've discovered the joy of the end of season emptiness I never want to visit at any other time. So much beauty all for us. I can't wait to visit the island again during future fall excursions. 

We left the island at five (right when the last shops were closing and it was all starting to get a bit depressing). I didn't even realized how tired, or hungry, I was until we got back in the car and started to head home. After much deliberating we decided to stop in Charlevoix for dinner at the Bridge Street Tap Room. My dad and brother had seen the restaurant mentioned in a local magazine and it looked like a cool place to try while we were passing through. I ordered a pumpkin chai beer (which was excellent and subtle) as well as a grilled mac and cheese (which was literally mouthwatering). If you're in the area I would definitely recommend checking it out.

So there ends another great, fun-filled family adventure. I hope you all have days like that with people you love!

-S