The Glory of the Forest

This is one of my favorite walks in Petoskey, actually in Bay View. It is a hiking trail where the trees are tall and the sun shines through and makes it feel like an enormous cathedral. The feeling is quite amazing here and to really understand you would have to experience it for yourself. If you ever come to Petoskey, go to Bay View and go for a walk on the Gateway trail. I hope your walk will be as uplifting as mine.

The best weather of the whole summer!

This weekend, we're supposed to have the warmest temperatures and the most beautiful weekend we've had all summer. High 80's and sunshine galore. (We haven't hit 90 yet this year, but that's okay!) We are hoping to do lots of outdoor things that will be fun in the sun, starting with a cookout tonight. Hope you all enjoy what is, in the States, the last hurrah of summer!

Welcome Downtown!

Welcome to the Downtown Area--beautified by the Petoskey Garden Club. They make sure that this and several other beds in the downtown area are nicely groomed and planted each year. In the fall, they plant several thousand tulip bulbs which bloom beautifully in the spring and are then given away in the summer, usually to a Habitat for Humanity project in the area, I have heard. I hope that it is so! It is a nice piece of community effort.

Sunsets....on the water....make me..Happy!!

(Think of the music from "Sunshine on my Shoulder" for the title)

I do love a good sunset and where better to see them from but Sunset Park. It is gorgeous there and the sunshine, shadows, and seagulls are wonderful here.

Hope you enjoy it!!

The Last Weekend of Summer!

Around here, Labor Day marks the last weekend of summer and there is just nothing better than nice weather as everyone is out and about for the last hurrah before school starts again. (Yes, most schools start earlier in other places. Actually, I started my kids this week since we homeschool, but we'll take off later for a weekend when everyone else is busy!) And this last summer weekend is supposed to be beautiful!! Yippee! See you later!

Enter into the Labyrinth!!

Just a fun photo of our favorite activities at the library. We've been to the library a LOT this summer. My daughter is in their reading program and so far this summer she has read 248 books. (that's all) :) The first floor of the wing in the picture is the Children's section, where we spend a lot of our time. We also spend a lot of time at the labyrinth. They have just added a turtle sculpture here as well that they love to play on. A trip to the library is always a great time!!

A Rainy Day!

We had an actual rainy day last weekend--two in a row in fact! It hadn't really rained in several weeks, which makes for great vacation weather, but played havoc on all the grass, trees, and flowers. I'm so glad the front lawn is looking greener again!

I just love a great color!

I think that the colors of the buildings say a lot about people. They seem more imaginative and fun to go to, so that is why I'm highlighting them today! Check these two stores out downtown just off Pennsylvania Park!

A million dollar sunset!

Here's a million dollar sunset--something Petoskey is famous for! It was gorgeous with the colorful red sun and the clouds. So pretty!

The Continuing Fudge Project....

I've been doing research and I have some results. I have tried a few new kinds of fudge, and they were good. I tried the Bear Claw at Kilwin's, where I took this picture of someone making caramel corn drizzled with chocolate, (Yum!) and it was very good. It was chocolate with cashews in it, topped with a ribbon of caramel. It wasn't as good as my current #1, Peanut Butter, but it was a contender! I'll continue the research and let you know more at a later date.
:)

Gaslight

Petoskey's downtown is called the Gaslight District, with good reason. This is just one of the many gaslights that line our streets and provide lights in the evening as well as great places to hang wreaths at Christmastime. Just part of the flair of the past that keeps us up to date.

Welcome to the Midway!

This week is the fair, but this Midway is here all year long! I love this area; we spend quite a bit of time down here walking, enjoying the view and relaxing. One of my favorite places in Petoskey!!

Bagels! (Or Bay-Gulls if you prefer)

Since we live on a bay instead of the sea, we prefer to call these birds baygulls. There are plenty of them in the summertime to squawk and make noise and clean up the messes that people leave sometimes. You do have to watch when you're eating outside by the bay that you don't share food with them until you're almost done--otherwise they let their buddies know that there is food to be had and they can get a party started in a matter of minutes! We've seen times when there are two of them and within a few minutes, there can be 30-50 that fly in for free snacks. Personally, I always like it when there are big crowds of them in the spring; it means warm weather is finally coming back!!

Festival on the Bay weekend

This weekend was the Festival on the Bay down by the waterfront. There were bands playing and sand artists, whose work is shown here, and lots of other activities. There was a children's area where my daughter got her nails painted! But the coolest show was the Royal Lippazan stallions that did a show at the Fairgrounds. They were gorgeous horses that are amazingly trained and work very hard to do their routines. Check out more about them here:
www.lipizzaner.com/

Decor at a low level

I just love the pattern of these metal grates that are around the trees down by the waterfront. They are beautiful, if metal grates can be considered beautiful! I thought you might enjoy them too!

The Bear (River)

Believe it or not, this is right in the middle of town. The Bear River flows through Petoskey and you can hike on either side of the river, never knowing that you're walking through the city. It is quite a steep ravine at times with the river at the bottom. Yesterday we hiked along both sides, crossing at a footbridge many in Petoskey probably don't know about.

In years past, this area was filled with mills, factories, and other industry and the river was dammed in at least 4 places. There is still one dam left, (shown on June 28, 2008), that was part of this extensive network. Now it is all a nature area with a few hiking trails, lots of woods, and a lovely river nearby. A great place to hike!

Tunnel to the Center of the Waterfront

This is the tunnel that connects the Downtown to the Waterfront. The echoes in here are awesome! It is a nice way to safely get across the highway. It is closed in the wintertime, mainly because the snow that drifts through it gets quite deep. Discover your own particular echo fun when you walk through it sometime!

Fudge!

One of the specialties of Petoskey is fudge! (Here in town the tourists are actually called "fudgies" by the locals. Endearingly, of course!) This is a picture of the workers at Murdick's Fudge downtown making the delectable treat. It is a multi-step process, and right now is being poured onto a marble topped table to cool before being turned and shaped with a paddle, which gives it the proper crystalline structure as well as its distinctive shape. It is a very yummy way to remember Petoskey and a great gift for those who haven't been lucky enough to visit here. You can buy it at Murdick's Fudge as well as at Kilwin's which is right across the street. I don't have a favorite yet, but it sounds like I need to do more research! I'll have to give you another picture when I have completed this research project to my satisfaction. (I have heard that the chocolate with dried cherries is very good...I'll let you know!)

Little Traverse Bay Shoreline

I do love this view. From the playground seen in the right foreground, you can have a lovely view of the bay, and we're there quite a bit in the summer. The water is beautiful, but here it is quite rocky. The best beach on the bay is in the State Park that you can't quite see on the left side of the shoreline. There the beach is nice and sandy with lots of shallow water in which to swim. The State Park also has camping lots available for those who want to stay a while!!

Flamingos!

I saw these on the roof of the Mitchell Street Pub and they made me laugh! I don't know if they're there to discourage seagulls or just for decoration, but they are fun.

One more for the Trifecta!

Here is the last section of the mural wall in the Clifton Hotel parking lot. This one makes you think you're overlooking the sunset on the bay, which you might actually see if there weren't 3 blocks worth of buildings in the way!! Another gorgeous sunset.

Continuing with the theme...

...this is the middle of the mural wall in the Clifton Hotel lot. This is my favorite part, I think, since I adore white gazebos and would love one in my yard. Again, beautifully painted, it is a welcoming addition rather than just a plain wall near a parking lot!

Mural, Mural on the Wall...

Which is the fairest one of all? This mural is in the Clifton Hotel parking lot, named after a 3 story hotel that was once in this spot, but burned in the 1880's after a curtain got too close to a lamp. These new "shops" are lovely and beautifully painted, with window boxes and flowers that never stop blooming. (My kind of flowers!!) Enjoy!

My Favorite Chair..

..Even though I can't sit in it! It is an adorable little chair that children love to sit in while reading at McLean & Eakin, where it is located in their award-winning children's section. They have great books, a very knowledgeable staff, and awesome children's programs that run year-round. (I know because my children have been in them for the last 6 years!) One of my favorite children's book series right now is Fancy Nancy. If you have little ones who like fancy things, these are the books for you! They are very cute and the author was here this last spring for a Fancy Nancy party at the bookstore. About 75 little girls, all dressed up and fancy! came to the party and had a wonderful time!

McLean & Eakin has frequent book signings, luncheons, and teas, as well as many other book clubs and groups that meet. Check out their website for a full list of their author events:
http://www.mcleanandeakin.com/
(I counted 8 for August alone!)

Another Petoskey Landmark...

Welcome to a great Petoskey landmark: American Spoon Foods! This is one of THE places that you have to visit when you come to Petoskey. Their kitchens are right here in Petoskey, so all these wonderful things are made right here with as much local produce as they can find. They have a wide assortment of lovely jams, jellies, and savory sauces, as well as salsas and other delectable delights. Above is a picture of the tasting table, set up so you can see which of their yummy creations you like before you buy it! I absolutely love a few things, and others are just plain great! I love their Strawberry Butter, the Marionberry Butter, and the Maple Cream, not to mention their Lime Curd. Oh, and don't forget the Cherry Peach Salsa! My hubby likes the Blueberry-Lime combination and my daughter loves the Vanilla Curd. (We shop here quite a bit.) The Cherry Poppers are a really fun way to enjoy local cherries. Anything here is a perfect Petoskey gift for friends and family at Christmas time as well!

Check out their website at: www.spoon.com

PS. They ship all over the world!

A Great Place to Stroll!

This is one of my favorite places to take a stroll, particularly with a friend and ice cream. It is lovely and shady and right down on the waterfront. There is a tunnel that leads from downtown to the waterfront so people don't have to cross a very busy state highway to get there, and the echoes in the tunnel are lots of fun!

Hope you have a lovely day everyone!

Just a piece of the sky for you!

This is one of my favorite places in Petoskey--The Library. When they moved across the street in 2004, this cupola was put on the new addition to the building they currently occupy. It is really pretty outside, and beautiful inside. Enjoy the glorious view of the sky!

Stair-ing down (or up)!

Here's a shot of the waterfall area! The 4 stories of stairs on the left go up to the flat area of Sunset Park (see July 23rd post). On the far right is the waterfall. This is our favorite picnic spot. There is sun and shade, picnic tables or places for blankets, and lots of places to play hide and seek as well! The waterfall becomes a small stream that is covered by the bridge on the bottom right, another perfect place for pictures. A gorgeous area we love to hang out in!

Just a little more about....

the St. Francis Solanus Indian Mission Church. In the back of the church, there is a statue of St. Francis Solanus that is quite interesting. It is about 4 feet tall on a raised platform and is very detailed. There are two of his converts listening at his feet. At the bottom of the statue, there are offerings from someone today.

A very peaceful place with a great view of the bay. Check it out!

City Daily Photo --August 2008 ---- Metal

This month's theme is Metal. So, when we went for a bike ride on the Wheelway the other day I found this is on the path! (Actually, you have to ride around it..) It is just an interesting reminder of how far we have come on bicycle engineering. Have fun on wheels this weekend!

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