Enjoying the Small Things

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A Michigan Summer

August 23, 2021 By Kelle

Well, here we are—back to school and entering a new season again. I’m ready to shift gears, but before I share anything more here on the blog, I want to go back and revisit summer one more time. Our Michigan visits were always a big part of what I shared here over the years, so I thought I’d share a bit more from this summer but break it down into specific areas of Northern Michigan. Whether you’ve been able to visit that special place of retreat you love these past two crazy years or you’re counting down the days when you can, I think we’d all agree the value of our favorite corners of the world increased a great deal in our minds and memories since the pandemic. Northern Michigan gave us more these past two summers than it ever has before—or maybe that’s just the perspective of someone who appreciates it more and is more acutely aware of how a place you love can anchor you when everything feels to be changing so quickly.


So where in Michigan are we talking about? As beautiful as the entire state is, the Northern part of Michigan is, in my opinion, where the real magic exists—more lakes, more trees, more quiet roads that wind for miles between forests or along rocky shores. My dad’s place in Lewiston is the foundation of our summer visit and where we camp out most of the time, but we make several trips north to explore some of our other favorite Northern Michigan towns which make for great day trips or a few nights away. If you’re holding your left hand up to represent the “mitten” map as true Michiganders do, Lewiston would fall at about the top knuckle of your middle finger. It’s a very small town, established long ago by loggers and now inhabited by about 900 residents year round but nearly 5,000 on summer weekends if you count cottage owners and guests. There’s a simple Main Street that consists of an old True Value hardware, a tiny library, a coffee shop, a mercantile, a bar known for its award winning Talley burgers and a few businesses in between that change in ownership every couple of years. And then there’re the lakes—East and West Twin near town and 40 other smaller ones a short drive from town. These lakes and their allure are the backdrop of our summer. We live near the gulf in Florida, but there’s something about a Northern Michigan lake in the summer—the way everyone knows its peak magic lasts for a short window every year, so it’s more special. The outlining trees, the sunsets, the pontoon cruises, the night swims, the loon calls in the morning, the cold clear water that takes your breath away for one tiny second when you dip past your shoulders and then wakes you up in a way that makes you feel like you’re living in a book you once read about the magic of summer—it’s hard to describe.

I take a lot of pictures of it to fill the gaps where I don’t have the words to describe it.

My dad and Gary expanded their treasure of Northern Michigan real estate to include another cottage this year—one street over from Bliss, their beautiful little garden compound. They’ll host family and friends there, and we’re so grateful we got to be the first to enjoy it—-much more room and convenience than the charming bunkhouse we used to make our summer digs. We loved it, but it’s weathered over the years and needs quite a bit of repair. The new cottage has the cutest little bunk room for the kids.

We still walked over to Bliss every day and enjoyed what my dad and Gary have worked so hard to create—-a summer wonderland.

As for venturing out to other corners of Northern Michigan, we know what we love and continue to return to our favorite destinations but always try and explore one new place every summer. This year, that was the Upper Peninsula.

Upper Peninsula
I’ll be honest, we didn’t love the UP as much as we love some of our other favorite cities along Lake Michigan; but we also know that some of the best places to visit in the UP have a lot of miles between them, and we didn’t want to spend that much time driving being that we drove 24 hours to get to Michigan. The UP is also very different from the well-known tourist destinations along Lake Michigan. There aren’t as many charming restaurants, cute libraries, hotels, etc. We had rented a pontoon to see the Pictured Rocks from Lake Superior at sunset, but the waves were too big that day and all pontoon rentals were canceled. That said, what we saw of Pictured Rocks was still beautiful.

In Munising, we hiked Miner Falls, Miners Castle Trail and Munising Falls.

But I think what we’ll remember most of our UP visit is the little place where we stayed and how there was nothing but a party store close by; so we ate frozen pizza, bagged coleslaw and pop tarts for dinner while we watched old DVDs while it stormed outside. “We’re going to remember this forever,” we kept telling each other.

 

Mackinac Island
It’s no secret Mackinac Island is our favorite place in Northern Michigan. We’ve been visiting for years, and we talk about the secret corners of the island like we’re the only ones that know about them. Mackinac Island is a tiny island in between Michigan’s upper and lower peninsulas and known for the fact that there are no cars on the island. You arrive by ferry, and once you’re there, you have three modes of transportation—foot, bike or horse—although the island is only 8 miles wide, so you’re not traveling far. No matter where you are on the island, you can hear the clip-clop of horse hooves and likely have a view of Lake Huron.

We’ve stayed at several different hotels—the Island House, Harbour View and Mission Point. The most famous hotel on the island is the Grand Hotel, but it’s not cheap to stay there.

We love visiting the Grand—having a Big Porch Ale on the front porch, sitting in the bar on the top floor, looking for the secret garden in the woods—but we’ve been loving Mission Point Resort to stay. I love that it’s on the quiet end of the island and so close to Arch Rock so I can hike up there alone when I wake up before my family. The front lawn at Mission Point is also quite glorious, and we have the best spot for sea glass hunting right in front of it.

Our Mackinac Island Favorites:

– The Woods Restaurant
It’s like a secret Hansel & Gretel cottage in the woods. Make a reservation early! And it’s a 30 minute carriage ride to get there, so plan accordingly lest you be running down Main Street with kids crying to keep up, trying to catch the last carriage cab before you miss it—not that I know anyone that’s happened to or anything. Have a drink in the little hunting lodge bar and bowl a game in the little alley.

– Stores: Poppins, Caddywampus, Little Luxuries, Doud’s Market (we pick up snacks late at night and take them to Mission Point lawn or the park by the harbor)

– Watercolor Cafe (little art cafe hidden behind a Bed and Breakfast right in front of the harbor)

– Mackinac Island Library

Ride a carriage. Rent a bike. Hike to Arch Rock. Have a beer at the Pink Pony. Sit on the front porch of the Grand Hotel. Play mini golf at Mission Point. Play at the island school playground. Walk all the way from Mission Point to Grand hotel, along the water, and choose which house you wish was yours. This is what we do all day every day when we’re there. We walk and talk and drink it all in.

Harbor Springs

Last year was the first time we explored Harbor Springs, and I fell in love. I had been to Petoskey before but had never spent much time in Harbor Springs. “This is where we’re coming back,” I told Brett last year as were sitting next to the marina one night, watching the kids hunt for Petoskey stones. And then during a post Christmas slump earlier this year, I did some online research, found a little cabin right along the Tunnel of Trees and booked it to have something to look forward to. My, my, did that ever turn out to be the best decision ever.

The cabin we rented was straight out of a storybook, complete with a sun porch where I sat early in the morning with my coffee memorizing every inch of the landscape to store in my happiness archives.

Harbor Springs Favorites:

– Drive the tunnel of trees through the little town of Good Hart (stop at the general store!) to Legs Inn at Cross Village. Order the pierogies.
– The Pier restaurant
– Tom’s Moms Cookies
– Rocking Horse Toy Company
– The library downtown
– Zorn Park Beach
– Bar Harbor

– Pond Hill Farm. So many of you messaged me about Pond Hill Farm, and—Oh my Goodness! It did not disappoint. We spent hours there—loved it so much we’re going back this October. The kids ran around and played with the animals, explored the barns, hunted for gnome houses on the trails and climbed on the playground. We all ate lunch up on the deck (had the best rhubarb hard cider, and I’ve been dreaming about it since). We could have stayed all day.

Glen Arbor/Sleeping Bear Dunes

Finally, our cherry on top—Sleeping Bear Dunes. We saved it for the very last week we were in Michigan. It was bittersweet visiting because we knew we were headed home; but it was also our last big hug from this state we love, and it was a good one. So many people message me questions about Michigan—mostly “If we are coming to visit, what’s the one place we should see?” Mackinac Island is great, but it’s a haul getting there and worth staying at least two nights. Glen Arbor and Sleeping Bear Dunes is perfect for that one big “Wow!” and will make you fall hopelessly in love with Northern Michigan. We usually arrive right before lunch and head to town first. If you’re visiting for the first time, you won’t be able to contain your delight.

Glen Arbor Favorites:

– Cherry Republic. Eat lunch there (everything is good!). Pick up true cherry preserves and chocolate covered cherries to bring home. Sit in the tasting room and try some wine while you look out the window and watch the kids compete at cherry pit spitting. Buy the kids some cold Boom Chugga Lugga and *Cheers!* to Michigan.

– The Cottage Book Store. Without even thinking, you’ll hold your phone up to take a picture because it’s straight out of a story book. Check out all the books about local landmarks in the front room. Buy an art print. Wander into the precious little children’s room and pick up something for a child you love. Don’t forget the side wall by the cash register where all the beautiful books about cabins and cottages will lure you into buying one because you’re feeling it in this little book cottage. 

– The Pine Cone, the old school ice cream shop. Order a soft serve cone. Bring cash because they don’t take credit cards. The best ones never do.

– Bay Lavender Trading Company. It’s right by the water. Smell all the soaps. Test the sand blaster lotion and wash it off in the little sink right there in the shop. Buy soap souvenirs for friends at home.

– The beach by the resort. Keep walking past Bay Lavender Trading Company, down by the resort, right onto the beach. Behold, the land of the Best Skipping Stones ever. Flat and smooth. Take a handful home because they’re perfect canvases for painting.

– M22 Store (Buy a sweatshirt!)

Then stop by the IGA and pick up some snacks and drinks for the dunes. You’ll want to get there before sunset. There are plenty of dune stops and places to climb, but we are creatures of habit, lovers of tradition. We drive the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive (choose your playlist accordingly—you’re going to the feel the music on this drive!) up to Overlook 9 & 10. We take a blanket. When we arrive, the kids disperse. They know this place well and run off to find their secret hideaways. Nella’s been running up to the same little bluff for years. She stands up there alone and waves her wand. The scene is literally breathtaking, and I always tear up just a bit from the sheer beauty of it and how happy it makes me.

…there you have it—an entire summer in Michigan packed into one post.

And now that that creative exhale’s out of the way, onward we go.

Filed Under: Travel, Uncategorized 13 Comments

Travel Journaling for Kids

June 7, 2021 By Kelle

One of my favorite things about our road trip and summer adventures is our travel journals. We’ve done different kinds of journals over the years, but I’m excited for this year’s because I put a lot of thought into what I know my kids will love and set them up with creative tools to make the experience of journaling more inviting. This past year, Lainey really got into journaling as a creative tool—not so much deep dive writing into all her feelings (although I hope that comes) but more a creative collection of thoughts and ideas she noticed in the world: cutting out fun things she liked and gluing them in her scrapbook, making lists, collecting quotes, compiling affirmations, etc. The open-ended scrapbook approach kept her busy for hours. This year’s travel journals are similar in that they’re very open-ended—blank books and all the fun things a kid would want to write, draw, cut and paste things they see, taste, hear, experience and collect as they adventure. Everything fits into a pouch (I used paint pens to write their names) to keep them organized and make them easy to transport. I found these wet dry pouches in the Dollar Spot at Target, but these are similar and the same size.

I bought these Soft Cover Spiral Notebooks. They come in a 3-pack, so it worked great for my kids (I ended up buying an additional one for me). They’re the perfect size—a little smaller than a regular school notebook, and they’re unlined so great for scrapbooking and art. To build some excitement for the trip, I’ll have the kids decorate the covers of their journals the night before we leave.


Inside Our Pouches
: colored pencils, good journal pens, kid scissors (for cutting things to scrapbook), fun travel themed stickers, double sided tape, glue stick

I found stacks of Michigan travel brochures on eBay for a few dollars as well as some Michigan tourism magazines that include places we’re visiting. They have a lot of great things the kids can cut and scrapbook. I distinctively remember a road trip we took out west when I was maybe 12 years old. My friend Tisha and I collected free travel brochures everywhere we went and cut them up to document our trip. We even made dioramas with them when we returned home.

Another fun addition to travel journals is photos.  We’ve bought a couple of kid-friendly cameras over the years, and my current favorite is the Canon Ivy. I find the picture quality is better than the Instax, and I really like the Zip instant photos with the peel-off paper if you want to turn them into stickers. The cameras are great for kids to take their own pictures. Even better, you can use your phone or iPad to take photos and print them straight from the phone with a Portable Bluetooth Printer. I have the Polaroid one (I don’t think they make it anymore, and the ones left on Amazon are more than double what I paid for), so I linked the comparable Kodak one. These are great because you can use editing apps to adjust brightness, contrast, etc. before you print photos so you’re really getting a good quality photo.

As for what to put in the journals, I try and encourage the kids to be as creative as they want—no rules! They can draw, make lists, write, cut things up, etc. In case they get stuck though, I taped this list of fun journal prompts in the front of their journals:

TRAVEL JOURNAL PROMPTS
1. Describe/Journal the things you brought on this trip
2. What you ate today (write a menu description for it)
3. Rose & Thorn (best part of the day and worst part of the day)
4. Something new you learned
5. A funny thing that happened today
6. A funny quote someone said
7. Somebody you met or saw today
8. How you made someone feel good about themselves today
9. What happened today from the perspective of your stuffed animal
10. An interview with someone you’re with
11. Write a pretend postcard to a friend in your journal
12. Write a review of restaurant/hotel/Airbnb
13. Look up three Sherwin Williams paint color names. Write about today—you must include those three descriptions.
14. You are creating a travel advertisement for a place you visited. Write the advertisement in your journal. Sell it!
15. Make a Pirate’s Treasure Map of where you are. Label all the good places!
16. Journal “How To” Instructions for someone, detailing something on your trip (example: How to annoy your sibling in the car, How to enjoy Sleeping Bear Dunes, How to catch a fish, How to make the perfect s’more, etc.)
17. Make a list of animals you’ve seen on your travels
18. Draw favorite outfits you’ve worn on the trip
19. Make a list of travel tips based on your trip
20. Write a review of your Uber driver (Daddy)
21. If there was a bestselling book based on this trip, design the cover of the book
22. Research a place you visited and journal 5 facts you learned
23. Design a T-shirt for a place you visited or the state you’re in
24. Journal a list of the 5 best souvenirs to bring home
25. Journal a guide for the “Best Day Ever” on this trip
26. Journal a list of Best Smells/Worst Smells on this trip
27. Make a soundtrack for your day. What songs would you include?
28. Today, find something for each of these and document (either words, drawings or photos) what you find: SOMETHING BLUE, SOMETHING GROSS, SOMETHING COLD, SOMETHING DELICIOUS, SOMETHING SHARP, SOMETHING PURPLE, SOMETHING SAD, SOMETHING THAT SMELLS GOOD

Even though we’re using blank books for open ended travel journals this year, I can’t write a post about travel journaling without including a couple of my favorites for more structured journals.

Go! Travel Journal
This is such a great journal for little kids who need a bit more prompting. It’s so well designed and includes so many creative prompts for documenting every fun aspect of visiting new places from what to pack to good things you eat.

I Was Here Travel Journal from Chronicle Books
This one is great for older kids, teens and adults. Includes great prompts for recording the details and discoveries of your trip, a pocket to store ephemera, graphic pages for notes, etc.

Now, we just need to hit the road so we can start documenting our travels. We’re so excited!

Filed Under: Travel 5 Comments

Ode to Savannah

May 1, 2020 By Kelle

Friday seems like a perfectly good day to travel back in time, so let’s go back to the week before this mess started, shall we? Since no one’s traveling right now, I thought we could take a happy little virtual tour through Savannah, Georgia which is where we were the week before things started to get serious. We had actually booked our spring break trip because of a partnership I had accepted with a North Carolina tourism group and decided to explore Savannah on the way up. We loved it so much, we made it another stop on our way home. Our original plan was to fly right to North Carolina, but with the beginning of coronavirus talk brewing, we decided to drive instead out of caution. We probably would never had taken the trip if I hadn’t signed a contract, and I’m so glad it worked out to enjoy such a special week with our family in such colorful corners of our country before we went into cocoon mode.

For years, friends have been telling me Savannah “has your name all over it,” and they were right–I was completely smitten. It’s basically a giant walking tour filled with the most picturesque historic homes straight out of a movie–miles of them spaced throughout town squares that also include charming shops and restaurants, fountains, park benches, cast iron fences, old trees dripping with Spanish moss, and flowers–the flowers! Azalea bloomed from every corner the week we visited, and there wasn’t a single inch of that city that wouldn’t have made a perfect postcard picture.

Where do I even begin? Let’s start with where we stayed because that’s where I begin when I’m planning a trip, and that often determines all the good that follows. I’ve had incredible luck over the years finding the most charming Airbnb homes, and I have no problem spending a great deal of time searching until I find “the one.” Where we stay is important because of the way we vacation. I’m a go, do, see girl; Brett likes to chill out, especially in the morning. We like staying in places that have lots of walkable sights so I can adventure with the kids in the morning and a place that’s homey and charming because we hang out there a lot as a family. We stayed at this Garden Suite in Forsyth Park on the way up and this Town Home in Historic Downtown on the way home. They were both completely magical and located right in the heart of the city so we could walk to everything.

When we stepped into the first place we stayed, Brett smiled and said, “Let me guess–you want to live here.” Not wrong.

You could look out the windows right into Forsyth Park, and every corner of the home held character. The kids found stacks of books and games, and Nella claimed her special spot as she often does in new homes–the back deck.

The kids brought their hover boards and helmets. Forsyth Park was just around the corner–perfect place to hang out in the evening.

We walked a lot during the day and never got bored or tired. I took the kids one morning to the Collins Quarter for breakfast and would absolutely go back. We tried the spiced lavender mocha, coconut chia pudding (oh my God!), and the Upstream Supreme (everything bagel with salmon, chive cream cheese and capers–so delish!).

We wandered every street we could find, popped in to so many shops and still haven’t seen so much of the city.

We walked to the River district our first night there. The kids were delighted to find two old-fashioned candy shops, and we were delighted to discover you can walk the streets sipping a beer.

Savannah is, of course, known for the Savannah College of Art and Design.

We stopped at the SCAD retail gallery downtown (so many beautiful gifts!) and ended up there just as the SCADstory 4-D experience was starting. It was so delightful. The kids even claimed it was better than the 4-D show we watched at Disney.

My favorite Savannah treasures were the bookshops. Dear Lord have mercy, it’s a Kathleen Kelly heaven. I was told by dear readers that I had to visit two book stores–E Shaver Books and the Book Lady, and neither disappointed (later in Willmington, we found two more enchanting book shops–the entire trip seemed to be graced with book delight).

E Shavers is literally “the shop around the corner.” I went looking for it with a map, walking closer and closer to the little destination pin on my phone until suddenly I looked up from the corner I was standing on and–well the choir of angels began their song.

The shop took my breath away and continued to as we walked into the store–heart rate rising, dopamine flooding–the creaky old wood floors (the building was built in 1843), layered Persian rugs, lamps, hidden nooks and hallways and books everywhere. And….CATS! Three resident kitties roam the shop. We found one curled up sleeping near the front window (I believe that’s Bartleby). Another chased Nella’s wand string as we perused cookbooks (Mr. Eliot). The last one (Skimbleshanks) made us hunt for him, but we found him crawling around a stack of books near the front counter.

We’ve since checked in on the shop on social media, rooting for a hearty comeback when this is all over.

Another Savannah favorite was venturing out to Tybee Island, only a 15-minute drive from downtown. There are some darling Airbnb homes on the island (quirky and colorful!), something to save for future trips. The beach was beautiful–expansive and offering so much color and character with the pier and surrounding island shops. We ate lunch at a quaint little beach cafe and picked up some beach balls at a shop near the pier.

The kids made up a love story about two quarreling birds (Jodi broke up with poor Berchram after Tony flew in and seduced her, and Berchram flew back to lay hell).

The island was such a fun and easy getaway from downtown, definitely a Savannah must-do.

Most loved in any city for me though are my quiet walks alone. I choose my playlist and just roam with no end in sight. I pick out my favorite houses, make up stories about who lives there, take photos, study architecture, fall in love with front porches and make mental lists of things I love about homes. Savannah offers a smorgasbord of loveliness for these walks.

When we visited one last time on the way home, I appreciated it all even more, aware our world was about to change and thankful to have one last night in that magical city before we drove straight through the next day to get home safely. Things felt different, and I knew–as Kathleen Kelly would say, “the shop would be closing.” What a special place to soak up one last day of our world as it was.

This city will be remembered for more than just its enchanting sights and culture for our family. It was our last little hoorah before we retreated to the cave, and a lovely hoorah it was. We’ll be back, Savannah.

Thank you for all the amazing Savannah recommendations so many of you shared on Instagram. Your suggestions never fail to deliver.

Filed Under: Travel, Uncategorized Tagged With: Savannah 10 Comments

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