Tag: Michigan
Day Trip To Mackinac Island
This October I visited my Uncle Tom and Aunt Cherry who live in Michigan, where they manage a thriving wedding venue called The Little Red Barn of Nunica. Fall was just starting as the leaves were a few days short of turning full red-orange, matching the pumpkin patch palette of this side of the United […]
Towering Ice Cream in Norm’s Michigan
One of the highlights of my Michigan trip this year is Norm’s Ice Cream, a seasonal local hang out in West Michigan. They have three locations—Grand Haven, North Muskegon, and Fruitport. My new Michigan friends (Hi, Katie and Nate!) took me to the latter. What’s a digital nomad/modern city girl like me doing all the […]
My Space: Little Red Barn of Nunica
When I lived with the Schmidts in Michigan last year, the little red barn next to their house was just an empty spot where Tom, the man of the house, once kept his horses and other farm animals. The barn has been part of Tom’s family for decades; it’s about 100 years old. While it […]
Discovering Pickle-ball
A teenaged boy dressed in basketball shorts and a t-shirt was hanging out at the basketball court of Spring Lake Community Fitness and Aquatic Center (SLCFAC) in Michigan. He had just come from running at the oval on the second floor and was shooting hoops alone at one end of the basketball court. It’s 10 […]
The Only Restaurant in Nunica
“Doesn’t it remind you of Merlotte’s Bar?” asked Mama Cherry, my second mother from Michigan during my visit in March. She pointed at a restaurant we passed on the way home to our snow-capped cottage along Cleveland Street, Nunica. I quickly glanced at the one-floor wood-finished restaurant at the corner of George St. and Cleveland. […]
My Space: Brenda Koster’s Beach Room
I met retired art teacher Brenda Koster during a game of Pickleball at Spring Lake Community Fitness Center two weeks ago. She’s one of the closest friends of my foster family, The Schmidts, and I immediately warmed up to this cheery blonde. To welcome me to Michigan, Brenda organized a dinner at her place beside […]
Thank You, Michigan
“My mind drifts like the snow.” –The Secret Life of Walter Mitty I visited Nunica in Michigan last month not to look for popular tourist destinations, but to find healing. If you’ve been following my story, you may remember how I lost my boyfriend to depression in 2012, and the difficult journey I’ve had since. […]
Rolo Pretzels for the Culinary Challenged
There are chefs and kitchen whizes like my sister Karen. Then there are people like me who prefer to whip up 30-minute meals and the ever reliable pasta dish. I experienced my first real all-American Thanksgiving feast in Michigan two days ago, thanks to my foster family, The Schmidts. Thanksgiving in March? Why not! With […]