Kicking Off “A Gypsy’s Journal”
I’ve been meaning to start a weekly wrap-up style column for a while now.
“Fixin’ to” as my Grandma would have said.
A few of my friends and family have asked me to be better about sharing my daily journey.
They are the ones that like to poke around my house to see what projects I’m working on, what my watercolor or pottery challenge of the moment is and what paint swatches are taped to my walls. (I’m always repainting one room or another…)
I’ve tried to do it on Instagram, but… I’m not great about it.
The truth is…I feel like I’m really kind of boring… so I’m not sure why anyone would be interested. The exception being my “freak magnetism. My own phrase for my ability to attract the kook in the crowd no matter where we are.
And that’s a whole different type of blog my friends…
Since we’ve been in northern Michigan for a few weeks, I’ve snapped lots of pics on my iPhone.
From the Dog Parade in Northport to the tornadoes and flat line winds across the bay, its been some busy days!
So I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to finally kick off A Gypsy’s Journal.
I’ll try to share the bargains I find, projects in the works and whatever else I’m up to each week.
Y’all have to promise to let me know if I’m boring you to tears…pinky swear right?
Storm Clouds a Brewin’
So our summer up north kicked off with this…
Tornadoes and devastating flat line winds that tore through Traverse City and the surrounding areas.
Major devastation but –luckily– no lives lost.
These are serious “the end is near clouds” right?
And yet there are people walking on the beach! #CrazyFolks
A friend sent me this pic… her husband made it in off the golf course minutes before the storm hit.
That’s the thing about Lake Michigan…it can be beautiful blue skies one minute and storm of the century a few minutes later.
On a more positive note…
Within a few days, the roads were open and the power was on.
So we hit the road!
I feel so fortunate to get to call northern Michigan “home” for a whole month in the summer!
Here are some of our travels over the past two weeks…
Sutton’s Bay
We love Sutton’s Bay!
The farmer’s market is super tiny but fun.
So much produce is grown here along with wineries, non-GMO baked goods and miles and miles of flowers.
The old fashioned movie theatre in Sutton’s Bay, The Bay, is a big hit with our crew.
We saw Rikki and the Flash when it was too stormy to roam around outside last week.
For those of us used to big city movie theatre prices…it is a real deal…only $8.50 for admission and… $2.00 for popcorn!
(I’ll have to tell you about the two drunk senior citizen ladies who sat next to me and smuggled in beer another day. In a nutshell, they proceeded to spill it all over … and… belched loudly throughout the movie. #I’mAFreakMagnet)
Jeff Daniels and his band are playing there next weekend.
Northport Dog Parade
Northport and “Fish Town” are a few favorites.
And it’s hard to beat the annual Northport Dog Parade…
This year’s theme was “Woofstock.” There was a serious amount of hippie action in town that day!
We met these two sweet, sweet girls that I would love to have taken home.
If you are a fan of the chef with the orange crocs, his summer house is in this hood and he is a regular at the many farmer’s markets and restaurants around Traverse City and the Leelanau Penninsula.
Tandem Cider
Have you tried hard cider?
It has been all the rage up here for years and years. This area is a leading producer of it.
One of my favorite’s is Tandem Cider.
A few places in the Ann Arbor area sell it but as soon as it hits the stores, it flies off the shelves. #CultFollowing
This is Tandem Cider’s idea of a “drive up window”
We may have indulged in a hard cider tasting…
3 for $3.00!!
Hard to say no…
Smackintosh is still our favorite! And our friends at Tandem Cider say it is their top seller.
Flower Pickin’
Another favorite stop on the road back from Northport to Traverse City is Omena U-Pick Flowers farm.
Great idea right?
Yep…that is the beautiful blue waters of the Grand Traverse Bay and Lake Michigan in the background. #Jealous
My sister and I roamed around here last weekend. I always flash back to my southern grandparents when I’m visiting places like this. One of my earliest and happiest memories is my grandma’s fabulous cutting garden.
It was always full of hollyhocks, delphinum, sunflowers and more all taller than I was…
How U-Pick Flowers Works
You first choose a jar or a jug full of water from the table in the yard… and a pair of clippers.
Then you cut exactly the flowers you want…
Every type of flower is labeled with the price.
When you’ve filled your jug or jar, you head in to the little garden shed to pay!
Totally on the Honor System…
And that’s it for my weekly ramblings this week!
Weekly Giggle
I thought I would try to end each of my journal posts with something to giggle about…
This seemed like a good one to start with
As a professional writer, I’m always threatening my family to “be careful or you’ll end up in my novel”
This is the blogger equivalent…
So to the friends and family who asked me to start a weekly journal post I can now say “be careful or you’ll end up on my blog!“
Love this new series! I grew up in Traverse City so it’s great to see all these photos of my hometown. And BTW, you aren’t “boring” at all. Love your sense of humor and your blog. It has so much more personality than others who are just so stiff and bland.
Lucky you! We just love all things northern Michigan. Thanks for stopping and for taking time to share your comment!
I like this behind the scenes post. Have never been to Michigan but it sure looks beautiful. Hope you will continue sharing this series for us non-artitistic folks to see.
Hi Karen- I have another one ready to share today! Glad you like them.
Glad your friends convinced you to do this kind of post. Enjoyed it! Like the other person above said, I like how your blog isn’t the same old cookie cutter blog so many others are. It is much more fun to read and follow!
Thank you for your sweet comment. I’m a newer blogger and always feel like my blog isn’t quite up to others. But I enjoy it and the projects I share too! Glad you stopped by.
Looks like a great journey. That pick your own flower stand is neat. Wish we had one near us. Love fresh flowers! And I agree with the others- not boring at all! Your humor and stories of your family are fun. I find your blog more fun to read than others. Looking forward to next week’s issue.
Thank you Melissa! The U-Pick Flowers is a great place. I wish I had one close to home, too. But luckily for me the farmers market is just a few blocks down during warmer months.