Nun Too Believable: Doll Sisters of Indian River, MI

INDIAN RIVER – I’m not sure what I was expecting when I stopped to walk through the Hall of Sisters, a collection nun dolls on exhibit in this tiny Michigan town, but there was a lot to disconcert. Several hundred dolls, most nuns but some priests too, are really a sideshow to a massive six-story…

Thimbleberry Donuts with a View at Jamsen’s Fish Market and Bakery, Copper Harbor, MI

Copper Harbor, MI – As far as olfactory promises made by restaurant names go, ‘Jamsen’s Fish Market and Bakery’ sends a decidedly mixed message. And while I’ve certainly eaten smoked fish for breakfast, the thought of walking into a co-mingled fish market and pastry shop gave me pause. But I was desperate for coffee just…

Postcard: Free Movies and Sunsets at Open Space, Traverse City Film Festival

Traverse City, MI – It didn’t matter that I failed to bring a chair to “test night” at last week’s Traverse City Film Fest. Even for an introvert like me, it was near impossible not to get up and dance through a big-screen showing of “Stop Making Sense,” a joy-factory of a rock movie released…

Mobile Office 1: Central Lake, MI Public Library

Itinerant food and travel bloggers are grateful for the socialism of public libraries, which provide tax-payer supported: WiFi, desks situated next to outlets and in air-conditioning, restroom facilities, and last but not least: librarians. Smart, often funny and usually women, they are welcoming, knowledgeable and efficient. A salve for all the yahoos we cannot always avoid.

Foraging for Morels and Ramps at Grass River Natural Area in Bellaire, MI

From wild foods in the forest, to 7 miles of magnificent trails spanning rare habitats, the Grass River Natural Area in Bellaire, MI is well worth a stop.

Postcard: NOLA, Five Southern Foods and a Sazerac Cocktail Recipe at Rosedale

On my Southern Food Road Tour, I asked everyone who would talk to me to name five foods and beverages that are most expressive of “southern food,” and the answers varied a lot more than I thought they would. Louisiana in particular was out there on its own, and some of the answers I had…

Postcard: Elk Rapids, Michigan Wild-Foraged Botanical-Infused Booze at Ethanology Distillery and Spirits House

Ethanology in Grand Rapids, Michigan, makes one of the only hand-foraged gins on the market, deploying a state-certified forager to the woods for ingredients like Michigan juniper, staghorn sumac and burdock root.