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Getting into the spring of things...

Yesterday, as I sat on the deck of Nub's Nob, I grieved the passing of the deepest parts of winter. For a moment.



And then the blue sky and sun (yes! The sun!) swallowed me whole and I basked in that feeling we forget, and then remember, every year about this time. Something like rebirth, I suppose. Something that feels like we're waking up to a whole new place to live-- not better than the white, still, elder statesman of a place we've been presiding in for so many months now-- just… Continue

Added by Kate on March 16, 2009 at 9:00pm — 4 Comments

Porcupine Mountains at Winter's Edge

Looking for a nice place to lie down for a while, on the Escarpment Trail, Porcupine Mountains, March 14, 2009. Lake of the Clouds in background. Phone photo by Tim Dirks.



I’m just back from the Porcupine Mountains for an end-of-winter campout with three friends. I’ll write a few posts about the trip, but thought I’d start with the highlight, kind of like that “eat dessert first” saying.



We tend to think of seasons in sort… Continue

Added by Jeff Smith on March 16, 2009 at 4:30pm — No Comments

The State Theatre in Traverse City continues to pack the house.

This has been going on now for more than a year, yet it still amazes me. Last week Michael Moore announced that during the one-week run of the movie "Doubt" the State Theatre was the top-grossing theatre in the country. Yes, the entire United States of America. We outsold NYC and LA...again. And this in the dead of winter. No wonder the folks in Hollywood keep asking Moore what's going on up here.



Michael Moore asked the State's patrons why the theatre is consistently among the top… Continue

Added by Jodi Simpson on March 16, 2009 at 2:58pm — 1 Comment

Beach Skiing Sleeping Bear Part II: The Otters

Last week I wrote about the first beach skis of the season. By Sunday afternoon, so much beach snow had melted that there was only one swath of white straddling dune grass and snow. Most people would have walked the beach, but in my family the skis don't get put away until there isn’t a snow crystal left. So we toured down the shore in weather that felt like we should be getting ready for a swim. In less than a week the landscape had changed. Most of the ice was melted and the huge snow bergs… Continue

Added by Elizabeth Edwards on March 16, 2009 at 8:48am — 2 Comments

secret adventures

I took off over the hill today. I explored the hills and orchards, finding treasure after treasure. After several hours absent, my roommates were a little put off. I'd been gone longer than expected and ventured to some dangerous areas. (their scolding is not without merit, one of the neighbors likes plinking and my trails run along the back of his shooting range.)



Frankly, there are times when adventure's call is louder than my better judgement. One quick look back and I disappeared… Continue

Added by Betty on March 15, 2009 at 7:30pm — No Comments

Beach Skiing in Sleeping Bear

Monday morning, March 9, after I’d waded through boot-top snow to catch the Bata bus to Traverse City, after I realized I’d missed it and trudged back home to shovel the almost two-feet of snow the consistency of wet cement off my car, I was still happy. Beach skiing season had arrived. Snow has to be wet and heavy to stick on the beach, and that usually doesn’t happen until late winter and early spring. And when that happens, it’s time to head down to the end of our road to see what winter has… Continue

Added by Elizabeth Edwards on March 13, 2009 at 8:30pm — No Comments

ice

I set about re-running my pathways only to find ice everywhere. The precariously dressed landscape required that I walk too delicately. And I slipped several times. I attempted to crunch through the terrain. And after awhile it was too much work.

Added by Betty on March 12, 2009 at 5:30pm — No Comments

Traverse City Realtor says give back..........

From a Traverse City Realtor



The longer we are in this cycle of this "housing correction" the one thing I realize is how thankful I am for my education and the investment I put into this industry to truly know what I am doing. As a part of my business, I have never relied on who my friend are, or who my kids played soccer with....I invested in knowing this community and this business.

I was never one for seeking out foreclosures to sell. I made a decision that since my family… Continue

Added by Cindy Anderson on March 11, 2009 at 8:34pm — No Comments

Word on the street: the sap is running.

The Curreys at Currey Farms in Charlevoix started tapping. Rich McCarty in Copemish has started collecting sap. My friend and fellow Traverse Magazine staffer Jodi Simpson even started making syrup from sap she tapped from the sugar maples in her side yard in downtown Traverse City. She boils it down in the backyard.



It takes 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon… Continue

Added by Emily Betz Tyra on March 11, 2009 at 3:00pm — 1 Comment

Maple Syrup Season in Traverse City





Last weekend when the mercury hit 40 I knew it was time. Time to gather my sugaring supplies. Time to tap my sugar maples. My maple syrup operation is small, really small. I tap two maples in my side yard with two taps each. I expect to get about 30-40 gallons of sap which will yield just less than a gallon of finished maple syrup. Pure ambrosia!



If you have even one decent sized sugar maple on your property I encourage you to do this. Experiment. It's really… Continue

Added by Jodi Simpson on March 11, 2009 at 11:00am — No Comments

Streets, water and conservation subdivisions



Everyone at LandChoices is working hard to take conservation subdivisions mainstream to preserve clean water. I know first hand the problems with curb and gutter streets. Rushing stormwater from curb and gutter subdivision streets across the road almost swept my parents house on Green Lake in southeast Michigan off it's foundation years… Continue

Added by Kirt Manecke, Smile book on March 10, 2009 at 8:30am — No Comments

melting clocks

Sunshine followed yesterday's blizzard. There are 15-18 inches on the ground, depending on who's telling the story. Perched overlooking a scenic part of the garden, we have a pair of iron chairs and table, like something you'd see crowding a Parisian sidewalk. The 15 inches of snow atop that table looked like a perfectly round layer cake. Only Dr. Suess size. And when I say layer cake, it looked like it had dozens of layers of crystal filling.



Being a sunny day, the glass on the… Continue

Added by Betty on March 9, 2009 at 5:00pm — No Comments

Work Hard For the Money

I had lunch last week at the Bungalow Inn. It was a rare opportunity to have lunch by myself and catch up some of the reading material that piles up on every busy person’s desk. I asked for two things that were not on the menu and do you know what the server’s response to my special request was? “That’s no problem! We can do that for you!” Talk about service! My server didn’t know who I was or that I would be writing a column the next day read by hundreds of business leaders. She just wanted to… Continue

Added by Manistee Chamber on March 9, 2009 at 2:30pm — No Comments

Make these cherry recipes from Friske Orchards contest winners

The results are in from the 6th annual Friske Orchards cherry recipe contest! This past chilly, blue-sky Saturday morning, I came out to snow-cloaked Atwood the Adorable to taste test the hand-picked cream of the crop from over 35 entries in two categories: pies and breakfast dishes.



I was there as food and wine editor of Traverse, Northern Michigan's Magazine and MyNorth.com and was joined by fellow judges Pete Peterson, chef/owner of Tapawingo restaurant in Ellsworth,… Continue

Added by Emily Betz Tyra on March 9, 2009 at 11:00am — 3 Comments

party time

After a two-day warm spell that discouraged my roommates from skiing on the last day of Homestead's season, it started snowing. A few flakes fell. Seconds later, the snow was so thick, the drive was covered. A few hours later, we had to push 8 inches off the car to go to dinner. By the time we got back, all my pathways were invisible. And it was still coming down. Party in the snow confetti! I tried to run along the paths I'd been traveling for weeks, intending to bound gazelle-like covered in… Continue

Added by Betty on March 8, 2009 at 9:30pm — No Comments

Hey, I found more winter...

Winter is nearly done, at least according to the calendar, with only two weeks left until spring’s first day. So what better time to head even farther north and sleep in the snow to get one last good dose of the white stuff before it all becomes river water?



At least that’s what I’m thinking as I make some final phone calls and run through the punch list in preparation for an annual winter escape with friends. This year we’re heading to the… Continue

Added by Jeff Smith on March 7, 2009 at 5:26pm — 2 Comments

And then, it hits me.

Even with my seven days of manifesto-ing, I thought I was very, very done with winter. Especially when I woke up to double digit negative numbers twice this week.



And then, I stepped out on my front porch yesterday morning and I saw this:





oh. oh. oh.



It happens every year about this time, between thaws and deep freezes. The trees turn to sculptures of ice. Muted… Continue

Added by Kate on March 5, 2009 at 9:30pm — 4 Comments

Manifesto Day Seven: Pause, Play, and Ponder

As I type, the wind seems to be traveling through our living room. Outside, there are huge drifts of snow that, in the light of the garage, look more like the sand dunes we love to gaze at along Sturgeon Bay all summer. It makes me ever so grateful for taking on this task of appreciating February, because as the heavy snowflakes swirl and the temperature continues to drop, I find myself sighing in admiration for the way white wisps snake across our road like smoke, or the trail of a… Continue

Added by Kate on March 5, 2009 at 8:56pm — 3 Comments

Whine Blog Issue IV - Movies and Wine!

So I have been a little perplexed lately trying to figure out what to write about this time around. I got the first two issues out just fine it was almost like I had been waiting to let those things off of my shoulders. The third post was my little venture into education which I thought was okay but just not as fun as "whining" about things like customers, employees or even bosses!

So I started brainstorming about things that I love like movies, books or magazines and how to attach them to… Continue

Added by Ciccone Vineyard and Winery on March 5, 2009 at 12:48pm — No Comments

Telemark Festivals In Northern Michigan

It has been a little chilly up here latley. My wife and I had a geothermal unit installed this fall and it is great - we were a little worried about the prolonged cold snaps...something about 500 feet of tubing buried 6 feet below the ground for insulation took care of that.



This Sunday The Outfitter is hosting the 10th annual Nub's Nord at Nub's Nob. Nub's Nord is a great way to try telemark demo skis, ski with telemarkers fro all over the sate, eat pizza and have fun! All you have… Continue

Added by Josh Baker on March 4, 2009 at 7:29pm — No Comments

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