Promote Michigan Blog

For years, I’ve heard about (and even written about) the Upper Peninsula communities of Hessel and Cedarville, the historic harbor towns on the mainland around the Les Cheneaux Islands. And while I was casually aware of their significance, I had yet to visit.

One of the things on my 2015 “Bucket List” was to make beer at Saugatuck Brewing Company! Back in March and April, I had the opportunity to do just that—along with my daughter, Mollie; her friend, Kailey; the notable musician Delilah DeWylde and her friend Natalie Biddle.

Our finished product: Borealis Blonde (named because I now am finally able to see the Northern Lights where I live and, well…I’m blonde!).

After moving to the “country” last March, I began paying closer attention to the birds that were flying around the yard visiting the feeders and eating off the trees and other plants. I was googling birds (looking for not only photos, but also sounds).

Not being able to identify many birds beyond the robin, cardinal (male and female) and bluejay, I quickly invested in “Birds of Michigan” field guide by Stan Tekiela, and began marking pages with post-it notes as I observed and identified different species.

In the land of Little Traverse Bay, Petoskey Stones, Ernest Hemingway and the Underwater Crucifix. Last March, I made a long-time dream of moving to Northern Michigan a reality when I relocated to Traverse City (just north of Lake Ann). On March 28, I made the move further north to the charming community of Petoskey, about five miles north of town on the 333-acre Round Lake…to The Write House on Round Lake, to be more specific.

March. The month of St. Patrick’s Day, four-leaf clovers, the arrival of spring and all things green and alive! For me, this year it is also a month of new adventures, new neighborhoods, new chapters and new beginnings!

A year ago, I realized a long-time dream of moving to Northern Michigan! With no set plan, other than a general idea that I wanted to be near Traverse City, I began searching Craig’s List for rental properties had enough space to welcome visiting family and friends.

Just after the first of the year, I decided it was time to get back out there trying new experiences around the state of Michigan! When I launched Promote Michigan more than 10 years ago, I took this quest seriously — engaging in an aggressive “try something new every month” campaign. It worked, and for a while I even blogged about it pretty consistently — I even contemplated a book recapping the experiences (which still isn’t out of the question).

One of the greatest gifts I received this holiday season was a pen pal from Mexico. Her name is Jazmin and she lives with her family in a small village, on $96 a month! Less than my average grocery bill (per week) and often less than what I drop, without hesitation, for a meal and a bottle of wine at any number of restaurants around Michigan. Imagine living on less than $1,200 a year! I pay more than that a month for rent and utilities here at the Blog Cabin. How’s that for an eye opener!

The northwoods of Michigan were meant for alpine skiing. Vertical runs veer downward past towering evergreens and hardwoods, with picturesque vistas spread out for miles in every direction.

Some 40 ski areas – with collectively more than 900 runs – proudly call Michigan home. Here, skiers of all abilities make tracks on the fresh powdered slopes in this wintery playground.

The earliest known picture postcard was a hand-painted design – posted with a “Penny Black Stamp” in London, to the writer Theodore Hook in 1840. The Penny Black was the world’s first adhesive postage stamp – issued on May 1, 1840. Displaying a portrait of Queen Victoria, it was primarily back in color and was one cent – thus, it became known as the Penny Black.

Due to its unique microclimate, Michigan produces over 200 commodities on a commercial basis and is the second-most agriculturally diverse state in the country (second only to California). Nearly 27% of the state’s entire land—10 million acres—is still dedicated to farmland, with more than 53,000 farms operating between the two peninsulas. Over a million jobs, almost 24% of the state’s workforce, is supported by agriculture in some way. As such, the state’s agricultural industry generates more than $92 billion to our state’s economy, making it Michigan’s #2 industry!

In today’s fast-paced world of the internet, MP3 players and iPads, it’s hard to imagine that a little more than one hundred years ago, Michigan’s children spent the day inside a one-room schoolhouse learning their lessons in reading, writing and arithmetic. In the early 1990s, there were more than 7000 one-room schools in operation in the state.

It’s hard to believe it’s been 10 years since I took a leap of faith, left a solid job and decided to make a go of it on my own. It seems like I just started on this adventure yesterday, yet it also feels like I’ve been doing it forever (in the best possible way). Every day, I wake up feeling fortunate enough to write my own story, to lead my own way, to do what I love to do—with people I enjoy, respect and appreciate! Thank you to all of you who have been there from the beginning, those I have met along the way and here’s to those with roles in coming chapters!