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It’s curious to me that I have lived in Michigan all my life and never been to Boyne City. I’ve been all around it. Charlevoix, Petosky, Harbor Springs, Gaylord, Traverse City, even ski trips to Boyne Highlands. But never Boyne City even though it is smack dab in the middle of what we...
Here’s a blast from the past. This was originally published in 2010. I’ve never been all that excited about Chihuly—you know the world famous glass sculpture artist who seems to pop up around the world in less than traditional art venues. I haven’t understood what all the fuss...
Like most of my friends, I am struggling with the reality of the Pandemic—increased cases and deaths and the need to flatten the curve at a time when winter is settling in where I live. Michigan. It’s grim. The winter feels long and dark. Needing to do something creative and to “go...
Does art have the power to heal, to inspire, to provoke, to challenge, to offer hope? Apparently some people in Grand Rapids think so. Last week a good friend asked if I wanted to go downtown to see the murals that are being created after a violent night in this Western Michigan City. The...
Finding Beauty Recently, during the middle of the world wide pandemic, I headed out with Izzy, my 14 year old Yorki-poo. If she could talk I’m sure she’d say she is delighted with the shelter-at-home orders. We’re always home and she gets lots of walks. My favorite place and...
By Kate Dernocoeur, guest blogger Being a big believer in listening to those quiet whispers in your soul that serve so well as guides, I found myself driving recently to Frederick Meijer Gardens for a bit of Gray Tunnel Relief (GTR). The Gray Tunnel was named by the man formerly known as...
This scene makes me think of the title of Whoopi Goldberg’s book, “Is it just me or is it nuts, out there?” Not sure she was referring to folks wearing day glo wigs and aiming high powered squirt guns at each other, but it could. It’s Festival time in...
Another New Year Celebration in the Memory Bank. Like many people, we spent it watching a “ball” of sorts dropping on to a city street. This was our second year to hang out in Traverse City with good friends enjoying the festivities of this charming Northern Lower Michigan town....
I don’t know if every weekend is like this up north, but I’m thinking the first weekend in August on the Leelanau Peninsula is the one to put on my calendar for a return visit. What a lot of fun happenings in this beautiful part of Michigan. The Plein Air Festival sponsored by the Glen […]
One of the most interesting things I have done recently is to visit the Beacons exhibit at the Urban Institute of Contemporary Arts in my hometown of Grand Rapids. Yes, the city decreed as “dying” by Newsweek. What an outcry of rage that as engendered. Holy Cow. What a major brouhaha. But...