Where do you vacation to meet the needs of a 16-year-old, 13-year-old and 19-month-old? And do it without breaking the bank? (Who can afford five airline tickets these days?) Why Lake Charlevoix, of course. There is a age gap between our kids, as we're a blended family. We love spending time together, but it can be a challenge to keep everyone occupied. We spent a wonderful week in a condo in East Jordan, right on the shore of Lake Charlevoix. The beach, water and of course skipping rocks, provided of entertainment and relaxation for all of us.

It was mid-October and my wife's birthday. So our friends (Beth & Roger) and I treated ourselves to a wonderful weekend on Mackinac Island--and a stay at the fabulous Grand Hotel. My wife had been to the island before, but never stayed at The Grand.  Certainly, we worried about what the weather would be like, but it turned out to be a terrific Fall weekend on the island--temperatures in the high 50's and no rain. We got to the Shepler Ferry docks in Mackinaw City about 11 am on Friday and bought our tickets for the 11:30 am ferry to the island. Of course, we used Shepler's valet parking, which is well-worth the slight extra charge (note: the Welcome Center in Mackinaw gave me a $3 off coupon, which helped, too). The 15-17 minute ferry ride across the straits was smooth and fast (and no we didn't venture up on the top open deck--though some younger riders did). On the island, the Grand picked up our luggage and we decided to sign up for the 1-1/2-hr Mackinac Island Carriage Tour of the island--it was a great ride around the island and our carriage driver was very knowledgeable about all of the sights that we came across. Don't miss taking a carriage tour, it's well-worth the $24 cost. After the tour, we strolled up the hill to The Grand Hotel to check in. The Grand is definitely an inspiring site as you approach. Check in went smoothly and we were in rooms 196E and 198E, each with little balconies overlooking the Jewel golf course and the wide street leading up to the Grand. As is the Grand's tradition, dinner and breakfast is included in every room rate. Everyone dresses for dinner and this weekend was extra special because it was Big Band weekend. After our wonderful dinner, we went to the ballroom to listen to the band and watch some of the "professional" ballroom dancers. None of the "Dancing with the Stars" performers had anything on some of the couples at the Grand--which was a little intimidating to my wife and I (we promised ourselves to take lessons in the coming year). Oh well, I could go on and on about the Island and the Grand, I'll just summarize by saying that the ladies went shopping (big discounts at end of season) and the guys played 9 holes of golf on the beautiful Jewel golf course. Absolutely, a terrific Fall getaway weekend -- except that both MSU and UM lost their football games that Saturday--which we watched on big plasma screens at the Grand's Gatehouse restaurant. WOW...I impressed my wife with this weekend gift--I impressed Beth & Roger with the whole idea--and I got to see beautiful scenery, eat delicious meals, take great Fall photos--and play golf on top of everything. My only regret...I didn't sign up for the next weekend, which was the Grand's "Somewhere in Time" weekend and my fantasy date, Jane Seymore, was scheduled to make an appearance :>}

Hey ladies, you don't have to be a tom boy to like to fish. I am certainly not your typical fishing person and I'm not shy to show it either. I am a girly-girl at heart who truly loves the sport of fishing. I am who I am and I like what I like. Last week, I overheard some fishermen mentioning that the Salmon were running in Western Michigan. The Salmon are running and I thought to myself, boy, I would surely love the experience of catching such a large fish. So, I decided to take action and plan a fishing trip on the Muskegon River with local fisherman, Jim Churchill, of Riverside Outfitters LLC. When my scheduled fishing day finally arrived, I was so excited that I could hardly stand it! I was like a kid in a candy store. I got prepared and headed off to meet Jim at the designated launch. Once I arrived, I got out of my vehicle and proceeded to walk towards him. Jim stopped and looked at me in surprise and asked me if I was planning on fishing in high heels. I laughed and said you betcha, these are my lucky high heel shoes. He said that he had thought he had seen it all until that day. So, he invited me to step on board his riverboat. Jim started the motor and away we went down the river in search for Salmon. We traveled for a while, and then proceeded to slow down and stop and anchor. Anxious to fish, Jim then outfitted me with all the proper gear and explained exactly what I needed to do to catch a Salmon. So I cast one time, two times, three times and then four times and WHAM! I suddenly realized that I just hooked a fish! Jim was instructing me every step of the way, pole up, pole down, reel in, let the drag out etc. It was so exciting that my heart was racing from the thrill and the challenge of getting that enormous fish into the boat without losing it. The 30lb power pro test line held up great. Finally after 10-15 minutes, the Salmon tired out and we netted it and got it into the boat. We were both truly amazed at the size of the fish. Not just any fish, but a huge 18lb male Salmon. I told him my catch was attributed to my lucky high heel shoes and my natural casting ability and he chuckled and said, you amaze me.  It very well could be. Jim then gave me my 18lb prize fish and showed me how to handle it properly. I struck a pose and held the fish while he took my picture. Boy, it was quite a day and an awesome experience that I will never forget, like a first kiss. I then realized that I should share this story with others so that they may be inspired to sometimes take action and create their own experiences in life or it will pass them by before they know it. Taking "time out" by fishing can be a great way to offset some of the many challenges and stresses that we women all seem to be faced with today. Sometimes just being somewhere away from the fast pace of life - even if just for a few hours - can provide a new perspective and a fresh outlook. Fishing as a hobby is continuously growing with women and that is why the estimated number of women who acquire fishing licenses each year is more than 12 million. So ladies, I encourage you to support our local fishing guides and take time out for yourselves, get out the pole, put on your lucky high heels, step onto the boat to see what you can do. Most of all have fun and good luck! I can't wait to go out and fish in Michigan again.

Gorgeous! After living in Michigan for many years and never seeing the Upper Peninsula, I had to go and enjoy it in the fall. The trees were beautiful and the UP is a relaxed and wonderous place to visit. We stayed in Paradise right on Lake Superior and enjoyed Tahquamenon Falls, Pictured Rocks, Munising and their local waterfalls, Grand Marais, Whitefish Point and driving around Lake Superior. We really enjoyed our visit the weekend of October 3-5, 2008. Don't wait to go!!! Get up there and enjoy =)

On October 3, 2007 it was 80 degrees and lots of mosquitos. I normally would have been out with my wife on the Harley for a ride but unfortunately she was not feeling well so I traded the keys for my bow. It was 6:00 p.m. in my favorite stand, wind was in my face, 15 minutes into the hunt two bucks appear. About 50 yards out was a 10 point and a 8 point that was working their way to my stand. I decided to take a shot at the 8 point because it was a nicer rack. Drew back and missed. They walked off without knowing a shot was fired off. Sitting there regaining my composer I hear corn being ripped off the stalks behind me. Not 40 yards behind me (down wind) is the buck I have been hunting for for 3 seasons. I glassed him with my binoculars and saw that he could easily score 160-170. I thought to myself "I'll see you in gun season". Just about then he made his way towards me (up wind) within 15 feet of my stand. Made the shot and finally the BUCK OF A LIFETIME was mine. Live weight 287 lbs. Field dress 219 lbs. Green score over 170.

Staying at Crooked Lake is so nice. 6 Cabins are on Crooked lake , Sandy beach, great fishing lake , Playground for the kids, relaxing, peaceful,and friendly. We have our family reunion there .It's perfect , take all 6 cabins and the whole family gets to spend time with each other.  It's location is in Clare County.  It's just a short drive ,they have , snowmobile trails across the road, boats, bait shop, snowmobile rentals, their cabins are completely furnished . I just have to bring my clothes ,food . It makes a vacation very affordable . They have something for everyone.

Rodney and I sat at the picnic table watching the sun rise over the St. Marys River. It was 6:15 am and the sky above was deep midnight blue. One star was still winking at us to the east and an orange strip was just beginning to make itself visible on the horizon. I sipped my coffee and turned to Rodney. “ This is nice,” I said. “Quiet, kind of chilly out…I like it.” Actually the fall morning was pretty cold. My breath fogged between the two of us as I attempted conversation. “I’m glad to be spending this time with you, Rodney.” My uncommunicative companion stared at the water. Slowly the orange was pushed out of the way and replaced with yellow. Layers of color were waking up and stretching as I drank my coffee. Yellow, orange, light blue, dark blue, midnight, black. The little star twinkled. The water in front of our rental cottage was DeTour Passage: the bottom of the waterway linking two of the Great Lakes. On the other side of the river sat Drummond Island. Ships traveling the Great Lakes waterway squeeze through this passage to make their way down from Lake Superior to Lake Huron or the other way around. We had been witnessing this happen over the last few days from our front porch. Now as we watched, a huge ship lit up with yellow lights in the morning gloom and puffing a wisp of dark smoke against the orange sky lumbered slowly past. Looking up squinting I could just barely make out our friendly star, shining feebly. “What should we do today? We could take a walk into the town a little later when things open up. I know you are suspicious of that Halloween scarecrow out in front of the post office, but maybe you’ll feel better about it today. What do you say?” “Woof.” “I’m not sure what you mean.” “…..” “Fine, I won’t push it. Want to walk the pier and look at the boats? You can bark at that buoy in the water some more.” Rodney sat up and wagged his tail energetically, looking at me with doggie intensity. I had no idea what he was thinking but figured I couldn’t go wrong with a walk on the water at sunrise. Coffee cup now in the sink, I plucked my friend’s leash from its hook and, leaving the door unlocked, we headed out into the perfect morning.
(The above is an example of the things I'm posting on a blog I just started related to my travels around our beautiful Great Lakes State. I incorporate photos and will either give a narrative about what I experienced or write a little story. This example is a story. Feel free to go to my blog to see the true format and other examples: nasunto.blogspot.com)

I just leared about a great new way to experience Michigan's fall colors ... and its just a short 3-hour drive from my home in Hartland, Michigan. The AuSable Queen Riverboat (near Oscoda) runs 2-hour tours from May into October. The view is unique - the captain's commentary is informative & corny and sometimes even funny. And since somebody else was doing the driving, I was free to relax and enjoy the scenery, the wildlife and the company of my traveling companions.

I think the surpirse October 2007 heat wave delayed the color peak a bit this year. More color would have been a bonus, but even the subtle changes looked stunning from the water. I will definitely do this trip again in 2008!