The Northern East Shore of Lake Michigan

We’ve spent the past days cruising the northern east shore of Lake Michigan. We’ve gone from Harbor Springs to Petoskey to Charlevoix to Leland to Frankfort.

We spent a day & night in Petoskey with Jeff & Deb off Deborah Ann & they showed us the sights. It’s a very nice small town with everything you’d want or need close by the town marina. We wandered the streets, but by the time I discovered the museum it had closed for the day. We all went out for pizza & Hank performed an after-dinner rendition of “Let Her Sleep under the Bar” during a concert of an Irish singer at the local bar — Hank was in fine voice (actually he was in better voice than the paid entertainer). The next day I got a memento from Deb of one of the baskets she makes & markets – perfect for holding all our postcards from our travels & we said good-by to them as they went north & we headed south. We’re hoping to meet again – maybe this winter in Florida.

Our next stop was Charlevoix where we had a free slip for 2 nights courtesy of Brad & Susie off Northern Light. They’d pulled their boat for the season & offered their slip gratis to us – and of course we accepted (we first met them last December in Mobile). Charlevoix is a delightful town. We were most impressed with the homes built by Earl Young in the early 1900s. They’re whimsically built of stone with curving roofs, reminding us of fairy houses or mushroom houses (about 10 homes). I wonder if the residents mind the many tourists who wander around with their cameras???

And we were so happy when our friend Jack Culley flew his plane (Hank says I have to write that it’s a Bonanza 35) from his home in Superior, Wisconsin Monday evening for a visit & dinner. We last saw him in St. Petersburg & it was great to see him again!

Yesterday we were in Leland which is noted for its Fish Town – fishing shanties along the Carp River that are now on the National Historical Register & house shops & small restaurants & a fish store. And today we’ve another nice stop at Frankfort – another small Michigan tourist town.

We’re traveling between 25 & 35 miles a day & plan to be in Chicago in about 10 days. The weather has been wonderful & forecast to continue so for the next 4 or 5 days — can this last forever??????