This past week we took a trip 'Up North', which is an area in Michigan demarked by an invisible line but which is universally agreed (by Michiganders) to be where there is more wilderness than shopping malls.
We traveled about four hours from Metro Detroit to Baldwin, in the middle of a state forest. We stayed overnight at the Red Moose Lodge on the Pere Marquette River, perhaps the only visitors not there for the Salmon fishing.
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| The Pere Marquette River in Baldwin, MI |
At the Surry Road quilt shop in Clare, I bought some fabric for a special project.
We then headed to West Branch where my brother has a log cabin, complete with Indian, outside of town.
The trees were coming into full color when we arrived.
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| The cozy sitting area in the West Branch library |
I stopped at Aunt Effie's Craft Closet in downtown West Branch, where I found friendly service and terrific selections.
At the Lumber Jack restaurant, we had the most delicious bread pudding after a pot roast. The decor is quite Up North, down to the vestibule greeter.
I did not know that it was sung by Josh White and was from Cafe Society.
The lyrics go like this:
A little man walked up and down
and found an eating place in town.
He looked the menu thru and thru
To see what fifteen cents could do.
One meat ball, one meat ball,
He could afford by one mean ball.
He told a waiter near at hand
The simple dinner he had planned,
The folks were startled one and all
To hear that waiter loudly all,
One meat ball, one meat ball,
Hey! This here gent wants one met ball!
The little man felt ill at ease
And said, "Some bread, sir, if you please!"
The waiter's voice roared down the hall,
"You get no bread with one meat ball!
One meat ball, one meat ball,
You get no bread with one meat ball!
The little man felt very bad,
But one meat ball was all he had.
Now in his dreams he hears that call,
"You get no bread with one meat ball,
One meat ball, one meat ball,
You get no bread with one meat ball.
We bought bread at the bakery in town, successfully avoiding the doughnuts and sticky buns and blueberry pie. Outside, we met the local vet.
While driving we listened to a book on tape, Siracusa by Delia Ephron.
When I got home I had two books waiting for me. One was Haruki Murakami's newest novel, Killing Commendatore-- a surprise package from A. A. Knopf! I must have won some giveaway.
While away, NetGalley informed me that I was approved for In the Eye of the Hurricane by Nathaniel Philbrick! I have enjoyed all his books. Also on my NetGalley shelf are All the Lives I Never Lived by Anuradha Roy, The Perilous Adventures of the Cowboy King by Jerome Charyn, Big Bang by David Bowman, and Daughter of Molokai by Alan Brennert. I read Brennert's Honolulu years ago and have Molokai on my Kindle to read before the new book. From Edelweiss I have Learning to See by Elise Hooper.
Also, while away I got the good news that I had won a special Book Club win: A Skype visit with author Wiley Cash to discuss his novel The Last Ballad. My feet were hardly touching the ground for a whole day! WILEY CASH! You can read my reviews on The Last Ballad here, and A Land More Kind Than Home here.
Coming home we drove out of the clouds and into the sunshine! The trees had some color, but mostly we saw green. We stopped for lunch in my husband's hometown, driving by his childhood homes and school.
It was nice to be away for six days, but even nicer to be home again! I have some sewing to do!
