Introducing . . . YOU! Part II 4/10/16

I am having SO MUCH FUN!  Y’all keep sending in pics (and stories and memories), and I keep writing them down (I have to admit I’ve laughed out loud at some and shed a few tears over others).  Y’all sure say some sweet things!

Ok.  15 more reader photos tonight.  I have another 15 already waiting, but PLEASE don’t let that stop you!  I can’t tell you how much seeing all your faces means to me, and I know everyone else is enjoying this as much as I am.

I will keep posting photos as long as you send them in, and on Thursday I’ll also begin to write again about Mackinac and what’s happening in Florida.

And here we go . . . .

Stefanie and Nick Anderson (and Hank the dog) – Ogden IL. These folks were married at the Harbor View Inn in 2010 and are expecting their first baby in August. They were back on Mackinac for their 5th anniversary. Stefanie’s been reading the blog for years.

Heidi and Jerry Russell – Saginaw MI. Heidi has been reading Bree’s Blog since 2009 and found it as a link on Grand Hotel’s Blog.  This great photo is from a recent vacation in Las Vegas!

You will probably all recognize Lowell and Faye Greene from Olivet MI. I’ve written about them often, have eaten lunch at their home, and spent a pretty special 3-4 days with them on Mackinac one summer!  Oh, and I  just love them to pieces. In this photo they’re with their grandson Mitchel and sons Timothy, Travis, and Todd. Lowell found the blog in 2012 while Googling “Mackinac Island” and then went back and read every post from the beginning.  He says, “I haven’t missed one since!”

Becky Goodspeed – Grand Rapids MI. Becky worked at the Iroquois Hotel the summer of 1972, and visits the island often. She found the blog in a 2013 Town Crier article.

Meet Taylor and Derrick Franckowiak from Berkley MI. This beautiful couple got married last summer at the Chippewa Hotel on the day the power went out (I remember it well). Taylor went on to say, “All  the Chippewa workers were absolutely amazing about the whole thing.  They made it seem like nothing had happened, and the party went off without a glitch.”  Taylor found the blog in 2010 from a Facebook link and has been a reader ever since.  She even won a “Mystery Spot” (remember those?) contest in 2012 by identifying the Sugar Shack on French Lane.  Hmmmm . . . maybe I should do that contest again this summer!?

Meet Phil and Jeanne Smith from Byron Center MI. They just moved there two weeks ago from Cincinnati OH. Jeanne stumbled across the blog while researching Mackinac Island and has been a “silent reader” since 2013.  I don’t know where they are in this particular photo, but I’m loving all that green grass, trees and shade!

Kate and Scott Stuart – Huntington IN. Kate and Scott visited the island in the 80’s and 90’s with their children, but didn’t return again until 2007. They’ve come back twice a year since then. Kate found the blog while surfing the net for Mackinac Island tidbits and has been a reader almost from the beginning. When I saw this photo I wrote Kate back and asked hadn’t we met before.  And we had – once on Market Street at a 9/11 service, and she was with a large group of blog readers who had photos made on the steps of the Stuart House last year.  She said, “One of the best things about the island is the people we’ve met over the years.  Everyone is so open and happy.  How can you be grumpy on Mackinac, right?”  How indeed, Kate?!  They’re going to be on the island in September also. September seems like it’s shaping up to be a very popular month with Bree’s Blog readers!

Meet Cindy Worswick from Shelby Twp. WI. Cindy found the blog on Google after a trip to the island in 2012.

Y’all know these two from a couple of weeks ago! We had lunch with Paul and Elaine Williams (Yale MI) here in Beverly Beach, and their photo was on the blog that week. Paul remembers exactly when he found Bree’s Blog because he “wrote it down in his journal”. That was in 2010, and a few months later he and Elaine were on the island and recognized Bear and Maddie (not me, just Bear and Maddie). They introduced themselves, and we’ve all been buddies ever since.

This is Sarah and her beautiful family from Richland MI. Sarah found the blog on Google four years ago. She’s been going to Mackinac Island since she was a child.

Meet Pam Pruder, bride Amy (Pam’s daughter), and Amanda. This was from Amy’s wedding at Grand Hotel last summer. They’re from St. Clair Shores MI, and Pam’s been a reader for about four years.

Joleen and Bruce Griffin and daughter Aria from Madison WI. Joleen found the blog through The Town Crier over five years ago, and she went back and read every post. After she began reading the blog she remembered meeting me at the old Grand Stables many years before, but had no idea then I was “Bree the Blogger” – until she connected all the dots.  Hoping to see you on the island this summer, Joleen!

Meet Jan and Don Weir from Indianapolis IN and Harbor Springs MI. Jan has been a blog reader “for a long time”. She and Don travel to Mackinac at least twice a year. They are professional Nantucket basket weavers and sell their baskets at Scrimshanders on the island (inside the Chippewa Hotel).  How awesome is that!?  LOVE those baskets!  I need to introduce them to the Conlons in Harbor Springs!

Jason and Kimberly Bott from Saukville WI. Jason discovered the blog while researching the island before their first visit in 2009.  The Botts became engaged, were married, and found out they were pregnant with their first child – all on Mackinac. “The Island is a very special place for us,” Jason says.

Meet Becky, Dave, and nine-year-old twins A.J. and Emma from Indianapolis IN. Becky has been visiting the island since she was six months old because her grandparents had a cottage there. She spent two weeks on the island each summer during her childhood. She found Bree’s Blog several years ago on Google.

And that’s our second set of 15! 

Ok – keep ’em coming!  I’ll post 15 more one day this coming week, and will continue to post as long as you send them in!  Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you who have already sent in your photos.  I love each and every one!

More to come . .

YES, IT’S STILL SNOWING ON MACKINAC!

A dray driver passes the Stonecliffe gate. (Photo: Clark Bloswick)

NO, IT’S NOT SNOWING IN FLORIDA

Happy Bear!

God bless.