A Grand Hotel Visit and More Fun at Black Lake 8/9/15

Oh my goodness!  It’s been a week since I’ve written, and the days have been so full it seems more like a month!  Over the last eight days, Ted and I (and Bear and Maddie, of course) have enjoyed fun days at Black Lake with Sue and Terry (and Brinkley and Ruby), spent two nights on Mackinac, eaten well (with not nearly enough exercise to make up for it), and slept like babies.  The weather has been AWESOME, with daytime temps in the 70’s and nights in the high 50’s and low 60’s.  Sleeping with all the windows open is SO peaceful, and the few times it’s rained during the night the sound of raindrops on our little cabin’s roof is like having someone sing us a lullaby.  Dreamland!

When the Grand Hotel invited me to write a guest blog about the Woods Restaurant, the invitation included an overnight stay at the Grand – something Ted and I had never done.  When the Woods blog is published on their website, I’ll make sure everyone gets a link; but in the meantime, I’m excited to share our stay at the Grand and the rest of our island visit!

I can always count on Jill to meet the ferry when we arrive on Mackinac!

We arrived on the island a day early so I could go to a fun “girls only” porch party on Tuesday night. After checking into the Lilac Tree Suites and Spa (our first stay there also – highly recommend!), our first stop was the patio at the Chippewa for lunch.  I’ve always loved that “Real World/Mackinac Island” sign – makes me know I’ve arrived at a place where worldly current events can be temporarily ignored!

After the porch party I met Ted back at the Pink Pony (imagine that) to listen to Myk Rise sing and play guitar.  The Pony is always THE spot to be for an entertaining evening.

On Wednesday morning we slept in (no dogs to take out and feed!), then just walked around downtown – chatting with friends we’d see on the street, checking out a few new shops (and favorite old ones), and waiting for check-in time at the Grand.

As many times as we’ve walked or ridden up this hill on our bikes or by taxi, it was never with the purpose of staying at the Grand – but on Wednesday it was!

We checked in and followed the bellman to our room . . . .

. . . and what a room it was!  When Carlton Varney, president/owner of Dorothy Draper & Co. Inc., one of the oldest established interior design firms in the United States, was commissioned to totally redecorate the Grand Hotel in the 1970’s, he vowed to incorporate every color in the magnificent Grand Hotel gardens into his design.  The hotel, whether public spaces or private rooms,  is a testament to how Varney – also known as “Mr. Color” – fulfilled and continues to fulfill that design.

Our room was spacious and beautifully decorated, and when we drew back the drapes across one side of the room . . .

. . . this was our view! A screen door opened onto our second floor balcony, and when we stepped outside . . .

. . . the wonderful view of the Straits of Mackinac and the West Bluff expanded.

As I began to unpack what I planned to wear that evening, a knock on the door sounded, and there stood a Grand staff member with a beautiful bouquet of flowers . . .

. . . and a gift basket of wine, wine glasses, fruit, cheese and crackers – compliments of the Musser family. Talk about making a girl feel special!

Our evening at the Woods was fantastic (more to come on that in the future on the Grand Hotel blog page), and we were back in our room early enough to watch the last rays of sunset from our balcony.

A group of late-night diners head out to the Woods on the shuttle . . .

. . . and a lone ferry approaches the turn toward St. Ignace.

We were up early for breakfast, served in the Main Dining Room, and  a treat for the eyes as well as the palate!

After breakfast, with a couple of hours to spare before we were to check out, we walked through the parlor and out onto the porch. Carlton Varney’s touch is seen everywhere . . .

. . . and the colors he incorporates make for that “WOW” factor wherever you look. To the left is the entryway to the Grand Hotel Ballroom where an orchestra plays nightly for dancing, and to the right is the entrance to the Audubon Wine Bar.

No matter how many times we’ve stood or walked or rocked on the Grand front porch, it never fails to impress!

At 660 feet, it is still the longest front porch in the world, and every inch is lined with flowerboxes filled with live, brilliantly red geraniums.

We truly hated to check out Thursday morning, but leaving was made easier when I got to visit with sweet friend Molly McGreevy, who rode her bike down to the Grand to say hello.

Molly looks awesome!! In her own words: “I’m almost halfway through chemo. If I hadn’t been delayed by the staph infection and subsequent kidney failure brought on by antibiotics, I would have been done with chemo last month. But, I have to count my blessings as I did get better and so far I’ve had relatively mild side effects. Other than fatigue and being short of breath sometimes, I feel pretty good.”  So glad to share this happy news!

It was going to be 5:30 before we could pick up Bear and Maddie at the kennel, so after ferrying back to the mainland, we took a chance and rode by Burton Nelson’s place in Mackinaw City.  Burton’s wife, Chris Ann, was a dear, dear friend who lost her battle to pancreatic cancer on March 4, 2013,and the last time we saw Burton was at her memorial service that summer.

Burton is living fulltime now in their little cottage by the bridge that Chris Ann loved so much.   Although he’s had some heart problems in the last couple of years, he’s doing great now, and we had a wonderful visit reminiscing about Chris Ann and chatting about what he’s been doing since we last talked. LOVED seeing him!

FUN AT BLACK LAKE!

We have another eight days here at Black Lake with the Conlons, and we’re looking forward to each of them.  Whether we’re reading in the swing by the lake, floating off the sandy beach,

. . . taking the pooches for walks through the woods . . .

. . . enjoying 5 o’clock Happy Hour, or just hanging out in the cabin, the last two weeks have been filled with relaxation, fun, good food, and great people!

Oh – Terry and Ted have been on a couple of memorable kayak adventures, but that’s a story for another day!

Leaving the Red Bridge on the Black River and hoping to find their way back to Black Lake. Three hours later they did!

See you back here soon!  God bless.

 

Mackinac Island Spring Update – Vol. 3 – 4/11/2012

It’s the middle of April, and the weird weather continues.  The forecast was for snow on the Island today, and a friend who lives there said it sounded like “the gales of November” outside this morning.  It seems Mackinac is having its usual March weather in April this year.  I can’t imagine what this is doing to the lilac trees (they’re already blooming in Detroit), but since most of them are over a hundred years old, they can probably survive most anything Mother Nature sends their way.

Speaking of spring, the Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau has a nifty little page on their web site that explains everything you want to know about spring on the Island.  That address is: http://www.mackinacisland.org/spring

Newsy items:

• I can’t remember if I mentioned this little new store last summer or not, and I never did get down to visit it, but it’s going to be one of my first stops this spring.  The name is Mackinac Island’s Finest, and it was opened to support the Mackinac Island Fire, Police, and EMS Departments.

The store is located at the front of the Arnold Dock, just off Main Street.

Inside, you'll find all sorts of items bearing the names of these three very important Island departments.

They've renovated the store over the winter and added more clothing and decor items. What a great way to support these services that none of us could get along without!

• Take a good, long look at this photo and see if you can figure out where on the Island it is . .

If you guessed British Landing Road, you are correct!  In this vintage photo, the land was the location of the Early/Dousman farm, and it yielded approximately one hundred tons of hay yearly.  The farm is now the site of the Mackinac Community Equestrian Center and the oldest continuously run golf course in Michigan, Wawashkamo.

• Our Easter weekend was packed with family and five special visitors from Michigan – the Bailey family.  Brian is the general manager of the Chippewa and Lilac Tree Hotels on the Island, and we’ve become great friends with him and wife Jeri-Lynn over the years.  With their three children, they stopped by overnight Friday on their way back home from spring break in Florida.  What fun!

• Jeannette Doud’s column in the St. Ignace News this week was full of updates on store owners returning to the Island to ready businesses for the season.  She mentioned that Horn’s Bar will be opening on Friday, April 27.  She also reported the front porch of the Grand Hotel is being painted in preparation for its soft opening on April 27 and the big opening Thursday, May 3.  Hart’s Haven, Metivier Inn, and the Cloghaun are all being prepared for their near future openings.
• The Pink Pony is opening Thursday, May 10.  The next day, May 11, both the Chippewa Hotel and the Lilac Tree Suites and Spa will reopen for the season.  And that’s straight from the horse’s (sorry Brian) mouth.
  
• The St. Ignace News reported that more bones have been found on the Island, marking the second time in five months downtown excavations have revealed bones.  They were discovered when construction workers were digging to lay a water line under Frank Shama’s Gifts on Main Street.  The first bones (human) were found during excavation of the former McNally Cottage, site of the new Bicycle Street Inn.  The proper authorities were contacted, and tests will determine if indeed these bones are also human remains.  Sault Tribe repatriation specialist Cecil Pavlat said, “It’s unfortunate, but that island was a burial ground for our people, so anytime digging is involved, there’s a chance that bones will be found.”  If the bones are human, they could either be included in the proposed burial mound at Ste. Anne’s Cemetery or be reburied under the gift shop.  “Whenever possible,” Pavlat said, “the tribe would prefer to keep the remains at rest where they were discovered, so long as the location is safe.”

That catches up all the news for this week.  I have a few photos to post, and let me once again thank all of you who, over the winter, have made it possible for me to continue to share Island life with my readers.  You are awesome!

A photo of tulips and a passing freighter from last spring. (Photo by: Mission Point Resort)

It's not often we see Round Island Light from this perspective. Ben Horn was ON Round Island when he snapped this shot. In the background, the West Bluff homes, the Grand Hotel and the homes along the Boardwalk are visible.

I was so hoping I'd be able to share a photo this week of the Mackinac Bridge ablaze with blue lights for Autism Awareness Month, and here it is. A huge thank you to Dave Black of Mackinac Straits Photography in St. Ignace for allowing me to use this stunning photo. The swan in the foreground is a striking touch.

Hoping everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend.  See you back here next Wednesday . . . the countdown begins!  God bless.