During 2013, Lindsey and I spent at least one night in each of the cities listed below.
Not mentioned above are the five nights we spent at Munson Hospital for Harvey’s birth, which felt like a different world after a few days.
Lindsey, Harvey and I, along with our parents and Katy and Taylor trekked down to Ann Arbor for the UM v. Nebraska game last weekend. We stayed at a little lake house south of Pinkney, and drove to the game from there on Saturday morning. The weather was cool and clear all day, which was perfect for having Harvey along. We pre-gamed by shopping around campus and grabbing a burger at Red Hawk. Then it was off to the Big House.
On Sunday, we made a pitstop at Zingerman’s for sandwiches and bread before heading home to the Double Dogleg. Although Harvey caught a little cold, it was a fun trip and I’m glad everyone could make it – and make it happen!
Back row: Jon, Taylor, Tim, Brianna
Third row: Dad, Zach, Katy, Barb
Second row: Mom, Jenni and Trygg, Me, Lindsey and Harvey, Olivia and Fiona, Peg, and Dan
Front row: Grandma
7 Rogers; 5 Palomakis; 3 Quayles; 2 Jonkhoffs; 1 Kloosterman; 1 Rasumssen
Sunday started at the Double Dogleg at 9am and ended at the Birch Lodge in Trout Lake, MI. There were brief stops at Johan’s Bakery and the welcome center in Mackinaw City in between. The day’s main attraction was visiting Tahquamenon Falls, east of Paradise.
There is a brewery at the Upper Falls, where we filled our bellies and then, after the entire group viewed the upper falls, six of us (me, Lindsey, Harvey, Katy, Taylor, Dan, and Peg) set out on a four-mile hike from the Upper Falls to the Lower Falls.
We managed to get caught in the pouring rain for over an hour, which is what happens when you have cellphone-weather-app-dependent people in an area with no reception. (Woops!) We ended the hike soaked and exhausted. At least Harvey was a super sport and did great in the rain. Nothing like a little adventure to get the trip kickstarted.
That evening we went to the Buckhorn Tavern for great food and a good atmosphere. Also, it was the only one of two restaurants in town still serving at 8pm. I opened birthday presents – thank you! – and then we capped it off with Lindsey’s famous chocolate cake. It was a wonderful birthday day with close family that I will remember for a long time to come.
The transition between yesterday and today was a bit of a blur. Harvey was up his usual three times, and then suddenly it was 6am, which is “coffee time.” There was an ample supply of black gold in the Birch Bar, and, after Dad joined me a little later, we heard about the history of the bar, the Jukebox, and the lodge from the current owner, Deb. I highly recommend the Birch Lodge to anyone looking for a fun excursion to the eastern Upper Peninsula. It was a wonderful experience, and the dinner at Buckhorns and the breakfast at McGowan’s were some of the best meals I’ve had anywhere in a long time.
The temperature for the 56th Annual Mackinac Bridge Walk was 56* with at strong northwest wind as we crossed over Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. Harvey did great on the walk – insisting on being held in the beginning and end, while sleeping through the middle two miles.
After saying goodbye to the walkers from the UP, we set out for the City Park Grill in Petoskey before returning to the Double Dogleg to unpack our soggy clothing and two tons of baby gear. Thanks to all who joined in the weekend fun. Here’s a link to the photos from the trip.
And, Lindsey, always remember that the “journey is in the journey.”
During 2012, Lindsey and I spent at least one night in each of the cities listed below.
It was a good year. A very good year. But I will summarize that in another post, later, when I’ve had more time to think about what we we’ve been up to the past 366 days. This was a leap year, after all.
We started early with a long walk (14 miles if you ask Lindsey) from the hotel to Eastern Market, and had breakfast at Le Pain Quotidien, which was more expensive than it should have been, but tasty. I had an omelette and Lindsey had an egg scramble. The best part was the dark chocolate spread for the bread.
Then we perused the flea market, outdoor booths, and indoor food offering at the Eastern Market. There was not a single cloud in the sky, and the temperature was approaching the mid-50s. Very comfortable. We met a small Saint Bernard.
We took the metro to Arlington Cemetery, which was a calculated risk because the metro trip the night before made Lindsey a little nauseous. We made it up to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier just in time to see the changing of the guard and then a wreath switching ceremony, which involved Boy Scout Troup 187. Those little guys looked so nervous. On the way out, we confirmed that the eternal flame of JFK was still going strong.
It was.
The cabbie that was supposed to take us in to Georgetown saw the traffic on the bridge and said, “It’s better for both of us if you just get out there!” That was a wast of a trip, and Georgetown was way to busy to be enjoyable.
Back to the hotel we headed after a thin-crust pizza at Paolo’s, which was my third choice after we found La Madeline to be closed and Martin’s Tavern to be way too busy. I explored the area around our hotel – J. Crew, H&M, Verizon Center, Ford Theater, Verizon Center, Clyde’s, etc. – while Lindsey napped. Turns out we’re in a great area, and we can shorten our breakfast walk in the days to come.
Post-nap, we switched hotel rooms because there was a ticking/tapping sounds atop our room throughout the night, that sounded as if a woodpecker was sending a Morse code “SOS” to no one.
At 6pm, we walked from the hotel past the White House and to Foggy Bottom where we met Ben (Piehl) for dinner at Bobby’s Burger Palace. I had a good burger and fries, and an excellent dark chocolate milk shake. It’s good to start and end the day with dark chocolate!
Lindsey and I are flying to DC at this moment. It will be fun to see the sights and walk through Georgetown to see what has changed since I was 22 and first drove in on a sweltering July 5, 2004.
I am listening to Modest Mouse as I write this. I will always associate their two songs, “The World at Large” and “Float On,” with my first few weeks in DC. Death Cab for Cutie, The Postal Service, and Muse can be added to the bands whose music sounds like DC to me. It was the most musical time in my life to that point and since.
What a different world that was. Many of the friends I spent my days and nights with moved to the West coast where there were originally from. I moved up the East Coast, and then back to the Midwest. We all seem to like where we are from, although that isn’t a universal truth. I’m okay with it.
Anyway, I will reminisce more as the trip progresses. I’m looking forward to it.
My rough itinerary for the trip is as follows:
Saturday – “See the City”
Sunday – “Hang with Ben”
Monday – “Go to Congress”
Tuesday – “Shop and Eat”
More to come!
I had the opportunity to play Muirfield Village Golf Club last Thursday with my father-in-law, Dan, a friend of ours, Mark, and a friend of Mark’s, Bob, who is a member at Muirfield and was a gracious host. Dan flew us down at 7am, which took about two hours. We were shuttled to the course by a young employee of Muirfield named Andrew. Upon arrival, we were ushered in to the locker room and given guest lockers. The attendants checked our shoes to confirm that we had conforming spikes. I had my new True Linkswear University of Michigan themed shoes, so there was no spike changing.
(L to R: Ryan, Me, Dan, Mark, Bob, Preston)
In high school, the TC Central Golf Team flew down to Dublin, Ohio to play a match against Columbus Academy at Muirfield in October. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate and we were rained out. On this visit, I did recall the Proshop and the first hole, but not much more.
The weather was beautiful – sunny and low 80s. We arrived in time to hit a few balls on the range and roll a few putts. The greens were smooth, but not overly fast. The area had received quite a bit of rain recently, and the course was playing soft and long.
As I understand it, Muirfield is Jack Nicklaus’ “Augusta of the North.” It was very lush, green, and very well manicured.
We met Bob on the putting green minutes before our tee-time. Our caddies, Ryan and Preston, joined us at this time. Ryan carried Dan and my bags. Preston carried Bob’s bag and Mark used a cart. It was nice to walk the course and be relieved of having to carry the bag, but having a caddy took some getting used to for me. I found him useful for getting the general lines off the tees, but did not care to discuss how to strategize from thereon in. After about six holes, and some poor advice, I settled in.
I made three birdies – the first hole with a sandwedge to five feet; the tenth hole with a nine iron to five feet; and the 15 hole with a three-wood to 25 feet for a two-putt birdie.
Irving Meyer’s (OSU football coach) is on the left side of the seventh hole. Had I know this, I may have brought my U of M flag and taken a picture in front of it. Perhaps, this wouldn’t have been the most appropriate thing to do as a guest, but would have made for a fun picture!
At the turn, we stopped at the half-way house for some snacks and refreshments. Without thinking, I ordered an “Arnold Palmer.” Turns out that’s not what you call it when you’re on grounds designed by Mr. Nicklaus. I was informed that it’s a “half-and-half” or “Jack Nicklaus.” Woops!
There is a stream that comes into play an most, if not all, of the holes. There are also an abundance of ponds fronting or sidelining many of the greens. I kept my ball dry, but these could be more relevant had I played the course from the Memorial Tournament tees. As it was, from the blue tees, I didn’t hit more than a nine iron into any par four.
The finishing stretch is noticeably more challenging – a tight par five, a medium length par three, and two solid par four finishing holes. My driving was splitting the fairway, which helped tremendously. Less accurate tee shots would have made the holes much more difficult.
(Me hitting wedge to the 18th green.)
When we finished up, I had shot a 75 and was ready to try one of the famous milkshakes I had heard mentioned during the Memorial Tournament television broadcast. There were numerous flavors available, but, in the spirit of being in Columbus, Ohio, I ordered the buckeye flavor – basically chocolate and peanut butter. It was an excellent finish to an enjoyable day on the course.