July 24, 1915 had been a chilly summer morning as people gathered at the Chicago River, preparing for a company picnic. A few minutes after boarding, the Eastland rolled onto its side. More passengers had died that day, 20 feet from shore in the Chicago River, than passengers on The […]
Yearly Archives: 2025
34 posts
Did you know that there were phantom towns published on road maps by a University of Michigan graduate? According to the “Fletcher” 1978 Michigan highway map, the phantom cities of “Goblu” and “Beatosu” stood proudly in northern Ohio. Why were phantom towns added to maps? Join us on a journey […]
Have you ever wanted to stay at The Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island? We finally did. We headed there to celebrate our Mom’s 80th birthday, a “Girls’ Trip.” My sister, Trish, had organized our “field trip” of FUN! It had been fulfilling to spoil our Mom, Marcia Bunek Meade, on […]
“Mom, I have our date all planned.” my 28 year old daughter, Charlotte, swooped into our house with the winter wind at her heels. She’d arrived from Ann Arbor! My Christmas gift from her was a Mother-Daughter date. “First we’ll go out to eat, then we’ll play board games at […]
Who was John Ball, the namesake of our beloved Grand Rapids zoo? John Ball was a multi-faceted gentleman. He’d been a realtor, a lawyer, an adventurer, an author, a teacher and a businessman. I hadn’t realized what an epic exploration he’d taken in the early 1800’s! Join me on this […]
Slurping a milkshake, crunching on fresh fries and biting into a stacked burger at Short’s Drive-In builds a sense of satisfaction and togetherness! Short’s has been recognized with various awards. Even their car-hop service was voted “Best in Michigan” by mashed.com. Short’s Root Beer Drive-In is a family-owned gem in […]
Throughout North America in the crisp, early spring people gather around steamy pans of boiling maple sap. Neighbors come together around evaporators to swap stories and share memories as part of the syrup making ritual. Join Chuck and I as we visit two west Michigan families who keep this time-honored […]
Found across North American at Anishinaabe archeological sites, these “Lucky Stones” or “Lucky Pieces” can still be found across our continent today! These tiny, smooth, white half-orbs are marked with a “J” or an “L.” Where did these gems come from? As a regular rock connoisseur, I was surprised that […]
The Anishinaabe have utilized maple sap for centuries. The first written record of this antioxidant-packed resource had been in 1557. Last year, Michigan produced an impressive 200,000 gallons. Each gallon of this “liquid gold” is worth at least 15 times more than crude oil. Join us as we investigate the […]
Did you know that there over 100,000 ancient, Middle Eastern artifacts in Michigan? From 1924-1926, Francis Kelsey from the University of Michigan, a real-life Indiana Jones, had spearheaded an expedition of archaeologists to the Middle East and North Africa. Chuck and I happened upon The Kelsey Museum of Archeology on […]