McCourtie Park Have you ever been inside an authentic speakeasy? Join my husband, Chuck, and I as we were given a spontaneous tour of the Rathskeller complete with bullet proof doors, secret underground parking and a full bar. On the same property we strolled McCourtie Park where seventeen faux bois […]
Local Travel
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Join Poppins and DaViking as they search for the secrets of Mystery Valley!
A wise horse, Old Sam, who had served in the Civil War, now has plaques and a grave marker in Coldwater, Michigan where he’d been born. Old Sam’s story is one of dedication and bravery. How did he become a Civil War hero? Where is Old Sam buried? His burial […]
The summer mugginess hung around us as we strolled around Kalamazoo. My husband, Chuck, and I often return to the city where we’d met decades ago at WMU. “Hey, isn’t that the abandoned building we’d climbed into?” Chuck mentioned. We noted how the painted brick had been sandblasted to reveal […]
Who has left a permanent impression on your life? Well, Feodor Protar had made a lasting impact on the islanders who have called Beaver Island their home. His log cabin has been made into a museum and stone walls stand guard over his gravesite. A century after his passing, Feodor […]
Join DaViking (my husband, Chuck) and I as we search for the 33 markers commemorating an ancient trail from Cadillac to Traverse City, The Old Indian Trail. Evidence found along the 55 mile trek has been dated to 700 B.C.E. This passage had been used by the Hopewells and then [...]
Tulip Time! I had received a text from my husband, Chuck, “4:15 Dinner at Boatwerks?” Boatwerks is a restaurant in Holland, Michigan. He had been volunteering on the 1810 replica ship, Friends Good Will, in Holland for Tulip Time. “YES!” I replied. The Michigan Maritime Museum had sailed their wooden […]
My first sight of the Woolsey Airport had been four years ago on a Restless Viking YouTube video. (See “Related Links”) I knew this unique stone structure must have a story. In May 2023, My husband, Chuck, “DaViking” and I made a stop as we drove around the “pinky peninsula” […]
Did you know that Ludington, Michigan hosts the largest New Year’s Eve celebration in western Michigan? It was an astounding event put on by the quaint lakeshore city of 7,700 people! Join DaViking (Chuck) and myself as we celebrate the start of 2023 as well as our 27th anniversary (December […]
My husband, Chuck (DaViking), and I went for a September evening stroll in downtown Grand Rapids. A stunning white horse, pulling a carriage, crossed our path. The horse started to whinny. Was she announcing to us? “I am a pristine Percheron about to cross the blue bridge! Look out!” I […]