Traverse City

Shopping doesn't happen much around where I live. We are rural/ recreational. Shopping Malls are not a happening item and progressive health care doesn't necessarily happen close to home. It's beautiful here, peaceful, and IMHO isolated from hub bub. Ah, but what if you like hub bub, crowds, shopping, and all the acumen's you can get in an urban setting? You drive...a lot. It's okay. It's a trade off I made to have my children grow up in this environment. That wasn't necessarily better or worse - only different.

Yesterday we drove to Traverse City. It's where my dentist is located - an hour and a half away. I know, it's a constant whine for me on this topic. Yes, there are dentists around here. Don't forget, I said progressive health care - I like health practitioners who know what the newest "things" are. My dental hygienist is top notch and uses a laser to clean teeth. Gone is scraping and grinding. Okay, well, that is to much information on that topic. What we did have was great time while we were there getting the bi-annual cleaning.

Traverse City is an "arty" and progressive community. Lots of things to see and do. Mario Batali keeps a summer home there on Grand Traverse Bay. Michael Moore is a frequent guest and started the Traverse City Film Festival. The downtown is vibrant and interesting. It's safe, trendy, and walkable. There is an opera house downtown - you'd never know it was there by the look of the buildings but inside it's fabulous and has been restored.

We did the "medical thing" and then took a homemade lunch to a park by Logan's Landing. It's a wonderful park that has evolved over the years and there is path that runs in and around the water for the bikers and walkers. After the lunch it was into downtown (like a five minute drive around the corner). We puttered, window shopped, and I took a few photos. Buildings are always intriguing and I'd really like to go inside and investigate all of them - maybe a better job for me would have been a building inspector. Don't you just love the colors and the blocking on some of these?

Tomorrow it's back to the beads. Maybe with a new color blocking influence. Where did I put those enamels I just bought from Bronwen Heilman at the Gathering!