Midwest Guest

The town that time forgot

We felt a little like we were back in a quiet New England town while sitting in the gazebo at the small village park, sipping an apple cider slush and watching the quiet activity around Franklin’s municipal center and stately Methodist Church last Sunday,

Visiting the cider mill is definitely a Michigan tradition when autumn arrives, and Franklin Village and Franklin Cider Mill rank among our favorite fall destinations.

Visiting the mill and the village of Franklin today gives you just a tiny taste of what life looked like as the village developed from its beginnings during the 1820s, when the completion of the Erie Canal meant easier access to Michigan and other western destinations for New England travelers.

Michigan became a new state in 1837, and farmers began visiting the then-new grist mill in the village of Franklin during that same year.

Farmers knew the mill as the first and, for some time, the only mill in the Oakland County area where they could exchange wheat for cash. The future looked promising for the tiny village, but losing a railroad stop to neighboring Birmingham set Franklin on a path to slower and smaller development.

Today, Franklin proudly wears its designation as “the town time forgot”, something that earned the village center status as one of the first, officially designated, Michigan Historical Districts in 1969.

Franklin Cider Mill actually sits just over the border in Bloomfield Township, but most people consider it part of Franklin Village as it helps set the tone for the area as one of Michigan’s historic gems.

James Flynn owned the mill by 1914. He installed the mill’s first water-powered apple press during his tenure.

As the 1970s rolled around, Jack Peltz became the mill’s owner and ran it for approximately 35 years before his death in 2004. Today, the Peltz family still owns the mill, carrying on the sweet tradition started many years earlier.

We typically visit the mill at least a half-dozen times each fall, making the most of the short September through November cider season.

Fresh Michigan apples, freshly made donuts dusted with sugar and cinnamon and fresh non-pasteurized apple cider highlight Franklin Cider Mill’s offerings. Visitors also find a varied selection of primarily Michigan produce and products that include jellies and jams, fruit butters, pies, maple syrup and candies, cheese, squash and pumpkins, flowers and, one of my favorites, the apple cider slushes.

Over the years, Franklin Cider Mill added a few complementary activities for weekend visitors. Local musicians sometimes play for shoppers, some folks enjoy horse-drawn carriage rides around Franklin Village and kids enjoy bouncing in the inflatable moonwalk or feeding the ducks swimming in the stream alongside the mill.

Still, the cider mill retains much of the old-time charm lacking in other mills and orchards that seem to forget that Michigan apples should be the star of the show, rather than an ancillary appendage to a larger carnival.

After loading up on cider and other goodies, we usually stop by The Market Basket of Franklin on the way home. The tiny grocery store carries an impressive selection of meats, prepared salads and gourmet groceries that make perfect accompaniments for our cider mill purchases.

© Dominique King 2008

Photo Friday

A park docent pointed out this "whale" rock on the hike in to Old Man’s Cave to Tim when he was in the Hocking Hills State Park participating in a photo workshop and shoot. He, in turn, showed it to me the last time we were in the park together.

Look closely in the middle of the photo. You can see Old Moby in the lighter yellow area of the rock wall.

Thanks to Debbie Dubrow of Delicious Baby for creating and coordinating Photo Friday to link travel photos and blog posts across the Web.

© Dominique King 2008

Welcome to Historic Jacob Hill Inn

Bill Rezek’s enthusiasm and pride in Historic Jacob Hill Inn at Seekonk, Massachusetts is apparent the moment we arrive and check in for a four-day stay.

Our tour of the inn begins with the common areas and our own accommodations, the luxurious Providence Suite. We’re immediately impressed with the quality of the property and amenities. We’re even more impressed when we find that Bill and his wife Eleonora did most of the renovating and decorating themselves over an 18-year time span.

The Allyn family built the Historic Jacob Hill Inn’s original building during the 1720s. Subsequent additions and owners, including the property’s time as an affluent Hunt Club, resulted in a sprawling property with several buildings that Bill and Eleonora purchased in 1991 to transform into an inn.

Our bathroom is a luxury retreat that includes a large Jacuzzi tub, a small electric fireplace stove and sparkling white finishes. We quickly find out that Bill did plumbing and contracting in a previous career.

 It’s a weekday just after Labor Day, so we’re the only guests at the inn for the moment. Bill is willing to show us the rest of the rooms in the inn, and we quickly take him up on the offer to tour the entire property. Seeing the custom touches that make each room and suite so unique leaves no doubt as to why the inn is on the prestigious Select Registry and carries a four-diamond AAA rating.

On-site amenities include an outdoor swimming pool, tennis court, spacious grounds and a large recreation room featuring ping pong and pool tables, as well as a large plasma screen television. But, a large rack of brochures about local attractions, coupled with Eleonora and Bill’s expertise in helping countless visitors plan fun and interesting stops around the area, leaves us with the dilemma of what to do first?

We contemplate our options over the cheese plate and beverages Bill offers us (something available to inn guests each evening).

Historic Jacob Hill Inn sits on a quiet road just minutes outside of downtown Providence, Rhode Island, offering the best of both worlds--a quiet country retreat near a bustling big city.

Each day at the inn starts with a hearty breakfast featuring selections like fresh fruit and pancakes stuffed with fruit jam and cream cheese. Eleonora and Bill then help us plan our days, offering us printed driving directions for many of our destinations, making dinner reservations, suggesting places to dine while we are out during the day and helping us decide where to go.

We visit the Museum of Art at the Rhode Island School of Design, wander around campus at Brown University, photograph homes and churches along Providence’s historic Benefit Street, drive down to Cape Cod and enjoy a massive lobster roll for lunch at The Dan’l Webster Inn, enjoy a great Italian meal at Zooma in Providence’s historic Federal Hill area and spend a day at the Mayflower II and Plimoth Plantation.

Hot, humid days during our stay make me especially appreciative of the inn’s swimming pool, a rarity I’ve seen at very few B&Bs and country inns. Even as Tropical Storm Hanna tripped through the area one night, Bill was out early the next morning clearing the spotlessly maintained pool of any storm debris so I could enjoy my swim later that afternoon.

While the impressive property gives the inn an air of genteel, yet comfortable formality, the hosts’ warm hospitality adds to the inn’s homey and relaxed vibe.

My visit ends all too quickly with a hug from Eleonora and Bill’s urging to “keep in touch!”

© Dominique King 2008

 

Daniel Rust House is a gem

George Freeman wondered if the young man asking for his daughter’s hand in marriage was worthy of her. He asked to see the ring, and then carefully etched her proposed initials with it into a glass window pane in an upstairs bedroom of his home. He now knew the diamond was a real gem, and gave permission to his daughter to marry her young man.

That early 20^th century story is just one of many tales Daniel Rust House innkeepers Cathy Mitchell and Germaine Salvatore shared with us as we checked into the Mary Rose room at their bed & breakfast in Coventry, Connecticut.

Daniel Rust and George Freeman are just two of a long succession of owners who occupied the home, originally built as a small Cape Cod style structure in 1731.

By 1748, wealthy farmer Jehiel Rose purchased the house and added on to it. Our spacious bedroom bears his wife Mary’s name.

By 1800, the home became the Bird-in-Hand Inn and experienced fluctuating fortunes before our gregarious innkeepers, Germaine and Cathy, purchased it in 2007.

The pair revitalized the inn, furnishing it with antiques, restoring the grounds and gardens, pampering guests and welcoming them as part of the family.

The Daniel Rust House sits on a fairly busy highway, but the small-town setting and expansive back yard offers guests a serene retreat with deer and fox regularly visiting the grounds and a wooded walking trail leading out from the inn’s yard.

The history surrounding the inn and Coventry countryside drew us to book the Daniel Rust House for five days, but the warmly welcoming atmosphere created by Cathy and Germaine really sold us on this gem of a bed & breakfast.

…and the breakfasts!

Germaine’s breakfasts started with a fresh fruit course like melon or peach soup, mango pudding or fruit parfaits. Next came a hearty helping of pumpkin pancakes, blueberry pancakes made with fresh berries from a neighbor’s yard or pancakes stuffed with raspberries. Cathy often whipped up an egg dish like eggs scrambled with fresh pesto or eggs combined with mozzarella, ham and dill.

A different set of vintage china served as the setting for the morning breakfast show, which sent us rolling out of the dining room with no need to eat until dinnertime…if even then!

When we did venture out for a full dinner at the Altnaveigh in nearby Storrs, that inn’s owner jokingly told us to let Germaine know their lunch business was suffering because Daniel Rust guests were never hungry for lunch!

Cathy and Germaine recommended the Altnaveigh for dinner and made reservations for us. The Altnaveigh, an inn and restaurant housed in a restored 1730s home, was a romantic spot and perfect place for a special dinner.

Evenings at the Daniel Rust House offer guests the option of relaxing in their rooms, or joining Cathy, Germaine and other guests in the common areas. One evening, we sat in front of the keeping room’s fireplace chatting with our innkeepers while enjoying the company of one of the inn’s canine guests.

With an extensive background in dog grooming and care, Cathy and Germaine offer accommodations for well-behaved dogs, as well as daycare and grooming services. One dog visited with owners in town for an athletic event at the University of Connecticut one day we stayed at Daniel Rust House.

We visited nearby attractions like the university, the Nathan Hale Homestead and the Prudence Crandall Museum. Mystic Seaport was an easy day trip.

My only complaint is that Coventry isn’t closer to Michigan so visiting Cathy and Germaine would be a possible weekend destination for us.

© Dominique King 2008

Photo Friday

We ventured across the Ohio River one rainy afternoon during our recent Cincinnati trip to visit neighboring Newport, Kentucky for a little geocaching.

Our search for a virtual cache took us to the World Peace Bell. The bell, a project managed by Cincinnati’s Verdin company and billed as the “world’s largest swinging bell”, is 12 feet in diameter and weighs 66,000 pounds. Installed in 1999 at the Millennium Monument site in Newport, the bell first rang at the site on January 1, 2000. A French foundry cast the copper/tin bell and Cincinnati/Newport area companies created most other components of the bell and tower.

Although we visited around noon, the bell didn’t ring during our visit, and the nearby center and store dedicated to the World Peace Bell wasn’t open.

However, we got credit for finding the virtual cache located at the bell, and you can hear sound samples of the bell ringing at Verdin’s Web site or see a short video clip of the bell ringing on YouTube.

Thanks to Debbie Dubrow of Delicious Baby for creating and coordinating Photo Friday to link travel photos and blog posts across the Web.

© Dominique King 2008

See a whale of a game!

I dread coming home from a trip and seeing the bin full of accumulated bills, catalogs and advertising circulars the mail carrier inevitably leaves on my front porch. But I dutifully dug through the mail pile earlier this week after our return from a trip to Connecticut and Rhode Island, separating the bills and bank statements from the rest of the please-donate-money, please-buy-this and vote-for-me ephemera before finding what I really sought on the bottom of the bin—my season ticket package from the Plymouth Whalers!

Everyone knows that I’m a rabid hockey fan, and folks are constantly asking me about the Detroit Red Wings once the season starts in September. I love the Red Wings, but high prices, and limited ticket availability for the pro games mean that I see very few Wings games in person. And I don’t watch a lot of games on television.

I opt instead for the excitement of affordable live hockey with the Ontario Hockey League’s Plymouth (MI) Whalers.

The OHL Junior Major League players are 16- to 20-year-old athletes starting their pro careers, with a good number of them eventually making it into the “Big League” to become part of a National Hockey League team. The high-level young talent means fast-paced and exciting hockey for fans and the opportunity to see many players before they become NHL stars.

We’ve had season tickets for the Whalers since the early 1990s. Whaler alumni we’ve watched in the early stages of their professional careers include: David Legwand, Chad LaRose, Pat Peake, Stephen Weiss, Todd Harvey, Robert Esche, Fred Brathwaite and Bryan Berard.  We also invariably see players we recognize as alumni from other OHL teams playing on teams throughout the NHL when we do watch a Wings game on television.

Whalers’ individual tickets cost $11-$15. The 34-game season ticket package costs $269-$399, which includes free parking and line-up cards for center-ice ticket packages. Pricing plans also include family value packages with hot dogs and soft drinks, group ticket plans and mini-season or flex packs that make going to a hockey game an affordable and fun trip for families and organizations.

A road game is a nice excuse for a weekend trip, and we’ve visited places Saginaw (MI) and a batch of Ontario cities like Windsor, Guelph, London, Kitchener, Sarnia and Sault Ste. Marie to watch Whalers hockey. Busy border crossings in Detroit and a schedule filled with weekend home games at the Whalers’ arena in Plymouth make road trips a little more problematic these days, but the Whaler practice of playing both Canadian and American national anthems before each game gives the outing to Plymouth a bit of an out-of-town game feeling for me.

So, look for me at center ice, singing along with both national anthems and enjoying a Canadian beer as I watch the Whalers open their 2008-2009 season by facing off against the Erie (PA) Otters on Saturday, September 20.

Better yet, check out the Plymouth Whalers schedule and join me out at the arena this season to enjoy some great live hockey action.

Drop the puck!!

© Dominique King 2008

Yes, there really is a Tony Packo’s

We found ourselves eating pasties at a diner in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula when the couple at the next table asked me where I got the Toledo Mud Hens t-shirt I was wearing that day.

Turned out this Wisconsin couple were big fans of the M*A*S*H television show and fondly remembered hearing about the Toledo team when the show’s Corp. Max Klinger talked about his home town. They were surprised to hear that the baseball team really existed, rather than being the figment of some screenwriter’s imagination. They were simply flabbergasted to find out that the Hungarian hot dog joint Klinger always praised in the show also existed!

We’re lucky to live within an hour of Toledo, and no visit is complete for us without a trip to Tony Packo’s, the Hungarian joint immortalized for many television viewers by Corp. Klinger!

Packo’s predates the television show by 40 years or so, opening in 1932 during the Great Depression in a working-class area near Toledo’s port district. Tony Packo was a factory worker who started with a $100 loan from relatives to open a sandwich and ice cream store. By 1935, Packo purchased a nearby building at the present-day location of his restaurant’s flagship store. He created a Hungarian hot dog (basically a chili-topped Coney dog), and the rest is history.

Tony Packo’s became familiar among M*A*S*H viewers when Toledo native Jamie Farr, who played the character of Max Klinger, mentioned Packo’s in an episode where a reporter interviewed Klinger about his hometown. Scriptwriters wrote Tony Packo’s into another half-dozen episodes, including one where Packo’s sent the mobile Army surgical unit sausage casings for use in a blood-filtering machine.

Today, the original Packo’s is a popular stop for locals and tourists. Hot dog buns signed by celebrities and displayed in specially made frames lining the walls are fun to see. The menu of hot dogs, fried pickles and Hungarian specialties, like chicken paprikas (a.k.a. chicken paprikash), stuffed cabbage and paprikas dumplings, offers affordable, family-friendly fare.

I like to bring a taste of Packo’s home with me by visiting the restaurant’s small store. I’m lucky enough to see some of Packo’s pickles at grocery stores in the Detroit area, but the restaurant store stocks some things that are harder for me to find at home.

I particularly like the Hungarian salsa, which I use to top stuffed peppers or to add to the chicken paprikash I make at home.

While Packo’s has restaurant outlets in the Toledo area, I most enjoy visiting the original Front Street restaurant, or maybe having a Hungarian hot dog at the Packo’s near the ball park before a Mud Hens game.

Klinger would be proud, don’t you think?

© Dominique King 2008

Gentle Chimes

I love the sound of wind chimes and have many sets of chimes hung around my house and yard. A set of chimes hanging by my back door are gently ringing to set the tone for me as I write this post.

It’s no surprise, then, that The Wind Chime Shop became a must-stop the first time I spotted it during a trip to southern Ohio’s Hocking Hills area.

The little wooden cottage looks fairly modest, nestled among the trees along a road near Old Man’s Cave in Hocking Hills State Park, but going inside to see the store’s impressive collection of chimes was an amazing experience for this chime fan.

I’m not known as one of those ‘shop ‘til you drop’ folks (unless you’re talking about visiting book or music stores), but after a stop during our last trip to Hocking Hills, I staggered out of the shop with a load of chimes rivaling the load of luggage and camera equipment already clogging the back end of my Aztek.

Some sets of chimes ended up as gifts, but many of them ended up in my own yard.

A little trio of stacked temple type bells hang from the end of my hammock stand where they emit a soft tinkling sound as I rock in my hammock reading or snoozing.

The set that seems to draw the most attention and compliments on its resonant sound is a set of Gentle Spirits chimes hanging from the awning over a door leading to my backyard patio.  While many larger chimes seem to have a more harsh and metallic sounding clash, this particular set of chimes has a truly melodic and soothing tone.

William Phillips opened the Wind Chime Shop in 1987. He opened an adjacent Christmas shop and candle shop in later years.  Local residents Mike and Judy Hard purchased all three shops in 2007.

 The Christmas and candle shops are worth a visit if you like holiday decorations or want to check out a nice selection of candles (many of them created by Ohio artisans), but I skipped the other two stores in favor of spending all of my time in the Wind Chime Shop and listening to nearly every chime in the store.  Even Tim, who usually just shakes his head and tries to ignore my various obsessions, joined the party by running his fingers along several sets of chimes and insisting on taking the set of Gentle Spirits chimes home with us.

I may get down to the store only every five or six years, but luckily for me, the store’s Web site offers many of my favorite chimes via mail order. So, even if I can’t run my fingers over the chimes as I shop, I can always run my fingers over my trusty keyboard to find the perfect gift or yet another set of chimes to hang in my own yard.

© Dominique King 2008

Nature’s Sacred Sanctuary

Visiting Hocking Hill’s Ash Cave on a sun-dappled Sunday morning makes me think of entering nature’s own sacred sanctuary.

The quiet hush of the wooded walk, culminating in the protective bowl of a natural amphitheater created by recessed caves offers plenty of little niches where visitors can simply sit and meditate on the area’s beauty. During spring and summer, Ash Cave serves as a seasonal showcase for a slender waterfall that drops into a pond nearly 100 feet below the cave’s rim, and every season offers ample opportunity for photographers to take beautiful pictures.

Even as the area draws more photographers, hikers, families and others to explore and enjoy the area as summer mornings segue into busy summer afternoons, visitors can still find a quiet nook where they can relax to enjoy the passing parade and beautiful surroundings.

Ash Cave is just one of the natural features that draw photographers, hikers and nature lovers to the Hocking Hills State Park in southern Ohio.

The park’s caves and natural features tell the fascinating story of Ohio’s early history, as millions of years’ worth of erosion and the weathering of time created majestic formations and gorges in the area’s Blackhand sandstone.

Men first lived in the area about 7,000 years ago, and Ash Cave derives its name from piles of ashes discovered by early settlers in the sheltering recesses. Some historians believe the ashes came from early Native American campfires in the area, although no one knows the source of the ashes for sure.

The quarter-mile, paved trail into Ash Cave makes it one of the more accessible areas in the park, while longer trails like the path into Old Man's Cave offer varied and challenging terrain for more experienced hikers.

I often just use a hand-held camera when I travel, but the relatively easy trail into the park’s Ash Cave and the half-mile Cedar Falls trail made carting in my lightweight tripod for steadier shots no problem. It’s best to allow plenty of time to spend at each area you visit in the park as it’s easy to spend several hours just shooting the falls, wildflowers and interesting rock formations along each trail.

I’m reluctant to leave the park when I visit, but I always come home with plenty of photos to help me remember the feeling of peaceful serenity I experience each time I’m there.

© Dominique King 2008

Déjà vu at Cedar Falls

Tim and I checked into the Inn at Cedar Falls, drove up to our cottage and immediately felt a strong jolt of recognition.

We were not mistaken in our feeling of déjà vu because, by chance, we stayed in same cottage a half dozen years earlier. The Bluebell cottage retained the same comforting air of secluded serenity as it did during our previous visit, so we knew our long weekend of relaxing was off to a good start.

It may seem like the Inn at Cedar Falls lay nestled in southern Ohio's Hocking Hills region forever, but the quiet retreat only became a reality during the mid-1980s after a woman named Anne Castle enlisted an army of friends to help her establish the serene retreat in a couple of 1840s log homes that house the inn’s kitchen and dining area and a barn-like building with nine guest rooms.

Today, Castle’s daughter Ellen Grinsfelder, and Grinsfelder’s husband Terry Lingo, are the innkeepers, and the Inn belongs to The Select Registry. 

Over the years, the inn expanded to include a dozen cottages like our Bluebell, five cabins with full kitchens and a spa.

Staying in a guest room at the main inn is nice, but we enjoy driving up the wooded lane and staying in the secluded cottages. The main inn offers closer proximity to the garden and dining area, but the nearby cottages, tucked into the woods, offer the real sense of quiet solitude we enjoy.

Roomy decks with gliders and rockers are a private place to enjoy reading a good book or having a glass of wine. If it’s slightly cooler, switching on the tiny gas stove inside the cottage and curling up in the upholstered rockers with a good book is particularly cozy.

The Inn is a bed and breakfast, so each day begins with a full meal in the dining room. Omelets, stuffed pancakes, waffles…breakfasts are particularly hearty, and the best way to start the day if you plan full days of hiking and taking photos in nearby Hocking Hills State Park.

We also like to reserve a dinner date at the inn at least once during each stay.  The menu stresses the use of seasonal, local and fresh ingredients, and the log-cabin dining area is a romantic dinner site.

Innkeepers at Cedar Falls always stressed their emphasis on providing a retreat from the everyday noise and annoyances of the city. There is a pay phone by the inn’s office, but there are no phones in the rooms and cell phone use is discouraged. The Inn began offering access to free WiFi in recent years, with access in the main inn’s guest rooms and a common room in the main building available to all guests.

We were just as happy, however, to enjoy our secluded cottage retreat while hoping it won’t be another half dozen years before we can visit Inn at Cedar Falls again.

© Dominique King 2008