Midwest Guest

Midwest Travel Links for July 2017

Check out some great Midwest-related stories I found online this past month:

The Keweenaw Peninsula: Quincy Copper Mine and Copper Harbor

I've never been that wild about taking trips myself in small planes and trips underground, but this story from Erin about a trip she and her son took to see the Quincy Copper Mine at Copper Harbor in Michigan's Upper Peninsula was pretty fascinating. I do share her son's fascination with geology and rocks, so I may have to re-think my aversion to tiny enclosed spaces. Meanwhile, I can see highlights of Erin's trip and exploration of Quincy. A bonus? The duo stayed at a motel we've stayed at several times in the past, and I loved the shots of their room at the Bella Vista and the beautiful harbor view that I loved seeing. Think I'm due for another trip up there one of these days? 

 

 

Ohio Amish Country Travels

We loved visiting Ohio's Amish Country in the heart of Holmes County. Share Heathers travels through the scenic country side, visits to the area's "Cheese Heaven" (and several cheese places we also visited), plus a glimpse of the hearty comfort food we also enjoyed so much when visiting there ourselves). Check out her story at the Ohio Girl Travels blog.

 Anniversary of the Miami-Erie Canal

Canal history always fascinates me...probably, at least in part, because we do not have much in the way of canal history here in Michigan. Ronny takes a quick look at the rich history of the Miami-Erie Canal in Ohio. The canal was a major transportation link throughout the state and served to move folks through, and around, Ohio before automobiles, trains or other technological advances made transportation speedier. The canal system in this country played an important part in fueling the westward expansion, but the leisurely place of oxen, horse and mule drawn boats allowed travelers a more leisure look at the passing country side than we enjoy today. Check the story out at the Queen City Discovery blog.  

You'll love this Covered Bridge Town in Western Indiana

Join Chris on a tour of some of the covered bridges in Parke County Indiana. I've long heard about Parke County and its amazing collection of covered spans. It's on a destination on my Midwest bucket list. Meanwhile, I can enjoy getting a little peek at the area with the images on this article at the Indiana Insider blog.

Learn about Indiana's Limestone Heritage in New Exhibit

It is impossible not to see many buildings made of lime stone in and around Indiana! Mark offers us a fascinating look at the history and use of this natural Hoosier resource, the shifts in the technology of the limestone industry and some of the iconic buildings of limestone that are around the country. Check out the story at the Indiana Insider blog.

50 Quirky Things to See in Ohio

Tonya gives us a great list of cool and interesting things so see in Ohio. We've seen a few things like The World's Largest Collection of Rock and Roll Memorabilia (at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum in Cleveland), The Garfield Memorial (at the Lake Side Cemetery in Cleveland), eaten pizza at a Covered Bridge (North Kingsville) and visited the Tomb of President McKinley (Canton). There are still plenty of things on the list I'd love to see yet myself like the Pencil Sharpener Museum (in Logan)  Dave Grohl Alley and the World's Largest Drumsticks (Warren) and the Y-Bridge (Zanesville). Check out this fun list at the Traveling Praters blog.

Laura land

Fans of the "Little House" series of books are well aware of Laura Ingalls Wilder's connection to many Midwestern states and make it a point to visit as many of the places where Laura and her family lived during the late 1800s. Beth takes readers at Midwest Weekends on a quick tour of these sites in places like Wisconsin, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa and South Dakota where Wilder and her family spent time at one point during their life journey. It's fun to see so many of these sites gathered together in one article.

Ashland NE in Numismatic (Money) News

Many classic old bank buildings no  longer exist, but Mark profiles one here that still stands in the eastern part of Nebraska along with a couple of other former bank buildings still in the area. This is a fun look at banks and currency through the years in Ashland, Nebraska. Check is out at the Stay on Route 6 blog.

14 Fun Facts about the North Dakota Capitol

I always love visiting state capitol buildings, and found this round up of facts about North Dakota's unusual skyscraper capitol building quite interesting. This is one of only three skyscraper capitol buildings in the U.S., but Connie found out that this style of building has 80 percent usable space versus the usual traditional domed building we're usually used to seeing as a capitol building. Check it out at the Midwest Wanderer blog. 

Highlights of Hamilton County, Indiana

It's been a several years since I've visited Hamilton County, which is about 30 miles from Indianapolis, Indiana, so I enjoyed virtually revisiting the area with Francesca and her family. This story spotlights several of the favorite places I saw during our visit there, including the historic Hamilton County courthouse in downtown Noblesville, the lifelike statue of a woman grocery shopping in front of the butcher shop in Carmel (where we originally discovered another Midwest treat--Rickle's Pickles) and Conner Prairie (where we experienced a thought-provoking Underground Railway program). Check out the story at the Working Mom's Travels blog.

Hiking during our Galena Weekend

I've always wanted to visit Galena, Illinois, and this story from Mel show us several noteworthy hikes in the area. I particularly enjoyed seeing images of the pedestrian bridge along the Galena River Trail (I'm a real bridge fan, so this goes on the list of things I need to see in Galena!). Check out the story at the A Little Time and a Keyboard blog.  

Mid-Continent Railway Museum in North Freedom

Travel through the beautiful scenic farmland near the Wisconsin Dells and enjoy a little old fashioned history and adventure near Baraboo, Wisconsin. I loved seeing the restored vintage railcars learning a bit more about railroad history in the area. Check out Kenneth's story and great images at the Wisconsin Explorer blog.

A Quick Visit to Grand Rapids

We've visited this western Michigan and favorites like Schuler Books & Music many times in the past, but I can see that there are several places I've yet to see here according to Jeff's story. Check it out at the Lifelong Michigander.

Five Favorite Places for Kids on the Sunset Coast, Michigan

Join Jessie at the Wandering Educators blog for another look at western Michigan as she surveys some of her kid-friendly favorites with sites that include some of my waterfront favorites like Grand Haven, Manistee and the Sleeping Bear Dunes area. This definitely puts me in the mood to do a little more traveling myself!   

Midwest Guest Bookshelf, October 2017

Al Franken: Giant of the Senate

This account of Al Franken's time campaigning for, and eventually becoming, a United States Senator from Minnesota was fascinating and oddly inspiring.

I started out many years ago as a political activist, and I headed to college at Detroit's Wayne State University with the idea that I would major in Political Science and aim for a career in political campaign management.

Time has a way of changing your idealist conceptions about your chosen career and early ideals.

I met Tim somewhere along the way...he ran (and lost) for State Representative...with me as his campaign manager in what was always seen as a seat that was not a winning proposition for a changer at that time...but our original enthusiasm and dedication turned to disgust as we saw the field become a sharply divided field where "the other side" became dreaded enemies and horrible people in the eyes of "our side".

We always enjoyed campaigns and jawing with folks we really considered as friends, in spite of any political differences we might have had.

But...when politics became a hateful and adversarial thing where you became suspect even if you said "hello" to a neighbor who held different political views than you...it was time to get out.

I found a lot of Franken's book engaging, and even inspiring, in expressing his obvious love for politics and his job in representing his constituents in Minnesota.

Franken did not have a smooth ride to the Senate. His background as a comedian led many to immediately discount him, his abilities, his seriousness and his sincerely. His initial race was a real "nail-biter". It was one of the closest races in history, and a re-count dragged on for months before he finally officially took a seat as a Senator.

Franken seems to have won over many of his doubters and handily won his re-election campaign for Senator in 2016.

He has a lot of misgivings about the future ahead in a really sharply divided political system...but he also has a lot of hope about working with his colleagues and love for the people he represents.

This one is definitely worth reading for the secret political wonk, for those who miss seeing Franken's humor on bold display and for those who wish we could all be civil again in politics. 

The Other Alcott

This novel is a deft imagining of the story of the youngest sister of Louisa May Alcott, whose real-life adventures were just a tiny part of the canvas that made up the older Louisa's classic story of Little Women.

I knew just a hint of the real-life back-story of Louisa May Alcott's younger sister "Amy", the real-life Louisa's prickly personality (imagined as "Jo" in the classic "Little Women" books), and the sisters' father's stubborn clinging to his precious principles of transcendentalism even as the family faced pressing poverty and the women in the family tried to keep them all afloat with their own work during an era of a definite restriction of rights and opportunities for women.

This novel is a debut effort by author Elise Hooper that takes the little-known story of Louisa's younger sister as a background for a fascinating story about a young woman finding her way out from under the shadow of her sister, the famous author, through the tough and competitive art world to find success and happiness in her own life.

May Alcott's story was already compelling and interesting, especially as it was set against the backdrop of Europe with events like the Siege of Paris in the early 1870s and the rise of the rebellious Impressionists and their re-making of the art world at the time.

Cooper's book references to other real-life figures like the sister's father Bronson Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson and artist Mary Cassatt who really did played some sort of real-life roles in the real-life stories of the Alcott sisters' lives.

Having read Louisa's books, starting during my own childhood and continuing through the present-day and having much admired the Impressionists throughout my own interest in art and painting, I found "The Other Alcott" fascinating.

Hooper's novel echoed some of my own long-held feelings about the Alcotts and their family situation, but the story added to my understanding and enjoyment of the life stories of the youngest Alcott sister.

"Amy" became a real and admirable figure for me that went well beyond her imagined role as the youngest sister of the famous family.  

Chief Engineer: Washington Roebling, The Man Who Built the Brooklyn Bridge

Bridge enthusiasts know the Roebling name, with many mistakenly entirely crediting John Roebling with designing and engineering this beautiful span and many others to the early 19th century engineer.

Those of us in the Midwest know about the beautiful Roebling bridge spanning the Ohio River between Cincinnati, Ohio and Covington, Kentucky. It was the Ohio/Kentucky span that first captured my attention and much of my fascination with bridges and led me to read David McCullough's book about the Brooklyn Bridge several years ago, so seeing Wagner's newly published take on the bridge and its background made it a must-read for me.

I did understand that John A. Roebling initially designed the bridge at Cincinnati, and that bridge bears his name, but I also knew a bit about the important work Washington Roebling did during the decade-plus construction projects involved with both seeing the John A. Roebling and Brooklyn Bridges to completion.

Wagner's book represents an even deeper look at the Roebling family and the complicated bond that led them to create and build such lasting monuments to their work during the late 19th and very early 20th centuries.

John A. Roebling died well before the completion of either span, and his brilliance and reputation worked to overpower the achievements of the rest of his family.

Wagner's does no real favors to the elder Roebling's reputation when it came to being the family patriarch, though.

She delves into the truth of his unyielding and abusive personality, so beware if you are not ready to see the story of the family warts and all.

Especially interesting to me was the largely unsung, and essential, role Emily, Washington Roebling's wife, played in the completion of the bridge at Brooklyn throughout her husband's prolonged illnesses brought about by his work on the bridge. This was at a time when women usually did not become as involved with such complex work, especially as an untrained engineer.

Like McCullough's book that I read nearly a decade ago, Wagner's book is a technical look at the technology, society and politics of the time. It benefits from newer research into the bridge and the Roebling family, but do be prepared to sometimes learn more than the casual reader might like to know about the history of the people behind the story.     

Who Built That? :Bridges

This is a kid's book, but offers an easy way to look at some of the most notable spans in the world and the people who built them.

It includes a short chapter about the Brooklyn Bridge and the part that John Roebling, Washington Roebling and Emily Warren Roebling played in the design, building and seeing the bridge to completion.

The book features ten well-known spans with easy to understand-explanations and illustrations showing some of the technical construction methods used to create these spans.

Fun look at the subject that does not seem to talk down to younger readers that might be interested in architecture or building as a possible career choice.

Foo Fighters: Learning to Fly

Most folks seem to most readily associate Dave Grohl with the Seattle rock scene and as a member of Nirvana, and some long-time fans remember him as coming out of the Washington DC area and Virginia, where he grew up after moving there as a child with his then-single mother...but some Midwest fans take it as a point of pride that Grohl actually was born in Warren, Ohio!

I've read about Dave Grohl Alley there in Warren where they honor him with a display of the "world's largest drumsticks"! This is a place that has long been on my "Midwest bucket list" as a destination!

The story of the Alley and its transformation into a tribute to a rock star whose Ohio roots are unknown to many people even in Warren itself is interesting.

Author Nick Wall does a decent job of covering Dave's life after he left Ohio, started his professional life as a musician in Virginia, went on to become a member of Nirvana and what happened after to unfortunate suicide of Nirvana's Kurt Cobain.

The biography captures a lot of Dave's frank way of expressing himself and gives readers a good look at how Grohl was able to re-create his life as a musician after unspeakable tragedy.

Midwest Guest Bookshelf, September 2017

Here's a look at what I've enjoyed reading lately.

Motown: The Sound of Young America

 

This oversized book is the "official visual history of Motown"...following the story from its humble beginnings as a vision of Berry Gordy, who, with the help of an $800 loan from his family members, built a company that defined the music of Detroit during the 1960s and helped propel so many Detroiters to become icons in music, leaders in movements for civil rights and helped empower musicians in the world around them.

The book is definitely worth checking out for those stories, as well as a wealth of images I had never seen before in other publications.

The end of Motown came pretty much as I remembered it happening with a move from Detroit to the West Coast. The company sought to rise beyond their Motor City roots, but it really lost its soul and much more in my humble opinion.

The book is still worth seeking out for a fun couple of days to relieve the sights and sounds that justly made Motown truly live up to its name as the soundtrack of the lives of young Americans, especially during the 1960s. It's especially fun for those who vividly remember hearing these tunes so many times coming out over the radio and television airwaves as younger people.

At the Edge of the Orchard

 

This novel starts out in the Black Swamp of Ohio, a muddy and disease-ridden patch of country in northwestern Ohio where people struggled to settle during America's not-always-so-great Westward Expansion. The Goodenough family find themselves mired in the black muck and unable to advance by building a beautiful apple orchard before becoming fractured and broken. Inner demons pull parents James and Sadie down, and their children succumb to swamp fever of one sort or another.

This novel, then, becomes mostly the story of their son Robert as he finds his way through tragedy and travels around the country before a sister finds him after a couple of decades...and he finally finds himself and a family among the redwoods and Sequoias in California.

You wouldn't think that a story about the Ohio frontier and trees might surprise me, but Tracy Chevalier's story took some surprising twists and turns as she made her way through the tale.

Chevalier also wrote several other historical fiction books that include Girl with a Pearl Earring and The Last Runaway (an historical novel about Quakers and the Underground Railroad in 19th century Ohio featured at Midwest Guest several years ago).

If you are familiar with Royal Oak, Michigan, you also might spot the reference to Charles II and The Royal Oak mentioned in passing about a third of the way through this book! Yes, I know my apocryphal history!

Midwest Guest Bookshelf, July 2017

I've been able to get back to reading for pleasure and getting to a lot of the books I've been keeping on a running list of things I've wanted to read over the last couple of years!

A good number of them have some sort of Midwest tie, many of them are music-related, many of them have some sort of regional history tie, and others are just books that I've wanted to read just because!

Some are books I have in my own collection, and a good number of them come to me via the Inter Library Loan program through my local library.

Here's a look at what I've enjoyed reading lately.

 

The curious life and legend of Who drummer Keith Moon comes alive in this book, which concentrates mainly on his musicianship and status as a legendary and pioneering drummer. Still, I did find at least one reference to a story that has a Michigan connection!

Keith apparently had his massive 21st birthday party at the hotel where the Who was staying after a concert in 1967--a Holiday Inn in Flint, Michigan where the drummer allegedly drove a Lincoln Continental car into the pool!

The story, repeated as fact by Moon himself over later years, is still hotly contested to this day, even by those who were allegedly at the party! The truth seems to be that the car did not take a dunk that evening, but one attendee at the party was Barry Whitman (drummer for one of the supporting acts on the tour, Herman's Hermits) says police were called to the hotel after a massive food fight that caused some serious damage. In everyone's rush to get out that night, Moon tripped over the pavement outside, smashed his two front teeth and had to have emergency dental surgery in Flint that night.

 

Susan Whittig Albert grew up in downstate Illinois. She earned her PhD in English at the University of Illinois, but she lives and works in Texas where she continues to publish books under her own name and other pseudonyms.

This is one of her books in the series about China Bayles, a fictional lawyer-turned-herb-shop- owner who stumbles upon mysteries and solves the case by each the end of each book.

If you're up for something fast and fun that includes a bit of herbal lore and a few recipes, check this series out.

This book is the 26th in this series. Albert has several other series that focus on different eras in history or are works of historical fiction about women.

Who better to talk to moms about the challenges of raising their talented prodigy and knowing when and how to encourage that talent to flourish than a mom who successfully watched and nurtured her own son's rise to rock stardom? Here Virginia Grohl, the rockin' mom of David Grohl who saw her son rise to fame as the drummer for Nirvana during the 1990s and successfully go on to become the front man for another commercially successful alternative band, the Foo Fighters.

Grohl, born in Warren, Ohio, is one of rock's most well-known and well-regarded, musician, guitarist, drummer, songwriter, record producer and film director.

His mom Virginia was a school teacher and raised her son as a single mom in Virginia. Dave Grohl began working as a musician in the Washington D.C. area and joined Nirvana in 1990.

He became more and more active in writing music for Nirvana until lead singer Kurt Cobain's tragic suicide death in 1994.

Grohl, after casting around for a bit and wondering what to do next, went on to establish the Foo Fighters as he shopped the initial album of his work and eventually built a band around the demo where he played most all of the instruments and wrote the songs himself.

The book is a fun read featuring interviews with mom's like Verna Griffin (Dr. Dre's mom), Marianne Stipe (Michael Stipe from REM's mom), Hester Diamond (Mike D from the Beastie Boy's mom) and Janis Winehouse (Amy Winehouse's mom).

Imagine Barack and Michele Obama deciding to embark on a road trip across the country at the conclusion of his second term as President, driving their own car and un-accompanied by a Secret Service detail!

Unimaginable in this day and time certainly, and it was something that even proved difficult for the out-going President Harry Truman to so in the less celebrity-obsessed time of 1953 as he and his wife Bess embarked on just such a trip at the end of his second term as President.

The Trumans wanted to travel incognito as they left their hometown of Independence, Missouri to Washington, D.C. and New York City and back.

The couple wasn't able to entirely evade attention from the press, local officials and the curious public, but they were, at times, to travel on their own and see a good bit of the Midwestern states like Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio as they mostly stayed at small motels, stayed with friends and ate at family diners, while greeting people along the way who shouted "Hi, Harry" when they spotted the duo on the road.

The author sought to re-create this road trip by using the same route and stopping at many of the places the Trumans stopped during their original adventure, capturing a slice of life that is long-gone and something no retiring chief executive before or since has ever thought about doing or would be able to do in these days of heightened security concerns and a celebrity-obsessed public.

The 1964 World's Fair in New York City was set against a backdrop of a world experiencing racial unrest, the country's discomfort with a rapidly growing immigrant population, a rapidly changing music scene, increasingly violent crime, the escalating war scene in Vietnam, a definitely divisive political scene, and other cultural changes. In other words, it really sounds like not much has changed in the country over the past 40-plus years.

The Midwest played, at best, a bit part in the fair as pavilions represented states like Wisconsin with cheese displays, a realistic-looking and -sounding audio-animatronics Lincoln held some fair goers in its thrall at the Illinois display and  the big automotive companies vied for attention for their newest vehicles and innovations at their respective pavilions. 

Long-seen as a financial failure and not really advancing it's stated "peace through understanding" mission, the bill still offers a fascinating look at this not-so-transformative event and the world as the 1960s got underway.

Anyone have any other suggestions that you feel I might like checking out?

Midwest Travel Links for March 2017

Check out some great Midwest-related stories I found online this past month:

North Dakota Road Trip Day 6: Dickinson to Medora-Check out Connie's latest North Dakota adventures when she visits the Dickinson Museum Center and shared some images of their rocks and minerals exhibit there (I'm a big fan of such exhibits!), the Ukrainian Cultural Institute and the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame as she heads towards the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Check it out at the Midwest Wanderer blog.

North Dakota prairie dog

Ten Things You Need to Know About Indianapolis City Culture-Aaron advises readers that you will need a guide to find the "good stuff" in this Hoosier city. Here is his guide to the city and its culture at his self-titled Urbanphile blog. Check out a few of our own blog posts about the city as well! Seeing an Indianapolis Indians baseball game...or not, White River Gardens at the Indianapolis Zoo and Visiting the Eiteljorg Museum in Indianapolis.

Mid-Century Modern Design at Miller House and Garden in Columbus-I've wanted to visit Columbus, Indiana and learn more about it's history and place in mid-twentiety-century architecture. Fortunately, Jessica gives us a great look at some of the architectural gems in this mid-American showplace. We see some great images of the Miller house with the work of the Saarinen father-and-son architectural team, which reminds us of some of the work done by the same family here in Michigan, like the buildings they designed at the Cranbrook educational campus in metro Detroit. Check out Jessica's story at her Little Indiana blog.

24 Hours in Detroit-Charity hails from Cleveland, and I've long-enjoyed her I heart <3 Cleveland blog, but I really enjoyed this report about her weekend visit to Detroit! This story includes some info and images of some of the city's great hidden treasures like the Shinola store in midtown Detroit, John King Used and Rare Books Store and the historic Pewabic Pottery shop and design studio. Charity even includes a report about her visit to Toledo's Libbey Glass Outlet. which she checked out on her way into Detroit. See her story here.

4 Great Activities with Kids in Detroit-Mr. In A Cents offers a great list of family-friendly fun and activities in the Detroit area! We're members of the Detroit Zoo and The Henry Ford, so they're already a couple of my favorite sites around the city, and I enjoyed the images from the newly re-done Penguin Center and the classic Oscar Weinernobile at the Henry Ford. Plus there are a few great images here of two places I've been longing to see in person myself-Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum and the Outdoor Adventure Center near the Detroit River. Check it all out at the InACents travel blog!

 

 

The Stars Still Shine at Detroit's Redford Theater-Jeff writes about his family's visit to another family-friendly spot in Metro Detroit, the classic Redford Theater. We remember seeing the movie, A Christmas Story, here a few years ago. We loved the drama of seeing the huge theater organ rising out of the stage and the classic 1920s Oriental-themed decor. Check it out at the Lifelong Michigander blog!

2017 Motorcycle Trips-Join Heather as she and her husband start planning their spring and summer...and check out some of her great suggestions for Midwest motorcycle adventures. Their trip list looks a lot like something Tim would put together! We look forward to hearing about the couple's trips this spring and summer. Check it out at the Ohio Girl Travels blog.

 

Stadium Seats and Stories from the Gardens-Here are a few memories of the venue seats and stories of the arenas where Ronny watched events like minor-league hockey games, women's roller hockey, the circus and monster trucks! Check it out at the Queen City Discovery blog.

The 7 Indiana Ballparks That Baseball Fans Must See-We love catching a sports event when we travel. There isn't a better way to get a real feel for the history and culture of a place and spend a fun time with locals! Check out this Visit Indiana blog post about some of Indiana's notable ball fields, including Victory Field where we saw the Indianapolis Indians play and Parkview Field where we saw Fort Wayne's beloved Tin Caps play. Check it out at the Visit Indiana blog.

10 Ways Marietta. Ohio is So Much More than it's Tomatoes-Tomatoes? Who knew? Well I love good ripe tomatoes, but Kayrn tells readers there is a lot more to do in the southern Ohio city, even once its legendary tomatoes are gone for the season. Kayrn shares historic sites, an architecturally beautiful basilica (which reminds me of the one we saw in South Bend, Indiana)  and quirky sites like the Mortuary Museum, which sounds like somewhere I would need to go when I visit Marietta! Check it out at the Sand and Snow...and Everywhere in Between blog!

Urban Kayaking on the Mississippi River in Minneapolis-Jenna and Micah take readers on an urban kayaking adventure to celebrate the arrival of spring in Minneapolis. Seeing a major city from the river always gives you a fresh perspective, even if you have lived in the city for a long time! Check the story of their trip with a batch of fellow travel bloggers at the Wander the Map blog.

P.S. Looking for more great photos? Here are a couple of photo books that we recently ordered from Amazon and really enjoyed...one from Ohio and another from the annual Wildlife Photographer of the year exhibit that I recently saw at the Detroit Zoo.

 

 

Made in the Midwest: Here are a Few More of our Favorite Things

Tim and I are deep in to holiday shopping and came up with a few more "Made in the Midwest" shopping suggestions for your gift lists:

Are you near a larger city? Many Convention and Visitors Bureaus have nice local shopping sites highlighting local boutiques, small businesses and other places offering locally made products and services like the site for Columbus, Ohio which I highlighted in a recent blog here and, one of my favorites, Detroit's fab shopping section.

Visit Detroit's shopping section includes a few of my favorite places for Detroit themed gifts like City Bird in Midtown Detroit and the Pure Detroit stores in places like the Fisher Building and the Guardian Building (where I purchased Tim's City of Detroit coffee mug last year). The Detroit Shoppe also has an outlet in Troy's Somerset Collection near us where you can also get Detroit-branded wear and gifts.

Call up "pure Detroit" at Amazon and check out some cool things like a Michigan Midwest Mitten T-shirt that pictures the state with the Great Lakes and the site tells me is "designed and printed with pride in Ann Arbor, Michigan".   

 

 

In a pickle when it comes to choosing a holiday gift? There are plenty of options here in the Midwest when it comes to getting a few cool pickle-oriented gifts!

Framed and signed hot dog buns at Tony Packos riverfront location

We often head on down to Toledo in Ohio for great pickles and relishes at the in-house stores at the Tony Packo's Restaurants on the riverfront near the Mud Hens ball park downtown. Our favorites at Packo's include the classic pickles and peppers, and Tim is a big fan of Packos' relishes like the mustard relish for using with hot dogs. We also like the "Super Charged Chili Recipe" if we want to spend a little more time to make our own spicy pot of chili at home. We ordered a Packos gift pack with pickles and relishes to send to one of Tim's siblings a year or so ago, and it was a real hit!

 

 

Sechler's in northern Indiana is another favorite when it comes to pickles, especially when it comes to sweet varieties like the sweet orange strip pickles. We've visited the Sechler's factory store a couple of times and bought a ton of pickled goods like some of the more off-the-wall varieties that I prefer like pickled hot cauliflower.

Pickle bar at Sechlers in Fremont, Indiana

 

 

 

Want some more pickles? Try heading to a hardware store in the Midwest! I found another favorite pickle brand at a small meat butcher in Carmel, Indiana...I picked them up on a whim after the clerk raved about them, and I've since shopped for them at hardware stores in Chagrin Falls (Ohio), Put-in-Bay (Ohio) and at several hardware stores near where Tim's father lives in Grand Rapids (Michigan). The pickles have a unique spicy punch and, as their Web site proudly proclaims, the product is "Proudly Made in the USA" (in this case, the product comes from Indiana and western Michigan). Now that I've discovered a little more about Rickle's online, I really want to find, and try, some of the company's pickled asparagus!  

 

 

Speaking of spicy, if you like spicy spears, Detroit's McClure's Pickles should be especially to your taste. We can find them all over town, including at Detroit's great outdoor farmers market (Eastern Market), local produce stores and major grocery outlets. Out of town? No problem as you can find the company's classic garlic dills, sweet and spicy pickle chips, pickle relish and a great Bloody Mary mix at Amazon.    

 

 

Check out my most recent post for more Made in the Midwest suggestions that include more chili, some sweet cherry goodness and some crunchy pretzels to help fill up your pantry!

Do you have any other Midwest favorites I missed? Let me know as I'll be adding more Made in the Midwest suggestions in upcoming posts this month.

Made in the Midwest (a.k.a. These Are a Few of Our Favorite Things!)

With all of the talk floating around this year about "jobs" and how politicians aren't doing enough to preserve and promote jobs in this country and how they should punish those who send jobs elsewhere at the expense of our own friends, neighbors and local businesses, I'd like to take a more positive tack by encouraging others to support, and buy from, Midwestern businesses.

So, I'll be posting a few short lists of suggestions for your holiday shopping consideration over the next couple of weeks.  

My most recent shopping expedition was to the Miners Den, a local jewelry store where I've shopped for years and that creates a lot of nice pieces in-house. For the record, I grabbed a great deal on a Fordite pendant for myself.

Illness in the family forced me to do more of my shopping online in recent years, but I make it a habit to search out local and indie places throughout the Midwest when I'm shopping online as well. The most recent package that arrived here was from Gwen Frostic's paper goods place in Benzonia (Michigan), which I promptly wrapped and put under my tree!

So, if you need to do a little shopping online, take a look at a few of these places if you're in the market for a real Midwestern holiday:

Tim and I both love shopping at Cherry Republic in Glen Arbor, Michigan and made sure we made an online stop at the store for a couple of gifts for his dad, a cousin and for ourselves. Our purchases this year included all sorts of cherry goodness that include dark chocolate covered cherries, milk chocolate covered cherries and sour patches (my favorite from their candy department). I've had good luck shopping their retail stores, ordering online and placing my orders by phone. I placed my most recent Cherry Republic order via phone to the Glen Arbor store, which is a 5-hour drive from here, and it arrived here in metro Detroit the next evening!    

 

 

We're also big fans of Skyline Chili, which is a Cincinnati favorite. It isn't readily available outside of Ohio, but you can easily grab some of the canned version online. They have 4-can and 8-can packs, and if you have an Amazon Prime account, you order them and have your own Skyline dinner in a couple of days. We had Skyline 3-Way meals, with the chili over spaghetti and smothered with grated cheese. Tim skipped the hot sauce, but I opted for some of that and a beer as well!

 

 

I discovered Dot's Homestyle Pretzels earlier this year when I heard a couple of folks rave about them. Problem is, they're from North Dakota, and I've yet to find them here in Michigan. Again, you can managed readily find them on Amazon, and I've already ordered them a couple of different times. These are hearty pretzel twists with a unique mustard-style taste.

 

 

Check back here soon for more Midwestern gourmet goodie suggestions and some other non-food gift suggestions!   

Midwest Travel Links November 2016

Check out some great Midwest-related stories I found online this past month:

There's nothing like a cheesy tourist stop to start off our Midwest travel link love list this month, so without further ado, here's our list of fun stops around the Web for Midwest travel info!

Say Cheese! A Frankenmuth Roadside Attraction-This place in downtown Frankenmuth, Michigan always puts a smile on my face when we stop by! We're big cheese fans, and we've found that the cheese spread at this place is pretty darn decent as well! I'm thinking we may have to head on back here later on during the winter for a cheese-in-the-snow shot! Check out Tonya's story about this cheese store at The Traveling Praters blog.

3 MUST Visit Holiday Destinations in the Midwest-Tonya takes advantage of her proximity to one of the largest holiday themed travel stops in Frankenmuth, Michigan to visit and help readers get into the holiday spirit! We're within an hour of Frankenmuth, so we are more partial to visiting for the novelty of Christmas in July, but there's really no time like the present to check out this town, plus two other places in Indiana and Ohio to enjoy Christmas. Check it out at The Traveling Praters blog.

Unique Midwest Holiday Events-Wondering where to find some seasonal fun in the Midwest? Melissa gives readers a half-dozen ideas for holiday travel in the Heartland, which, or course, includes a stop in Michigan's Frankenmuth! Get in the holiday spirit with these attractions in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska and Wisconsin. Check it out at A Little Time and a Keyboard blog.

Halloween 2016: Half Pint-I know I'm not the only one among my readers who loved the "Little House" books as a child, and I found this particular story of a child with parents who loved helping her make her dreams of playing "Half Pint" come true! Check out Jim's story about the adventures of "Laura" and "Pa" in suburban Detroit at the Sweet Juniper blog.

#VisitASuffragist in Michigan this election season-Amy started out with the idea of paying a respectful visit to the gravesite of a particular suffragist in Michigan, and found the idea quickly spiraling into an idea to locate many more such sites and map them for future reference. While this year's election is past, Amy is already looking forward to working on expanding the map through the election in 2020, which is, incidentally, the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment...you know, the one that gave women the vote! Read about Amy's project and a follow-up post (Two weeks and nearly 40 suffragists later...) about her progress in finding and acknowledging these political pioneers at The Night Train blog. Makes me want to pin on my Jeanette Rankin button once again (yes, I have one from Rankin's second go-round in 1940 and found it in among my political souvenirs just before November's contest).   

 

 

 

Through the eyes of an Educator: Rapids City, South Dakota-Stacey always appreciated coastal states with their close proximity to water, but this tour of South Dakota might change your mind about the charms of a Midwestern prairie state as it did hers. I appreciate the wide, open spaces (especially with the highways that sometimes allow you to rip along at 80mph!), but make sure you slow down and take in the unique scenery, culture and history Stacey discovered in South Dakota. Check out here story at the Wandering Educators blog.

Needles, South Dakota

Setting Out for a Road Trip Through Nebraska-Join Jenna and Micah as they embark on their first road trip through the Cornhusker State. Discover what a runza is...and more!...as the couple explores an eclectic mix of urban and outdoor adventures while traveling through the state. Check it out at the Wander the Map blog. Be sure to check out A Photo Essay: Road Trip Through Nebraska for a more detailed review of their trip!

5 Reasons Nebraska Needs to be on Your Travel Radar-Check out Kirsten's story at the Kids are a Trip blog for another take on traveling through Nebraska. Check out the state's abundance of natural wonders like its sand hills cranes and badlands, as well as things like great foodie scenes and its famous National Monuments geological parks and cool fossil formations.  

Can You Believe that Iowa Looks Like THIS?-Kylie is making all sorts of new discoveries as a British expat currently living in Iowa! Here, Kylie considers Iowa's wealth of scenic foot trails and sees some of the early autumn colors as they kiss the landscape. Check it out at the Between England & Iowa blog.

Wilstem Ranch: How to Bathe an Elephant-On thing you should know when traveling around the Midwest is that you should expect to find the unexpected. Connie proves this to be the point as she learns that giving an elephant a bath is a lot like washing a car. Learn a little more about these majestic creatures and participate in one of the most unusual "spa" experiences in, wait for it, Indiana! that you'll ever find at the Midwest Wanderer blog.

A Behind the Scenes Tour of the Toledo Zoo-We're fairly close to the Ohio state line, so visiting the Toledo Zoo is a nice was to make a day trip for us. I find the WPA-era architecture and history of the zoo particularly fascinating, and I appreciate the thoughtful upgrades and renovations they've made at their campus without sacrificing the vintage vibe of the buildings. We visited the Zoo a few years ago just as they were adding the Penguin Beach and Flamingo Key and saw a lot of the early work done as they prepared to renovate the historic aquarium there, so I particularly enjoyed seeing Nedra's post that included images of the now-completed project. Check it out at the Adventure Mom blog.

South Bend: History and Happenings-Check out Amy's post for a tour of South Bend, Indiana. We loved seeing the architectural wonders on campus of the University of Notre Dame and checking out the cool vintage cars at the Studebaker National Museum which are also South Bend sites Amy recommends for visitors. Check out her report at the Indiana Insider blog.

Meanwhile, I always like to hear about any other favorite Midwest stories or blogs you think I might like to check out!

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Made in the Midwest: A Round-up of some great home-grown and homemade products

As I see more and more stories about Black Friday, Cyber Monday and shopping until I drop, I'd love to remind folks to make the extra effort to support their Midwestern neighbors and their businesses by shopping locally and buying local products and services.

I asked some fellow Midwestern travel bloggers for some suggestions, and here are some fun ideas for creating a real Midwestern holiday as you shop for your loved ones...or just if you want to grab a little something for yourself this holiday season!

Exploration of The Wildbird Shack in Mt. Prospect Reveals Locally Made Items and Sense of Community-Mel urges readers of the A Little Time and a Keyboard blog to check out a cute local store in the Chicago area as they shop for seeds and other supplies and help their local avian friends weather the winter. Even as the temperatures plunge, The Wildbird Shack is a warm and welcoming place, as well as a community center for bird lovers that highlights local product and the store's own special blends of seed and other feed.

Anderson's Candy Shop (Barrington)-Working up an appetite while feeding your feathered friends? Mel says to stop by this local candy company in suburban Chicago and get a treat for yourself! Anderson's is a three-generation family business with gorgeous house-made chocolate treats in more than 30 different flavors with creamy, crunchy, chewy centers and more. Mel particularly Anderson's chocolate-dipped ginger bars and tells us that the Barrington store also participates in the town's Wine Walk events.

Made in CBUS-The Experience Columbus Web site devotes a lot of space to highlighting local dining, attractions and shopping for folks heading to Ohio's capital city for a few days. The city takes a special pride in their local businesses that include independent restaurants and locally owned boutiques, many of which offer locally made product created by Columbus artisans, craftspeople and designers. Columbus is #3 on a list of Fashionable Destinations from USA Today, and recent ranked as top Midwest Destination for visitors. Columbus has a number of special shopping districts in town like Short North Arts District and German Village, and these are just a few things you can learn more about at Experience Columbus. 

Motor City Brew Tours-If you're a beer drinker and live near Detroit as I do, you know that the Motor City has a wealth of great local brews! Aimee West tells us that Motor City Beer Tours put together a package that includes a gift certificate, a Detroit Beer Book (why have I yet to see this one?) and a few other tools like a can koozie and coaster to help you experience your tasting tour knowledgeably and in style!

Holen One Farms and Preferred Popcorn from Nebraska-Check out Gretchen's story at the Odyssey Through Nebraska blog to find out about a couple of companies owned by Nebraskans  who create and package local food products to sell at fairs (like the State Fair where Gretchen discovered them) and other outlets. Holen One Farms offer a range of grilling products like marinades, dipping sauces and seasoning rubs to help you put a little zip into your meals (Gretchen and her family like their Java Rib and Roast Rub). Gretchen also discovered some zippy microwavable jalapeno popcorn from Nebraska's Preferred Popcorn, which is a company run by several Nebraskan farm families.

Holiday Adventures with Adventure Santa-Cindy shares a story about a couple in Minnesota who created a toy and book combo to help share holiday adventures with the jolly holiday fellow  and your children while spending time together! Baking cookies? Cutting down your own Christmas tree? Or creating a new holiday tradition with your family? This is a fun way to get  your children involved and using their own imaginations to help create holiday happiness! Check it out at Traveling Adventures of a Farm Girl.

More ideas about regional holiday products, services other things Made in the Midwest? Share them here or let me know as I'll continue to share more ideas this month about how you can support local sites and businesses as you complete your holiday shopping!

Photo Friday Toledo Botanical Garden

We recently spent a couple of hours at the Toledo Botanical Garden in northern Ohio because we knew that the Dahlia Show Garden was still in bloom and thought we might get a few decent images of the flowers before the end of this past summer's gardening season.

We visited the garden around the same time of year in 2015 and knew the garden offers plenty of opportunities for photographers in particular...and the show garden did not disappoint us this year, either.

The TBG has sixty-plus acres of display gardens, plant collections and trails to explore. The dahlia garden is close to the garden's entrance, so we were able to use our handicapped parking pass to park quite close to the garden itself near a small row of club houses and shops.

Here are a few images I made this fall at the garden.

Check out a story I wrote last year about the garden and its history: Toledo in Bloom.

Want to learn more about the garden and its connection to the area's War of 1812 history? Check out Peter Navarre: War of 1812 scout: the man behind the legend by Larry Michaels and another book written about northern Ohio's history by Michaels, Along the Sandusky River.

You can connect with the TBG at its Web site, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube.

Be sure to check out some of my previous stories about other attractions in the Toledo Metropark system like Secor Metropark and the National Center for Nature Photography.

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