Pink snow at Blue Skies

I’d rather be snowshoeing.

After searching for files that Time Machine claimed it had been backing up, and discovering that it had deceived me, my right eye began to twitch and I had a sinking feeling that was only quelled by a call to the Mac store and a conversation with Jeff Genius about my sick computer.

I won’t go into the gory details and I won’t believe it until I have my laptop back, but Jeff said all the right things. The twitching subsided and I was able to function (more or less) for the rest of the day.

I’m ready for a road trip, and I want to see snow. I’ll take lots of pictures and promise to save them onto CDs and DVDs and…well, I do not want to go through this computer trauma again.

If you’ve got a long holiday weekend ahead and are ready to hit the road, check out the Presidents Day Weekend getaway ideas at michigan.org

On Friday a gray curtain came down on the screen of my laptop, which then emitted a sound that no one who relies on a computer wants to hear: TJ called it the beep of death. On Saturday at the Mac store a nice young Genius named John examined my computer and determined the Main Logic Board had died.

I asked John Genius (that’s the name on his badge) if there was something I’d done to cause the damage, but he assured me that I was not at fault. “It’s a machine,” he said. Machines break. And he hoped I had everything backed up. It’s likely that all of my Mac’s memory will be lost when they perform the laptoposcopy.

Mac should be back by the end of this week. Until then I may blog from TJ’s computer, or I may just concentrate on content for the GreatLakesGazette.com Web site. If I can find a ribbon for the typewriter.

Lucky for Michigan, young George Washington never visited the Grand Traverse region with his hatchet or this might not be the top cherry producing state in the nation.

Ornament we received as gift

Truth be told, cherries didn’t arrive in the area until 1852, when a Presbyterian missionary planted trees on Old Mission Peninsula. Commercial production took off in the early 1900s, with orchards stretching along Lake Michigan between Elk Rapids and Benton Harbor.

Roadside cherry stand on Old Mission Peninsula

Michigan grows almost 75 % of the country’s tart cherry crop, and about 20% of the sweet cherries. That’s why this is the home of the National Cherry Festival held each July in the Cherry Capital, Traverse City.

Four years ago the local folks decided that if one cherry festival is good, two must be better, and launched the Cherry Capital Winter WonderFest. This year’s Presidents Day Weekend event begins Friday, February 12 and concludes Monday the 15th with a President Look-Alike Contest and Parade. Headquarters is Grand Traverse Resort & Spa, with activities scattered across the area.

It’s a winter celebration with wacky and traditional activities for the whole family including snowshoe races, dog sled demonstrations, Snow Golf Tournament, chili cook-off, sleigh rides, carnival rides and a kid’s biathlon combining cross-country ski race with paintball guns in lieu of rifles. Not to mention the kid’s frozen fish toss, the frozen bed race, frozen pit spit and brain freeze contests. You get the idea: dress warm.

If you plan to attend make your reservations early because Traverse City will also be hopping with the Winter Microbrew & Music Festival and North American VASA cross-country ski event. And, of course, Sunday is Valentine’s Day.

Find more event information and accommodations at the Traverse City Convention & Visitors Bureau Web site.

"Copper Mining" mural in Calumet Post Office painted by WPA artist Joseph Lasker, 1941

Let me be clear: I’ve had my fill of politicians talking about jobs and job creation. Last week it was President Barack Obama, this week Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm—both delivering their “State of…” addresses, with the Gov echoing the Prez’s signature phrase,”Let me be clear.”

As in, “Let me be clear: Our world has changed, utterly,” uttered the Governor in her State of the State speech Wednesday evening in Lansing. (At least, that’s what the transcript said she said; I thought the speech started at 8 p.m. so I missed the broadcast.)

Michigan's world has changed, utterly, says the Gov

“The old Michigan economy is gone,” explained the Governor. “Where the old Michigan economy was all about autos and manufacturing…the new Michigan economy is much broader: clean energy, life sciences—like bio-economy and medical devices—homeland security and defense, advanced-manufacturing, film and tourism.”

What? No mention of agriculture in Michigan? Is that a part of the old economy?

I did like the Governor’s support of the tourism advertising campaign to the tune of $40 million this year. “Fund the Pure Michigan ads,” she utterly urged. “More people vacationing here means more jobs here.”

Tourism jobs are good. They offer hope for those of us who don’t know what bio-economy jobs are, don’t do roadwork or other types of “shovel ready” projects the President promised to fund, or are not the teachers, firefighters, police officers, or federal worker jobs he likes to stimulate.

Paul Bunyan greets visitors at the information center in Manistique

Let me be clear: I’m all for jobs. Some of my best friends need jobs.

Heck, as a freelance writer I could use more work. But in all the talk about jobs I never hear mention of the work that artists do, how the economy is affecting them, and what they’re to do to survive.

Should a musician play the numbers until the gigs start coming in again? Is a dancer supposed to learn to build windmills? Must the photographer trade his camera for a jackhammer?

President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in his Depression-era Works Progress Administration (WPA), made room for creative types alongside the road-builders in the government-sponsored jobs program established in 1935.

The WPA was later renamed the Works Projects Administration (still known as WPA—no monogramming changes required!), and included the Federal Arts Project, Federal Theatre Project and Federal Writers Project.

A WPA art poster

These programs paid artists across the U.S. to do what they did best. In Michigan, painters painted murals in about 50 post offices (see the Calumet example, above. Also, Iris of the Adventures of an Innkeeper blog shared a photo of the mural in the Frankfort Post Office). A theatrical touring company based in Detroit took live performances to rural areas. Writers produced brochures and pamphlets and the 696-page “Michigan: A Guide to the Wolverine State.”

Let me be clear: I am not whining about the need for a program like the WPA; government-funded programs are unsustainable because there are only so many tax dollars to go around. In the long run the arts will only thrive with a strong economy to support them—when folks have the discretionary income to attend concerts and the theater, and to buy art.

I am whining about the job talk that doesn’t even acknowledge a place for the arts as a career or a profession. How, it seems, everyone needs to be retrained for alternative energy jobs or bridge repair jobs or homeland security work (?!?). That the arts are frivolous, not “real work.” Not worth mentioning.

Don’t even get me started on farming.

WPA Art Exhibit

See a sampling of the fruits of the Works Projects Administration’s Federal Arts Project at the Detroit Institute of Arts exhibit of 100 prints in Government Support for the Arts: WPA Prints from the 1930s (through March 21).

The DIA has partnered with the Let’s Save Michigan campaign in a contest that invites artists to create a poster “to inspire Michiganders to revive their state.” The poster should be in the style of the WPA art on exhibit at the DIA.

Check out the details at the Let’s Save Michigan site. Deadline for entries is February 15 and there are cash prizes. Kind of a mini-WPA.

The countdown is on to Valentine’s Day.

Satisfy a Sweetie's sweet tooth with Underground Cheesecake

It’s on a Sunday this year, so if you wait until the morning of the 14th to choose a token of your affection you may find yourself at a grocery store grappling with other procrastinators over technicolor bouquets of mums and the last Whitman’s chocolates sampler.

Show your Sweetheart that you care with a uniquely Michigan gift. It doesn’t have to be fudge, or a new car. Just forget the heart-shaped candy box and consider these Valentine’s treats for your Sweetie (or for yourself):

Cheesecake One…

Strawberries & Cream, White Chocolate Marble, Cherry Swirl—the  Underground Cheesecake Company in Traverse City tempts with delicious combinations of flavors (yes, they also bake it plain). The cheesecake business that two friends cooked up in a basement more than 20 years ago is now a destination in the Village at Grand Traverse Commons. The cafe serves up the beautiful namesake dessert as well as soups, lunch specials and other baked goods. Order a 6″ cheesecake online but plan ahead; V-Day delivery will be Friday the 12th (see the Web site FAQ for details).

…and too

And you thought West Branch was all about the strip mall off I-75 (photo provided by Dita Von Teese)

For cheesecake of a different kind browse the Sweetshop on the Dita Von Teese Web site. Dita, the modern day Burlesque performer and model known for her classic pinup style and fondness for corsets, is a Michigan girl (alas, she hangs her garter and stockings elsewhere now).

Go to her Web site (beware the racy photos) and choose retro style 8×10 glossy photos of Dita wearing fancy lingerie, or nothing at all. Dita, who was named Heather Sweet when she was born in West Branch in ???? Like the fan dance and strip tease she’s known for, Dita is timeless.

Pasties

Okay, get your mind off of Dita and those sparkly items she occasionally wears in her dance routines.

We’re talking pasties (rhymes with nasties) as in the hearty meat and potato pies known across the UP as the meal choice of miners.

They’re perfect for a Valentine’s Day picnic on the cross-country ski trail. Order them from Pasty Central in Calumet, which recently topped the half-million mark of pasties shipped across the U.S. The handmade pies are usually delivered by FedEx only a couple of days a week, but they’ve added an extra shipping day for pasty lovers. Check it out at Pasty.com , eh?

Send a sweety, syrupy message with something from Tassier's Sugar Bush

Syrupy Gift One…

It’s natural, pure, and oh so sweet. Whip up a stack of pancakes for a Valentine’s breakfast and pour on the Michigan maple syrup from Tassier’s Sugar Bush in Cedarville. Or drizzle it over ice cream for a special dessert.

We came across Tassier syrup and other maple products at the annual Antique Boat Show in Hessel—Paige always looks forward to that sundae!

Check it out online and call the Tassiers to send a syrupy message to your sweetie.

…and too

Syrupy story alert: This year is the 30th anniversary of the movie Somewhere in Time, the romance that was filmed on Mackinac Island and stars Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. You can splurge and promise your one and only a trip to the annual Somewhere in Time weekend in October, or choose another date to relax at the historic Grand Hotel. Or, just pick up a copy of the movie and, if Hallmark commercials drive your sweetie to tears, a box of tissues.

Say it with Bubbly

Toast your love with a glass of sparkling wine from the L. Mawby winery in the Leelanau Peninsula.

Toast your love with Fizz, Wet, or Sex

Lawrence (Larry) Mawby, who first bottled his estate wines in 1978, now creates only sparkling wines: methode champenoise (under the L. Mawby label) and cuve close method (M. Lawrence label).

Find Sex, Fizz, and Wet—those are the names of the bubbly, silly— at fine wine stores.

Art Lovers

Pat Custer Denison and Chip Denison are a team in art and in life. High school sweethearts who married in 1970, the two create fantastic, 3-dimensional works incorporating Pat’s colorful images on ceramic tile, found objects, and wood carved assembled by Chip. Each year Pat also offers a series of handpainted tiles and limited edition prints on paper; I’ve mentioned in previous post how I love my Dancing Carrot from several years ago.

Treading Water, one of Pat's 6"x8" cool and kooky original ceramic tiles

The couple lives and makes art at their home/studio/gallery in Honor, near the Sleeping Bear Dunes. The Denison Art Studio Web site displays the available tiles and other works of art. Take a peek at the studio, and make plans to visit them on a Saturday (when they’re not at an art fair) between May-October.

When Only Jerky Will Do

For the jerky lover (or if you want to send another kind of Valentine’s Day message) there’s nothing like a chunk of smoked-in-da-UP meat. Last May I wrote about the Cut River Store in the UP town of Epoufette; check it out online and call to order tasty smoked beef, buffalo, and turkey jerky made by Bill’s Fish House of Blues (Bill also makes great smoked fish, but doesn’t ship it—too perishable).

While browsing the Pasty.com Web site I came across this short video I thought I’d share:

Upper Peninsula farm

“Down on the farm”

Okay, so “That’s why I wish again that I was in Michigan” is not “Oklahoma” or “Stars Fell on Alabama” or “Blue Hawaii.” I think you’ll agree the cowbell is a nice touch, though.

It’s one of the Pasty.com “Weekly Pasty Cameo” features — mini-documentaries — about different aspects of life in the UP. Good stuff.

Previously I’ve mentioned the Pasty Cam daily photo on Pasty.com, which is based in Calumet in the Keweenaw Peninsula.

What's next: Oil change by Pasty.com?

Pasty.com is also a place to check on historical happenings for each day, discover local artists and businesses, or —imagine that—place an order for the meat pie that launched the multi-faceted Web site.

I’ve heard unconfirmed reports that you’ll soon be able to enjoy a root canal and get your oil changed at Pasty.com.

Now, if only the talented folks behind the operation could come up with a new song about the state.

These Bluebirds of Happiness, which were my Mother-in-Law's, remind me of how when Graham was a baby she would hold him up to this window and talk to him about all the birds in the yarden.

If you really want to be happy—no one can stop you.

Sister Mary Tricky

Our family's wintertime trip to Calumet; I'm second from right on the snowbank. At least, this is how I remember it (Van Pelt Archive historic photo) Where’s the snow? It’s January in Michigan. We’re supposed to be shoveling and cursing and reveling in the white stuff.

But here in the Detroit area the ground is bare and it’s no fun. We expect to be compensated for the cold temperatures with a blanket of snow, whether we venture out into the elements or look at the scenery from a cozy spot inside.

I’m ready to head north to get a fix, and would love to go all the way to the Keweenaw Peninsula, where 111.3″ of snow has fallen so far this season; there’s currently about 16″ on the ground.

Check out the roadside Keweenaw Snow Thermometer to see the historic high and low snowfalls recorded since 1910.

On the trail to Blue Skies, Naubinway

Yes, it’s true: in the winter of 1978-79 a record 390.4″—that’s more than 30 feet—of snow was dumped on the northernmost part of the UP.

As a kid I remember our family visiting relatives in the Calumet area nearly every summer, but we made the trip only once during the winter. In my version of events the snowbanks alongside the roads were at least 20 feet high.

Every time I think of stepping out into that frigid air the hairs in my nostrils instantly freeze. Maybe they never defrosted.

Each year at this time the Blue Key Honor Fraternity sponsors Michigan Tech University’s Winter Carnival, an annual event since 1922 (minus a handful of Depression and war years).

Campus games and competitions get underway this weekend in Houghton, but what I’d like to see are the incredible snow statues that students create in a marathon session next week. Take a look at last year’s building-sized entries.

For now I’ll have to be satisfied with photos on The Pasty Cam and Lake Superior Spirit blog, and browsing the Upper Peninsula Travel & Recreation Association Web site.

On Wednesday evening I tuned into WJR-760 am on my radio dial and caught part of a new show about Michigan’s future success called “The Prosperity Agenda.” No, it is not about strategies for winning the Lotto.

New Web sites and a radio show strive to help Michigan retain and recruit folks that have been heading to places like Chicago

Hosted by Dan Gilmartin, who says he’s been “advocating for communities” for 15 years, with Mary Kramer, publisher of Crain’s Detroit Business, the hour-long program is a forum for entrepreneurs and people affiliated with programs and organizations that are leading the state into “the next 50 years.”

The show intro announces, “We’ll challenge the old ways of thinking, and dare you to dream about a better Michigan. A Michigan that is prosperous once again.”

You can help Save Michigan by supporting small businesses and local artists, like those at Dancing Eye Gallery

Gilmartin and Kramer talked about the importance not only of jobs for Michigan but of creating a quality of life and a sense of place with an emphasis on urban areas—attractive environments that can compete with Chicago and other addresses with more appeal than Michigan zip codes.

I missed it if there was any reference to Governor Granholm’s “Cool Cities” initiative, but I did hear David Egner, CEO of the Hudson-Webber Foundation and executive director of something called the New Economy Initiative for Southeast Michigan,which since 2008 has been investing in projects to “restore southeast Michigan to a position of leadership in the new global economy.” He talked about revitalizing the neighborhood around Wayne State University in Detroit’s Midtown area.

And Joe Borgstrom plugged the Michigan State Housing Development Authority’s (MSHDA) new Pure Michigan Living Web site (mentioned in my blog post of January 26). MSHDA is one of the sponsors of the radio program, which dovetails with its Pure Michigan Living effort to point out the state’s positive attributes and its potential for current and future residents.

But wait—there’s more: Sean Mann talked about “Let’s Save Michigan,” a campaign of the Michigan Municipal League. Its Web site declares, “Unless we seize this opportunity to redefine and rebuild our beloved state, we may lose the very things that make it such a special place to live.”

I'll have to help Save Michigan by having another lunch at Polonia Restaurant in Hamtramck

Let’s Save Michigan promotes “smart redevelopment and rededication to our cities.” It asks individuals to pledge to support the arts, attend cultural events, shop local and eat at local diners, get politically involved (or at least aware) and be a greener person (every modern day movement must work in a green angle).

Wow. I like the new energy put forth here. Michigan’s not dead yet, and the earnest folks behind these new efforts deserve credit for thinking outside of the coffin—er, box—by taking this giant S.O.S. to the air waves and the www.

“The Prosperity Agenda” takes to the airwaves at 7 p.m. on the last Wednesday of each month.

To listen to the show on the Web site click here.

And check out the Let’s Save Michigan Poster Contest. The Detroit Institute of Arts is participating in the competition, and there are cash prizes of $1,000 and $250. Deadline is February 15.

Vineyard on Old Mission Peninsula

Attention foodies:
The welcome mat is officially out for you in Michigan.

The recently formed Michigan Culinary Tourism Alliance (MCTA) will work to promote the bounty of homegrown edible and drinkable products by encouraging restaurants to use local wines and specialty foods and spreading the word about the state as a tasty travel destination.

It’s one of those ideas whose time has come in a state where tourism and agriculture are top industries.

Although folks around the globe have been hitting the road for food and drink since the days of nomadic hunter-gatherers, it was centuries before travelers were able to enjoy the luxury of imbibing for pleasure.

And the concept of culinary tourism as an industry has evolved only within the last 10 to 15 years. According to the International Culinary Tourism Association, “In its broadest sense, Culinary Tourism is defined as the pursuit of unique and memorable culinary experiences of all kinds, often while traveling, but one can also be a culinary tourist at home.”

By some definitions culinary tourism overlaps with agricultural tourism; between Michigan’s agri-tourism programs and the new emphasis on culinary tourism the state should enjoy greater appreciation of locally-grown foods and restaurants that feature them, of wineries and vineyards, farm tours, food-related festivals, cooking classes, foraging for wild mushrooms and berries, and visits to creameries, chocolate-makers, farmers markets, u-pick farms and orchards.

Jam from wild thimbleberries is a taste of the Upper Peninsula in a jar (illustration by Natasha Walters)

The inaugural Michigan Culinary Tourism promotion effort will highlight specific crops: wine grapes, cherries, cranberries, apples, peaches, blueberries, asparagus, maple syrup, honey, pumpkins, greens, and herbs and spices.

The MCTA is a cooperative effort of the Michigan Department of Agriculture, Michigan Restaurant Association and Travel Michigan, working with a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture with matching funds from the Michigan Grape and Wine Industry Council.

CONTEST CORNER:

The winner of the West Michigan Tourist Association’s Agri-Tourism Giveaway will get a taste of the Culinary Tourism scene: the prize is a private wine tasting and tour for up to 12 adults at Brys Estate Vineyard & Winery on Old Mission Peninsula, Traverse City.