December 2019
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Kudos for the Barrier Busters
An inspiring story in the fall issue of BLUE focused on the good work being done by the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy (gtrlc.org), providing universally accessible boardwalks and overlooks at Arcadia Dunes: The C.S. Mott Nature Preserve and the Arcadia Marsh Nature Preserve. Each makes beautiful natural features and views accessible to those who are physically challenged in one way or another.
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Dinner with a View
When fresh snow covers the ground around Hillman, it’s not unusual to see a group of enthusiastic revelers in a carriage drawn by a team of Belgian draft horses on the grounds of Thunder Bay Resort. Their unique sojourn takes them 2½ miles through the wooded countryside to a cozy abode called the Elk Antler Cabin, where a roaring fire and a mouth-watering dinner await.
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The Power of White
Though color trends may come and go, white remains a top contender. The neutral hue is easy on the eyes and plays well with others wherever it lands, from your bedding to your kitchen countertops.
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Finding Hygge (Coziness) in Winter
There’s a kind of contentment in accepting a harsh climate, and it’s one of the things I think best sums up the Danish concept of hygge. Hygge can be loosely translated to mean a coziness or contentment and often includes warm touches like candles and comfort food, but it’s more than that. Hygge is the idea of being happy with what you have and finding the joy in simple things.
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Winter 2019: Contributors
Meet the authors, photographers, and contributors who helped bring this Winter 2019 issue of Michigan Blue Magazine to life.
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Settle in, Relax
Skiing beneath fir trees heavy with snow. Speeding through the backcountry on a snowmobile or simply relaxing before a roaring fireplace with a stack of books. Michigan’s lakeside getaways attract plenty of attention in the summer. But winter in the Great Lakes State offers its own beauty, whether visitors long for fun in the snow or some cozy time indoors.
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Great Lake Story 2019: Walloon Lake – Final Chapter
The final chapter of the 2019 Great Lake Story fully unveils “Turquoise Tranquility,” the custom Petoskey home of Liz and Mike Pulick, located on Walloon Lake. Earning its name from both the striking blue waters near which it resides, as well as the serene elements of the home itself, “Turquoise Tranquility” is a paragon of craftsmanship and collaboration.
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December & January: Make a Date with the State
Wildly Winter! Ice-carving festivals, candlelight walks, holiday gatherings, all are fun. Rent a pair of snowshoes. Go for a lantern-lit winter hike or ski. There are concerts and theater performances all over the state. It’s a great time to make snow angels and toboggan with the kids. Go cross-country skiing. Try ice fishing at Tip-Up Town if you dare.
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Glide to the Music and Lights
Everyone likely can agree on this: little sounds more romantic than lacing up ice skates and — as soft flakes fall — gliding around a skating pond illuminated against the night. Even if the reality can be a bit, well, clunkier, the scenes still rival a Hallmark Christmas special in the best possible way.
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Visiting the Kellogg Factory
In the first five years of the 1900s, Battle Creek was in the grip of a “cereal boom.” There were more than 40 companies manufacturing cereal products made from corn, wheat or oats. Kellogg became the most widely known and successful among these enterprises and still is headquartered in Battle Creek.
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Chasin’ Away the Chill
Whether you’re coming in from the slopes chilled or just want something to warm you from the inside out as you watch the snowflakes fall outside your window, consider grandma’s favorite answer to winter’s cold: the hot toddy. Luckily, Michigan’s distillers know how to tastefully chase away the chill. Here are three warming cocktail recipes, crafted with made-in-Michigan spirits.
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A Winter Soul
The essay “A Winter Soul” was published in “Elemental: A Collection of Michigan Creative Nonfiction” in 2018. This excerpt from that essay is reprinted here with permission from Jessica Mesman and Wayne State University Press.
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Cold-Weather Distractions
For many boat owners, the day their vessel is hauled for winter storage is the worst day of the year. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways they can get a maritime fix during the winter months.
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Car Candy
Much more than a vintage car collection, Gilmore Car Museum celebrates America’s love affair with the automobile and car innovations that changed how people live, work and play.
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Winter Visitors
In the morning, we woke to a new world. The storm had filled the driveway with waist-high drifts, and the road beyond was unplowed and impassable. Schools were closed, of course. It appeared that nobody was going to work, either.
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Timeless Tradition, Fresh Tracks
When the powder falls, nature calls. And snowshoes make it easy to indulge in winter’s delights. This ancient form of transportation takes outdoor adventurers and nature lovers high atop bluffs and into dense forests, across deep snow and to places skis, fat-tire bicycles and snowmobiles cannot go.
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Brews in an Igloo
By the time the first serious snow blankets northwestern Michigan, a village of igloos has been firmly planted in the barren woods behind the taproom at Hop Lot Brewing Co., an idyllic winter landscape illuminated by strings of glimmering white lights and blazing campfires.
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Great Reads by the Fireplace
Michigan winters: They’re epic, they’re beautiful and they can leave even the most seasoned native wishing to be somewhere else. When blizzard conditions and ice-slick roads have you feeling a touch of cabin fever, go somewhere — and let a good book take you there.
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To Freeze or Not to Freeze, That Is the Question
Winter is fast approaching, and it is difficult to know what to expect. Will this be the year to buy an all-wheel drive vehicle, a pair of pac boots and a snow blower? Or, a year where there is no need to mothball that favorite sports car for a season due to deep snow conditions?
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Inspired by Nature
Glen Arbor artist captures all that grows in paintings, drawings and coloring books.
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Making Tracks
A perfect way to appreciate the glories of winter is to slip on cross-country skis and glide into the night when even a thin crescent of moon is enough to overlay the glistening snow with soft shadows from the trees.
