3 comments about A Petoskey Watercolor Journal.

1. No matter where you live this book is one everyone who loves travel, beauty and art, will love. Packed full of paintings and painting tips this book is a delight and an insight into the authors town and talent.



2. This book is a treasure! A must for any fan of this darling Northern Michigan town, this journal combines helpful painting tips with Petoskey sights and scenes - a wonderful souvenir and an excellent tool for artists at any level.



3. Catherine Carey captures everything that is beautiful about Petoskey in this watercolor journal while giving practical, clever painting tips for her readers. A wonderful keepsake for Northern Michigan visitors, but artists and tourists from all over can appreciate this colorful, well-written treasure. This book will definitely inspire you to capture your memories in a unique watercolor journal of your own.

1 comments about Michigan: A Photographic Portfolio Book.

1. This is a beautiful book. It will make any Michigan native proud. Either as a gift or for yourself, get this book.

2 comments about Michigan Recreational Road Atlas (Michigan Recreational Travel Atlas).

1. Apparently Universal Atlas no longer publishes a Michigan County Atlas. When I needed to replace my old Michigan County Atlas, I was surprised to find this atlas is divided into arbitrary grids. For example, if one wants to drive M22 from Frankfurt up to the tip of Lelanau peninsula, you have to flip through three disparate grids, located throughout the book, one of which has the bare tip of the Lelanau peninsula along with the Elk Rapids area on the other side of Grand Traverse Bay. As well, the maps are funky in general as they are cut up to show 1 mile sections, township boundaries, township ranges, zip codes and tons of other useless information, making it difficult to follow roads and natural features like rivers and streams.
   
   Most likely someone at Universal Map thought they were making a better product. But it is difficult to imagine that anyone who actually used maps would think this arbitrary grid format and the incomprehensibility of these maps was any kind of improvement. As it is, this atlas is a waste of paper and I am very sorry I purchased it.



2. It is true that Universal switched from a county-by-county view to a grid system, but overall I think this is a much much better product. I prefer this atlas over the Delorme atlas and over the Michigan County Map Guide published in 2000 by the Michigan United Conservation Clubs. The maps are busy, but they show everything you would want to know, including the public land survey system Township-Range boundaries, section boundaries and numbers, township names, county boundaries, and even zip code boundaries. Universal obviously poured a lot of work into this. I was able to drive diagonally across the state using only back roads and never had to flip around, trying to figure out what page to turn to next. All those sectionline country roads are named, as are parks, airports, and all kinds of points of interest, both expect and unexpected. This book is kind of a hidden treasure, it doesn't seem to be getting much promotion from the publisher or the booksellers.

3 comments about Mountain Biking Michigan: The Best Trails in the Upper Peninsula (Mountain Biking Michigan Series).

1. I've wanted to go mountain biking in the Upper Peninsula for a long time, but didn't know where to go until Mike McLelland's book came along.

   With his book I was able to plan a seven-day vacation this summer (1998) and tour the U.P. with a couple of buddies. We went up to the Marquette/Munising area and spent a few days on Bruno's Run, McKeever Hills and Grand Island. Awesome trails!!!!

   Then we headed west and went on the Ge-che trail and got into some hardcore downhill action at the Copper peak bike park. The chairlifts make short work of some otherwise gnarly uphills. Then your on the top and fly, baby, fly!!!!!

   We had a great trip on some of the best trails this mitten state has to offer. I'm planning to bring my girlfriend up there this fall or next year. She's not as hardcore as I am, but Mike's book has trails for everyone's level. I'm planning a different trip for me and her.

   Another good thing about the book was the maps and descriptions. I could rule out the trails that didn't sound good to me, and knew what to expect once out on the trail like rocks, water, hills, etc. Another good thing was its size. I put mine in my backpack to use as a reference on the trail.

   I always knew the U.P. had some awesome riding, and I'm glad someone took the time to do the research and put all those trails into one book.




2. Dear Mike:
   I've been trying to get in touch with you. If you are able to contact me please do, okay?



3. Dear Mike:
   I've been trying to get in touch with you about your book. If you are able to contact me please do, okay?

5 comments about Lake Superior Secrets: Photographs & Reflections.

1. Lake Superior Secrets is a dazzling photography book of the flora, fauna, and scenery of Lake Superior. A caption of one to two sentences garnishes each beautiful, full-color image, caught on film by Bruce Montague, a nature photographer with over 15 years experience. An especial treat for nature lovers, as its photographs illuminate everything from wind-blown sand and snow dunes to ancient pictures written in red ochre on stone cliffs to a stunning image of a ring-billed gull against a clear blue sky. Highly recommended.



2. Lake Superior Secrets is a dazzling photography book of the flora, fauna, and scenery of Lake Superior. A caption of one to two sentences garnishes each beautiful, full-color image, caught on film by Bruce Montague, a nature photographer with over 15 years experience. An especial treat for nature lovers, as its photographs illuminate everything from wind-blown sand and snow dunes to ancient pictures written in red ochre on stone cliffs to a stunning image of a ring-billed gull against a clear blue sky. Highly recommended.



3. Lake Superior Secrets is a dazzling photography book of the flora, fauna, and scenery of Lake Superior. A caption of one to two sentences garnishes each beautiful, full-color image, caught on film by Bruce Montague, a nature photographer with over 15 years experience. An especial treat for nature lovers, as its photographs illuminate everything from wind-blown sand and snow dunes to ancient pictures written in red ochre on stone cliffs to a stunning image of a ring-billed gull against a clear blue sky. Highly recommended.



4. Lake Superior Secrets is a dazzling photography book of the flora, fauna, and scenery of Lake Superior. A caption of one to two sentences garnishes each beautiful, full-color image, caught on film by Bruce Montague, a nature photographer with over 15 years experience. An especial treat for nature lovers, as its photographs illuminate everything from wind-blown sand and snow dunes to ancient pictures written in red ochre on stone cliffs to a stunning image of a ring-billed gull against a clear blue sky. Highly recommended.



5. Beautiful book! It captures some amazing photography of the North Shore. EXQUISITE!!

5 comments about The Dream Catcher Tour.

1. This book was a nice combination of serious and fun. My favorite line was "'Plan your lunch snacks accordingly,' she concluded, giving the cinnamon roll ladies a sharp look."
   
   Imagine my surprise, too, when Maddie and her friends joined the Iron Mountain Mine Tour. My grandmother was born in Iron Mountain in 1891. It's a small world and this book captures many of life's common joys and challenges.



2. I really enjoyed reading The Dream Catcher Tour. While it is a work of fiction, I appreciate the fact that the characters are based on real stories and accounts. The author does a fantastic job of telling this story in a way that makes the reader identify with the women and their personal journeys. The conversations are so real and honest.
   
   I went on many trips to the U.P. when I was young and while some of the sites are familiar to me, there are many I haven't seen. This book has inspired me to one day go back and visit the places mentioned. I would love to visit Pictured Rocks and photograph as Leslie does in the 'Peace' chapter.



3. Paula Buermele's The Dream Catcher Tours provides her readers with a peek into the lives of forty-seven women who together embark on a bus tour of the Great Lakes with Northern Experience Tours.
   
   What ensues is a potent collection of stories reflecting Buermele's affirmation that she is an attentive student in the classroom of life. Buermele moves effortlessly from one voice to another as her characters relate a variety of tidbits about their lives, some painful while others humorous. However, as one of the women remarks, "during the early days of the trip her companions had all seemed much the same, but with each passing day she had come to see the uniqueness of each woman."
   
   These accounts also reaffirm an old adage, that no matter where people find themselves, they can't help reminiscing and revealing some of their family and psychological baggage that echo the past and at times consume the present. The stories range freely, some sounding familiar while others stirring up sad emotions, as is the case with Leslie who is traveling with her late husband's Aunt Helen. Leslie recounts how she lost her college sweetheart and young husband Steve who had suffered a brain aneurysm shortly after they were married. We also learn that she had lost her parents at a very young age and it was her adopted Aunt Helen who took her under her wing and has been her mentor
   
   Then there is the familiar tale of Marianne, a wife and mother, who subjugated her own choices for those of her family and as she states, perhaps this trip will bring out the hidden Marianne. And Donna, the future mother-in-law, who is not exactly overjoyed with her son's choice of a wife. Barb, a divorcee, who after thirty-two years of marriage believed that the trip would mean a step into the world of self-determination and an escape from a controlling ex-husband who had left her for a trophy wife. Ruthie, who had visited her father in the hospital on her eighth birthday, recounts how she was pleasantly surprised when the Catholic nuns wheeled him in into the waiting room to wish her a happy birthday and thus shattering her stereotype of the "mean" nuns.
   
   Buermele can clearly write and her storytelling is extremely perceptive, demanding quick concentration into the lives of her characters. However, at times in truth I did feel cheated, as some of the stories were underdeveloped and I would have liked to be better acquainted with the raconteurs. In the end though, these stories leave us with something to ponder; the uncertainty of life, the meaning of home and family, and what makes us all tick, for in all of us there is a story to be told.
   
   Norm Goldman, Publisher & Editor Bookpleasures



4. Reviewed by Lori Plach for Reader Views (11/07)
   
   Buckle your seatbelts; you are in for an adventure you won't soon forget! Welcome aboard the Northern Experience Tours! You will be traveling with 46 other women on a trip around the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. You are certain to meet some of the most interesting people you have ever met and perhaps you will make some new friends along the way. Emily is our tour guide and she wants to spend some time with each individual tour group member and be certain that they have a good time.
   
   Of course, when you have this many different people from so many different walks of life, you are sure of having many life stories. As the group travels from one location to another, another person is spending time with Emily and sharing their life stories. From one city to another, you are able to enjoy the sites and unique characteristics of each locale. Some of the tourists' attractions are as follows: Mackinac Island, the Soo Locks bordering Canada, Munising, Houghton and Crystal Falls.
   
   Paula Buermele has done an excellent job in providing a great storyline and travel book all in one. Through the pages of the book, you will feel like you are right there on the bus and getting to know these people that you are traveling with. Through descriptive paragraphs you will feel like you are seeing these places with your own eyes. I certainly hope that Paula Buermele writes more books. I loved "The Dream Catcher Tour" and would definitely like to read more of her work.



5. The Dream Catcher Tour is a novel following a group of forty-seven women on an economical, no-frills tour bus excursion around the Great Lakes. As they take in the sights and sounds, they also trade favorite memories with one another. A leisurely delight brimming with female camaraderie, The Dream Catcher Tour glides gently along as it presents moments of interrelated insight, and makes for gentle, fun-loving leisure reading, bit by bit or cover to cover. Highly recommended.

1 comments about Vintage Views of the Charlevoix-Petoskey Region.

1. Ever since I was four years old, my family would spend a week nearly every summer vacationing on the Little Traverse Bay in northern Michigan. The towns of Petoskey, Harbor Springs, and Charlevoix are famed historical summer resorts where the rich of Chicago and St. Louis used to summer to escape the heat and dust of the city.
   
   In Vintage Views of the Charlevoix-Petoskey Region, the authors have lovingly compiled countless ephemera of that bygone Victorian era, including postcards (both photos and transcriptions of the original messages), railroad posters, private photographs, railroad and ferry tickets, schedules, and more.
   
   The first part of the book is dedicated to Charlevoix the Beautiful, long famed for its Belvedere Golf Club, grand hotels (the Belvedere, Beach Hotel, Chicago Club), and its sailing. Also mentioned are the charming boulder cottages designed by Earl A. Young, also called "Hobbit houses" due to their fairytale appearance. There are charming articles about the scandalously underdressed girls in bathing suits who are "brown as Indians" from 1921, postcard messages, and lesser-known bits of the past such as Charlevoix's Auto Camp and the Ironton Ferry.
   
   Beaver Island also merits a chapter, including the fascinating legacy of a failed Mormon colony and revolt in 1856. James Jesse Strang crowned himself as "king" of Beaver Island, and after his assassination at the hands of irate followers, the remaining Mormons fled and Irish immigrants settled the island. Due to the verdant landscape and large number of Irish, Beaver Island is nicknamed "America's Emerald Isle." Some of the boats that serviced Beaver Island (it's a three-hour ferry ride from Charlevoix) are named and explored. The island's Irish-American musical legacy is also explored, as are the island's lighthouses.
   
   East Jordan, the "Rainbow City of the North," is also given its own chapter, as is Boyne City (best known for its ski resorts) and Walloon Lake. However, the chapters that speak most deeply to me are the ones that are devoted to Emmet County, land of the Ottawas. Petoskey was home to thirteen grand hotels, although the last one remaining is Stafford's Perry Hotel (many were wooden and were consumed by raging fires). The Grill Cafe, a haunt of young Ernest Hemingway, is still in business as the City Park Grill. Much of Petoskey's marketing, particularly in the '50s and onwards, revolved around Odawa (Ottawa) Indian culture, and numerous "Indian plays" and crafts were marketed to tourists.
   
   Bay View, Michigan's Chautauqua, is a late-Victorian summer colony on the edge of Petoskey that's populated with small cottages. There are many fine artifacts relating to Bay View featured, including a city map and features on the defunct swimming pool and bowling alley. Other features on northern Michigan towns such as Conway, Oden, and Cross Village are equally illuminating. Even having grown up in Michigan, I learned many new facts about a region that I've been visiting my entire life.
   
   The layout of the book looks like a vintage scrapbook or photo album, with eye-catching layouts of ticket stubs, postcards, and other memorabilia. The whole production looks and feels expensive, and is the perfect souvenir for those who've visited and fallen in love with northern Michigan.

No comments about Shipwrecks Along Superior's North Shore: A Diving Guide.

No comments about Lakeland Boating Ports O Call Lake Michigan.

No comments about Traveling Michigan's Sunset Coast: Exploring Michigan's West Coast Beach Towns - From New Buffalo to Mackinaw City.