Tuesday, July 19, 2011

A second week in Empire, Michigan

 Finding so many things to do at this beautiful spot we decided to stay another week.  On the 24th we will continue up into Canada but are glad to be resting at such a lovely part of the country.  We went to the beach this morning for a walk before Barbara painted today.  There are a lot of authentic (unused) lighthouses like this one but given the demise of small fishing enterprises and canneries they are now just charming.

 Sunday, after an 18-mile bicycle ride we caught the annual 'anchor day' parade which included a pelican disguised as a bumblebee and a very interesting message on the side of a septic tank cleaner (the driver was throwing fresh rolls of toilet paper to the crowds).  Empire has 1,500 inhabitants during the summer and around 500 in the winter so there are no fast food restaurants, Jiffy Lubes, or TGIFs.  This is typical of Michigan coastal towns.  The parade lasted about 5 minutes and went around twice just to make it seem longer.  Monday (18th of July) we visited Traverse City (25 miles away) and were treated to a big-city experience with great coffee shops, bookstores, and quaint restaurants on the lake.

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