Playing Tourist

A while ago I heard someone say that you only get to be on earth once and that if you avoid all the touristy things around you, you are missing out on most of the fun. I live in a tourist area of West Michigan, about 5 miles (give or take) from Lake Michigan. People from all over come to our area to spend time and see the sites. Why then, do I feel funny about enjoying these sites as well, since I live here. Well, this last year I have decided that I am not longer going to feel funny about seeing these sites and I am going to enjoy them.
This last weekend was Stitches in the Chicago area and I really wanted to go but I knew it was not in our finances. So Sarge and I decided to spend the day being a tourist in the area we live in. We started the lazy Saturday slow with homemade coffee and then headed out to the farmers market. We tasted fruits and veggies of the local farmers, picked up some Red Haven peaches, applebutter BBQ sauce and Pineapple salsa for later. We also picked up some fresh rosemary garlic bread to have with dinner this week. Yum! We so need to get to the farmers market more often!
After that we went for brunch at the Morning Star cafe. This cafe was so packed there was a 40 minute wait just to be seated. As we know the wait is worth it, we put our name on the list and then headed next door to the local bookstore. I love this book store. The old kind with the bell on the door when you walk in to let the people working there know they have a customer. This book stores name is The Bookman and if you are ever in Grand Haven, stop by and then have lunch next door. After we shopped around for a while, we had our brunch of breakfast burittos (mine with avocados-his without) and then decided to go up to Muskegon Harbor where the Columbus Foundation was displaying The Nina and The Pinta. Replicas of two of the three ships that Columbus brought to find passage to the Orient. It was very interesting how the boats were made in the same way they would have been when Columbus had sailed. Here are photos Yes it was hot, yes I got sunburned, what's new? I always get sunburned! I was wearing sunblock, but chalk it up to being a touist that I got sunburned, isn't that just part of the fun?
After a few hours of climbing all over the ships and talking to the people who sail them from port to port, we decided that wine tasting was in order. We headed back to Grand Haven and went to the Lemon creek Winery tasting room. I think they opened here a year ago, but I have not yet had the pleasure of tasing the wines. Sarge is more of a beer drinker than a wine drinker, so I was on my own for the tasting. For $5.00 I got to taste 5 of their wines, plus we paid the extra $2.00 so I could try their white sangria. I ended up purchasing a bottle of cherry wine and a bottle of white wine, close to a moscato but not quite as sweet.
Most of the businesses around Grand Haven have fish outside their doors. These fish are decorated in a way that represents the business that made them. I love the one from the Winery. It is made out of wine corks with the bottom of a bottle for the eye. It made me smile, as did the sign that was hanging out side the entrance And that will be my motto for the week.
I also found time to finish the cuff of Susie and start on the 1st sleeve

Hope your weekend was just as fun.