Patterns and Pictures and Maps, Oh My! (And Poultry)

poultryPatterns and pictures played a major role in my grueling but ultimately successful work day today (not to crow because it is in the nature of the biz that pride frequently goes before a fall). And map*ping* but not maps.

I can tell you probably every city and small burg in the eastern Yooperland. I can tell you just about any city and small burg all the way up and down the I75 SUV Speedway between here and the northern terminus of the I75 SUV Speedway at Sault Ste. Siberia and I can probably tell you the mile marker of each exit. The Great Lake State’s west coast? Not so much. I have a natural preference for my childhood Gitchee Gumee but its sister great lake Michigan certainly rivals Lake Superior in terms of beauty.

But boy oh boy, do I struggle to remember the geography of the cities and towns strung along up and down the lower half or so of Lake Michigan. Is Ludington north or south of Manistee? Where does Saugatuck fit in? I still don’t have it straight but I have been looking at Google maps for the last week or so figuring out where things stand. The Benevolent Despot took a vacation in Pentwater (south of Ludington). GoGrannyGo took a vacation in Saugatuck which is south of Muskegon, which is south of Pentwater. GoGrannyGo was chuckling about not wanting to have a “sighting” of TBD even though she knew it wasn’t likely. Indeed, she did not run into TBD but she *did* run into our beloved (and now retired) Queen Bee, who was coincidentally vacationing in Saugatuck with her husband and his brother. Then there were the Beach Urchins who spent one of their camping nights a bit north of Manistee which is farther north than any of these other places.

Clearly I need to get this stuff straight so going from the southernmost point (of the last week) to the northernmost, here are the sizeable cities and towns: Saugatuck, Muskegon, Pentwater, Ludington, Manistee. With lots of smaller burgs and parks and beaches and tourist attractions in between. We occasionally take a day trip to Manistee because it is a pretty straight shot from Houghton Lake. Those other places? I do not know. Bucket list trip? If I had a bucket list but that’d be a whole ‘nother blahg.

I do love Manistee. The last time we shot over there it was early November 2015, so not really the tourist season at all. We went there to look at Big Waves. Lake Michigan sorta delivered but I think the waves were probably more spectacular in other areas. I found a wonderful little antique shop where I actually bought these poultry items. Antique stores generally overwhelm me and I am in a de-acquisistional phase in general but somehow these three “spoke” to me. Note that this little acquisition does *not* mean that I want to be inundated with collectibles in any way, shape, or form. I am *not* collecting them. Or maybe I am. But not in any serious way and I want to choose my own collected items on my own terms. I am not interested in random gifts of cute poultry or somebody’s grandma’s collection. Sell it on eBay or donate it. I chose these carefully and rejected a number of other items because they just didn’t “speak to me”.

As I was paying for my poultry, I asked the shop owner where we could get a sandwich and a “beer” and she sent us just down the street to TJ’s Pub, which fit the bill pretty darn perfectly. After lunch, we shot back to the Group Home at Houghton Lake.

3 Responses to “Patterns and Pictures and Maps, Oh My! (And Poultry)”

  1. Margaret Says:

    My grandmother(the Italian one) was very into the chickens and roosters. Me, not so much. I can’t keep track of many cities on our I-5 corridor because they all blend into one another.

  2. Marquis Says:

    Do the League of Michigan Cyclists West Lakeshore Tour.

  3. Pooh Says:

    Or at least look at their website and the info about the route. Same order of cities, less work. 😉