Finding Historical Charm at the Eleanor & Edsel Ford House in Grosse Pointe

Last week I visited the Eleanor & Edsel Ford House in Grosse Pointe with the lady I can always count on doing historical/cultural things with me: my mother.

Let me just start off by saying this place is a mecca of cool I didn't even know existed until my company started doing work with them a few years back. After hearing my colleagues describe the place to media (this is not my client), I decided this should be on my "things to do in the Detroit area" list.

History? Check. Fab Detroitness? Check. Charming place to eat? Check. What more could a gal want?

Prior to the tour, we checked out Macy's adventure passes so we were able to tour FOR FREE. (If you're unfamiliar, see here: it's a fantastic program made possible with the help of local libraries). Had we not gotten in for free, it would have cost $10 for me and $9 for my mom (a senior) and it would have been worth every single penny.

We started our time on the grounds watching a short film about the lives and family of Eleanor and Edsel. This was a fantastic way to start, as it really laid the groundwork of what the family was about - each other, arts/culture/history and philanthrophy. Through the film, I really gained a respect for the family (Edsel is the only son of Henry, the entreprenuer behind Ford Motor Co.) and their passion for Detroit.

After the film, we were driven in a mini-bus to the home where we were greeted by a tour guide, who was an adorable and knowledgeable older lady. She walked us through a chunk of the home, stopping to tell stories about the family along the way. One of my favorite rooms showcased the wedding dresses of some of the Ford women. They were beautiful (and tiny!).

The house was truly a masterpiece. It was really interesting to hear about the history of each item that adorned the walls - from 16th century wood brought over from England to pieces of art by some of my fave French artists such as Degas, Cezanne and Van Gogh and even pieces from the Han Dynasty and Ming Dynasty (super-de-duperly old). The dining room was really neat and we learned the family dined there every night by candlelight (there were no lights in the room).

I felt like I was friends with Eleanor after the tour, as I and greatly admired her passion for the arts in Detroit. One neat thing I learned was that the family kept the Detroit Institute of the Arts open during the depression by paying for the salaries of the employees. For that, us Detroiters should be forever grateful.

After we walked through the house, we toured the grounds, including seeing the Ford's amazing pool, Josephine Ford's playhouse version of the house (pictured below) and a beautiful rose garden that made us feel like we were in Europe.

After the tour, we stopped for lunch at the newly opened Cotswold Cafe. At the cafe, we ordered quiche and a Maurice Salad (my favorite item from J.L. Hudson, Eleanor's uncle), which were pretty yummy, but the best part was the dessert - a pear and cranberry cobbler that was absolutely delish.

If you're fascinated by Detroit history, art and culture or even need an impressive place for a date, check this historical gem out. Plus, it's a great excuse to drive down Lake Shore Drive and admire the beautiful historical homes that have put Grosse Pointe on the map. Can't wait to go back for the additional tours available...and one day, take my little girl there to see our history trapped in time.

My 'I Heart Michigan' Mix

I love Michigan and I can't imagine living in any other state. Yes, it gets cold. But not extremely cold. Yes, it can be humid, but it doesn't generally get past 100 degrees.

We have very few killer tornadoes. We don't get hurricanes, earthquakes or tsunamis.

We have all four seasons. We have grass, trees, cultural institutions, award-winning restaurants and wine. We have National Coney Island, Faygo, Better Made, Garden Fresh, GM, Ford and my fave ice cream - Hudsonville. And the best part - we have lakes upon lakes covering our beautiful state.

Michigan has gotten a bad rap due to our reliance on the auto industry and high unemployment rates. But nowhere is perfect. Michigan is my perfect.

After being on the lake today, I've felt inspired to make a mix for Michigan. For a day on the lake, cruising the shore, tubing/skiing, watching a Michigan sunset - these are some of my fave jams to listen to that remind me of my fair state.

Especially in Michigan - Red Hot Chili Peppers

All Summer Long - Kid Rock

Free - Zac Brown Band

The Life - Kenny Chesney (just imagine Michigan, not Mexico!)

We're Going To Be Friends - The White Stripes

All This Beauty - The Weepies

Put Your Hands Up For Detroit - Fedde Le Grand

The Lighthouse's Tale - Nickel Creek

Lucky Man - Montgomery Gentry

One Piece At A Time - Johnny Cash

Boat Drinks - Jimmy Buffet

Northern Michigan - Jill Jack

Half Acre - Hem

Lie In Our Graves - Dave Matthews Band

If this weekend is a barometer for the summer ahead, we're in for a wonderful one. Cheers to the only state where you can use your hand to show where you live!

Enjoying the Beauty of Northern Michigan

I just got through with an amazing, much-needed long weekend vacation.

Jason and I wanted to take a little trip to celebrate our first year together, so I checked into various places - Las Vegas or Florida (we decided it's just too hot this time of year) and Colorado (too expensive) before deciding it would be best to just spend a few days in our own state, supporting our local economy.

Boy am I glad we did decide to make our own Michigan adventure...We began our trip bright and early on Thursday and traveled through Grayling, where we stopped at a place I had discovered during some online research - Dawson & Stevens classic 50's diner. I'm a sucker for diners and 50's music and since this wasn't out of our way at all, we stopped for lunch (and a Boston Cooler). It was a lot of fun!

We continued our drive up the Leelanau Peninsula, stopping at a few wineries along the way to sample the local use of grapes. We winded through the infamous M-22 all the way up to the northern-most tip on the peninsula, a small town called Northport, where we tent camped for the night at the Leelanau State Park. We hiked to the beach through a beautiful forest, grilled hot dogs over a campfire and slept on an air mattress. My phone didn't get service and we were away from it all...in the beauty of northern Michigan. I know camping isn't for everyone, but to me, it was a welcome retreat from the hustle and bustle of the D.

We woke and packed up our camping supplies and headed down the peninsula once again, stopping to stroll around downtown Traverse City and chill at the beach to wash away the smell of campfire. We checked into our hotel (the unsexy, but totally economical, clean and friendly) Travelodge and showered to prep for a wine tour along Old Mission Peninsula. It was SO much fun! We stopped at nearly every spot along the way (it was like an adult treasure hunt), sampled some great wines and purchased enough wine to last us awhile...I don't know which winery I liked most - all had unique qualities and wonderfully-tasting vino. We closed out the night at the Blue Tractor (also in Ann Arbor) to taste the creative mac n' cheese and hit the hay early-ish, mostly due to our comfort food coma.

We woke early on Saturday to head to Ludington. We opted for the scenic route along M-22 instead of the straight route down US-31 (if you're a Michigander, you need to make this drive). We enjoyed the cute beach towns along the way, stopping a few times at random places that caught my antique-and-craft-loving eye and to picnic at a beautiful scenic turnout overlooking Lake Michigan. In Ludington, we enjoyed the beach again and supported the local beer hot spot - the Jamesport Brewery (amazing blueberry-infused beer) and a downtown dive bar where Jason and I competed in a trivia game for a few hours (it was fun for us!). Our motel, the Four Seasons, was quiet, quaint and most importantly inexpensive and close to everything.

Overall, it was a great and romantic getaway. At the end of the trip, it was refreshing to think about how much we were able to relax and enjoy our amazing state and reflected on why we need to have more pride for living here year-round.

Exit 69: Troy, Michigan = No Place Like Home

I have to admit it, the city where exit 69 is officially the exit for Big Beaver Rd...gives me some mad pride right now. For just a few miles away from this great American road is where my home resides...

Yes, I pay ridiculous amounts of money for taxes and yes, traffic can be quite brutal during rush hour, but still...Troy, Mich. has managed to landed spot #22 on CNN Money's top 100 best small cities to live in America, beating out other great Michigan cities -- Ann Arbor (#27), Novi (#48) and Sterling Heights (#61). And I'm just beaming.

I knew the hubby and I picked here for our landing spot for a reason...and not just for the kick booty public schools that teach Mandarin Chinese and the vast array of shopping and coney islands.

I learned a lot of interesting facts with this list and decided to list the highlights:
Air quality index*(% of days AQI ranked as good)
80.3% (75.9% is best cities avg.)
% students attending public/privateschools (located within town limits)
95.0/5.0 (best cities avg. 89.0/11.0) -- GO PUBLIC!
Restaurants(within 15 miles) -- This is good for the foodie in me!
5,368 (4,094 is best cities avg.)
Divorced
7.2% (sadly, 8.3% is best cities avg.)

So the bags of leaves I'm rakin' is this (thnx, Nicolena):

People in Troy are breathing healthy air, obtaining great educations in a public school system, eating their little hearts out and staying happily married.

Now those are some stats that will make me stay for years to come!

Another point of Troy pride...For those who enjoy Project Runway (as I do), one of Troy's own is a designer on this season's show. His name is Joe Faris and he's described as the "down-to-earth" straight father of two. I can't wait to see how far he can go...

Thanks for making Troy and all of southeast Michigan proud!

And Joe, if I ever see you in T-Town, the drinks are on me. Way to go, brother!

GO JOE!

P.S. Please send my pleasant regards to Tim Gunn!

Wally Bronner, Just a Great Michigander

It's a sad day. The founder of Bronner's Christmas Wonderland, located in the magical town of Frankenmuth, Mich. has died of cancer at the age of 81.

So many Michiganders (and others) have had wonderful experiences at that store.

I remember shopping there when I was seven years old. My mom told me I could pick out one ornament for our tree...my eyes lit up. Do you have any idea how HUGE that store is? Especially when you're seven?!?

I had a ball walking up and down each aisle before settling on a white and mint green ornament with Bambi on it. Man, that thing was my pride and joy. And it still dons my tree to this day, bringing back memories of walking those aisles and see that huge store through the eyes of a child.

I didn't know too much about Wally Bronner himself until I read about him today. I think I have a new hero! I only took some snippets from a story posted on Crain's Detroit Business' Web site.

Bronner, founder of Christmas-themed empire in Mich., dies at 81

By James Prichard -- Associated Press Writer

Wally Bronner, whose Christmas retail empire made Frankenmuth one of Michigan's most popular tourist destinations but who strove to keep the focus on the Nativity and Christian tradition, has died. He was 81.

Bronner died Tuesday at his home. His relatives notified employees of Bronner's Christmas Wonderland last week that he had inoperable cancer.

Shoppers from all over the country have come for years to Bronner's to take in what is touted as the world's largest Christmas store. The store, about 20 miles north of Flint, is open seven days a week except New Year's Day, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

"You want to know the truth?" he asked a Detroit Free Press reporter in 2004. "The truth is no decorations are needed at all at Christmas. What's really needed at Christmas is that we decorate our hearts. We get so busy with all of our preparations that we forget that this is such an important time of year to stop and take time to reflect on our lives, our faith, our world. What matters most to me? Helping people to decorate their hearts with peace and love."

Son Wayne was named president and chief executive of Bronner's Christmas Wonderland in 1998, and daughters Carla Spletzer and Maria Sutorik were named vice presidents. Bronner stayed on as an ambassador, devoting his time to meeting customers, responding to media requests and answering phone calls, e-mails or letters. At the top of an organization chart kept in Bronner's office simply was a Christian cross.

"Our rule is that everything we do will focus on — or at least not detract from — the Christ whose birth we are celebrating," Bronner told the Free Press. "My hobby of signs, displays and decorations developed into a full-time business, and I never went to work," Bronner was quoted as saying in his official biography.

"Since I never went to work, I don't have to think of retirement, and I'll continue the hobby, God-willing, but only on days that end in 'y'."

Wallace "Wally" Bronner was born in Frankenmuth on March 9, 1927, the youngest of Herman and Ella Bronner's three children. He started a sign-painting business in his parents' basement in 1943 and expanded it to include decorating parade floats and fair booths and designing window displays.In 1951, Bronner met several merchants from Clare who were looking for Christmas decorations for lampposts in their city. Aided by his first full-time employee, Eddie Beyerlein, Bronner designed and produced Christmas panels for them. He married Irene Pretzer of Hemlock the same year.Bronner learned that other cities in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Ontario also were interested in commercial decorations. He held his first decorations exhibit in the spring of 1952 in Frankenmuth's Township Hall.

Two years later, he and his wife constructed their first permanent building in the middle of Frankenmuth — half of it dedicated to the sign painting business, the other half accommodating the Christmas decorations.The store offered decorations for cities and shopping centers as well as gifts and trims for the home in religious, traditional and toyland themes. Another building was acquired in 1966 and a third in 1971.

According to the company history on the Bronner's Web site, the three stores became so congested by the early 1970s that Bronner had to hire doormen on fall weekends to control the lines of people waiting to enter. In 1977, the business was consolidated into one location on 45 acres of land on Frankenmuth's south side. A 1991 building addition nearly doubled the size of the store, and the shipping department was expanded in 2000. Another major expansion completed in May 2002 brought the building's size to the equivalent of more than five football fields.

Bronner's employed hundreds of people and supplied Christmas decorations for movies. Bronner founded the Walter and Irene Bronner and Family Foundation, which in 2000 donated $1 million for a 500-seat auditorium at Frankenmuth High School. When he received a philanthropic award from the Saginaw Community Foundation in 1996, he returned the $5,000 prize and had the foundation start a fund to buy equipment for volunteers to use to clean up Saginaw.

What a guy. You'll be missed, Mr. Christmas. I mean, Mr. Bronner.

Love Thy Neighbor -- It Can Be That Simple

I had to laugh when I came across this story about two feuding neighbors and the punishment they received. Taken from freep.com:

TROY
'Love thy neighbor' signs are punishment for pair
March 20, 2008

When counseling didn't work, a judge said he'd "try some embarrassment" on feuding Clawson neighbors.

Troy District Judge Michael Martone sentenced two men Wednesday to 250 hours each of community service, to be spent walking the sidewalks of Clawson with signs that read "Love thy neighbor."

After Michael Lehnert, 41, pleaded guilty to disturbing the peace, and Jeffrey Schachinger, 51, did the same to a nuisance ordinance -- each in violation of probation for earlier misdeeds -- Martone ordered three-day jail terms for the pair.

Then they must start walking with large sandwich board-type signs, "across the street from each other," he said.

In January, Martone had a teen lug a "Don't litter" sign.

Good old, fashioned embarrassment -- exactly what the pair needed in my opinion -- and just by listening to the golden rule they could have come out on top.

Now, if only more judges were like this, our tax dollars wouldn't be spent on jail time for silly reasons!

Falling in Love With Fall

"Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all."

- Stanley Horowitz

Even though I missed the technical date for the autumn equinox, I still wanted to throw this in... Who can beat Michigan in the fall? We are one of the lucky ones that get to experience all seasons, just remember that and be thankful.

When Shopping, Don't Forget About Michigan

How ironic, I was just thinking about doing some research and writing a blog about all the wonderful Michigan-made products that are out there when I came across a great story today by Kate Lawson of the Detroit News featuring such foods (see article: Buy Local, Buy Fresh).

I had the "blog idea" last night when I was reflecting on all the chaos that is swallowing up my beloved mitten state. I started playing scenarios in my mind that could help our state to flourish like it did in the 1920's, and I came up with this thought: What if Michigan closed itself off from the rest of the states and began fending strictly for ourselves? No national trade agreements needed with foreign countries, no milk and cheese from Wisconsin or pineapple from the tropics... We could only eat our food and use Michigan-made products. I quickly realized that that situation could never happen, but alas, made a note to myself to start paying more attention to where my stuff originates.

Granted it can be a challenge, but it truly would be great if we all agreed to try to buy Michigan-made products when given the opportunity to choose (regardless of price). Sure, sometimes the no-name Michigan brands prove to be more costly then all the products we have from China, but doesn't it feel good that we are helping our state that so desperately needs our love and support?

So what are some Michigan-specific products? You have the infamous Faygo pop, Koegel hot dogs and Better Made chips, but what else is out there?

There's condiments, dips and marinades. Cherry-made products, including wine. Golf and hunting items. And of course, fresh meat and produce from Michigan farmers.

And according to the article, there's a lot more and I've only highlighted a few:
Sauces: Al Dente pasta and sauces; Andiamo's sauces; Sweet Lorraine's marinades; Garden Fresh Gourmet salsas (my personal fave) Billy Bones barbecue sauces; Sensonetti salsas; Cafi Cortina pasta sauces; Freshwater Foods toppings, sauces and marinades; American Spoon Foods jams, jellies and preserves; and Kenzoil.

Breads and desserts: Achatz pies; Avalon Bakery breads; Gayle's Chocolates (another amazing one); Johnny B's cookies; Alinosi's ice cream; Stucchi's ice cream; Guernsey Dairy; Spillson's Rice Pudding; The Bloomfield Canopy's The Original Cheesecake Co.

Miscellaneous: Buell Honey; Safies pickled beets, asparagus, peppers, beans, pickles; Wee Bee Farms honey; A Bean To Go Coffee; Germack nuts; Trenary Toast; Stakich bee pollen and royal jelly; Kingslake & Crane Granola; Zingerman's coffee, breads and cheeses; and oh, the Michigan wines.

For a comprehensive, Michigan-specific list of products, check out this site: The Directory of Michigan Made Products.

So next time you're shopping at a Michigan store, think of putting your money back into the state a bit. And, most importantly, don't forget your post-consumer recycled tote to carry all your goodies in.