Second Day Out....

It's taken me a while to get back to this - our last trip up North. Haven't had the time or, alternatively, been in the right mind set to write (have to sit still, you know)!

Sue Ann Hanson (l) and Theresa Dearhamer (r)
hanging at The Red Door

We left pretty early on Wednesday, July 18, for parts west and north. I had messaged a couple of "old" (as in, "I've known them for a while", old) friends that I was going to be stopping in Ludington, in hopes that I might be able to connect with at least one of them. My friend Sabrina Borashko (nee Mollitor) had been one of my best friends during my undergrad sojourn at Michigan State and had married and relocated to Ludington years ago. Sue Ann Hanson, also President Emeritus of Master Gardeners of Greater Detroit (she succeeded my "administration") had retired from Wayne County and relocated there with her husband, Charlie Bristol, more recently. Sue Ann had suggested I investigate the Red Door Gallery as a possible venue for my work.

North Breakwater Lighthouse, Ludington, MI

Unfortunately, as I don't have a "smart" phone (I used to have a stupid phone; now I have a "smarter" phone but not a "smart" phone), folks were not able to message me. Luckily, I did have a phone number for Sue Ann and we did connect as Theresa and I were getting close to our destination. We met up in front of the gallery, which, unfortunately, was unexpectedly closed. I slid a CD with product information through the mail slot and we decided to walk around a bit. We ended up stopping at a couple of antiquey places and found a bunch of old power line insulators, which my friend Chris Hopp of Farmbrook Designs uses in some of his products. After some harried phone calls (I'm sure he thought I had decided to stalk him), I managed to get quite a few for him, including some beautiful ones in turquoise. (I even managed to get 10% off at Coles Antiques Villa because I was so helpful and patient!)

The Secret Garden, Empire, MI

As we were getting ready to head back out, Sue Ann admonished us that we really ought to take a brief detour to see the North Breakwater Lighthouse in Stearns Park. So, Theresa and I drove out that way and did stop to see it before continuing on North to Empire.

We made it to Empire, home of The Secret Garden (10206 W. Front St., Empire, MI 49630), just short of lunch time. We met with Cindy Taggart and dropped off the work she had requested, including Applied Leaf Bowls, Sunflower Tiles and Hand-painted Wildflower Tiles. By this time, despite having availed ourselves of the healthy snacks we had packed for the trip, both of us were definitely hungry. Cindy recommended Joe's Friendly Tavern (11015 W. Front Street, Empire, MI 49630), just down the street. We got a couple of take-out chicken sandwiches (which, by the way, were really good, and they were friendly, too!) and got back on the road with miles still to go before we reached our resting place for the night.

Ruth Conklin Gallery, Glen Arbor, MI

Next stop was Ruth Conklin Gallery in Glen Arbor (6632 Western Avenue, Glen Arbor, MI 49636) to drop off work for Black Cat Pottery as well as Farmbrook Designs. One thing I really appreciate is Ruth's no-nonsense approach to things - I can count on getting in and out within about 20 minutes, even with a lot of stuff! We dropped some more sunflowers and daisies, mostly in the warmer colors that seem to move so well for Ruth, as well as some of Chris Hopp's Michigan (LP and UP) Stepping Stones.

Ruth encouraged us to look around the gallery to see how she had hung the pieces; Theresa was good enough to take both an exterior shot of the gallery as well as an interior shot of some of the flowers. I really like how the rich colors she has chosen for her walls complement the colors of the glazes and stains I like most for my creations - a truly great combination!

Having completed our work in Glen Arbor, we drove on to Suttons Bay to hook up with Sue Ann Round of Michigan Artists Gallery (309 N. St. Joseph, Suttons Bay, MI 49682). This was our last delivery stop; the car was beginning to look a little... lighter by now. Sue Ann had requested Hot Pepper Tiles, Wildflower Tiles (including Hand-painted) and Michigan Tiles, as well as some Indigo Float Lace Bowls and a set of Embossed Leaf Bowls. We dropped all of these off and visited briefly before heading up the Leelanau Peninsula to check out Tamarack Gallery in Omena, then swung down to Gallery 22 in Suttons Bay, where I found a beautiful hand-turned Black Walnut bowl to hold the stones I had collected near Poorrock Abbey during our last trip north.

Finally, we headed on to Acme to spend the night with our friend Renate Favour of Etc. Designs, who had just moved into her new home. There, we were handsomely fed while visiting with her daughter Olivia and her good friend Amy and enjoying the sunset over Lake Michigan, finally falling asleep to the sound of traffic on Highway 31.