Leland Waking Up

I'm beginning to really enjoy my summer Sunday mornings. Waking up early can be hard, but I enjoy my early morning run, then church, and finally starting the tasks that need to be completed for the day.

Today I decided to take some time to slow down--something I don't do very often. I received a call from Leelanau Books, the local book store in Leland and the one that I am a member of, on Friday letting me know that the book I pre ordered had arrived:

To answer your question, yes, we're still talking about last winter up here! It was ridiculously cold and ridiculously snowy,  and the result was a rare phenomenon on the great lakes: A series of ice caves formed all along the Lake Michigan shoreline in Leelanau County. Some were larger than others, but all were spectacular. It was an absolute must see...I was so in awe of this natural occurance that I went out to see them twice (and wrote about it in my blog post Ice Caves Craze, click the link if you'd like to check it out.) They made local news and then national news. People came for miles to see them. Ken Scott's photos of them kept popping up here, there, and were finally compiled in a book. Being that this was my inaugural winter Up North and that I have a complete facination with these ice caves, I had to get this book when I found out it was being printed. I pre ordered one from the second printing. When I went in to Leelanau Books to do so, the lady who took my order said they ordered 500 copies (which, she said, is unbelieveable for them) and there were 350 pre ordered already. It's definitely popular!

After church this morning I decided to treat myself. After purchasing my book I slid over to the next counter and bought myself a small chai latte...oh so good...it's been too long!

The Redheads is a cafe and tasting room in Lake Leelanau that I've had my eye on visiting. They also sell their food items in local grocery stores, focusing on organic products. Back in May they opened a small cafe inside Leelanau Books and will be open through September. I wish they'd stay open through the winter...it would probably help to get me out of the house!

 After, I cut through Harbor Square and sat on the patio above the public restrooms...I know what you're thinking and it's not as unglamorous as it seems! Leland has a nice--unsmelly--patio on the roof and someone stuck three old, green plastic patio chairs up their for anyone to use. I found a dry one took advantage!

Me, my book, my chai, and Leland...yes, on top of the bathrooms! The book was great. Photos were of course fantastic, and it was nice to read the brief information on all of the ice formations (some I didn't even know had names!)

Watching a sailboat over Fishtown.

The Mishe-Mokwa is loading passengers and getting ready for its day trip to South Manitou Island. I've never caught one of the Manitou Island Transit ferries leaving the harbor, but I do believe I've seen them from my deck in Good Harbor Bay during one of their evening Shoreline Cruises.

The Mishe-Mokwa leaving Leland Harbor.

This seagull seemed captivated with the ferry.

And off it goes towards a seemingly nonexistent island.

The "Stormin' Norman" on the left with one of a handful of fishing charters out on the water that morning. With a nickname like "Fishtown" you can imagine how popular this outdoor sport is here!

I sat as long as I wanted, taking in the sights, smells, and sounds of Leland in the morning. First I noticed the smell of the water, then the breeze shifted and I could smell that day's meal preparation from a nearby restaurant, The Cove. I heard church bells either begin or end a morning service, then flinched as the Mishe-Mokwa ferry left for its day trip to South Manitou Island. I very much enjoyed taking in Leland as it began its day while reading my book, keeping one eye on the pages and one eye to the foggy, somewhat foreboding sky.

It was a great morning.

It's a Good Day to Stay in Bed and Read!

...although, this is kind of what I did yesterday! Today I've already folded laundry, washed a load of dishes, put a load of laundry in the washer, ate breakfast, made/drank my cup of tea AND found time to watch the sunrise--all before 8am. I'm already feeling accomplished!

With the cold temps (when I woke up it was -14 degrees F WITHOUT the windchill factored in!) and harsh conditions this winter, there have been many opportunities to cozy up with a good book. In an effort to learn about my new home, I've started a collection of books detailing the history of Leelanau County.

The first book I decided to buy was "100 Plus Years in Leelanau: A History of Leelanau County Michigan."

This was, I felt,  good book to start with. It gave a very factual description of the history of this county. I definitely appreciated it's straight forward, chronological approach. It was easy for me to understand what the "firsts" were, and who they were performed by. With a total of 80 pages you don't get into too much detail, but what you get is good. It's definitely opened the door for other historical accounts of the county.

The history and purpose of this book is just as interesting as the book itself. As stated in the opening pages, author Edmund Munger Littell (1890-1970) first came to Leland with his family when he was a boy of 11. Upon his retirement, he and his wife relocated to Leland. He gave the publication of this book to the Leelanau County Prospectors Club to use for fundraising. A page in the back of the book explains that the Prospectors club is a men's non-profit organization that aims to benefit its community. One of their main philanthropic events is awarding annual local scholarships to graduating high school seniors. They also support scouting and the Winter Special Olympics, I'm sure among many other causes. As previously mentioned, this book a good place to start when looking for location Leelanau history. I can definitely say that my $10 was well spent!

You've probably noticed my nifty little bookmark from Leelanau Books, an independent book store in Leland, MI. I've grown to love this little store. It's a great resource for that local book, or that national best seller. I frequent it a little too much for my bank account's liking so have made it a rule to not buy another book until I'm finished reading the book I already have. (A girl's got to draw the line somewhere!)

Find a beautiful photo of the Leelanau Books store here, taken by Ken Scott. I can't get enough of looking at his photos!

Through my research of local books I've discovered a few that are currently out of print. One such book is "Vintage Views of Leelanau County." I places this book at the top of my "want list", a little bummed about the fact that, although this book is out of print, there are other, similar books by the same authors that are still IN print. A search on Amazon.com brought up a few copies, but for $50+ plus shipping I was not about to bite (besides it's much more beneficial--and fun--to shop local.) One day it finally dawned on me to Google "Northport Bookstores" (why I hadn't thought of this earlier, I'll never know) and lo! there was Dig Ears Books!

I do not yet have a photo of Dog Ears Books, so I must credit this photo as being Pamela's, the owner.

Once at her website I clicked on "Welcome to Dog Ears Books." Its description was summed up in a few sentences:

"Welcome to the official site of Dog Ears Books, Northport, Michigan. See here for bookstore and other local events.

Dog Ears Books has been in business in northern Michigan since 1993. We sell new, used, and rare books. Selected titles are listed on this site. Many, many more are to be found in our downtown Northport bookshop. 

It's winter now, and our official store hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Call first if you're making a long trip, because those hours are always weather-dependent. Or call other days, if the mood strikes you, because you may catch us by chance!

Please return to HOME to reach other pages on this site. For more frequent news of Northport, Leelanau and Dog Ears Books, visit booksinnorthport.blogspot.com. "

My hopes weren't high (the book looks to have been out of print for a few years) but it did look promising, so I sent out a quick email. A couple of days later I received a reply:

"Megan, I do have a copy of that used book in stock. I have it priced as an out-of-print book at $30. Are you here in the county?"

It was there and priced within my range. Huzzah! Emails were exchanged, calls were made and last Satruday I picked up my book! (NOTE: If you plan on heading up there to check out Pamela's store make sure to bring cash. It's all old-school here. No credit/debit!)

So to make a long story short, finding this book was MUCH easier than I thought! Aaaaand here she is:

It's a little hard to read the cover in this photo so here's the info: 'Vintage Views of Leelanau County" by Christine Byron and Thomas R. Wilson.

 I haven't had a chance to read very much of it, but after reading the intro and glancing through the book it seems to focus on the history of tourism in the area, rather than of homesteading. I'm looking forward to this read!

Pamela at Dog Ears Books was so helpful and nice to talk with. She also recommended another book, which I've added to my list (remember, one book at a time for me!) P.S. Check out her blog at http://booksinnorthport.blogspot.com/ for book related posts. From my brief encounter with Pamela, she really seems to love what she does! And it should be noted that she was recently the Quote of the Day on shelf-awareness.com, a site for readers both buying and selling. Pretty cool feature and, I think, a very good quote.


I can't wait to get to this book...