Wine and Spirits Travel

I had arrived at Boyne Highlands Resort in Michigan the previous evening with my brother, Mark, and my nephew and niece, Jacob and Moriah. Everyone was excited about a weekend full of activities. Well, almost everyone. I had broken my arm just two weeks before and wouldn’t be doing anything adventurous.  I have to admit I was a bit bummed before I arrived, but once I settled into Boyne Highlands Resort , the views and other things I could do had eliminated my gloomy outlook. We were up early for breakfast in the Dining Room of the Main Lodge. I was impressed by the huge buffet. There was an omelet station, as well as hot and cold dishes, fruits, muffins, pancakes, and more. We were all full when we left to head outside, where the temperature was hovering around zero degrees. It was, after all, Michigan in the winter, I reminded my Californian family. I followed everyone along to the Snow Sports Academy Desk in the Day Lodge, where they were checked in and f

After a fun day in the suburbs of Chicago and a good night’s sleep at the Le Meridien in Oakbrook, my friend Lynn and I were off to see more of the Midwest. One of the reasons I chose Southwest Michigan as our next stop was for the chance to be along Lake Michigan and our route would take us right along the Great Lake. We were making good time so we decided to take a slight detour to Indiana Dunes. Even after seven years in the Midwest I am still in awe when I look at Lake Michigan and the Dunes were another example of the beauty of it. Lynn and I walked along the beach for a bit and then headed back in the car for the scenic drive to Baroda , Michigan. Along the way we remarked about how we’d love to have one of those houses overlooking the lake and the beach. Our first stop was at a place I can’t compare to another in the world, despite all the wineries, distilleries and breweries I’ve been to. We met Millicent Huminsky, Executive Director of Southwest

I’ve often said that a vacation for me is time at home. While I still had to work, I did recently get two weeks back in Champaign. I had a chance to discover a great new place in the neighborhood and a major change for another. When you go to your regular salon to get your haircut and find out that they’ve done a few renovations it’s not shocking, but when you find out they are building their own one stop beauty block, it’s a different story. That’s what I faced at Rod Sickler Salon & Spa in Champaign. The expansion has added chiropractic care, cosmetic dentistry, photography, personal training, a medical spa and a tattoo parlor! “We’re getting all ages, from teenagers up to people in their 60s.” says Rod Sickler himself. “We call it now a ‘Center for Art, Beauty and Wellness.’ Where else can get a tattoo and have it lasered off in the same place?!” In addition to the unusual set up he’s orchestrated, my reason for giving a shoutout to Rod is that he is very involved in char