Grand Traverse Commons

 
I want to show you a little more of the place where yesterday's event was held. It's unique. Looking up in the room we were in, the ceiling, windows, etc are spectacular. The tops of the windows have colored glass, and I didn't realize the photo got washed out, or I would have taken a closeup.


This building is just one of a huge complex of buildings that were once the Traverse City State Hospital for mental patients. The entire complex has been revitalized, in what one source calls one of the largest historic renovation projects in the country.



There are now apartments, shops, restaurants, meeting rooms, galleries, etc throughout the buildings.

Where I was yesterday, Kirkbride Hall, is the centerpiece. It's named for Thomas Story Kirkbride who designed many psychiatric facilities in the late 1800's. They had a central hall with "batwing" annexes. In Traverse City, these are connected by a "famous" series of tunnels. His theory was that natural light and good air circulation were critical to healing. He was a leader in the reform movement to treat people known as "lunatics" humanely.



Of course, the buildings became impossibly expensive to maintain in most instances, and of the four constructed in Michigan, this is the only one remaining. Across the country there are more than two dozen of his buildings in the National Register of Historic Places.

The parking situation was a nightmare, but other than that it was pretty cool. It would have helped if I had been a little familiar with the layout before I went so that finding where I needed to be wasn't so confusing. But that wasn't anyone's fault.

In other news: Bell Choir played this morning and I defrosted the freezer in the afternoon (long overdue). Got to stop feeling sorry for myself and get busy tomorrow.

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Boardman River Trail

 
After the event today, I went for a little hike along the Boardman River in Traverse City.


This is in an Educational Nature Reserve. I'm not going to show you some of the pictures of the river. They have recently removed two small dams to let the water run freely, but the former bottoms of the ponds that were drained aren't all that scenic at the present time, with quite a lot of geofabric erosion barriers.

There were a couple of kayakers. The water is quite swift.



I liked the fuzzy white seed silk on this grass in front of the brown oak tree.



The staghorn sumac berries were brilliant.



Beech leaves are rich.



About peak color there.



I hiked out from the Lone Pine Trailhead, and did all the trails you can access from there. A little over 3 miles.



In other news: I did OK at the event today, not great. Good event, lots of traffic. Who knows? And I feel fine, which I'm thinking you can guess since I went for a hike.

Boardman River Trail from the Lone Pine Trailhead, Keystone Rd, Traverse City, Michigan. 3+ miles

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Bookbrokers & Kramer's Cafe

 
Today, it was time to head back south. Had to catch a shot of Traverse Bay (an arm of Lake Michigan). Looks great in the sun. But cold here. Really cold.



This afternoon I had a book signing at Bookbrokers and Kramer's Cafe in the Grand Traverse Mall, Traverse City. You can see my poster near the middle.



They have Michigan authors in to do this almost every Saturday. Here I am waiting to greet people and sell books.



I signed up for this opportunity immediately after hearing about it just over two weeks ago, but I think it might be the beginning of a really significant relationship. The owner, Dan "Doc" McDougall, is really supportive of Michigan authors. He is displaying my books in a way that people might actually be interested in buying them. He's full of ideas to support and attract local authors. We are already cooking up something for this summer.

And, I found a very cool book that I bought as a research item for future books in the Dubois Files series. They sell primarily used books, which are discounted. Current Michigan authors' books are full price, of course. I think my "find" was great. Maybe I'll share about it another day.

Also, PS, I bought a sandwich there for dinner. WAY better than the food court stuff and no more expensive. Recommended.

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