When you hear the word “cozy,” what comes to mind? Perhaps you associate “cozy” with warmth, comfort, a crackling fire, heated beverages, and fluffy blankets like I do. Additional cozy elements may include a good book, a snuggly animal, or …
I think we can all agree that we’ve lucked out this fall. Yes, we had rain, and yes, we had some early cold mornings; however, the sheer amount of blue-sky and sunshiney days has been a Northern Michigan blessing, especially …
The day was grey, the water an ice-covered, bleak white stretching to the horizon. Yet, I sat in my studio and gazed deep into the recesses of the emptiness to find spring, to find color. I squinted until fatigue set …
The year was 1962 when Karl Buettner and Burt Chickering opened a men’s haberdashery at 326 East Mitchell Street in Downtown Petoskey. They called it “The Clothes Post.” A block over next to the Hollywood Theater at “Renick’s Gifts,” a …
As I gaze out my studio window in Downtown Petoskey, I revel in the hope I feel on the horizon.” I wrote these exact words last year in January of 2021 after a year of COVID, never expecting to have …
As I look out over the bay, there are people sauntering on the breakwater; rusted maples and fire-red burning bushes stand defiant. The water? Nary a ripple. No coats, no boots, no ice, no snow, no anything but warmth and …
The sun was high in the sky, and the temperature hovered in the high sixties, which in Up-North terms equates to a beautiful day in September. During these uncertain times of COVID, I took a walk around the corner of …
As your-man-on-the-street the last several years, I’ve noticed the influx of canines cavorting around our town. Much like their human counterparts, curiosity abounds, and barks erupt, but for the most part, well behaved pets seem to be commonplace. Thus, the …
Winding my way to the doorway of my downtown studio, I weave through and dodge the throngs on the sidewalk. July has arrived and so have the guests. Everything we’ve been contemplating regarding an onslaught has materialized. There are people …
With a few wisps of white above melting into the azure, I sit and watch our Downtown on a casual Friday. Not quite 11:00 a.m. and the parking spaces are full, UPS trucks compete with Fed Ex vans, and people …
Your man-on-the-street again, walking on a Wednesday in Downtown Petoskey. It’s a glorious sunny day, maybe in the forties with a breeze loitering from the Northwest. I was stunned to see Lake Street packed with people. It’s a Wednesday for …
Just as spring was blooming among us, the fog rolled in. The COVID vaccines were working, and the mitigation of a gradual increase in business openings was working, then the fog rolled in. As I sit in my downtown studio, …
