By Jacob Wheeler Sun editor Preceding the creation of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in 1979, and long before tumultuous conflicts over golf courses and land swaps divided the local community, The Homestead was given sewage easements on two parcels of land totaling 12.9 acres just north and east of the sprawling resort.

By Abby Noble Sun contributor Abby (Chatfield) Noble, of Leland, set out to hike the Appalachian Trail with her now-husband, Kenny, in the fall of 2003. She recounts their awe-inspiring journey in this (and in the next) issue of the Glen Arbor Sun. Abby honed her writing skills at the Interlochen Arts Academy. She and […]

By Pat Stinson Sun staff writer First, a disclaimer. I am not a member of the esteemed Mycological Society of America, the North American Mycological Association, nor any organized amateur mushroom club. I am the lowliest of wild mushroom fanciers, a two-timing (spring and fall) picker of the rankest sort, perhaps best likened to a […]

By Jo Anne Wilson Sun international correspondent SAIGNON, France — Greetings from Southern France . . . land of lavender, honey and heat! For the second year in a row this region is experiencing extremely high temperatures and no rain. Intense heat and low humidity create an oven-like atmosphere. My days are devoted primarily to […]

By Codi Yeager Sun staff writer Many of us have seen or heard of the Sumac. It flourishes in much of Leelanau County, growing in large clumps of tropical looking green foliage. The Sumac is a small, twiggy tree with large compound leaves that turn bright red and yellow in the fall. The fuzzy branches […]

By Stephanie Mills Sun contributor Purpose and intention are all very well and good, if a bit over-esteemed. They’re the starting blocks we adults kick off from in the forward hurtle over the hurdles of life. Purpose and intention are critical and only a teeny constituent of destiny. Over 500 years old, the Tarot deck […]

By Erika Vidal Sun contributor You’re at the mall shopping for your teenage daughter’s back to school wardrobe. You’ve bought her the ever so necessary low-rise jeans, the shoes, and some basic tops. Everything is going surprisingly well. She has only pretended not to know you once, and that was because a group of boys […]

By Pat Stinson Sun staff writer Oh, divine chocolate! They grind thee kneeling, Beat thee with hands praying, And drink thee with eyes to heaven. — Marco Antonio Orellana, 18th century For three centuries after the Spaniards brought the first cacoa beans to Spain from Mexico, “chocolat” was known only as a thick beverage, full […]

By Helen Westie Sun contributor In the midst of the Great Depression, American families harvested the cherry crops here in northern Michigan. They were the forerunners of the migrants who came much later. It was 1931 and I was 13 years old when my family camped in the orchard of huge cherry trees (the trees […]

By Jacob Wheeler Sun editor Despite presenting a unified front at their convention in Boston last month, many politicians, delegates and progressive voters swearing allegiance to the Democratic Party to rid America of George W. Bush find themselves torn between the party line and their true beliefs on volatile issues like the war in Iraq […]