Locals give the Gulf Coast a hand in Katrina’s wake

By David Early and Daniel Herd Sun contributors Ten months after Hurricane Katrina brought New Orleans and much of the Gulf Coast to its knees, the area is still reeling. Here are the stories from two local residents who worked with Habitat for Humanity and FEMA this spring to help put the region back together.

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Spanglish: A Mexican-American in our midst

By Nadine Gilmer Sun contributor Part two in a series on local Hispanics living in northern Michigan I remember two childhoods. There is one in Mexico, with my cousins and my numerous relatives, and good food, and noise and life filling every nook and cranny. I also remember my childhood in the United States This […]

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Maybings is Ripe in the Land of the Sleeping Bear

By Norm Wheeler Sun editor A colander of noodles floats in a pot of boiling water in the steamy corner of the kitchen. On the stovetop, savory bubbles pop through homemade Thai Peanut sauce. Sarah Jane Grierson says, “I’m just helping,” as she starts a batch of Sweet & Sour sauce from scratch. The weekend […]

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Bears in Glen Haven!

By Jane Greiner Sun contributor There is hard evidence that a bear recently walked across the beach not far from the Cannery in Glen Haven. Two visitors came upon the tracks and thinking they were perhaps cougar prints, the man made plaster casts of the imprints. He took them to the Sleeping Bear Dunes National […]

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National Lakeshore is our ‘Land of Lakes’

By Jane Greiner Sun contributor It is amazing that there are 21 lakes within the boundaries of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. You can live here for years and not know about some of these small lakes hidden in the woods. Others you drive by regularly without ever stopping to count their numbers. I talked […]

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Mississippi couple finds refuge in Glen Arbor

By E. Byron Dennis Sun contributor An experience of a lifetime. When Hurricane Katrina relieved us of all our material possessions, it led us into one of the highlights of my life. At age 81, my wife of less than a year and a half, Bettylu and I were faced with the prospect of beginning […]

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“Take me out to the ballgame”

By Jacob Wheeler Sun editor Play ball in northern Michigan! Wuerfel Park, the new minor league ballpark in Traverse City and home of the Beach Bums, isn’t quite as glamorous as Chicago’s Wrigley Field or Detroit’s Comerica Park. The pitchers don’t throw fastballs as hard as they do in The Show, and that crafty batter […]

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Dreaming of cheeseburgers at the top of the world

By Jacob Wheeler Sun editor Peter Richards was dying. He wasn’t spouting blood or hearing his last rites read to him, nor was he watching all 19 years of his young life flash before his eyes. But the Glen Arbor-raised adventurer had lost 15 pounds in just a few days and he couldn’t continue climbing […]

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Dive into lovely lavender soaps on Lake Street

By Jacob Wheeler Sun editor Cookie Thatcher prefers to think of her blends of lavender soaps as “flavors,” and that makes her the new chemist in town. At her new shop, Bay Lavenders, next to Becky Thatcher Designs on Lake Street in Glen Arbor, she uses only essential oils, free of manmade perfumes, and mixes […]

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Invisible in our midst: Hispanics and migrant workers in northern Michigan

By Jacob Wheeler Sun editor They live amongst us. They drive on the same country roads. They enjoy the same sunsets. And they still play an integral role in harvesting the crops that we not merely eat, but identify with spring, summer and fall in northern Michigan. The Hispanic and Latino workers indispensable to our […]

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