Amanda’s Visit
We were blessed to have Amanda visit us for a weekend! She joined us from Chicago where she recently relocated for her current sales position. We feel blessed that she is close enough to drive for a weekend fo exploration! And boy was it for all of us!
We met Amanda many years ago, 20 ish when her family lived across the street from us in Flower Mound, Texas! Amanda was young and very social, wanting to earn some money so she began babysitting for our son, Daltin. We became great friends with their entire family and even though we moved back to Ohio, we kept in touch and are still blessed to be great friends with their family!
Our Friday Adventure – Biking to The Hop Lot Brewery
Our first Adventure was renting electric bikes and riding to The Hop Lot Brewery, right on M22 in Suttons Bay. Brad & Amanda both worked in the morning and then It was about a 20 mile ride each way! We had visited Hop Lot previously and were impressed and excited to take Amanda there! You can see our Blog on Hop Lot. As you can see from the picture below, we rented the bikes from Pedego. Ths was my first time riding an e-bike & it was fun however, I was a bit slower than Brad & Amanda. I was very happy with their patience! And I have to admit that Brad & I have the “bug” to buy electric bikes to enjoy during our travels!
And Next – Our neighbors had a PIZZA Party!
It was great to grab our contribution and head next door to our neighbor’s “Make Your Own Pizza Party”! PIZZA & Visiting are both great after a day of riding!
Saturday – Old Mission Peninsula
I enjoyed reading about the Peninsula and all of the wineries on The Old Mission Peninsula website. This website did not include everything on the Peninsula but, is a great overview to visit wineries! We worked in three stops before heading back to Traverse City for our Dinner Reservations! I have to admit that we were pretty excited about our dinner reservations at the cook’s house. We had heard fabulous reviews of this one and were excited that the day is here!
1. Mission Point Lighthouse
“Mission Point Lighthouse has been a Traverse City and Old Mission Peninsula icon for decades. Located at the north end of a picturesque drive along M-37 through cherry orchards and vineyards, Mission Point Lighthouse stands as a classic piece of Michigan history. While it no longer guides mariners through West Grand Traverse Bay as it did from September 10, 1870 until it was decommissioned in 1933”. The Mission point Lighthouse is open through October (see website from link above for details). 
There are hiking trails throughout the park, however, I have not hiked any at this time. I have added this to my “to do” list!
it Beautifully situated near the 45th Parallel between beach and forest at the end of Old Mission Peninsula, you will find the picturesque Mission Point Lighthouse!
2. Next is Jolly Pumpkin for a Drink & Snacks!
We were a bit hungry but, did not want to ruin our dinner which we have reservations at 5PM. So we ordered this Smoked Whitefish Dip and it was fabulous!
3. Peninsula Cellars
This one was so cute that we just had to stop when we saw it driving by! Glad we did!
“The old Maple Grove School on the Old Mission Peninsula survives as a winery tasting room. Its bell called students to class between 1896 and 1958. The Maple Grove School is one of several one-room schoolhouses on Old Mission Peninsula converted to residences and business purposes.”
4. The Cooks’ House
We were given a gift card to “the cooks’ house” and we had heard so many fabulous reviews on this particular restaurant we were pretty darn excited! 
About the cook’s house – note: I took this from their website:
“Patterson and Blakeslee worked together in Las Vegas, where they had been cooking in Michelin-starred kitchens, namely under iconic French chef André Rochat and hatched an idea to open a small restaurant in Blakeslee’s native Traverse City built on the bounty of locally grown and foraged foods. “We take most of our focus from the actual ingredients themselves,” Patterson explains. “My food is a bit simpler, whereas Jen likes to work with more complex flavors from her travels in India, Mexico and Southeast Asia.” Patterson and Blakeslee supplement their busy year-round dinner service with cooking classes that explore regional cuisines and improvised seasonal cooking from local farmers markets.
The eponymous retrofitted address on Wellington Street speaks to the inspired minimalism of farm-to-fork cuisine that has established The Cooks’ House as one of the Midwest’s cultiest eateries. The white, well-lit, 26-seat dining room is hung with modern paintings from local artists, and tables are set with white linens and quality crystal, but the restaurant emphasizes a comfortable come-
as-you-are approach to enlightened local eating. (The dress code is simply “clothes.”) The Cooks’ House retains a high staff-to-guest ratio so that diners are never wanting for comfort, and atmosphere is relaxed and social with tables trading conversation.”
We did not get a picture however, we did meet Chef/Owner Mr. Patterson and he picked out the wine to compliment our 5 course dinner!
Following are several pictures from our great evening out!
the cooks’ house
Memories
Sunday is Here
We were so pleased that Amanda came and spent the weekend with us. We had a bit of time on Sunday before, she had to head back home so we took her to Elk Rapids for a quick lunch and walk around! We had a great time walking on a beautiful day and have shared some of pictures from this time we had together!
Stay tuned because this made me want to go back and explore Elk Rapids even more. It seems there is a lot of beauty and history in this beautiful town!
We enjoyed shopping & lunch at
‘The DAM Shop’
The original school bell from
First High School built in
Elk Rapids in 1874
The Island House
Edwin S. Noble designed and built this house for his family in 1865. In 1949 a part of the Island House became a public library.
Veterans Memorial Park
