Just a Plain Farm in Carp Lake, Michigan

EDIT - I just received an email (10-14-11) that says Just a Plain Farm is no longer in business. If you happen to be up in the Northern Lower Peninsula taking in the breathtaking display of color you should stop in at Just A Plain Farm in Carp Lake. Just off of U.S. 31 take Gill Road at Carp Lake (there is a yellow blinking light and a general store on the corner) west about 1.5 miles. The big barn is on the right and you can't miss it.

Owners Gordon and Judy Tuthill have a lot to offer each fall from September 1 through October 31. They offer pumpkin picking hayrides, a corn maze, and a farm store filled with cider and other assorted goodies. Their u-pick options include popcorn, gourds, pumpkins, and squash.

We stopped in on a frosty morning (it had been down in the 20's the previous night) last Friday and spent over an hour there. Our son had a grand time hiking out to the gourds (even though he was repeatedly tripped up by the vines) and thoroughly inspecting the barn.

From there we went west on Gill Road another mile or so and picked up County Road 81 south to just north of Petoskey where we picked up U.S. 31. I know I mentioned this before (I think it was yesterday), but that was probably one of the prettiest fall drives in recent memory. The sun was shining and the air was so crisp and clear that the reds, yellows, and oranges were so vibrant that pictures would not have done it justice.

If you go:

Monday through Saturday - 10 am to 6 pm Sunday - 10 am to 6 pm

Visit Just A Plain Farm on the web here - www.justaplainfarm.com.

Fort Fright Night

Historic Fort Michilimackinac in Mackinaw City will be transformed into an eerie haunted outpost tomorrow, October 7 from 6 to 8 p.m. Werewolves, witches and other unsavory characters will be roaming inside the fort walls. Voyageurs will be telling stories (I would imagine spooky tales) that will get the spookiness level ratcheted up for what lies, crawls, and creeps within the fort at a bonfire on the lake just outside the fort walls. Overall, this is a family friendly affair that will delight young and old with period treats like molasses cookies, toffee candy, and mulled cider that you can nosh on while listening to ghost stories or fiddle music. There will be a haunted house set up for older kids and adults as well.

Sounds like fun to me. For more information visit www.mackinacparks.com.

If you go: October 7th, 2006 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM Location: Colonial Michilimackinac

Family - $15 Adult - $5 Youth (6-17) - $3 Children 5 and under - Free Mackinac Associates (above Heritage level) - Free

Register by October 10 to vote in the November Michigan elections

Just a friendly reminder that you must register to vote by October 10 (next Tuesday) in order to vote in the November 7 election in Michigan. Information on registering to vote can be found at www.Michigan.gov/sos. Check your voter registration status at www.michigan.gov/vote.

Remember, if you want to complain about our state government, taxes, and anything else that can be determined by elections - Get Out and Vote!

Peaceful views of Michigan's fall color display

I found this two-minute video on YouTube that was shot at the West Lake Nature Preserve in Portage, Michigan. Don't you just love the wonderful display of a myriad of colors across Michigan in the fall? At the end of last week we took a wonderful (but short) trip up to the Straits. If you get up that way this weekend or next week you have to take County Road 81. It parallels U.S. 31 to the east and passes through such burgs as Bliss, Heils Corner, and Pleasant View. The view is most definitely "pleasant" and the drive is relaxing.

If the video player does not display you can view it at YouTube right here.

Three truths turned up in the Granholm vs. DeVos debate

Well, you would have to sift through a lot of rhetoric and all too typical mud-slinging by both candidates last night to find some interesting points made by either candidate. This wasn't a debate, it was more like a schoolyard fistfight. It was exactly what I hoped it would not be. However, I was able to sort through the debate trash and find a few gems. Here they are:

1. Dick DeVos still lacks specifics for certain aspects of his plan to turn Michigan around. He wants to replace the Single Business Tax with a lesser and broader tax that will leave the state short about $1 billion. Granholm told him good luck finding $1 billion in the budget to cut and that more cuts in the budget will lead to necessary services for the young, old, and poor to be cut.
2. DeVos challenged Granholm on her claims when she first took office that in 1 and 1/2 years Michigan would be on the right track. Her 2006 State of the State address mentioned a 5 Year Plan for Michigan's economic recovery. The Lunchbucket Conservative Blog mentions a famous Ronald Reagan quote from a debate in 1980 - "Are you better off now than you were 4 years ago?"
3. Granholm was the better debater. She was calm, cool, and in control of the debate while appearing to keep DeVos on the run a little bit. Whether or not winning debates means winning the election in November remains to be seen.

Hopefully as these debates progress we will see more meat to significant issues and a plan of some kind from both candidates become clear. I think this debate was a kind of reconnaissance mission to scout out each other and see how they would react to certain issues.

For a few clips of the debate head over to WWMT Channel 3 for an almost 5 minute long video of some of the highlights of the debate.

Granholm and DeVos debate is tonight at 8

Governor Jennifer Granholm and her Republican challenger, Dick DeVos, kick off their series of three debates tonight at 8 p.m. in East Lansing. You can catch the debate live on any Michigan public television station. The debate will have an open question and answer format that will hopefully rise above rhetoric and result in some additional information on the two candidates.

Via the Detroit Free Press.