All vacations must come to an end and today was our last day in Michigan. It wasn’t hard to get everything packed up but we had to be careful descending the staircase (one hand always on the railing) so there were multiple trips to the car.
Going up and down the steps with suitcases and stuff was enough exercise to build up an appetite for our last breakfast of blueberry coffee cake and blueberry popovers, a fruit cup, and waffles with berries which was excellent as usual. However, none of us lingered with extra cups of coffee at breakfast today as we all had a several hours drive ahead of us.
We had pre-paid for the room, but we settled up with Sherrie on the items we purchased during the stay – wine, Chef’s Dinner, etc. I fed snacks to the chickens one more time and Chuck had to tell Black Betty good-bye (I think they both teared up). We thanked Sherrie and Tim again for their hospitality.
It was finally time for one last round of hugs and wishing everyone safe travels.
We survived the traffic chaos again in Indianapolis and eventually made our way home to Pumpkin who let it be known (for several hours) that he was displeased with our being AWOL. I had to promise him extra kitty snacks to mollify him.
Thankfully everyone arrived home safely, and we are looking forward to getting together next year. Watch out Asheville, North Carolina – here we come.
I opened up one of our windows slightly. I was hoping for a nice cool Michigan breeze during the night. The room was cooler than the previous night but still not great. I was up again at 5:30.
While I drank my coffee, I enjoyed watching all the birds at the numerous feeders the Inn had. I saw hummingbirds, two kinds of woodpeckers, and gold and purple finches. What I didn’t see was any squirrels. Sherrie told me later that they don’t have many squirrels – just a few small black squirrels. I told her I’d be happy to send her the numerous gray squirrels we have. She declined the offer.
Tim offered the blueberry coffeecake again along with tea scones this morning. Our first course was a parfait of fruit, Greek yogurt, and granola. The second course was a slice of quiche with chicken sausage, onion, tomato, and green pepper. Another excellent breakfast.
The ladies left soon after breakfast for a spa morning. We drove to Pure Salon and Spa. It was located in a shopping center and the signage wasn’t very obvious. We finally just parked and once we walked toward the stores, we saw the salon in one of the corners.
The salon was in the front of the shop and the spa area was in the back. From the way the place was decorated, it caters to a lot of wedding parties. In fact, not long after we arrived, a group of ladies came in to prepare for the big event later that day. Every chair was occupied.
Two of us had facials. Two of us had massages. They lasted 60 minutes and were the same price. I enjoyed my massage but with all the excited chatter in the front of the salon, it wasn’t as peaceful as other massage experiences I have had.
While we were gone, the men relaxed, walked the trail around the property, and some even took a nap after breakfast. Once we got back, we were going to another town to look around, but it started to rain pretty hard. We ended up staying in South Haven and had lunch at Maria’s Taste of Italy.
Chuck and I each had a bowl of sweet pepper crab soup with a homemade bread stick right out of the oven and we split an order of chicken wings. Very good food, especially the soup, but I was disappointed in the gelato. It wasn’t as creamy as most gelatos I have had. This one had tiny chunks of ice in it.
It was still raining when we left the restaurant, so we decided to go back to the Inn and play some cards. One of the couples taught us a card game they called Mish Mash. With 6 of us playing, it took 3 decks. It was a little complicated but after a couple of rounds, we all caught on. I even won 2 rounds. We played until it was time to get ready for our Chef’s dinner.
Tim sent us the menu about a week before we arrived so we could let him know what we wanted to order. I ordered the spring salad, scallops, and the creme brulee. Chuck chose the asparagus soup, osso bucco, and chocolate bread pudding. Sherrie gifted us with a bottle of her sparkling wine so that we could toast each other and them.
The food was just amazing. I gave Chuck a couple of scallops for some of his osso bucco. I’ve never had a smoother creme brulee. Nobody left a bite on their plate. We all applauded Tim and Sherrie once we were finished.
Creme BruleeChocolate Bread Pudding
After dinner, there was more games and more laughter until we finally waddled up to bed.
I was surprised when I realized that our room didn’t have a ceiling fan. I usually bring a small portable fan when cruising. I just didn’t think about bringing it for this trip. I wished I had brought it. Even though the bed was comfortable, I was warm and didn’t sleep well. I ended up getting up at 5:30.
The shower had great water pressure and plenty of hot water. I was glad that the Inn had a Keurig set up in the lobby with different types of coffee pods. It wasn’t long before I heard Tim and Sherrie prepping for breakfast.
They told us that breakfast would be served between 8:30 and 9:30 and you could eat anytime in that hour. Just so happened that we were all ready to eat at 8:30. Today, Tim served a blueberry and cream cheese coffee cake along with some small cinnamon muffins. Our first course was cheese grits with chicken sausage. Our second course was French toast. They had coffee, water, orange juice, hot tea, and sodas for your beverages. The food was delicious and very filling.
We decided to drive to downtown South Haven and look around. We had to take 2 cars, but we were able to find parking on the street. In the high season of July and August, I don’t think we would have found any parking spots. We had wanted to take an Uber, but Sherrie told us as far as she knew South Haven only had one Uber driver. Maybe they have more in the high season.
It is a very pretty downtown area. We wandered into many of the little shops. I found a cute Christmas ornament. I loved the artwork around the town.
We eventually walked all the way to the lighthouse. It was a gorgeous day for the beach and many people were taking advantage though I didn’t see many people in the lake.
Sail in a Pirate Ship
We had lunch at Clementines on the square. We found that most of the restaurants will not give separate checks for parties of 6 or more. Makes it easier on the servers who are rushed but it can be frustrating for the customers. I had the Strawberry Patch Salad (house greens topped with a grilled chicken breast, fresh strawberries, feta cheese, and walnuts) and Chuck had the Fiesta Salad (Your choice of ground beef or chicken, house greens, tomatoes, green onions, green peppers, roasted corn, black beans, and Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses. Served with a side of tortilla chips, salsa and sour cream.)
On our way back to the Inn, we stopped at 3 Blondes Brewery as recommended by Sherrie. Three sisters run it and they are all blondes. While I was in the restroom, apparently there was a lively discussion about where our group of 8 could sit. We wanted to sit outside but was initially told “no” if we weren’t going to eat. Another one of the sisters said it was fine since it wasn’t the dinner hour. Weird. An argument broke out between two of the sisters. We were finally allowed to go outside. The place had very few customers when we were there. We took up one picnic table so I am not sure why there was a problem. Those who had beers enjoyed them. The rest of us liked our Diet Cokes.
Once we got back to the Inn, we had some time to relax before our scheduled sunset cruise. I took the time to take some photos around the Inn.
She Shed?Fire Pit by Grape VinesBlueberry Field behind InnShade GardenOne Example of artwork around the Inn
I also fed the chickens some approved snacks (dried meal worms). All you had to do was stand in the yard shaking the cup and chaos ensued. Chickens came running from everywhere. A big chicken named Black Betty was the ringleader and would muscle her way to the front every time. She also took a shine to Chuck and stayed near him any time he was outside. If I came close, she would give me the side eye.
Black Betty giving me the “Eye”
I made the mistake of coming outside one time and sitting down without the snacks. One chicken showed her displeasure by pecking my tennis shoes before walking off in a huff.
Sherrie says she spends part of her time every day looking for their nests of eggs. That day she found a big pile of eggs in ferns next to the house. Since there are no roosters on the farm, there won’t be any chicks but that doesn’t mean the hens don’t try to hide their nests all around the property. The chickens get put up in their building every night to keep them safe from predators.
We drove back downtown for a quick dinner at Venezia Pizza Restaurant. Chuck and I split the ham and cheese sub sandwich as we were both still pretty full from the lunch we had.
After dinner, we walked to the dock. We had made reservations for the sunset cruise with The Sun Setter Company and had to be there by 8:00. We were allowed on board at 8:20. We set sail about 8:40. Our group was in the front of the boat. The company doesn’t provide any food or beverages, but you are allowed to bring your own beverages. We had a very nice time, but it was chilly. I was glad I had brought my jacket. The sail was smooth, and they played a lot of mellow mood music.
Great spot for Sunset ViewingThree ducks enjoying the lake
Once we arrived back at the Inn, everyone was ready to call it a night. We had a very pleasant day in South Haven.
Travel Trivia
South Haven, Michigan
In the early 1900s South Haven became a resort town and is sometimes referred to as “The Catskills of the Midwest.”
Liberty Hyde Bailey, co-founder of American Society for Horticultural Science and considered the Father of Modern Horticulture was born in South Haven. His childhood home was presented to the city in the 1930s and is now a museum.
South Haven has held the title of the “Blueberry Capital of the World” since 1969.
South Haven is the western terminus of the Kal-Haven Trail, a popular route for bicyclists and snowmobilers. This scenic trail stretches over 30 miles, connecting South Haven to Kalamazoo, Michigan.
As some of you know, our Panama Canal cruise from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Seattle, Washington never happened due to health reasons. After consultations and testing, we now seem to have a working theory of what went wrong and what to do about it. So, when our yearly get-together with three other couples rolled around, we decided that we could venture away from home and be reasonably assured we would not need a hospital visit. I am happy to say that thankfully our assumption was correct, and we had a very good time.
We started these couples trips in 2021 and we have been to Louisville, Kentucky, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Oxford, Mississippi. It was so hot and humid last year in Oxford that we decided to venture farther north this year. After much research and discussion, we agreed on South Haven, Michigan – a resort town on Lake Michigan.
Despite the traffic and road construction in Indianapolis (who thinks it is a good idea to completely shut down two Interstates at a time – apparently Indianapolis does), we were the second couple to arrive at our bed and breakfast (B&B) destination on Thursday – The Vintage Inn at Veritas Estates – just a little after check-in time of 3:00 pm. Once we parked and stepped out of the car, we were met by a number of friendly chickens. However, as soon as they realized we had no snacks to give them, they went about their business of scratching in the yard.
The Inn was clearly marked for the guest use and private use. We rang the doorbell at the guest door and was greeted by Sherrie, co-owner and wine-master of the Inn. Her husband Tim, co-owner and chef of the Inn, was running errands.
Our group’s rooms were on the 2nd floor and another couple had the room on the 3rd floor. The staircase was winding, narrow, with narrow wooden steps. Sherrie offered to carry our luggage, but we were able to handle it. The rule – one hand on the railing at all times. There are no bedrooms on the first floor. Our room was the Loire Valley Room. I chose it mainly because it had a nice walk-in shower and not a free-standing claw tub/shower. The room did not have any closets and limited drawer space which was a little awkward. We just lived out of the suitcase.
As guests of the Inn, we were entitled to a free wine tasting of five wines or one free full glass of wine. We gathered in the sunroom and Sherrie explained the different wines she had created. I chose to have one glass of wine – the Wren White Blend (from Sherrie’s description – A 40% Gewurzträminer / 60% Riesling Blend with a pronounced aroma of lychee and jasmine. The flavors deliver the same exotic sweetness and finish with a zingy note of grapefruit pith.)
Chuck had a glass of one of the red wines – the Tannat (delivers rich aromas of black currant and red plum, with subtle notes of licorice, smoked meats, and black cardamom.) He liked the glass of Tannat so much that he bought two bottles for the weekend.
We thought we were going to have our Chef’s dinner that evening but there was a mix-up and our dinner was to be on Saturday night. Since we didn’t have any other plans, Sherrie made us a reservation at the Hawkshead Restaurant at the Country Club where Tim had worked as the Chef before opening the B&B. I had a bowl of lobster bisque and Chuck had a bowl of the soup of the day – potato soup with beef and we split the blackened whitefish sandwich and sweet potato fries. The food was very good although the service was slow.
It was late by the time we got back from the restaurant, and we were all tired from traveling. We spent a while talking and reminiscing before we all called it a night.
Travel Trivia
Michigan – The Great Lake State
Michigan is the only state in the U.S which consists of two peninsulas – the Lower (mainly an industrial area) and Upper Peninsulas (sparsely populated but mineral-rich).
Michigan has an estimated 65,000 inland lakes and ponds.This puts any person in the state within a distance of six miles from a natural water source.
Michigan also has the nation’s longest freshwater coastline (3,288 miles), and second-longest coastline of any U.S. state, after Alaska.
The architect of the capitol – Elijah E. Meyers – is the only architect to design the capitol buildings of three U.S. states, Michigan, Texas and Colorado.
According to the Guinness World Records, Michigan is home to the world’s tallest identical twins Michael and James Lanier (b. 27 November 1969) from Troy, Michigan, both stand 7 ft 3 in.
The state is the birthplace of “Motown Records” which is one of the most successful soul music companies.
Apples are the largest and most valuable fruit crop in Michigan. The state has 11.3 million apple trees. Michigan is the third largest apple producing state in the U.S.
