Stretch the Days of Summer
Sunsets over Lake Michigan have long enchanted visitors to Saugatuck.
Their brilliance draws locals and visitors alike each evening to the
Dunes State Park and Oval Beach.
Yet, another local treasure, is the nightly quest for "The Green Flash".
Julee and Bill have been witness to the shocking beauty of the
phosphorous green light appearing across the horizon, several times. "It
flashed for only a few
seconds", exclaims the once "Doubting Bill". But now, to catch "The Green
Flash" has become a nightly quest.
As the astronomer at the Adler Planetarium explains, "At sunset layers
of atmosphere act like a prism and refracts light." The expanse of Lake
Michigan creates perfect conditions for this natural light show that's
only visible in a very few places in the world.
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At Wickwood We Share A Passion For Good
Food
What warms the cockles of our hearts day in and day out are the
raves we hear about the foods at
Wickwood.
We work really hard-every day- all year long to serve the very
best-seasonal produce from the Farmer’s Market, breads from The
Journeyman and Zingerman’s, tea and coffee from Intellegensia , sausage
from Salumi and Amy’s, country ham from Virginia, Artisanal cheeses from
Europe and the US. Berries from Earl’s (just down the road), donuts from
Crane’s, and chocolate from Scharffenbergen, the shopping list goes on
and on There are no Sysco deliveries to
Wickwood, no shortcuts taken.
Once we’ve gathered the finest ingredients-we cook from scratch every
day-all year long with our forty years of cooking experience. And while
we begin every day with fresh ingredients it’s our curiosity and
imagination that makes it the most fun!! Recipes ...
"To awaken alone in a strange town is one of
the most pleasant sensations in the world. You are surrounded by
adventure."
 Freya Stark
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Music in the Night
Follow the notes in the air and you'll hear music all over town.
From jazz and cabaret, to music for dancing, listen for it at Chaps, Pumpernickel's, The
What Not Inn, Coral Gables, Wally's, The Red Dock, The Boathouse, Toulouse,
Everyday People's Café, The Blue Moon, The Sandbar, and Uncommon Grounds.
Check the schedule of the Lakeshore Jazz Connection Concerts and the Chamber Music
Festival. Outdoors, music is at Fenn Valley Vineyard, The Butler Tiki Bar, and Wednesday
night "Music in the Park" at Wick's Gazebo.
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Gallery Stroll
"Saugatuck is One of the Top Five Art
Towns in America" -- American Style Magazine
It’s prime time to visit our dozens of Art Galleries and Studios
abuzz during the Summer with Gallery Openings, Artist’s Receptions,
painting demonstrations, and classes! Saugatuck/Douglas has over
forty galleries exhibiting over 800 artists – all year long!
Galleries ...
"Your true passion should feel like
breathing; it's that natural."
Oprah Winfrey
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Jolly Old England
"The empires of the future
are the empires of the mind."
Winston
Churchill |
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The Food in Great Britain
is Now Brilliant!
Over three weeks this Spring in England and Wales we only
tasted fabulous food! England has come a long long way in the world of
food.
In London - go immediately to St. John’s, The River Café, Petrus, The Grenedier Pub, Biddendum, Kensington Place, Admiral
Coddington, The Ivy, Wiltons. In Woodstock, Feathers and the Bear Pub,
In Oxford, The Old Parsonage, McDonald’s Shakespeare Hotel and Oppo
in Stratford-Upon-Avon. In Cardigan, The Ship Inn and Castell Malgwyn.
You’ll be very pleased!
"Simple pleasures are the best refuge of
the complex."
Oscar Wilde
Salumi in Seattle
The deep rounded savory taste that came from slow ripening is
the essence of great dry-cured sausage. And Armandino Batali’s (yes,
Molto Mario’s father) has created salumi perfection. We’re ardent
fans and have been serving his salumi since he was first licensed to
sell it.
Almost every night at Wickwood
there are slices of smoky soppresseta fennel or green pepper
flavored salumi, chorizo, proscuitto, culatello, spicy boar sausage,
and coppa or lamb proscuitto.
All are well marbled and aged to perfection resulting in the rich
full taste that puts these among the world’s best.
If you’re in Seattle, be sure and visit Armndino and Marilyn for
lunch at Salumi: 309 3rd Avenue South (206) 621.8772 or you can
order at salumicuredmeats.com
Remember, a jug of wine, a loaf of bread, a hunk of artisinal cheese
and some truly fabulous sausage makes a great Summer supper.
Saugatuck Time in a
Bottle
When you visit take the time to immerse yourself in the wonders of why we live here.
●
Walk the beach
just after dawn - you'll find the best beach glass then.
● Climb Mt. Baldhead at sunset, bike Lake Shore Drive, or slide down the Dunes at the State Park.
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Pamper
yourself!! Soothe your tired bones with a massage at any of our day spas - Belle Vita,
Spring Renewal, Waterfront Center Stage Salon
● Slow down on
Wickwood's Back Porch surrounded by flowers and just read
... or play checkers with your
"best pal" while you're tasting cookies and lemonade. Guests forbid phones or tv's - so savor the cooing of the doves.
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Or work those
muscles with a bicycle ride, walk or run our country roads and paths, or pump iron at the
Pump House. |
Chatsworth House
We loved visiting this most extraordinary estate in
England-the Derbyshire home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire.
It’s surely worth a detour on your next trip across the pond.
When Deborah Mitford (one of “those fabulous Mitford sisters”)
became Duchess of Devonshire just after WWII - it was much to her
surprise. She’d married the “spare” son not the heir, who was killed
in the war, and suddenly she and her husband were delighted but
burdened with a 67,000 acre estate and inheritance taxes that would
take 24 years to pay.
Debo (as the Dowager Duchess is known) went to work-with cleaning
staffs, carpenters, and restorers, eventually refurbishing the house
and opening it to the public to help gather some income. This was a
first among the “great houses of England”.
Over the past 60 years
the work has constantly continued. Today, there are fabulous
restaurants, gift shops, a Farm Store with game, eggs, meat dairy,
baked good and produce all from the estate.
There are lambs and
sheep wandering the estate And gardens-gardens galore.
And best of all -
fabulous refurbished sheep barns where all can now stay and “live”
at Chatsworth. The vistas and villages on the outlying estate are
glorious. Amidst the sheep and cattle fields separated mostly by dry
stone fences, bordered by brilliant daffodils-tens of thousands of
daffodils, you feel as though you’ve stepped back in time to a fairy
land. Go if you can.
Slow Food
“Regional, seasonal, sustainable, convivial” -
Slow Food
If you’re as passionate about food as we are, there are several food
organizations you might want to join to keep abreast of the food
talk
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Slow Food
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AIWF
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James Beard
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IACP |
And some blogs we like
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e.gullet.com
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chocolateandzucchini.com |
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Red Books
"A good reader must learn to love to fondle the details." -
Nabokov
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Counting My Chickens, by
Deborah Devonshire. An exquisite peek into an extraordinary life by
the Dowager Duchess.
● Pudding
& Pie, by Jessica Mitford. And anything else. All are true
treasures.
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A Culinary Traveler in Tuscany,
by Beth Elon. Culinary travels off the beaten trail.
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The Kitchen Diaries, by
Nigel Slater. His writing is sassy.
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The Notebooks of Michael Brass
- Awesome
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Second Honeymoon, by Jo
Anna Trollope. You won’t put it down.
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Heat, by Bill Buford.
Behind the scenes of New York and Tuscan Restaurants.
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Abundance, by Sena Jeter
Naslund. Marie Antoinette in all her glory.
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Return to Paris, by
Collette Rossant. Always a treasure.
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Twelve, A Tuscan Cookbook,
by Tessa Kiros. Fabulous. |
"Everything uncommon raises a pleasure in the
imagination"
J.Addison
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The Green Flash ... not a UFO
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June 20 Art ‘Round Town
6th Annual Exhibit
Fabulous sculptures in and around Saugatuck
June 20 The Pump House Museum is Open for
the Season Raising the Roof. The Buildings and Architecture of
the Saugatuck & Douglas Area - Second Story
June 21 Music in Wick’s Park by “Deep Blue Underground”
Funk-Rock-Fusion 7pm-9pm
June 23-July 9 Mason Street Warehouse presents Hunka Hunka Burnin’
Love - the off Broadway smash hit!! Tickets- (269) 857-4898
June 23 Saugatuck/Douglas Green Market
Local farmers bring fresh produce and flowers-Every Friday thru October.
Saugatuck Center for the Arts (269) 857-2399
June 23-August 5 Shakespeare in Hollywood Hope Summer Repertory
Theatre (616) 395-7890
June 24 “RAIN” Summer Benefit, The Saugatuck Center for the Arts
(269) 857-2399
June 24 “Art on Center”
Downtown Douglas art galleries host an evening of art, food and
music 5-9pm
June 24 “Boxes, Bowls, & Beyond” Open House-Blue Star Studio
7pm-10pm (269) 227-3647
June 25 Michael Holmes with Mark Kahny & Steve Anzivino at the
What Not Inn
June 25 New Moon Drumming 7pm-9pm
(269) 543-4029
June 25 Allegan Antique Market 400 exhibitors rain or shine
7:30am-4:00pm
June 26-29 Oxbow Art Course “Painting Figures in the Landscape”
10am-1pm
June 28 Music in Wick’s Park by “Cheap Date” Rock 7pm-9pm
More Calendar ...
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Al Fresco Food
Summer is about eating outdoors -
whether you’re grilling, having a picnic - supping by the pool or
on the front porch - you don’t need much reason to dine under the
sunshine or stars. But here are just a few:
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While reading Proust at high
noon.
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After a bicycling race.
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After a housecleaning spree.
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After shooting the rapids.
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At a rock concert.
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As a birthday surprise.
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After a tennis match.
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After planting an herb garden.
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While antique hunting.
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Organizing photo albums.
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During a backgammon tournament.
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In a hot-air balloon.
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After watching or running a
marathon.
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During the Boston Pops at
Tanglewood.
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Watching the sunset.
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In a vineyard.
Recipes ...
World’s Top Beaches
"I don't want to work ... only to
dream. Anybody can do the work." - Diana Vreeland
Time and time again Saugatuck’s
beaches have been labeled as “the best”-and we can’t agree more.
Our “singing sand” beach that stretches for more miles than you
can walk in an afternoon, anchored by its 200 foot dunes-and the
blue water you can’t see across... It just dazzles us everyday.
We’ve seen some of the others- Crane’s Beach in Ipswich, Mass-Ojai
in Santorini, St. Tropez-Cap Ferat, Taketomi Island, Joulter’s Cay
in the Bahamas. Nice but... we can’t believe we live on
just one of the very best! When you’re here, please don’t forget to
visit our fabulous beaches!!
What to Eat Today
It often sounds confusing, but its really quite simple.
Eat less. Move more. Emphasize fruits and vegetables. Go
natural. Eat real. Don’t buy anything in a box or a jar. Eat with
the seasons. Junk food- Never!
It’s all simple enough. Natural is the key to eating well. Fruit
is the answer to your sweet tooth. And exercise is the only way to
lose weight for life.
Countless diet books
and food pyramids later, Marion Nestle, the dean of US
nutritionists, has written “What to Eat”. It will answer all of
your “how to eat” questions.
New York New York
It’s often been called, “the best place you’ll never eat”.
Somehow,
before you croak - find a friend who “owns” a reservation at Rao’s
in Harlem. Next, cajol them to taking you with them. You’ll have
plenty of notice - reservations are generally made 3-6 months in
advance, but it’s well worth it.
You’ll have the time of your life. Trust me!! It’s a party from
the moment you enter the door and your heart will sing for days
afterward. The food’s great-but the people-AH HA!
Second best - get a copy of The Rao’s Cookbook by Frank
Pellegrini, the owner. Simple yet terrific recipes. Soon, they’ll
duplicate the magic and you can visit Rao’s in Las Vegas at
Caesar's Palace after their December 2006 opening. There you’ll be able to make a
reservation. You can’t at the original - they don’t answer the
phone.
Rao’s 455 East 114th Street, New York, New York |
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