It is the morning of opening day for trout in Northern Michigan. Actually all of Michigan except it is pretty hard to find brooks or browns in downstate streams. As usual, it is chilly and rain threatens for the entire weekend, so-I won’t walk into a river until next week. After all, I live here and I can go whenever I choose. This has been a stunning Spring however, and we have enjoyed many sunny days covered by that big deep blue blanket of northern Michigan sky.
Problem is we have had virtually no rain. When you live in the woods as many northerners do, you tend to be concerned about forest fires more than most.
Yesterday afternoon we thought we’d try-again-to find a Morel. 
Yes…I’d settle for even one! The forest floor is dry and as I walk all I hear are the leaves from last autumn crunching underfoot. Disappointing because by & large, Morels need moisture to pop out of the soil. But you try anyway because really, it is good just to be walking in the woods. It is one of the reasons we live in this great north. As with fly fishing for trout, hunting Morels is, for me, a meditative time and because you (I) focus so deeply on watching for trout or mushrooms, all sense of time is lost. If you have never tried either experience you might want to give it a whirl. When we enter the forest, the first thing we do is to look for Ash or Beech trees and then we walk slowly and carefully around these special mushroom trees searching the ground for the distinctive wrinkles of the Morel. No deal…still to dry and abit cold. We would go out two or three more times before I post this and it was the same every time, even after a good rain; which Morels need to pop up.
But the up side is the reduced threat of wildfires. Add to the rain and cold was a substantial snowfall this past Friday night into Saturday. Much of it is gone as I write this today and it has left the forest floor good and wet. Now, we need some warm weather.
I will soon be making my Cream of Morel/Wild Leek soup !
Rarely do I get really excited about a commercial property. They can be challenging and difficult to sell. Zoning, taxes, environmental issues from a hundred years ago, and assessments that pop up out of thin air, are the reasons I am wary of taking on these listings.
But occasionally…actually once in a lifetime, an opportunity turns up that is truly unbelievable. In this case it is the Dura Automotive facility in Mancelona Michigan. Closed down slightly over a year ago, this 170,000 S.F. impeccably maintained plant was formerly a manufacturing supplier of auto parts for the Big Three. The economic downturn and the logistics of shipping these parts to assembly plants contributed to the closing and loss of 300 local jobs.
But, for every misfortune there is ALWAYS an opportunity for those with vision. Today, Northern Michigan is no longer-and never will be again-a supplier of parts for the auto industry. Today, Northern Michigan is transitioning to business and industry with a focus on alternative energy, green building, and tourism.
This facility is right for all three and can accommodate them as well as more. With approximately 10,000 feet of office space and 160,000 in open space, there is enough room for several different business enterprises.
The plant is essentially 6 or 7 buildings in one, each with separate entries and exits, three with 40′ ceilings, state of the art shipping & receiving docks, ample lighting, as well as paved parking for several hundred cars. It is supplied with municipal water and sewer. The building is situated on U.S. highway-131 approximately halfway between Cadillac & Petoskey, and, Gaylord & Traverse City and, has rail access. Having been a UAW plant, it was maintained to high standards including OSHA. Although there was a history of ground water contamination from prior industry that occupied the site-primarily Wickes Manufacturing- it has been certified clean by MDNRE (DEQ) largely due to the efforts of Dura management.
In addition, the sale of this parcel includes two separate vacant parcels of land that can be sold separately by a new owner. The total parcel comprises 28.8 acres.
Originally listed for $1.2 Million, the facility is currently priced at $350,000 and the owners will entertain an offer. I can’t emphasize the enormous value involved here when one considers that this price is what one would normally pay for a home.
Call me at 231-350-2100 for a showing and tour of this magnificent investment property that is literally the opportunity of a lifetime!
It’s been quite a month what with the launch of the new bluNorth Realty AND a surge in real estate sales for us. We currently have five pending sales. The interesting thing to note is that all but one, are cash sales. People who have been waiting to buy here in the Grand Traverse region appear to have decided that now is the time…and they’re right-it couldn’t possibly get any better. One of those sales is a beautiful home on Intermediate Lake that two years ago would have sold for $450,000. Today, it has sold for $275,000! And there are many more steals like this one still out there. read more…
The Ides of March. A term we hear all the time and take for granted. I vaguely knew that it was from Shakespeare or Julius Caesar but not completely sure, so I Googled it. Turns out I was kinda right-it is from Shakespeare’s play Julius. What was more interesting is the true meaning of the term. It is from an ancient Greek calendar and means very simply…March 15. Nothing more.
The annual morph from winter into spring is in full force here in Northern Michigan. The Ides of March came & went with a whisper and a hug…blue Sky’s, mild temps, and sunny days with very little rain. A pleasant surprise from normal March weather in the north country. Of course as I am writing this on the early morning of April 9…it has been snowing and will continue throughout the day. We are all laughing and taking it in stride because tomorrow, temps will head back into the low 60s and stay that way with more sunshine.
The wild leeks (or Ramps as some call them)
have exploded in our forests, and black morels cant be too far behind. Hunting for Morels on a warm sunny day is one of my favorite pastimes. It is almost Zen in it’s meditative nature. Focusing on the forest floor searching for these camouflaged treats requires the hunter to slow down, stop frequently, and truly smell the flowers and in this case the pungent aroma of onions as you walk on the leaves of Leeks. Before long, you find that you have wandered far and don’t remember doing it because of your intense focus. Many times when I have been out with Cindy, we slowly begin to take diverse paths while looking down and after awhile, I’ll look up and she is nowhere in sight.
Bring home even a few is a joy when you blend them with the leeks, a bit of garlic 
and pepper, and saute them in butter as a side for a good steak. Yes, we suffer here in the north country. I fully expect that we shall have an abundant mushroom harvest this year.
An then soon, fifteen days to be exact, the last Saturday of April will dawn and we will put on our waders, and walk into the rivers of this land, to hunt for Brook & Brown trout-truly two of the most fragile and beautiful creatures from Gods hand. 
I let them all go back to their hding place after I catch them (which is a rare experience), because although they are superb in the pan, I just can’t dine on these special and rare beauties. We have some pretty good trout farms around here- Green River Trout Farm comes to mind-where I can go and buy dinner…and these Rainbows are surprisingly good!
Truth is…I never go to catch fish as much as I go to fish for them. The magic of the river, the sights, sounds and smells of water and wood, the gurgles and the rise of the trout, and the satisfaction when you do make a good cast and the fly lands just right…are the reasons I love this sport. And I suspect it is the reason many others do as well.
It is time to come North. It is the time to savor it’s bounty and it’s beauty. Spring is here…and so should you!
One of the really cool things about living in a small northern town is how quickly you come to know the people. Everywhere you go, you are called by your first name and you answer with their first name. As with any community, you meet people who you like, and some who maybe…you don’t. In our village, I have come to know many more of the former than the latter.
As I stood at the cash register waiting to check out at our local market this past Monday, the phone rang behind the counter and Carol, the cashier answered. I was about to crack my usual joke about som,ething when she hung up but I noticed tears in her eyes. She said “Excuse me but that was Al Knights wife. He passed away on Saturday”. I replied “Whos Al Knight?” She said that he was the Al that had worked there, and had left about six months ago. I quickly remembered Al- for that was how I knew him…only Al, the name on his name-tag. Stunned, I actually felt a tear in my eye as well. I left the store with an feeling of disbelief. Every so often, someone who touches our heart and our thoughts, moves into, and then quickly moves out of, our lives. One of those special people was Al.
Al Knight was a big guy, a tall fella with thinning hair, a good size nose, and an even bigger smile. I barely knew him as a person and knew even less of his private life. Al worked at the market for several years. I would see him often and we would exchange a friendly “Hi”. I always noticed how cheerful and amiable he was and, as time passed, our brief greeting turned into short chats about real estate. Al knew that I owned a real estate office in the village and would inquire about the state of the market. We had some good chats.
Then one day in mid-autumn of last year, his co-workers organized a going away party for him on the outdoor cafe area of the market. A banner, balloons, and lots of good food and cake was put out in his honor. It was a warm October day and I pulled into the parking lot just after the party broke up. Al was sitting alone and asked me to help myself to some food. I politely refused and being surprised that he was leaving, I asked him what he was going to do in retirement. Al never let on that he was ill and frankly, he didn’t look, or act sick, so I had not the slightest inkling of his situation. I don’t remember now what his response was, but it definitely had nothing to do with dying soon.
I never saw him after that, and now that I sadly think about it, I realize he had moved into, and out of my life quickly. But not without leaving the gift of his goodness and the memory of his smile.
I know where Al is at this moment. I know that when he arrived where he is now, God was there to meet him. And I know that when Al touched the face of God, they both smiled and walked into Heaven.
