If Dillinger had visited Cadillac

Whether he came from the north or south, here is what he would have seen.

These two postcards give a picture of Mitchell Street in Cadillac in the early 30's. The first picture looks north on Mitchell from Chapin Street. The building to the left is the current Midas Muffler shop.

This picture is looking south on Mitchell from a position just north of Nelson Street. The gas station on the left is the Standard Station.

It is interesting to me that the buildings in the foreground of both cards is owned by the same person, Don Peterson. If you know your old cars, maybe you can help me put a more accurate date on the pictures.

Talent in the Northwoods

I am constantly amazed by the amount of outstanding talent we have in Northern Michigan. We have artists of all kinds doing their thing in our area. It is great!

A good example is David Barresi of Traverse City. He is not just a woodworker, but truly a furniture designer and producer. You can see it in the beautiful design in these chairs.

To quote Dave, "Most of my work has a soft refined look of delicate curves and sculptured elements which are often inspired by nature and usually created from moderately figures domestic hardwoods."


Dave can create a 3-D concept drawing or model that will help you visualize the finished product. Do you have an idea for a piece of furniture? You can supply him a sketch, photos of different features or simply explain your idea. He will work with you to turn your thoughts into a family treasure like this beautiful baby crib.
Delicate turnings can be created like this wonderful jewelry box. Dave lives on the Old Mission Peninsula, just north of Traverse City. Feel free to call him at (231) 933-4572 or email David@SyleByDesign.biz. He calls his business Style By Design with the motto: We specialize in interpreting, translating, and evolving your dreams into stylishly designed custom furnishings.

Note: I probably should insert a disclaimer here regarding the fact that he is married to one of my favorite nieces. However, this does not mean that he is not talented just because of marrying into our family. kj

Historian or Historical?

Monday was my birthday and the arithmetic indicates that I am quite old, much older than I am willing to admit. But I realize that my memories tend to give me away.
I spent the summer of 1962 touring Europe with a friend from Cadillac. Part of our trip included a trip to Berlin to visit a high school classmate married to an US Army officer. The East Germans began construction on the Berlin Wall in August of 1961. As a result, the wall was still a work in progress. Above is my favorite picture of the Brandenburg Gate. It was here in 1987 that President Reagan gave his famous speech including "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this Wall!"

A spot known to all American travelers wanting to visit East Berlin was Checkpoint Charlie. A very serious place and frankly it was quite scary to go experience. The wall was removed in 1989 by citizens of Berlin, both east and west. While we were there we saw the pain of families split by the wall. As a result, I could fully appreicate the joy of the citizens as they tore down the wall.

Some Nice Memories (Of the Personal Kind)

It is a treat when you happen on old pictures and get a chance to remember some special times. Several years ago to celebrate our anniversary, I took my wife out to dinner and instead of Lakeside Charlies, we went to Paris, France.



The staff at the hotel arranged for reservations at a very small but elegant restaurant. When we arrived they brought some champagne but there seemed to be some confusion. We don't speak French and the waiter nor waitress spoke English but finally another employee came to tell us that the hotel said we celebrating a 35Th Anniversary. Since in France a birthday is an anniversary, they were trying to figure out which of us were trying to pass for 35!

Although we flew into Paris, we only stayed there at the end of our trip. We wandered the back roads through the Champagne district and then to visit our daughter in Wengen, Switzerland. On our way back to Paris we traveled to the Dijon region where we found this great farm scene.

Note: Should you be in Paris and want a great meal in a historic restaurant (built in 1934) I would reccomend Restaurant Pharamond. It is located at 24, rue de la Grande Truanderie, 75001 Paris. Telephone is 01 40 28 45 18

Cadillac Rotary Film Festival Schedule

Cadillac is right up there with Cannes and Sundance! Rotary is sponsoring Cadillac's First Annual Film Festival.

15 films in three locations including "Into the Wild".

Cadillac Rotary Film Festival Schedule - Saturday, March 22, 2008
Tickets on sale beginning March 3 at the Cadillac Area Chamber of Commerce and at the door, depending on availability

If a movie is rated R or NR, youth 17 and younger will not be admitted without an adult parent or guardian.
$4.00 / movie or
$15 for 5 movies (when purchasing a day pass – great for families)

Winter on Mackinac Island via the Ice Bridge

Mackinac Island is alway beautiful, but it seems even nicer without the fudge and t-shirt shops. The harbor is deserted except for the contruction taking place as they upgrade the docks.


Traveling to the Island from St. Ignace on the "ice bridge" is a special thrill, especially when you get these great veiws of the Macknac Bridge on a sunny day.



These photos were taken my guide, Mark.

February 2008 Residential Sales

Click label above for larger display.

Based on information taken from Multiple Listing Service Databases maintained by Paul Bunyan MLS, Inc. for the period stated for each report and may not represent all data available. This disclaimer must be displayed if you are using information taken from these reports in whole or in part. Data maintained by Paul Bunyan MLS, Inc. is copyrighted.

Great Day to Visit Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park

I took this picture yesterday in Yellowstone while sitting at my desk in Cadillac, Michigan. Pretty amazing, huh? Everyday I check out the webcam at Old Faithful. Gives me a good idea of the weather that we might see in a few days but mostly it gives me good memories of our visits to the park.

On Febuary 22nd, I found the Buffalo feeding near the geyser. Nothing like a warm breakfast to start off the day. If you want to check it out, go to: http://www.nps.gov/archive/yell/oldfaithfulcam.htm

Enjoy Life on Lake Mitchell

Lake Mitchell is a great lake for swimming, boating and fishing. You can go from Lake Mitchell to Lake Cadillac via the canal. There is a dock in downtown Cadillac where you can tie up your boat while shopping.

In 1873 a canal was constructed connecting Lake Mitchell and Lake Cadillac. Connecting the two lakes enabled logging from the west side of Lake Mitchell possible by floating the logs through the canal into Lake Cadillac and on to town reaching the railroad. One of the most interesting facts about the Canal is in winter the canal freezes first but once the lakes freeze over the canal opens up and do not freeze again until the next winter.

Our office has the following Lake Mitchell property listed.

This 2-bedroom, 2-bath estate home offers spacious living area, plenty of storage, glassed sunroom, main floor laundry, attached garage with workroom, all on large elevated private site overlooking Lake Mitchell. Major renovations 20 years ago and fresh décor this spring. An outstanding lakefront investment. Brick fireplace, stained six-panel doors and trim, central air, large thermopane windows, basement, 200 amp service, water conditioner. Deep well established site, ample yard and plantings, mature trees, private frontage.

Winter Trails

Isn't winter great? The snow this winter has been terrific for cross country skiing and snowmobiling.
Sunshine and fresh snow - life is fantastic!