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A Review by Ted and Gabi Blacklidge

or Ted and Gabi's Most Excellent Adventure

Well, if you missed this year’s SPRING UP TO TRAVERSE CITY, you really missed out.  Some of us went a day early - there is a casino up there – not that it did me any good.  Oh, yes, and golf courses, shopping, boating, sandy beaches, scenic drives, wineries, etc. etc. etc.  Some of us came later, but approximately fifty of us met at the Clinch Park Marina at noon on Saturday.  Our convivial hosts, the Weises, Howards and Knolls, convoyed us off to lunch at the Boathouse Restaurant on Old Mission Peninsula, where we caught up with old friends and made new ones while enjoying the spectacular view of the bay and the boats.

Our next “mission” was to run the Picture Rally – and we followed a delightful route through the countryside, past lakes and through cute little towns (luckily one of which had a nice gas station restroom!), looking for building landmarks and answering questions to match the photographs we were given.  When Ted and I eventually figured out they weren’t in order, it calmed our sense of panic since we found the third one first!!

Once the rally was over, we had a little free time for shopping before we met again at the Saylor Park grounds for a delightful cookout presided over by Chef Dave Howard.  We were provided gourmet appetizers, dinner and dessert, served on a picnic table with tablecloth and flowers, serenaded by a fabulous jazz band from the local high school.  Oh, and did I mention the gorgeous weather and beautiful sunset over the water visible through the pines?  Honestly, it couldn’t have been nicer. 

There is always plenty to do in Traverse City.  Shopping, walking on the beach, shopping, gambling, shopping, the Spa at Grand Traverse Resort, shopping, wine tasting, and shopping! 

A big THANK YOU to the Weises, Howards and Knolls for their efforts in organizing this delightful event and, if you weren’t there, so sorry - - but consider it for next year!