Boardman River Nature Center

I brought my son to the Boardman River Nature Center in Traverse City yesterday so he could work on his Boy Scout Tracking Merit Badge.  Before all you former Boy Scouts chime in that there is no such thing... I have to tell you it is a merit badge only offered in 2010 in honor of the 100th Birthday of the Boy Scouts.  There are about 5 or 6 decommissioned merit badges that were brought back this year.  If the scout does not finish the work this year he will be out of luck.

So anyway, my son needs to find tracks of wild animals and take photos of various types of animals for this merit badge.

Usually around my house I am always seeing animals.  Deers jump out in front of my car, wild turkey roam the nearby fields, there is grouse around and I even saw a black bear last month while down in Interlochen.

As soon as he starts this merit badge it is like all the animals disappear from around my house.  When we want to see them they go into hiding.

Eventually I decided to bring him to the Boardman River Nature Center in the hopes to see some animal tracks.

We were not disappointed.  We hiked down the trails along the Boardman River and also the Sabin Pond.  We found all types of animal tracks.  Of course everytime we see a huge track he says "I think that is a bear, lets see if we can track it."  I am like, "Ummm... no I don't think so."  I am pretty sure what he saw was the tracks of a large dog.  It was in a boggy area so it was very distorted and unfortunately we could not get a good photo of it.

The Boardman River Nature Center has great trails with some fantastic views.  If you are looking to connect to nature I would highly suggest a visit.  Also, during the summer and spring break they host various nature classes for the kids.

For more information on the Boardman Nature Center go to:  www.gtcd.org/nature-center/

Fun at Camp Greilick, Boy Scout Camp

This weekend my son attended the Camp Greilick WEBELOS Adventure Camp.  WEBELOS are Cub Scouts but they are the upper ranks of Cub Scouts and will soon pass over to Boy Scouts.  Because they are older boys they are allowed to do activities that are not age appropriate for the younger cub scouts.

Therefore my son was able to do fun activities like work in a blacksmith shop where they heated up metal and pounded them into functioning spoons.  My son was also able to climb the the rock tower.

There were all kinds of fun activities to include Geo-Caching, art classes, first aid courses, swimming, geology classes, outdoorsman classes, just to name a few. 

We were supposed to have heavy rain that weekend, but we experienced fairly good weather.

The scouts have all types of great opportunities for boys.  The council that covers the Traverse City area is the Scenic Trails Council.  If you have a son interested in joining the scouts you can find more information at the local council website:  http://www.stcbsa.org/main/portal.php 

Lot for sale at the end of Brakel Point

This is a lot that I have listed for sale on Brakel Point.  I was really happy with the way the photo came out.  You can learn more about it at www.realestateone.com/1710402

This photo is sunset over Silver Lake in Traverse City.

(Real Estate One, 511 E. Front St. TC)

Flowers along the shoreline

I was just taking photos of flowers around Traverse City.

Images from Hull Park in Traverse City

Recently I was in Hull Park In Traverse City and decided to take a few photos since it was such a beautiful day.  Hull Park is right behind the public library.

3 Br home near a lot of state land

I just listed a great home in the country.  It is about 5 miles from downtown Interlochen and would be great for anybody looking for property near state land.  The home is in great shape, has a 2+ car garage and a paved driveway.  For more information go to:   www.realestateone.com/1717042


There is a ton of wildlife in the area.  The neighborhood is peaceful and quiet.  It is a great place to live.


Donna Sweeney
Real Estate One
511 E. Front St.
Traverse City, MI
DonnaSweeney@RealEstateOne.com
 

Learning how to sail at the Traverse Area Community Sailing Center

My boys are learning how to sail at the Traverse Area Community Sailing Center located on the Boardman Lake in Traverse City.

I cannot say enough good things about this non-profit organization.  The cost of instruction is incredibly reasonable.  I calculated the cost of my son's two week course equates to under $6 per hour.

You can check out the various programs available at the school at the following link:
http://www.tacsailing.com/

The counselors are extremely patient and very knowledgeable about sailing.

The only drawback is now my sons want me to purchase their own sail boat.

National Cherry Festival 2010

I hope everybody was able to get out this week and attend the National Cherry Festival.  For those new to the area the Cherry Festival is Traverse City's premier event.  This year it is from 3-10 July. 

This weekend the US Navy Blue Angels thrilled everybody with their aerial acrobatics.  Later you could listen to music at the Bay Side music stage or watch a cherry pit spitting contest.

There is a little of everything for everybody at the festival.  Childrens' events, car shows, arts and crafts fairs, bake sales, the Midway, and even a beer tent for the adults.

For more information on the festival go to:  http://www.cherryfestival.org/events/everything.php

Fife Lake--The Best 4th In the North!

This 4th of July my son and I went to see the fireworks at Fife Lake, Michigan.  They did a great job as usual.  I think this is the 4th year in a row that we have attended the Independence Day celebration at Fife Lake.  The locals like it because they do not have to fight the traffic to Traverse City and the fireworks display is truly impressive.

Of course, my favorite place is the Fife Lake Dairy Bar.  That place has the BEST soft serve ice cream and they have a couple dozen great flavors. 

Fife Lake is an all-sports lake just off US-131 and about 30 minutes southeast of Traverse City.  It has a nice sandy beach and a public boat launch. 

I have a couple properties listed out in the Fife Lake area: www.realestateone.com/1709331  and also www.realestateone.com/1707985 .

Moody Blues Concert at Interlochen Center for the Arts

On 26 June 2010 I went to my first Moody Blues concert.  It was great.  I was shocked to realize that the drummer was 69 years old.  He joked that now when he says "Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll" the "Sex Drugs" now refers to Viagra.

They are a true classic band and I am glad to have finally been able to see them. 

The concert was at the Interlochen Center for the Arts which is an amazing place.  It has a great covered outdoor stage set in front beautiful Green Lake.

For those who are not familiar with the area the Interlochen Center for the Arts is home to the Interlochen Arts Academy which is one of the nation's top fine arts boarding school for High School students.  There is the Interlochen College of Creative Arts which has adult classes, there is the Interlochen Arts Camp where there is a great fine arts summer program for grades 3 to 12th.  The Center teaches art, dance, motion picture arts, music, theater, creative writing and so much more.  For more information on the center go to www.interlochen.org.