tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25273621380035830482024-02-06T23:29:31.137-05:00Discover St. JosephJasiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561520746304048996noreply@blogger.comBlogger103125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527362138003583048.post-81559194146715020362013-02-23T16:52:00.000-05:002013-02-23T16:52:54.172-05:00Chicago Skyline From St Joseph, MichiganOver the last few years I've been told repeatedly that "when the atmospheric conditions are just right you can see Chicago from St Joseph". I've looked and I've looked but until a few months ago I've not had much luck. I thought I saw industrial smoke rising from smokestacks a few time but no discernible downtown buildings. Since last fall I've seen bits of the Chicago skyline from St Jasiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561520746304048996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527362138003583048.post-52947997203902421072013-01-23T17:04:00.000-05:002013-01-23T17:04:21.167-05:00SHOOT!There are two great public locations in St Joseph devoted to the arts, the Krasl Art Center (which I've mentioned numerous times on this blog) and the Box Factory for the Arts. We've been to the Box Factory several times now and I'm at a loss to explain why I haven't written about it before. But, evidently I haven't.
The Box Factory is currently hosting an exhibit that has me all excited. Jasiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561520746304048996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527362138003583048.post-54215025061116515642012-06-16T15:13:00.000-04:002012-06-16T15:13:15.124-04:00Our New Favorite RestaurantWho likes to eat? raise your hand. Good. I see many raised hands out there! Well, here's a special treat for you, a 4.5 star restaurant review. :-) I'm not a food critic, we all know that. But I like to eat and I like to appreciate the dining experience, whether it's a picnic on a beach or fine dining at an upscale eatery. Today's review is for the later, an upscale eatery.
This is the club Jasiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561520746304048996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527362138003583048.post-79679280318780633742012-06-11T20:31:00.001-04:002012-06-11T20:31:15.446-04:00White Water FunIt's not like you need to search for water fun outside of St Joseph. After all, St Joseph has 3 beaches on Lake Michigan within the city limits. And it has the Whirlpool Fountain for those who are so inclined. And of course you can learn to surf and kite board at the Third Coast Surf Shop. And let's not forget that you can rent a kayak at Outpost Sports and play in Lake Michigan's waves. So thereJasiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561520746304048996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527362138003583048.post-23890429501257133792012-05-25T17:58:00.000-04:002012-05-25T17:58:54.545-04:00Beach, Golf, Parade... Memorial Day Weekend 2012
It's as if the lake is poised and waiting for the sunbathers, sailboaters, and swimmers. Memorial Day weekend is the traditional beginning of the summer season and the time when everyone's thoughts turn to the beach. We have one of the best, here in St Joseph. It was bare of beach goers this morning but then it is just Friday and many are still at work waiting for the weekend to begin. The Jasiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561520746304048996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527362138003583048.post-65962773011304980512011-11-27T05:07:00.000-05:002011-11-27T05:07:00.176-05:00Small Business Saturday, The Christmas TreePretty much everyone has heard of Black Friday. And many people have heard of Cyber Monday. But "Small Business Saturday" is a new retail campaign that's just getting started. I'm a big fan of Small Business Saturday because I believe in buying local and supporting the Michigan economy. So yesterday, the Saturday after Thanksgiving, I went shopping. Locally.
I'd been meaning to get out to see Jasiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561520746304048996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527362138003583048.post-51297966452443233712011-11-26T06:15:00.001-05:002011-11-26T07:52:15.424-05:00RyeBelles of St JosephLast evening D and I had the pleasure of dining at St Joseph's newest restaurant, RyeBelles. It opened last week and this is the first opportunity we had to check it out. RyeBelles is located at 518 Broad Street, on the 2nd level just above Bloomies and Cabanas.
You enter here and can take the stairs or the elevator to the second floor. RyeBelles is on the right and the Cassava Restaurant is Jasiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561520746304048996noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527362138003583048.post-80647295311869995682011-11-15T12:50:00.001-05:002011-11-15T13:55:47.770-05:00We Have a Candlestick Maker in St JoeSt Joseph has a butcher, a baker, and as of April 2011 they have a Candlestick Maker too. We have none other than owner and operator, Judi Benninghoff to thank for that.
The Candlestick Maker shop is located at 408 State Street in downtown St Joseph, across the street from St Joseph Today. There is street parking available in front of the store or you can park in a free parking lot just a few Jasiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561520746304048996noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527362138003583048.post-75487045462401709222011-10-14T05:00:00.000-04:002011-10-14T05:00:03.997-04:00The Butterfly HouseThe Sarett Nature Center has a butterfly house on their grounds. It's open late summer and into the fall.
I have only been to one other butterfly house (and that a long time ago in a shopping mall) so I didn't know what to expect.
It turns out, this butterfly house is much larger than the one I was to previously.
And it has lots more types of butterflies too! We weren't able to see all ofJasiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561520746304048996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527362138003583048.post-62685853394969010782011-10-13T11:42:00.000-04:002011-10-13T11:42:29.164-04:00Sarett Nature CenterThere is a fall color show going on all throughout southwest Michigan these days. I'm always on the lookout for great pics of fall colors so D and I headed over to the Sarett Nature Center with that goal in mind.
This was our first trip to Sarett so we began with a stop at the main building to pay our admission fee ($6/person including admission to the butterfly house) and get a map.
There Jasiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561520746304048996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527362138003583048.post-4892260456089766582011-10-01T18:43:00.000-04:002011-10-01T18:43:01.931-04:00Goodbye Venetian Festival
I'm sad to think that I've attended the last of St Joseph's Venetian Festivals. The festival organizers have decided to call it quits after a survey of St Joseph residents and shop owners indicated they were not in favor of the city continuing financial support of the event.
I wish I understood what this was about. All the comments I've read (in local newspapers and online) were rather vague Jasiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561520746304048996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527362138003583048.post-6404558841762409102011-08-20T18:30:00.000-04:002011-08-20T18:30:54.970-04:00Quite Possibly the Best Bowl of Soup in TownI really enjoy being surprised by how good a restaurant is. Sadly, it doesn't happen all that often. But it happened to me today!
It was cloudy and rainy much of this day and D and I were in search of a good bowl of homemade soup. I've tried the soups at various restaurants around town and honestly, I've mostly been disappointed. I'm not a big fan of reconstituted soups and that seems to be whatJasiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561520746304048996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527362138003583048.post-49926488171417919792011-08-16T15:13:00.000-04:002011-08-16T15:13:32.903-04:00Concours on the BluffEach year, the Krasl Art Center hosts the Concours on the Bluff as one of it's fundraisers. The event is held in mid August and it draws quite a crowd. Any and all car enthusiasts will enjoy this event. There are automobiles on display from every decade.
It cost $5/person or $10/family to get in to the Concours event which is held at Lake Bluff Park across the street from the Krasl.
There are Jasiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561520746304048996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527362138003583048.post-58830861565446180682011-07-04T22:24:00.016-04:002011-07-05T19:46:06.747-04:00How To Enjoy a Long Holiday Weekend in St Joseph (Day 4)Day Four
Today's breakfast was at the lake, but not at the beach. I'll treat you to a different view of beautiful Lake Michigan this time. This is the view from Lookout Park along Red Arrow Highway.
I really should do a panorama view from this park one of these days. But until then, here's another view. The fish must have been biting in the area because you can see several groups of Jasiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561520746304048996noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527362138003583048.post-6887694900219448252011-07-03T23:34:00.007-04:002011-07-05T19:47:11.690-04:00How To Enjoy a Long Holiday Weekend in St Joseph (Day 3)Day Three
No breakfast at the lake this morning. Instead we headed to Benton Harbor for breakfast at Sophia's House of Pancakes (just off I-94 at the Pipestone Rd exit). This place has the best breakfasts around. The portions are generous, the prices are reasonable, and the food is fantastic!
After breakfast we headed back to St Joseph for the Antiques on the Bluff. This flea market is Jasiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561520746304048996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527362138003583048.post-64007543483279052702011-07-02T22:48:00.002-04:002011-07-05T19:47:56.686-04:00How To Enjoy a Long Holiday Weekend in St Joseph (Day 2)Day Two
What a difference a day makes. The sun was shining this morning and people were heading out to the beach early. The forecast was for 90 degrees and sunny.
But summer means more than great beaches in Southwest Michigan. It means lots and lots of fantastic fresh produce as well. Southwest Michigan is known as the "fruit belt" of Michigan for good reason. There are orchards and farms all Jasiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561520746304048996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527362138003583048.post-59969837586209583832011-07-01T22:39:00.019-04:002011-07-05T19:48:40.456-04:00How To Enjoy a Long Holiday Weekend in St Joseph (Day 1)Day One
As luck would have it, the first day of our long Fourth of July weekend was a rainy day. Not a problem. There's plenty to do indoors and outdoors in the area.
We started our day with breakfast by the lake. Yes, it was raining. Lightening too. But we didn't mind. We stopped at a local McDonald's and got a carryout breakfast (I love their oatmeal) then we drove to Lion's Park Beach. This Jasiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561520746304048996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527362138003583048.post-58541191458186685522011-05-13T15:53:00.004-04:002011-06-02T21:42:38.522-04:00In Search of BlossomsSpring in southwest Michigan is arguably the prettiest of all seasons. The acres upon acres of orchards make for a colorful and fragrant landscape. The other day, D and I took a drive out Coloma way in search of some fruit tree blossoms to photograph. If I were a more serious photographer I might have taken the time to research what blossoms would be available to photograph then but I'm not and IJasiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561520746304048996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527362138003583048.post-29983738033243537942011-04-04T20:15:00.000-04:002011-04-04T20:15:51.604-04:00Spring Has Arrived in St Joe!After a long, cold, winter with barely anytime spent in St Joe, I was happy to see evidence of spring all around me when I visited the city this past weekend. The first thing I noticed is that the Dairy Korner is open for the season. Yeah! We had to stop for a ice cream cone, of course. Yum!
And I noticed there were boats on the lake and fishermen on the pier.
All the ice shelves were gone Jasiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561520746304048996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527362138003583048.post-53733126543210990192010-07-18T00:32:00.001-04:002010-07-18T00:32:19.203-04:00VenFest, FireworksOne of the lighted boats docked right by us (D, C, R, & I) making a nice foreground for our fireworks shots. :-) It was a lovely hot summer night in St Joe! The chocolate brownie sundae we got from Coldstone Creamery at the festival was just the thing to help cool us down. What fun! Published with Blogger-droid v1.4.7Jasiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561520746304048996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527362138003583048.post-17665744973556916872010-07-17T22:20:00.001-04:002010-07-17T22:20:49.477-04:00VenFest, Lighted Boat ParadeThis is the one likely to win. Beautiful! Published with Blogger-droid v1.4.7Jasiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561520746304048996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527362138003583048.post-17330076797781847272010-07-17T21:28:00.001-04:002010-07-17T21:28:48.653-04:00VenFest SunsetBlogging to you live from VenFest. Sun is setting and the lighted boat parade will be starting soon. Published with Blogger-droid v1.4.7Jasiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561520746304048996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527362138003583048.post-60375751415655469432010-07-17T09:04:00.000-04:002010-07-17T09:04:44.292-04:002010 Venetian Festival in St JosephIt's that time again! The biggest festival of the year is being held in St Joseph this weekend. And what a weekend it is! The weather is just wonderful... hot and sunny, perfect for a beach town. There's no rain in the forecast except for a chance of a shower Sunday afternoon or evening. So if you're thinking about coming to the VenFest, do it, and don't give a second thought to the weather!
D, Jasiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561520746304048996noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527362138003583048.post-46247113183218299542010-07-10T23:29:00.002-04:002010-07-11T00:21:16.227-04:00Krasl Art Fair 2010Today was the first of the two days of the 2010 Krasl Art Fair in St. Joseph. While it was a pleasant pool and beach day, it was uncomfortably warm up on the bluff where the art fair was held. However, that didn't diminish the crowds!
D, L, Jo & I had breakfast at Thornton's, which had a line out the door waiting for a table, and then we made our way over to the Krasl about 10:30 am. We Jasiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561520746304048996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527362138003583048.post-35614564539161280722010-07-03T16:21:00.001-04:002010-07-03T16:21:16.881-04:00At the BeachAnother glorious beach day! The sand is very hot on the feet so bring your thongs. The sky is cloudless so don't forget the sunscreen. The water is cool and refreshing... what are you waiting for? Come on down! Published with Blogger-droid v1.3.9Jasiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02561520746304048996noreply@blogger.com0