Discover St. Joseph

I've taken quite a hiatus from writing on this blog, haven't I? I guess that's the winter doldrums for you. I haven't stopped having fun in St. Joseph, I just haven't been motivated to write about it. D and I have mostly been spending this month working on our condo. It actually feels good to be working on projects again (more so for me than for D ;-) And with all the grey, gloomy skies we've been having, indoor projects are just the thing to focus on until we see the sun and the mild temperatures beckon us outside once again. But enough about the winter greys. The big news in St Joseph this month has been the much anticipated grand opening of the Silver Beach Carousel and the Curious Kid's Discovery Zone . There was a New Year's Eve gala at the Shadowland Ballroom (also housed with the carousel and the museum) for those who were inclined to fork out the big bucks for a fancy evening. There was a time when D and I would have been one of those couples...

One of the things I've enjoyed most about having a place in St. Joseph has been the opportunity to explore other nearby areas. On Sunday, December 6, we took a drive to the town of Buchanan. Buchanan is about 25 miles south of St. Joseph and it took us just over a half hour to get there. Buchanan is a charming little town that appears to be going through something of a renaissance. D and I learned this as we strolled through the stores and chatted with some of the store owners. But I'm getting ahead of myself here. First off, we came into town hungry hoping to find some good eats. There aren't a lot of restaurants in downtown Buchanan. We only found one open on a Sunday afternoon and that was Marsooz Pub and Eatery. To our delight, the food was cooked to order and it was really tasty! I had the ground round steak. YUM! After lunch we wandered through town stopping in at the couple of stores that were open. Our first stop was Front . It's a home decor and accessories sho...

The Christmas/New Year holiday season in St. Joseph was wonderful. I didn't get a chance to write about it simply because I was too busy experiencing it. I left off writing about the lovely "Light Up the Bluff" display so I have to go back to that same weekend to share what came next. Saturday, December 5th was a day for the dogs. It was brutally cold, windy, and snowy. The day started out with "Bark for Breakfast", a fundraiser for a local animal shelter and rescue organization. The breakfast was held at the Silver Beach Hotel which itself was festively decorated for the season. This breakfast wasn't just any old breakfast though. It was extra special fun because dogs were welcome too! There was a breakfast buffet for people and a separate table for dog treats. Santa-Dog was there for anyone who wanted to get their pet's picture taken... Around the edges of the room were a few caged cats up for adoption and an area of hand-crafted pet accessories and tr...