A new Mackinac Island podcast. A winter weekend in Canada. Greek Month at Rico’s Cafe. Here’s what our editors are loving this month.
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Meagan’s Swooning Over:
Snow In The Soo
Hopes for a white wonderland were tempered as my husband Eric and I headed across the international border into Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, for a weekend getaway. The ground was brown and dry on Friday as we settled into our Airbnb in Goulais River, about a 45-minute drive outside the Soo. But that evening, the flakes started to fall … and fall, and fall. Saturday was a lazy day spent in front of the fire, watching flakes fly, Lake Superior’s moods change and Batchawana Mountain fade in and out of view a few miles to the north. By Sunday, we’d had enough watching—it was time to venture out. We opted for a hike in Robertson Cliffs, taking the 5km loop which slowly ascended, taking us past a waterfall, over several streams and through a snow-crusted boreal forest so white and pristine we both gasped, “Narnia!” Reaching the top, we were rewarded with one awe-inspiring tintype-like panorama after another of the monochromatic, white-gray-on-darker-gray of the surrounding valley and Algoma Highlands. After gorging ourselves on the view, it was time to head back down. That slow ascent? Well, it turned into a rather fast descent, over slippery unbroken snow. I fell. I fell again. I finally sat down on my rear and slid, 10 or 15 feet at a time. Next time I’ll bring crampons and poles—but there will absolutely be a next time.
Photo by Meagan Francis
Photo by Meagan Francis
Photo by Meagan Francis
Cara’s Swooning Over:
Rico’s Monthly Theme Menus
In the depths of gray February, a lemon-kissed menu brightens the North—it’s Greek Month at Rico’s Café in Grawn, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a more delightful specials menu around here.
The beloved local diner rotates different themes each month in winter (Southern food in January, Polish favorites in March) but February’s Greek Month is a fan favorite.
All month long you can tuck into saganaki, spanakopita, gyros and more, but the moussaka is 11/10—freshly sliced eggplant layered with ground lamb and sirloin, herb and red wine tomato sauce, cinnamon and nutmeg all topped with béchamel sauce. Order dishes solo on the lunch menu, or dig in to a three-course Greek dinner for $18.95; save room for the baklava cheesecake.
Allison’s Swooning Over:
The Evermore Floweret
As engagement season comes to a close this week, I find myself reminiscing (more than usual!) about my autumn wedding. Yes, I’ve already waxed poetic about my desserts and flowers, but if you’d allow me one more indulgence … I need to talk about the gorgeous floral preservation work Shawna Mang is doing up in Levering.
We made a lot of decisions filled with intention and sentiment for our wedding, and asking my mom and mother-in-law to grow dahlias for the bouquets and décor—and spending time together U-picking the rest—was one of my favorite details. My mom and I even created “floral pocket squares” for the guys’ suits out of flowers I collected and dried over the summer from the farmer’s market.
So much time and love went into our wedding flowers, that I knew I wanted to preserve them. I was beyond excited when I found resin artist Shawna Mang, owner of The Evermore Floweret in Levering, whose work suspends your flowers in keepsake pieces like bookends, coasters, ornaments, ring holders and more. Shawna makes the process seamless from start to finish: Ship your flowers—she’ll give you thorough packing instructions—or drop them off in person. (If you’re in Northern Michigan, I highly recommend the latter, as it made for a super fun road trip for my husband and I post-wedding.)
Once you approve Shawna’s designs for your pieces (which I just did), you can follow along with her progress on social media, catching behind-the-scenes glimpses of the hard work and care she puts into each piece. Shawna recently posted that it’s time for spring and summer 2024 brides to reserve their spot in her calendar, so if you’re interested at all in preserving your flowers (maybe even a special Valentine’s bouquet!) consider supporting this badass, woman-owned business.
Lissa’s Swooning Over:
Euchre Night!
On winter nights in small towns scattered just above The Mitt’s knuckles, true-blue Northern Michiganders gather in living rooms and taverns for euchre night. For some reason that isn’t clear in any history of the game, euchre has become Northern Michigan’s Official Card Game. If you have nary a speck of Michigan blood in your veins, you may wonder what in the heck that means.
Here’s my definition of ˈyo͞okər/ /nīt/: Camaraderie (spiced with a dash of competition), beer and other spirits, snacks (anything with cream cheese will do) and a stunted deck of cards that begins at the nines. After a player on one of two teams of two calls trump, that team attempts to win three out of five of the tricks played. There’s more, of course—too much for this write-up. But know that the competition can be as fierce or as mellow as the players. Any way you cut it, euchre is a warm spot in a Northern winter. Looking for a public venue to try your euchre chops? There’s a good chance you don’t have to look further than the local tavern (Workshop Brewing in Traverse City, Glen Arbor Wines, Cellar 152 in Elk Rapids). If that doesn’t pan out, type euchre and your nearest town into Google and start counting your cards.
Carly’s Swooning Over:
Mackinac Island Moments Podcast
There’s something so fascinating about life on Mackinac Island—the beauty of it, the remoteness. Many of us have visited in summer, but few know what it’s actually like to spend a year full-time on the island or the realities of winter; it’s a way of life many of us won’t ever experience.
Enter Jason St. Onge. He’s a life-long islander whose family records can be traced back to the early 1800s—his great-great-grandfather was a soldier at Fort Mackinac—and his family’s stories go back much further before records were kept. He’s spent his entire life on Mackinac, except for a few college years, and now he and his wife are raising two kids on the island.
In his new podcast, Mackinac Island Moments, Jason shares first-hand stories about life on the island and is interviewing other locals about their experiences, too. In the inaugural episode, he discusses how Mackinac Island locals actually feel about cruise ships, which have been a point of debate on social media. (Most locals don’t mind them, and in fact, cruise ships have been coming to the island for 170 years.) He also addresses the need for (and responsible use of) snowmobiles on the island and the specialness of winter. I’m hooked.
If you’ve got questions or topic ideas, Jason welcomes your thoughts: mackinacmoments@gmail.com.
Photo by Allison Jarrell Acosta