Recently, Steve and ME took a Saturday drive up Red Arrow Highway and landed in South Haven Michigan. It is a favorite place to travel on a Saturday and is host to a couple favorite hang outs. The first stop was at
Black River Books. This quaint "Mom and Pop" book store is not only Steve's favorite place to go for a quiet unencumbered stroll down cozy aisles but, it is a favorite of mine because, of the owners. They take the time to talk with you. We matter what is going on, they take the time. Immediately there was a greeting by the owner Pam Haferman. Having noticed a few months back that I was on crutches after having seen me in there many times without any physical maladies, she stopped me to share her distress over the fact that I am still reliant upon my crutches. Pam and Dick make it a special place to go. We could go to closer book stores, but, they are just not the same. It is that cozy "third" place much like
ArtSeesDiner.
(One of the beautiful aspects of South Haven is how user-friendly it is. Public Parking, clean accessible public restrooms, uncluttered streets, clean, friendly and an abundance of variety!)
Steve and I arrived with high hopes of pizza at our favorite pizza place, Venezia Pizza in South Haven, but a stop off at
The Casual Chef Cafe for Bagels and Lox left us a little on the full side. I highly recommend stopping at the Cafe, the wait staff was a breath of fresh air and the bagel and lox was definitely to our liking!
The wisest thing to do was to try to walk around a bit and enjoy our time in South Haven. Since walking is still a struggle for me,(the use of crutches is not real conducive for our usual foot traffic!) it is nice to be in a place like South Haven, everything is in close proximity, and there are many places to stop and rest if necessary. It is a little crowded so, even this Grandma, (MeMe) found the number of oversized strollers a bit of a pain, but, that is not to be avoided. There are many unique shops up and down the main streets in South Haven. Something for everyone!
I quite enjoyed one shop in particular,
"12 Corners Winery" Tasting Room. I just had to stop in and enjoy a little wine tasting. Steve took off to explore the lake and left to me to enjoy the atmosphere and sensory experience that 12 Corners provided. My wine tasting experience was a relaxing one. Often times when you go to a tasting room, you are inundated with questions, often times, rushed, and well, it can be a bit annoying. This experience was far from that. I carefully chose my 5 wines after paying my $5. I had the pleasure of being served by Annette. She was "winederful!" I am not typically drawn to sweet wines, and avoid fruity ones, but, "Cherry Wine" got my interest. My father made cherry wine when we were kids. Cherries picked right off of our cherry tree. Not only did he make his special cherry wine, but, he made us kids cherry cider. Sweet, wonderful cherry cider. Well, this particular cherry wine was wonderful. I was suddenly sitting on the picnic table in my back yard on a summer day. While I did not necessarily want to indulge in an entire bottle for myself, I did want my sisters to enjoy what I had just experienced. So, I did buy a special bottle as a gift for my younger sister Marissa.
A little later we did settle for nachos and chicken wings in the place of heavy pizza. Steve while on his walk spied a platter of nachos which called him by name. There was no turning his head towards anything else! He was right, the nachos were in fact amazing.
York's Landing won Steve's heart!
It was a fun relaxing day filled with gastronomical satisfaction. We ended the day with a feeling like our being in South Haven mattered. Our return home was quickly filled with preparation for our radio show featuring James Riordan author of
"The Coming of the Walrus." 
(One of the beautiful aspects of South Haven is how user-friendly it is. Public Parking, clean accessible public restrooms, uncluttered streets, clean, friendly and an abundance of variety!)
Steve and I arrived with high hopes of pizza at our favorite pizza place, Venezia Pizza in South Haven, but a stop off at The Casual Chef Cafe for Bagels and Lox left us a little on the full side. I highly recommend stopping at the Cafe, the wait staff was a breath of fresh air and the bagel and lox was definitely to our liking!
The wisest thing to do was to try to walk around a bit and enjoy our time in South Haven. Since walking is still a struggle for me,(the use of crutches is not real conducive for our usual foot traffic!) it is nice to be in a place like South Haven, everything is in close proximity, and there are many places to stop and rest if necessary. It is a little crowded so, even this Grandma, (MeMe) found the number of oversized strollers a bit of a pain, but, that is not to be avoided. There are many unique shops up and down the main streets in South Haven. Something for everyone!
I quite enjoyed one shop in particular, "12 Corners Winery" Tasting Room. I just had to stop in and enjoy a little wine tasting. Steve took off to explore the lake and left to me to enjoy the atmosphere and sensory experience that 12 Corners provided. My wine tasting experience was a relaxing one. Often times when you go to a tasting room, you are inundated with questions, often times, rushed, and well, it can be a bit annoying. This experience was far from that. I carefully chose my 5 wines after paying my $5. I had the pleasure of being served by Annette. She was "winederful!" I am not typically drawn to sweet wines, and avoid fruity ones, but, "Cherry Wine" got my interest. My father made cherry wine when we were kids. Cherries picked right off of our cherry tree. Not only did he make his special cherry wine, but, he made us kids cherry cider. Sweet, wonderful cherry cider. Well, this particular cherry wine was wonderful. I was suddenly sitting on the picnic table in my back yard on a summer day. While I did not necessarily want to indulge in an entire bottle for myself, I did want my sisters to enjoy what I had just experienced. So, I did buy a special bottle as a gift for my younger sister Marissa.
A little later we did settle for nachos and chicken wings in the place of heavy pizza. Steve while on his walk spied a platter of nachos which called him by name. There was no turning his head towards anything else! He was right, the nachos were in fact amazing. York's Landing won Steve's heart!
It was a fun relaxing day filled with gastronomical satisfaction. We ended the day with a feeling like our being in South Haven mattered. Our return home was quickly filled with preparation for our radio show featuring James Riordan author of "The Coming of the Walrus." 
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