Great Lakes Crossing in Auburn Hills

Michigan's largest outlet mall is Great Lakes Crossing off of I-75 in Auburn Hills.  14 years old now, she is an uncontested beauty. It has different areas sectioned off as "wards" and a huge food court and play areas for children.  It's all on one floor and a continuous loop that is 1 mile around. With 180 stores, lots of restaurants and an AMC 25 screen movie theatre, it promises fun for everyone.

Sander's Hot Fudge

In metro Detroit, Sander's hot fudge cream puff sundaes reign supreme and are big all year round when you consider their logo, "Always time for ice cream". They are located also on Mackinac Island, seasonally, but if you want one today, go to one of their stores in Clinton Township, Birmingham, Eastpointe, Grosse Pointe, Livonia, Novi or Rochester.

Bloomer Park in Rochester Hills

All year round, Bloomer Park in Rochester Hills is a favorite for hikers, bikers, sledding, and letting out energies on the playgrounds. Built in 1924, it was a state park until 18 years ago, when the city took over.  Our beloved dogs on leashes are permitted. At 200+ acres, it is pretty huge and awesome for a city park. They also have Michigan's only velodrome which we featured here.

St Petka in Troy

St Petka is a gorgeous Serbian Orthodox Church adjacent to Troy Athens High School in the city of Troy. The building whose cornerstone was laid in 2003 immediately attracts attention with its multi-domed structure reaching the heigth of 70 feet. It is a gathering place for the people from the Serbian village of Vratranica, near the Bulgarian border. The founding father of St Petka, Stevan Petrovich, passed away earlier this year.  His grandson, Kristijan Petrovich, currently serves as the parish priest.

Happy Halloween in Royal Oak

If we were to nominate a home for best Halloween decorations, it would have to be the one in Royal Oak on Hampton. It is animated and lit with corpses popping out of caskets, a gigantic spider dropping from a tree, a frightful electrocution, a huge human-like bat creature zooming down from above, a fenced in graveyard, a castle and a guillotine.  Not for small children or the faint of heart, but all in fun, it's totally ghoulish.

Rochester Train Depot

We had the wonderful privilege of taking downtown Rochester's walking tour, led by Rod Wilson. He carries a binder with him to show you what the seemingly modern buildings used to look like --as in the photo above.  This historic train depot was built in the 1800's. Now beautifully restored, it is the home of a gift boutique called Catching Fireflies. It is packed full of delightful things and one can pass a lot of time here. Kudos to the Rochester-Avon Historical Society for all you do.

The Kresge Foundation Headquarters in Troy

The Kresge Headquarters in Troy has been certified green by LEEDS. They have incorporated into their master plan, the 1852 farmhouse that sits on their property and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The blend of the old with the new is startling.  Planted all around two wetland areas are grasses and flowers native to our state that are drought resistant and need no watering. It's a beautiful site to behold with a butterfly garden, abundant wildlife and a green roof--all on 3 acres of land at Big Beaver and Coolidge. We learned about it through Troy's Annual Garden Walk last week which featured the Kresge HQ as one of their 9 gardens to view.

Peace, Love and Mom in Clarkston

Happy Mother's Day to all! Today we would like moms and their entourages to know that there was a special bike ride up in Clarkston called the Back 40 Challenge. The Flying Rhino Cycling Club organized this event in some beautiful scenic areas encompassing Oakland County.  There was even a gently sloping 8 mile ride for families and beginners.  The more challenging routes consisted of 14, 24 and 48 miles for those super fit mamacitas. The sponsors offered a sag wagon if you broke down or got tired, snacks and a commemorative t-shirt called Peace, Love and Mom! Don't you love it? Riders left at any time after 7:30 and the sag wagons were out until 3pm.  Get out and enjoy our beautiful state. Organized rides by various clubs occur every weekend.