My husband and I have lived in Traverse City for forty-four days. Since my husband, LaVail’s, retirement four years ago and mine, eighteen months ago, we have lived in four houses. They say that retirement and moving are two of the most stressful times in a person’s life. We can attest to that. In short, after four moves we have settled into a migratory pattern of winters in Tampa Bay and the rest of the year in northern Michigan. In the past year, we have moved from a five-bedroom farm house in Mecosta County to a two bedroom condo in Traverse City; from a community where the street light disappeared decades ago and where the bar even closed for lack of interest, to a town where you could go out to eat every day for a month and not visit every establishment.
As an anthropologist (to be expounded upon in later blogs), aspiring novelist (ditto) and wogger (walk-jogger–also to be discussed when I recover from the Bay Shore 10K), Traverse City has always beckoned me. I have always wanted to live in a community where I could walk almost anywhere; where there exist independent bookstores and theaters, and unique restaurants; a farmers’ market and a beach (on the same street), and access to other writers and activities. The icing on the cake is that our daughter, her husband and two children also live here.
We have moved further away from our two sons who reside in Grand Rapids, and we regret that, but the move to Traverse City appeals greatly to me. My husband, whose grandparents homesteaded the Chippewa Lake farm, has been less enthused about leaving his roots behind (more on that later, I am sure).
In our forty-four days in TC, we have begun to volunteer at the local movie theaters, eaten in a variety of those aforementioned eating establishments, and run in local races. I ran with my daughter in the G1Ft Mother’s Day 5k and the Bay Shore 10K, and LaVail ran with our daughter in the Bay Shore Half-Marathon. I have attended one Michigan Writers event, and we have both worked on our son-in-law’s hops farm. The only downside is that we have been so busy I have not spent significant time working on the revisions of my mystery novel (more later).
I would love to learn more about what to do in TC. We are looking forward to warmer weather, and lots of activities. It is time to go outdoors and perhaps walk the beach on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.
Cindy Hull 