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Toast the Season
Leelanau wineries toast the season
By Sarah Harmon
EW Emma’s Writings
Leelanau Peninsula, MI-Between family gatherings, shopping, holiday baking, this time of year can get extremely hectic. However, the first two weekends of November, the wineries of the Leelanau Peninsula have the perfect antidote for all that holiday stress. Toast the Season features tastings and pairings at 25 wineries throughout the area and showcases the incredible diversity among reds, whites, rose, and cherry wine, not to mention hard cider, all made in the same region. At $50 per person or $75 per couple, you can hardly afford not to embrace your inner sommelier. Tickets also include a bag with a Toast the Season glass to be used for sampling wines, a Christmas ornament, and other goodies.
Even on a dreary, wintery day, it’s impossible not to be charmed by the panoramic views of the hills, lakes, and fields of grapevines in picturesque Northern Michigan, though when it comes to aesthetic appeal, Aurora Cellars was one of the most unique.
The exterior beckons you to imagine that you are no longer outside Traverse City, but rather have been transported to a centuries old Tuscan villa. In addition to delicious wines, Aurora rents its facilities for weddings and other events. Of the dozen wineries I experienced over the weekend, one of the best whites had to be Blustone Vineyards two time gold medal winning Reisling. While most vineyards are known only for red or white, Blustone has both award winning Reisling and Pinot Noir. For lovers of rose, 45 North, named for the line of latitude on which it sits, has a delightful Rose of Cabernet Franc that is sweet and fruity while still maintaining an elegant sophistication.
As for reds and cherry wine, my personal favorite was Black Star Farms. Their Artisan Red has the richness of a red with the sweetness of a white so that lovers of both colors of wine can be satisfied. The Vinter’s Select is also excellent if you prefer something a bit more dry, and a cup of their hot mulled cherry wine is perfect on a chilly day. Black Star also doubles as a charming inn. For the eco-conscious wine lover, Good Neighbor features organic wines and ciders. Possibly their most unique offering were the coffee and chai flavored hard ciders. Sparkling wine lovers can’t go wrong with L Mawby/M Lawrence. Their tasting room has a fun, almost rock and roll feel to it that matches well with the creative names and luscious tastes available there.
Since not everyone is a wine connoisseur, many of the wineries offer a range of hard cider options as well. Verterra Winery’s apple pie flavored cider is just the thing for the adults’ table at Thanksgiving dinner. The notes of cinnamon and sugar are the perfect complement to turkey and stuffing. If you prefer something a bit more dry, Tandem Ciders is the place to be. Their ciders are vaguely reminiscent of what one could find in Normandy, France as opposed to the light sweetness of many of the other hard ciders available in the area. While you can get bottles of Tandem Cider in stores around Michigan, It is most definitely worth stopping in for a visit. In addition to the regularly available ciders, you can buy a custom blend of any or all of the options on tap.
Wine and cider loving Michiganders, forget flying out to the Napa Valley for tastings; you need go no further than your own backyard to Toast the Season at the spectacular Leelanau Peninsula.
Copyright (c) 2014 All rights reserved Emma Blogs LLC
Christmas through Lowell
Historic Bowens Mills
Bowens Mills presents Civil War weekend
By Sarah Harmon
EW Emma’s Writings
One hundred fifty years ago, life was much simpler. There was no television, no Internet, and the only kind of Apple you could buy in stores grew on a tree.
Visitors to Historic Bowens Mills on the last weekend of October are able to feel as if they’ve been transported back in time to experience what life was like during the Civil War era.
Children can sit in the antique desks in the oldest one room school in Barry County to be taught about American history by eighty-four year old Virginia Alles, dressed as Abraham Lincoln. Alles enjoys giving pennies to young visitors, telling them it’s a picture of her.
One of the highlights of the weekend for her this year was meeting a couple of descendants of actual Confederate soldiers. Next to the school-house, Dave Rowgo makes hairpins and honey dippers on a wood lathe fashioned from a 1920’s toy woodworking set and the treadle of an old Singer sewing machine.
Ladies spin wool into yarn and weave cloth outside the tiny Plank House where families lived as long ago as the 1840’s. Elizabeth Barker shows chemistry in action by making soaps in a variety of scents in the Bowens House, and music lovers can’t resist a stop to hear the live bluegrass in the Trading Post.
If you play an instrument, you can even join in! A couple of the best demonstrations in the village are the mills themselves. Fresh, sweet apple cider has been made on the press here since soldiers were going off to fight the real Johnny Reb instead of just reenactors. The delicious results of the press can be bought by the glass or by the gallon. A cup of their hot cider with a homemade doughnut is the perfect thing for a cool fall day.
As delightful as all the other diversions are, the highlight of the weekend is by far the battle. The Third Michigan Federal troops go up against Confederate forces from Virginia and North Carolina across the field, taking shelter behind trees and fences. They try to change the battle slightly each year for repeat visitors; the North may win one day while the South come out victors the next.
For true history buffs, the fact the Third Michigan uses a cannon whose barrel and fittings were made in 1861 and was actually used throughout the Civil War is especially exciting. From the homespun crafts to live combat, Bowens Mills’ Civil War Weekend can’t be beat for an old-fashioned good time.
Copyright (c) 2014 All rights reserved Emma Blogs LLC
Holiday stories
Holiday season and stories
By Emma Palova
EW Emma’s Writings
Lowell, MI- ‘Tis the season to be merry, and to shop merrily. After all the wedding turmoil, I find it hard to immerse myself into the holiday spirit or to go back to a full writing, design and marketing schedule.
With a full house, for the last 17 days, I had to steal time to write about the International Wedding and to post other writers’ stories like Sarah Harmon’s Pumpkin 5K run.
But, on the flip side, I found out that I would not be able to live without writing. There is so much value in the written word. Writing is such a powerful tool not only to express oneself, share information, facts and communication, but it is also a means of escaping the real world.
Call it a reprieve, if you will. It helps organize thoughts and different experiences.
Christmas through Lowell attracts hundreds
Our EW team plans to cover Christmas activities throughout the area such as the 23rd Christmas through Lowell from Nov. 14 through Nov. 16. The tour is one of my favorites as people open their decorated homes to the public and offer Christmas gifts and nick knacks, along with cookies and cider. The tour features more than 50 houses, businesses and organizations from Alto, Lowell to Vergennes Township. More than 300 vendors will be offering their crafts and arts.
The Christmas tour attracts people from all over Michigan.
There are still locations willing to add more vendors such as the Red Barn Market, Riveredge Gathering Place and B&B, Grand Volute Ballrooms and many more. For a complete list go to www.christmasthroughlowell.org
New vendors are Gless Board, Lowell Women of the Moose, Our House to your House, Small Town Sentiment, Riveredge B&B and Red Barn Market.
You will find delightful treasures, jewelry, Christmas decorations, folk ad fine art, antiques, repurposed treasures, primitives and garden art, beeswax candles and home-made candles, crocheted and knitted crafts, purses, bags and totes, home-made rugs and quilts.
The Lowell Area Historical Museum also opens its doors beautifully decorated for Christmas.
The Christmas tour attracts people from all over Michigan.
We will also cover the Santa Parade and all related activities.
Copyright © 2014 All Rights Reserved Emma Blogs LLC
International wedding
International wedding brings huge success, creates memories
By EMMA PALOVA
EW Emma’s Writings
Wabasis Lake Park, MI- On a beautiful last Saturday in October, Jake Pala and Maranda Ruegsegger became husband and wife.
They got married in the historical Saint Patrick Church in Parnell, Michigan. As the sun rays passed through the colored windows, the sun beams spread all over the altar, the floor, on reverend Mark Peacock and the bride and the groom. Peacock in the homily talked about love, relationships and the importance of wholesome families.
“That is a beautiful church, I was married there,” wrote Jeana Schwacha on facebook. “It looks like it hasn’t changed much.”
Anthony Amelia, brother of the bride, read the wedding classic reading on love 1 Corinthians 12 : 31.
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no records of wrongs,” resonated through the church.
The bride’s colors were purple, beige and lavender which carried over to corsages, ties and sashes. The bride, the matron of honor Jessica Kraima and the groom’s sister Emma Chavent wore the ever-popular bustier strapless dresses. The bride’s wedding gown had a long train that dropped down several steps from the altar. The best man was Pala’s longtime friend Ken Kline. The French flower girl was Ella Chavent, 4.
It was a picture perfect afternoon with degrees in mid to upper 60s Fahrenheit.
Just a few miles northeast of the church, overlooking Wabasis Lake covered with autumn golden carpet, sits the park lodge which was the place for the reception.
The scenery for the wedding featured blue skies and blue waters of the Wabasis Lake. The lodge has a large fireplace and it was decked out for a grand wedding celebration. French doors and windows span the entire northern and southern walls. It seats approximately 130 to 140 people.
“It will be rustic chic,” said the bride Maranda Ruegsegger in a previous interview for E Brides & Fashion blog.
The tables were decorated with stumps that served as bases for large vases with candles floating in them.
“Grandpa Tom made the stumps for me,” Maranda glowed.
As Mr. Pala and Mrs. Palova entered the lodge, they got a standing ovation from the crowd.
The song “When a man loves a woman” settled into everyone’s heart as the husband and wife danced the first dance. Turning and swirling to the catching melody, the couple danced passionately and skillfully.
The buffet dinner included chicken marsala, roast beef, mashed potatoes, salad and more.
“The food was delicious,” I kept hearing comments.
A separate dessert station was set up by the fireplace. Wedding baker Jarmila Karmaskova of CJ Aunt Jarmilka’s Desserts set up the three-tier wedding cake on a stump. The cake was topped off with pine cones in the spirit of the rustic theme.
“The desserts are very good,” said friend Jean Jeltema. “Bring me some of that cake log.”
CJ spent three days baking the wedding cake, cake logs and traditional Czech kolache. Karmaskova baked well into the wee hours of the wedding day.
“I was kind of scared out there,” she confessed later.
She and her two sons George & Paul flew 6,000 miles to get here for the wedding.
The wines featured Fenn Valley’s sweeter Lakeshore white and red Capriccio, French Vouvray chardonnay, Rodney Strong chardonnay and Spanish Sangre de Toro red and Sangria. The bar also offered plum brandy, pear brandy and Becherovka herbal liqueur.
“Everybody liked that,” said father of the bride Dan Ruegsegger at the tailgate party on Sunday.
No Czech celebration is complete without beer. Since it is the month of the Octoberfest, the groom ordered Samuel Adams Boston Lager and Ichabad pumpkin ale.
The international selection of wines and brandy reflected the international spirit of the wedding. Mr. Jakub Pala was born in former Czechoslovakia and Mrs. Maranda Palova, born Ruegsegger, is American. The groom’s sister Chavent is Czech, but her husband and children are French.
The difference in the names Pala – Palova lies in the gender and the grammar. All females in Slavic languages after marriage take on the man’s name, but because of the grammar rules, the last name is modified by adding either –ova to the end or –a to the end.
For example the famous Czech tennis player Martina Navratilova, a man would be Martin Navratil or Ivanka Trumpova, the man is Donald Trump.
And my dad Vaclav Konecny fills in the Spanish gap as a big fan of the Spanish language.
During the wedding, my parents Ella & Vaclav Konecny received a blessing for their 55th anniversary and danced the longest on the dance floor. They had the greatest longevity of marriage of all the couples present.
Groom’s sister Emma Chavent made the wedding video accompanied by a great selection of music including Queen. It covered the groom’s childhood all the way to marriage.
The dance floor was busy until the closing. The DJ was accommodating also to requests for slow dancing music.
So Mr. & Mrs. Palova danced the night away under the bright stars.
Welcome Mrs. Palova to the family.
Copyright © 2014 All rights reserved Emma Blogs LLC
Wedding baking
Morning glory muffins
New eyes with Dr. Verdier IV
The Grand Finale delivers 20/20 vision
Note: This is the fourth installment in the mini-series called “New eyes with Dr. Verdier” about cataracts and eye surgeries. It rightfully carries the bold title, “The Grand Finale.”
The series tracks Emma Palova’s journey from near blindness to new eyes with 20/20 vision. The third part “The Surgery” was published on Oct. 1.
The second part “The evaluation of cataracts” was published on Sept. 13.
The first part “Eyes set on Dr. Verdier” was published on EW Emma’s Writings http://emmapalova.com on Sept. 6.
The Grand Finale
By Emma Palova
EW Emma’s Writings
Grand Rapids, MI- I went into the second surgery even more scared than the first eye because I already knew what was going to happen.
“Each eye is different,” I remembered the anesthesiologist saying.
Dr. David Verdier previously informed me that he was going to adjust the lens for the left eye so it won’t see as far into the distance, but more close-up. That way the two eyes don’t fight, and the result should be a perfect 20/20 vision.
The fear from the surgery caused my blood pressure and pulse to skyrocket. I was sweating in spite of the fact that it was cold in the operating room. I had trouble dozing off under the local anesthesia.
I could feel the work done on the left eye and yellow balls and circles were dancing in front of me. I got a perforated shield on the left eye as well to protect the eye for seven days after the surgery.
When I was hauled into the post-operating stall, I could see my husband as clear as the night sky. Very sharp.
I was again the youngest person on the operating premises. Certain type of cataracts strike “younger” people, and unlike the regular cataracts they move very fast causing deterioration of the eyesight.
“It’s like a dirty windshield,” said Dr. Nathan Schlotthauer during the initial evaluation. “New layers keep adding on to it.”
At the height of the cataract ordeal that started two years ago, I could not see myself in the mirror or drive.
Resting in the post-operational stall, I was glad it was all over.
Dr. Verdier entered the stall, “It went very well.”
Next day’s check-up proved my 20/20 vision, and the technician was just as excited as I was.
“You won’t need eyeglasses,” he said.
I got the last schedule for eye drops that would run through Sept. 19. The medication schedule called for the tapering of prednisolone eye drops. Prednisolone eye drops reduce redness, burning and swelling.
As the AcrySof IQ lens implant adjusted in the eyeball, I could see orange circles on the periphery. Sometimes there was tension in both eyes, but the vision remained beyond expectations.
“You see like a hawk now,” said my husband Ludek.
The last appointment at the Verdier Eye Center was on Aug.22. The first evaluation was on July 11.
“You look great,” concluded Dr. Verdier after recording the case. “You have new eyes. We’re very pleased. You were an excellent patient to have.”
“I am ecstatic doctor,” I cried with joy. “I am a new woman.”
In two weeks I saw my referring eye doctor Dr. Holser back in Lowell, who confirmed the 20/20 vision.
“You probably will never need eyeglasses,” he said. “Dr. Verdier is the best. He is worth waiting for.”
For more information go to: www.verdiereyecenter.com
East Paris Surgical Center, LLC http://eastparis-surgicalcenter.com
A few facts about cataracts according to American Academy of Ophthalmology:
In a normal eye, light focuses precisely on the retina.
In an eye with a cataract, light scatters throughout the eye instead of focusing precisely on the retina causing cloudy vision.
Common symptoms of cataracts are: a painless blurring of vision, glare or sensitivity, poor night vision, double vision in one eye, needing brighter light to read, fading or yellowing of colors.
Most age-related cataracts progress gradually over a period of years, and may be different even between the two eyes.
Other cataracts in younger people may progress rapidly over a short time.
Surgery is the only way a cataract may be removed. However, if symptoms are not bothering you much, surgery may not be needed. Sometimes a simple change in eyeglass prescription may be helpful.
No medications, dietary supplements or exercises have been shown to prevent or cure cataracts.
Cataract surgeries:
More than 1.8 million people have cataract surgery each year in the United States. More than 95 percent of those surgeries are performed without complications.
During cataract surgery, which is usually performed under local or topical anesthesia as an outpatient procedure, the surgeon removes the cloudy lens from the eye. In most cases, the focusing power of the natural lens is restored by replacing it with a permanent intraocular lens implant.
The ophthalmologist performs the delicate surgery using a microscope, miniature instruments and other modern technology.
In many people who have cataract surgery, the natural capsule that supports the intraocular lens may become cloudy over time. I f this occurs, the surgeon may perform an outpatient laser procedure called capsulotomy.
For more information go to: www.aao.org
Copyright © 2014 All rights reserved Emma Blogs LLC
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