Little River Casino Resort and RV Park, Manistee, Michigan
For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. II Chronicles 16:9
First off, I have a few things from yesterday. I just didn’t want to add our ‘silly stuff’ after the 9/11 remembrance. It was a “down day”. For me, that meant packing up the laptop and the laundry and heading to the office building. They have a really nice seating area there with small tables, etc. And free, fast wifi. Although I finished the laundry, I wasn’t able to get as much done on the blog as I’d hoped. Too busy being social with people coming in and out, and one couple sitting beside me. 😊
And about halfway through, Blaine was thoughtful enough to bring me a snack and some water!
When I got back home, he had washed the dishes, the outside windows and most of the inside windows and swept the screens! All before lunchtime! And this is what he considers a “down day”. 😊
Looks like we’re Spring cleaning, doesn’t it? : )
BST’s for lunch (that’s Bacon, Salad and Tomato), because we had remnants from a bag of salad to use up.
Afterwards, I continued my work on the blog outside. Blaine came out and almost stepped on a snake!
I didn’t even know it was there – just past the end of the picnic table, but then again, it was pretty small – about the length of Blaine’s foot. Maybe a young’un? So what kind is it? Definitely not a garter. Blaine jokingly said rattler (probably not) and then as I was studying it, it flatted its head, so he said, “Cobra!”. Hmmm… Again, probably not. He went back inside and I watched it slither along the concrete pad, flinching when a bug touched it (which was pretty funny!) until it disappeared into the grass and sand.
The plan was to have leftovers for dinner today, so since there was no cooking involved, we headed to the pool before dinner, only to discover it was pretty crowded.
Early dinner.
After dinner we returned, and the inside area was empty, until . . .
Santa showed up and took the hot tub. I don’t sit in a hot tub with family, or friends, so I’m certainly not sitting in one with a perfect stranger! Not even Santa. I’m sure many of you think I’m weird, but I just can’t. Maybe because it reminds me of a bathtub. I suppose if it were Olympic pool sized, I’d consider it, but an 8’x10’ tub just isn’t enough space for me!
Eventually, he left, and we had the place to ourselves. 😊
I could get used to this . . .
And now for 9/12:
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR SON, KYLE AND HIS NEW WIFE, SHENA!!
They ‘eloped’ to Georgia with their kids (Kade and Harper) and married there. We couldn’t be happier for them!
There’s a place here in Manistee called a Weir. Not we’re, whir. We chose to visit because we’d never seen a place like this before, and unfortunately, we were a couple of weeks early to see it in operation. The signs I took pictures of will explain it better than I can.
I just liked the pictures of the kids with their ‘giant’ salmon! : )
That’s the fish ladder – – we think . . .
Obviously, these guys think there’s fish here . . .
We looked and looked and looked in this water and couldn’t find anything.
Suddenly, something moved up by the dam!
They were all hiding in plain sight!
All those black things? Those are all salmon!
The description we read about also mentioned a very large 10-year-old, active eagle nest.
We found it – on the other side of the river – so we couldn’t get close, and trees were kinda in the way, but we did what we could and experimented taking pictures through the binoculars again. 😊
The pictures don’t do it justice, but – (I say that a lot don’t I?)
There it is!
Up in the tall pine!
Without binoculars . . . .
With binoculars . . . .
We even learned how to zoom in AND use the binoculars!
Trust me. This thing was absolutely massive! No birds though. : (
A look back up the river to the dam.
Also on our list was a look at the Historic Manistee Library. The outside looks great! But much of the inside has been through some modernization. That said, there was still some original wood hanging around.
Rose bushes outside. Nice!
So. About this picture.
See the wooden door at the end?
Notice the pocket door in the foreground?
This is the women’s restroom. You walk in from the busy library through the door at the end and it’s just open to the toilet!
You have to close the pocket door for privacy.
Can’t say I’ve ever done that before!
I have no information on this building.
But it’s being renovated . . .
It was a breezy day today, and Blaine had the perfect spot picked out to fly his kite! He’s not done that for quite a while, and I was happy to help out and observe. With this kite, he prefers a bit stiffer wind to have a really good time, but he did well. And since it was a kinder wind, he insisted I try it out. I think this may have been my first time. It was fun. Not as fun as driving a buggy in the sand . . . but fun. 😊
We think that’s a dredger.
Here we are again . . .
Third time and each time it looks different!
I waited here, while Blaine went to get the Jeep and park it closer to the fly area.
There he is.
Time to get to work. I help launch it, or pick it up if it falls down.
Touch down!
It’s not easy to do that . . . and keep it flying. Especially in low wind.
Blaine fought for air space with a large brown seagull.
After satiating its curiosity, it took off. : )
On our way out, this was just too gorgeous to pass up!
We’d worked up an appetite and headed for the #1 restaurant in Manistee. Do you remember what it is?
TJ’s Pub. Along the way, we discovered the Manistee Fountain, listed in the Destination Sites section of the self-guided tour book.
This unique fountain once graced the lawns of the former Manistee County Courthouse in the City of Manistee.
Shortly after the courthouse was complete in 1878, two identical fountains were placed on the grounds where they continued to add decorative flair until a fire destroyed the building in February 1950.
One fountain remained in the city and was later vandalized while the other was given for use in the Onekama Village Park where it remains today.
We were surprised to see that TJ’s is a pretty small place in the ‘basement’ of the Ramsdell Hotel.
I was a bit surprised to learn that the pub is relatively new – around 2000.
The special today:
Three Little Piggies
Ham, bacon and pulled pork with BBQ sauce and cheddar on a pretzel bun.
Yummy!
As we were leaving, we noticed the door to the hotel said, “Open”, so we went in.
Whoa! What a place! And well preserved! It was like a mini museum! So glad we stopped!
Stunning as you walk in!
Here’s a bit of history:
It was built in 1891 for a cost of approximately $30,000 – $40,000, to house the First National Bank.
It was falling into disrepair until 2000 when a philanthropist stepped forward to take on the massive project to restore the entire building and transform it into the quaint 10-room inn and lower-level commercial space – currently T. J.’s Pub. Restored to its original glory, the upper two floors of the Ramsdell Building each consist of five rooms with corner suites featuring magnificent views of downtown and the river.
The main level bank lobby has been transformed to a reception and special events/meeting space. The original bank vault is still in tact for exploration.
This vault fascinated me!
I couldn’t find any information on it though . . .
Look how even the inside of the door – that no one would ever see – is decorated!
You just don’t see that kind of craftsmanship anymore. : (
A safe within the safe!
The gears are behind glass, so there’s a reflection.
Original tile on the walls. Beautiful! I couldn’t find anything on the painting either.
Original marble and granite, and tile floor.
A couple more pictures of some buildings that are described in the Visitor Center self-guided tour, and we were done taking pictures for the day.
Quick peek at the River Walk and bridge – just because it’s such a beautiful day!
This is the Winkler & Barry Block, built in 1894.
A local newspaper at the time wrote, “the pride of that end of the street”, and many locals today still view this building as one of the River Street’s most unique structures.
I took a picture of this because I remembered reading about a building called “The Briny” in the book.
However, this looks nothing like the picture, so I don’t know what this is. The description of the real building is below this picture. I thought the history interesting enough to post.
Because Manistee was said to be one of the major salt manufacturers in the United States, the Briny Inn became an offshoot of that industry. Originally used as a bathhouse, the Briny Inn offered mineral baths, from the brine substance pumped up from area salt wells, that were thought to relieve arthritis, rheumatism, and other illnesses. Opening in 1904, the bathhouses quickly became a popular attraction for visitors and residents alike. Three years later the building became a hotel and significant alterations to the original building took place, including the addition of a third story.
In February 1917, fire broke out in the boiler room eventually engulfing the entire building in flames. When teh owners chose not to rebuild, the local Board of Commerce worked together with the owners of the Cooper Underwear Company to purchase the property and construct a building to use as a factory. Additionally, the building was built to match the former Briny Inn.
After Cooper Underwear discontinued local production in 1928, the building was sold in a public auction for $1 to the Board of Commerce. In 1932 the Manistee Shoe Manufacturing Company purchased the property for back taxes and operated inside until 1959. The building later became a warehouse for Ex-Cello-O Manufacturing Services and was renovated in the mid-1990s.
I wish I’d taken my phone with us when we visited the pool area again this evening, so I could show you how much fun my young-at-heart husband has. 😊