Thursday, July 22, 2004

Michigan has a freakish number of grapes and berries and apples. There were U-pick-it places at the corner of every mile section. Tom lived in the St. Joseph area for several years, so we drove around EVERYWHERE to see what had changed and what hadn't. St. Joe is right on Lake Michigan in southwestern Michigan. The beaches and dunes are very cool, and no salt water!

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Lake Michigan

Today's site of infamy was the Snowflake Motel in Stevensville, Michigan. William Wesley Peters, son-in-law of Frank Lloyd Wright, designed the motel in the style of Wright. Conceived as a resort hotel, The Snowflake, now run as a Villager Lodge, is in a sorry state of disrepair. Unfortunately for those that see it every day, the monstrosity will likely never be torn down due to the fact that it has been named to the National Register of Historic Places. In contrast, the House of David buildings, which truly had historical significance, seem to have all disappeared since the 1980s. They were only a mile or so from the Snowflake site.

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The world-famous Snowflake Motel

In the evening we visited Tom's friends Mike and Connie. To Tom's horror, they pulled out some old photos from the '80s. That's what he gets for introducing me to his buddies!

Continue to Day 7

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