Happy INDIE Holidays

I visited many indie bookstores today in Southwest Michigan as they were gearing up for Small Business Saturday.

The Nature Connection in Kalamazoo

Kalamazoo's indie, Kazoo Books

Great Lakes books at Kazoo Books

 Kalamazoo has chosen 

The Living Great Lakes 

by Jerry Dennis as their Community Read for 2015. 

Great choice!

Great indie in St. Joseph

AND, I was able to visit Lake Michigan 

on this wintery day.  

Snow dunes...

Lake Michigan!

Lake Michigan in motion

Yep. This is my lake.

South Haven's Black River Books

Reader's World in Holland

Support your local indies on Small Business Saturday AND all year long!
All of these stores will take part in the May 2015
 pre-release of my upcoming book.

The Invasive Round Goby

There are many invasive species in our 

Great Lakes. The majority of them were transported here in ballast tanks of ships from freshwater ports all over the world.

One of these recent hitchhikers is the Round Goby native to central Eurasia. They arrived in the 1990s and in less than a decade had spread to four of the five Great Lakes.

Water snakes are loving this fish...for dinner. Since Gobies tend to just sit on the rocks on the bottom of the lake, the clever water snakes sneak up on them and grab them by the head.

They then drag them to land and swallow them whole. I captured this "revenge on invasive Gobies" struggle on Manitoulin Island.

And, no, the Goby doesn't look too happy about it.

Loreen Niewenhuis is an author, adventurer, and Great Lakes speaker. She has completed a trilogy of 1,000-mile adventures exploring the Great Lakes and has written three books about the Great Lakes [A 1,000-Mile Walk on the Beach *a Heartland Indie Bestseller*, A 1,000-Mile Great Lakes Walk *winner of the Great Lakes Great Reads Award*, and A 1,000-Mile Great Lakes Island Adventure]. To learn more about her work, or to book her as a speaker, go to http://LakeTrek.com

Handfuls of Manitoulin Island

While on Manitoulin Island -- the largest island in the Great Lakes basin -- I found many fascinating fossils and stones:

Crinoid and quartz

This last one is a fossilized sponge

Manitoulin Island is the largest island in the 

Great Lakes. This is one of the many islands I explored for my upcoming book.

Video Highlights from my Great Lakes ISLAND Adventure

Here are some highlights from my third 

Great Lakes odyssey exploring the 

islands of our magnificent Great Lakes.

A GRAND Finale

On October 26, over 40 friends and family and followers of my adventures gathered on 

Mackinac Island for the Grand Finale of my 

1000-Mile Great Lakes ISLAND Adventure.

We had a gorgeous day for the hike 

Hiking final miles with Stephanie "Stew" Lyon 

Over 25 people hiked the final miles of this adventure on Mackinac Island.

 I brought along the walking stick carved for me by Bette Hartig of Big Rapids, Michigan. It was an honor to hike the final miles of my final adventure with this custom walking stick.

Hikers ready to head out

Milene, Leslie, Marlene and Theresa stand and wave to the crowd (photo by Shelly Kehrle-Sulser) 

The final steps up to the Grand Hotel (photo by Shelly Kehrle-Sulser)

Giving a short talk before dinner (photo by Shelly Kehrle-Sulser)

Toronto's indie bookstore

Toronto!

As you all know by now, I am a fan of indie bookstores. While in Toronto exploring the Toronto Islands (yes, there are islands there), 
I found Ben McNally Books.

Interior of Ben McNally Books

What a great store! I bought two books on the history and geology of the area.

Window shopping

Stop in next time you're in this Great Lakes city, or check out their website HERE.

Second Anniversary of Great Lakes Walk

Two years ago, I completed my

1,000-Mile Great Lakes Walk 

at Niagara Falls.

The dramatic finish line

The final miles were along the Niagara River 

Many friends and family members hiked these final miles with me

Gorgeous fall hiking!

The enthusiastic hikers!

Now, two years later, I am on the cusp of completing my 

1,000-Mile Great Lakes ISLAND Adventure

on Mackinac Island.

I'll blog about that finale soon!

Toronto Islands

I explored the Toronto Islands 

for my upcoming book. 

These small islands tuck up against Toronto's shoreline and are accessible by ferry.

Map of the Toronto Islands

The view from the islands back at Toronto

View from the ferry

Mature trees give these islands a lush, natural feel

They are a wonderful retreat for Toronto's residents and visitors.

Boardwalk along the Lake Ontario side of the island

Plaza and fountain on one of the islands

The ferry

Learn more HERE.

Green Door B&B, Brockville, ON

While on my Great Lakes Adventures, I've 

brought you glimpses of some of the special inns and historic B&Bs where I've stayed.

In the town of Brockville, Ontario, I came across one of the most ambitious building transformations I have ever seen.

The Green Door B&B used to be a church, the Pentecostal Tabernacle, built in 1929. 

Lynne and Peter Meleg purchased the empty building in 2005 and undertook a bold renovation. They detail the transformation of the building on their website HERE.

Entry to the Green Door B&B

Lynne & Peter in the brilliant kitchen

There are four rooms with private baths at the B&B and two apartments in the building that used to be used for Sunday School.

Dining area for gourmet breakfasts

Breakfasts at the inn were amazing. 

Here are some of their specialties:

Eggs Benedict, Green Door style. Mouth-watering!

Lemon ricotta pancakes drizzled with raspberry-maple coulis. Heavenly!

Asian-inspired poached eggs. A vegetarian delight!

Citrus French toast with berries, mint and warmed maple syrup. Yummy!

Gathering area -- check out those windows!

The renovation preserved much of the large, open spaces in the building and the windows....

the windows!

The space is bathed in natural light.

Gorgeous detail in the floor

This is the perfect place to stay while exploring historic Brockville and the Thousand Island region of the St. Lawrence River.

Private bath in my room

I had the "boathouse room", and, yes, this was my private window

Promotional consideration given.