No, This Isn’t Heaven

“Scarlet Macaw” (wip)

“No, this is not heaven, it’s Traverse City.” a sign read as we pulled into city limits. It was a bit of a bold statement but within two hours of taking a walk on the marina, meeting some locals and taking a drive on the Peninsula, I discovered just how true it was.

Last week my hubby and I took our last gateway for the year to the more northern part of the lower peninsula of Michigan. I’ve lived here for 30 years now and have never been up north despite the fact that it’s the place majority of residents go when they want to get away. So we made the trip to what I now consider to be Michigan’s “Wine Country” and spent a few days just soaking it all in. It was a lovely trip. The natural scenery was beautiful. The locals were friendly and welcoming. The food was delicious and if you’re into wine, craft brew and cider, Traverse City is definitely a place for you. The vineyards on Old Mission Peninsula are gorgeous retreats for wine tasting and a great place to just relax. Before leaving the Peninsula, Jon and I made our way to the 45th Parallel to see the Old Mission Point Lighthouse where I got this wonderful shot of the lighthouse that just might end up being a reference photo for my next drawing.

Since being back I’ve been stuck a bit in vacation mode so my progress has been somewhat slow on my Scarlet Macaw. It’s taking me some time to get the red as vibrant as I would like but it’s coming along as you can see in the progress shot above. 😌