Up North Blog

April 7, 2023 -- Wednesday was as whirly of a weather day as Northern Michigan has had in a long time. We woke in the morning to an alarm clock of thunder and rain thick as sheets. I walked Sonny later that morning through a water-soaked world where every branch and bush glistened with water drops. The swamp between our house and Lake Michigan was deep and searching for a willing place to drain. Its searching had the intensity of current under the slippery wooden walkway.

When I got to Lake Michigan, the bay was swollen and mounded. I watched as waves appeared out of nowhere to tumble off themselves onto shore. The lake had an electrified greenish glow—maybe from a lightning strike or just from all that magnetic rainfall dropping its energy with every splash. Sonny was loving it all and happily drinking freshwater again after spitting out half of the salty Atlantic this past week down in St. Augustine.

Around noon, another storm crashed against us with wind and rain and thunder. It rumbled over Little Traverse Lake about as long and noisily as a 300-car freight train. And then, like the four-mile Union Pacific, that noisy house-shaking storm passed into silence.

I headed to meetings as the temperature rose to 60 with humidity as high as the tropics. It was strange to feel such warm dense humidity in early April. I was at work, and one of my VPs and I had our first outdoor meeting of the year leaning against my pickup truck in front of HQ. From that humid hour of sun, the winds snapped on like giant car wash dryers and within minutes everything in the north was dry.  And then the air cooled as winter got back in the action. I went to bed that night with a full moon so bright and high overhead it had nearly the entire surface of Little Traverse Lake reflecting it. I didn’t catch what all that reflection meant till morning, when I saw the ice was gone.

On some rare days, and this Wednesday was certainly one of them, you just let go and let this whirly weather be the center of our attention.

March 31, 2023 -- If St. Augustine has been anything, it has been relaxing. After a busy winter up north, we needed some sweet southern idle time. And so, we’ve slept in till the encroaching sun has turned our rooms into ovens, and layed out to feel the cool ocean breezes battle the warm midday sun on the surface of our winter-pale Michigan skin.

Of course, our Greater Swiss Mountain Dog has been the opposite. When Hawthorn and I took Sonny to the beach for his first dip in the Atlantic, we laughed as he spit out his first sip of the ocean. Then he tried a different wave, and a spot over here and a spot over there. All yucky salt to his disbelief. Florida has been new and fun for him. Time after time, we watch him lift his super smeller of a nose as he identifies a new scent in the air and chases after it.

Through most of our stay here in this historic area, our three-year-old has felt and acted like a guest and been on his best behavior. But as he’s been here longer, his young-buck antics are rising up. Coming up from the beach last night with me, he literally disappeared in the dark through a prison system of fences and gates to chase pythons or alligators, I don’t know what. I searched the beach twice to see if he circled back to harass a nesting seagull we noticed earlier. But no, on his own, he reappeared a half hour later, huffing and puffing and happy as ever.  

One way or another, we are all getting what we want on this excellent Florida vacation.

March 23, 2023 -- March and April are the months Northern Michigan travels. We’ve been on a bike trip, a ski trip, and tonight Colebrook, Hawthorn, Sonny and I drive south to meet Steph down in St. Augustine, FL, for a swimming trip. Coming out of the pandemic, our family has no natural rhythm to our traveling. And in some ways, the world seems to push against all this motion by the five of us.

On our trip to Cleveland to go indoor mountain biking, we hit a snow storm that jammed many of the off ramps with stuck cars and trucks and narrowed the freeways to a narrow line of traffic. I was irritated with how slow the line was going so I went around them all on the left. “Dad, you just passed a police car,” exclaimed Hawthorn! On our way back, we drove over a deep pothole. A few minutes later Colebrook said, “What’s that helicopter sound?” It was a left-front flat tire.

Maybe flying will be easier, I wondered, as we drove to the airport for a flight to visit my nephew Sam for skiing at Jackson Hole. Minutes later we learned of delays and changes that left us in airports most of the first day. Some of this is OK, as I relaxed and read a book about the Anishinaabe’s role in the boundaries of the USA. On the way back after some fantastic spring skiing, we dealt with lost luggage and came home to a power outage, which made our house feel like we were still traveling.  

I wonder what’s in store for us on this innocent trip to Florida.

March 2023 -- It is March 15 and this mild winter still has a firm grip on the north. It’s certainly March and we are seeing more sun and the days are longer, but the lakes and land and beach are still frozen. And over these last days, even with lots of sun, snow dominates the landscape. Hardpack drifts stretch from the hills into the fields, and the gentle snowfall that fell in a sunny glow over the last few days has left even the barest spots dusted with white.

Hawthorn and I skied the deep hardpack most hidden from the sun on Monday night. On top of this crust was several inches of powder which made for effortless skiing. We roamed the back edges of giant fields and zigzagged around junipers and white birch. We crossed two roads and skied by abandoned camps and Bohemian farms. Some smooth S turns took us downhill to the truck and home.

I woke up early, early on Wednesday morning. The red moon was over Little Traverse Lake and it left a wide reflection on the water that stopped at the ice. I went outside to take a photo and noticed the stars, the silence, the stillness. My bare body certainly felt the cold and frost and snow. I didn’t feel it at first, it was subtle, but as I gently laid back in bed alongside Steph, I noticed something deeper in the silence of the house. A cozy warm message that all’s right with the world.

March 10, 2023 -- When I came home from work last night, Colebrook and Hawthorn were loaded up with their skis standing in the driveway. I barely got my truck into park before the boys were piling equipment into the bed. While I went inside for skis, the boys waited in my truck for a drive to Crystal Mountain. As I loaded my skis, Hawthorn forgot something and went inside. He was gone for a long time. Then he came out and said, “Sonny hasn’t had a walk today.”

Hawthorn’s words started a long conversation between us. Nightfall was coming. We unloaded the equipment and Sonny jumped in. He was over-the-moon happy to be with us. We took our three-year-old Swissy to the beach north of Good Harbor Road and clipped him to our longest leash. The wind was howling in our faces so we hiked behind the protected shore dunes.

The three of us zigzagged with no trail to follow. We walked by swaying white pine and white birch and through frozen snow drifts mixed with sand. We were bunched together in conversation. Darkness was settling in as the wind was settling down. “This is great,” Hawthorn admitted. “When I went back inside the house to grab my ski pass, Sonny was so sad. And look how happy he is now.” Look how happy we all are, I hummed to myself.

This Deviled Eggs recipe is easy to make, incredibly delicious and is a total crowd pleaser! A creamy, tangy filling is the key to the best deviled eggs and this recipe certainly delivers! 

Celebrate spring with these easy Easter cupcakes. White cupcakes topped with a True Cherry Buttercream, these are treats no-bunny will be able to resist.

We don't feel alone in saying that Spring is one of the best times of the year. Fresh cherry blossoms budding from cherry trees, the smell of spring in the air, and the warmer temperatures that beg you to stay outside a little longer. It makes us happy just thinking about it.

It also makes us happy thinking about these True Cherry Cupcakes. If you want a cupcake that people will go crazy for, all you need is some True Cherry Preserves and white cake mix. They also look so pretty on your Easter Brunch table.

What You Need To Make These Cupcakes

These cupcakes are simple and delicious! Below are the ingredients you will need to make these cupcakes.

• Your favorite white cake mix. You can also do homemade if you prefer!
• Unsalted Butter
• Confectioners Sugar
• Heavy Cream
• Cherry Republic True Cherry Preserves
• Vanilla Extract

How To Make True Cherry Cupcakes

Grab a box of your favorite white cake mix from the store and follow the directions on that back for cupcakes. Once baked, set to the side and let cool.

Get started on your True Cherry Buttercream by creaming your butter in a bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Beat in your confectioners' sugar gradually until light and fluffy.

Next, beat in your heavy cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, until frosting reaches spreading or piping consistency. Mix in True Cherry Preserves and vanilla extract. Place the frosting into a piping bag and frost your cupcakes how you desire.

We put together a blog on how to set our Easter Table. You will find tips and recommendations as well as other cherry recipes perfect for spring and Easter!

As spring starts to settle and Easter comes closer, many people honor this time of the year by hosting brunch for family and friends. Decorating, cooking, and baking for Easter brunch is one way to make the holiday more memorable. It can be as simple as adding flowers, bunnies, and cherries to your table.

Set The Table

For your Easter brunch decor, dress the table with soft, spring hues to match the season. Select a main color then decorate with either a monochromatic or complementing palette. We chose a light blue with touches of pink. Make sure that your floral arrangements and tableware reflect that color scheme as well.

Make Your Table A Buffet Style

A buffet style table makes your brunch elegant and special. Use the same color palette as your dining table and play around with different heights to create symmetry. Your centerpiece can either be a vase full of tulips or a multi-tiered dessert stand filled with our True Cherry Cupcakes.

What To Make For Easter Brunch?

We love brunch around The Republic, so we knew we had to share some Easter table worthy recipes with you all. To make your Cherry Easter Brunch table, visit one of our six retail stores or https://www.cherryrepublic.com to grab the following items: a bottle of Liberty Sparkling Cherry Wine, Little Village Vanilla Cherry Coffee, Cherry BBQ Spice Rub, Great Hall Smooth Cherry Mustard, Cherry Scone Mix, and True Cherry Preserves. Links to the recipes and everything you need are below:

• Cherry Deviled Eggs
• True Cherry Cupcakes
• Cherry Scones

What Is A Good Time To Serve Easter Brunch?

Easter brunch usually starts between 9 and 10 am. We suggest setting it up as a self-serve buffet so guests can freely take whatever food they like or make it a sit-down meal so you can have more time to catch up with loved ones.

On Saturday morning Hawthorn and I went backcountry skiing and we parked where the snow plow stops his route on Basch road. I wanted this to go perfectly for Hawthorn so I took him to a steep, long forgotten cow pasture where the trees are slowly taking over. It’s gorgeous. It’s wind protected. And it has four inches of fresh powder.

Hawthorn is new to these delicate old style turns and together, we carve S’s in the fresh powder. I give him space and watch him improve. I see him looking around and taking this picturesque valley in. I head to some tough runs and he follows and knocks them out. I can’t be any happier.

As we are climbing a hill, my 15-year-old says, “Dad,I feel the ski industry over emphasizes ski lifts, race gates and terrain parks. This is all we need to really enjoy skiing. It’s like less is more.”  He’s feeding my soul even more than this spot of wilderness is.

He follows me down a final run. A really tough run. As I brush through some thick red pines, it opens up. I yell in celebration for the perfect turns ahead. Not only for the few turns here but for the decades ahead with my new backcountry buddy.

This year's AM session winners were The Chili Crusaders, a/k/a Jake Phipps, a junior at Grand Haven Area Public Schools, and Dejah Pico, a senior at West Ottawa Public Schools.

Yesterday, I met Doug Bishop for lunch, my lawyer of 25 years, who retired a few years ago. And of course, he mentioned my mother’s recent death. And since we were at lunch, we really had a chance to tell funny stories about my Mom, whom he too, had always connected with. That sharing with Doug carried happily through my day and into a chat with Steph about missing my Mom’s humor most.

Getting all these swell cards from customers, several of them also mentioned how much they enjoyed the lightheartedness of Mary. Mary didn’t take Cherry Republic very seriously. Our customers saw it plain as day. And Mary made it fun for everyone – especially me. I received a card from a Lynne Hall, from Holland. In it, she wrote, Bob, Your Mother, Mary, has helped us on several visits. One time, you came up to her and put your arm around her shoulder and asked us how she was doing “because sometimes she’s such a slacker”! :) Your banter together was precious.

It’s afternoon now, and the snow and slippery sleet is still coming down strong. Maybe it was a little safer to keep the kids off the roads for a day after all. And nothing wrong with giving them more time with their mothers.

February 16, 2023 -- We had several days of perfect sun starting Sunday. In the afternoon, I stripped down to just some shorts and sat out in a protected nook on our porch. Steph had taken Hawthorn to a ski race and Colebrook was at an SAT test prep class. I was supposed to be readying the house for a small Super Bowl gathering, but instead I felt the sun rays penetrate into my winter-white skin while reading a new book about the local northern Michigan Ojibwa who changed the course of our American history.

It was just as beautiful on Monday, but I didn’t get a chance to enjoy the sun. That night I cranked up the sauna and Steph and I sat in the steamy heat. She wasn’t feeling 100%, so she called it quits after the first session. I walked down our dock alone, stepped into the water with ice surrounding me and plunged. I held for a good 10 seconds and then, I blasted up the ladder and I stood on the icy wood planks enjoying the five alarm adrenaline running through my body as it sends my core heat to warm my frozen skin.

Something about a cold dip stretches out a moment in time and intensifies the senses. I felt the ice with its bluish glow. I felt the soft eyes of silent onlookers in the woods. But mostly, I felt the stars — each of the brilliant orbs sending me a morsel of power or magic or medicine. Certainly, one of those stars was my Momma, and her starlight hugged me with comfort.