This month, we have had great experiences right in our back yard and as far north as Cheboygan.

We kicked the beginning of October off by participating in a charity walk for the Michigan Humane Society. There were over 5,000 people in attendance and $50,000 was raised for the event. We saw dogs, big and small, dog owners, big and small, and cat people, unique to themselves. This was held in Detroit at Hart Plaza and offered a unique opportunity to see downtown from a different perspective. Downtown Detroit on the weekend is not the Detroit of stereotypes and of ill-painted images portrayed in the media. It’s peaceful. The hustle and bustle of the work-week is put aside as the city rests. It’s clean. A light rain from the night before seemingly washed away everything and put a light shine on the architecture while freshening up the streets. It brought forth a newness that so many haven’t seen in years as if the city was saying this is who I really am. A light breeze rolled off the River whisking away the steam clouds escaping from the man-hole covers. It was urban delight. The course took us near Campus Martius, Jacoby’s, St. Andrew’s Hall, The Milender Center, Chene Park with the new Riverwalk as the home stretch. A freighter forged its way through the strait destined for a port in Northern Michigan somewhere. Riverwalk is spectacular in design. It’s roomy, clean and friendly. I look forward to taking the full stretch to Belle Isle in the spring.

The following weekend we traveled to Cheboygan to spend time with family and take in the fall colors. The collection of colors was magnificent. Most notably, there was a stretch of God's regal brilliance on display just beyond Gaylord. I figure, this fall cavalcade of earth tones is one of the real reasons why we live here. It's a gift.

In mid-October, Lynn and I celebrated a belated anniversary dinner at Shiraz in Bingham Farms, MI. Shiraz is an upscale eatery, though not pretentious, and is one of the crown jewels of the Matt Prentice Restaurant Group. Shiraz was hosting a Michigan Harvest Feast to be served courses with wine pairings. The menu was thoughtful and diverse. Most importantly, it was extremely well executed. The evening included: smoked whitefish pate, an heirloom tomato salad, Keewenaw Red Jacket battered perch, a duck roulade, chipotle and watermelon BBQ short ribs, and a Macintosh apple tart with a mulled cider shooter. All of the dishes were incredible but the perch was probably my favorite. It was perfectly battered, though not greasy or heavy, served on spicy bitter greens with an adobo tarter sauce. The short ribs were an extremely close second. The wine pairings were from Sonoma and other regions but upon my request, my food was paired with Michigan wines Left Foot Charley pinot blanc 2007 and a Brys cabernet franc 2006. What can I say, I’m a purist and the two selections went very well with the Michigan themed meal. A special thank you to the sommeliers, Madeline Triffon and Paula Touchtone, for being delightfully charming, well versed on their Michigan wines, and of course, patient with me. Kudos to Executive Chef Eric Ward and the entire Matt Prentice Restaurant Group for a great evening.

Apple season was in full swing when we decided to visit a new place for donuts and cider. We went to Diehl's Orchard in Holly, MI. Diehl's is a family farm with well over a dozen apple varieties. Their cider is double filtered so it is nice and smooth which washed the hot and crispy donuts down well. They have a country store that was well stocked with the many products Diehl's offers beyond cider, which is available (frozen) year round. The store also carries a nice variety of other Michigan made products. We purchased a large jar of Barber Family Raw Honey which is from Davisburg, MI. Crowds tell the story of a quality place and Diehl's really packs the people in, especially on fall days when the weather cooperates. Diehl's offers a family friendly experience worth noting and worth revisiting.

This past weekend we were able to attend the Michigan Harvest Beer Festival at Eastern Market. Eastern Market is located between the downtown and midtown areas of Detroit and is east of Wayne State University. Eastern Market is known as the state’s largest and oldest outdoor market. The event was sponsored by the Michigan Brewers Guild. The Guild boasts a membership of over 65 independent brewers from around the state. What an exciting and well organized event! The diverse crowd consisted of about 800 people gathered to drink some world-class malted, hoppy goodness while listening to some incredible local music. An unofficial report noted that 1,500 people or so would enjoy the event through the course of the day. This is my second Guild sponsored event and both times, they have put together a professional, clean, well run, well-organized event. It’s a celebration of liquid art expression and a great way to buy and support local Michigan businesses. We were able to spend a moment and meet our friends from Founders Brewing Company in Grand Rapids as well as our friends at the Arbor Brewing Company in Ann Arbor. Congratulations to the Michigan Brewers Guild for a job well done.