Eating Well in Houghton Lake

Day 84

I moved to Houghton Lake form Warren in April of 2005 and since then I have gained 70 lbs. It's the restaurants in this area.

Down state there are plenty of glitzy restaurants and not so glitzy eating establishments. Here in Houghton Lake we have a lot less glitz and a whole lot of family style dining. And that means good hot food and plenty of it.

One of my favorites is Garrett's Restaurant on M-55 next to the new Little Caesars. They make the best ham and cheese omelet in the area. On Thursdays they make a Grilled Club Sandwich with Fries direct from heaven. I haven't tried their Chicken N Biscuits yet, but I will. I saw another diner eating this one day and I have to wait until it's on the daily special menu again.

The best Biscuits and Gravy goes to Shaker's Restaurant also on M-55. The gravy has a noticeable amount of course black pepper so if you don't like pepper it's probably not for you. They have a House Salad made with a salad dressing that comes from an old family recipe. Fabulous.

I haven't had a pizza from Buccilli's yet but it's on my list. The parking lot is always full. G's Pizza near Walmart is also reputed to be very good.

Even the fast food restaurants here give you more. I really enjoy Arby's Beef & Cheddar. The last time I had one down state was in Warren. The cheese sauce on this was smaller than the pickle on a McDonalds cheeseburger. I had a Beef & Cheddar here in Houghton Lake and there was so much cheese sauce it was all over the wrapper.

There are several more excellent restaurant's here and I could spend the day writing about them but I won't. You'll just have to find out for yourself which is your favorite. Enjoy.

Until tomorrow,

Ken

Fortune and Glory Easy If You Know Where To Look!

Day 83

I finally received my copy of Fortune and Glory: A Treasure Hunter's Handbook. As soon as I opened the book I discovered a mystery that confounded me. Why is the print in this book smaller than the interest rate on a credit card application? I need reading glasses and a magnifying glass to read this.

And that's not the only book with super small print I have come across this week. I went to the library and checked out two books; The Forgotten Room by Lincoln Child and The Magician by Lev Grossman. The Magician also has tiny print. Does it really cost that much more to add a few leafs of paper and make the print a little larger? I understand this book was also released in large print. What I don't know is; does the publisher have to pay separately for the rights to publish in large print? Also, if you find it necessary to release a large print edition; why not just use larger print to begin with?

My reading list; The Divine Comedy by Dante, Gods of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Silas Marner by George Eliot, Conan the Barbarian the Complete Collection by Robert E Howard, Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, and Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain.

Searching for fortune and glory? The library is the first place to look. It's shelves are filled with rare gems waiting to be discovered. And endless tales of glory.

Until tomorrow,

Ken

Tip Up Town 2016 Final Weekend

Day 82

This is the final weekend of Tip Up Town USA and it's going to be HOT. Literally. The temperature both Saturday and Sunday is predicted to be in the upper 30's, maybe even low 40's.

The Polar Bear Dip, probably the most popular event, is Saturday at 1 PM. Come early if you're planning to dip. Lines start to form around 10 AM. If you are a spectator and you want a seat in the stands, better get there early for those too. There is usually standing room along the barrier to watch the Dippers.

For schedule of events click here.

Until tomorrow,

Ken

Jimmy Fallon & Jack Black "More Than Words" with a Touch of Stephen King

Day 81


Minus the horsing around for comic value it's actually an excellent cover of the song More Than Words by Extreme. Also the video is almost shot exactly as the original. Both of these guys are very talented. I only wish I could sing as well. Guess I'll have to be content to be a writer/photographer.

Then again, I've heard Mitch Albom and Stephen King sing. I count myself lucky.

Until tomorrow,

Ken

Fortune and Glory The Quest for Riches

Day 80


I have been anxiously awaiting the latest book that I ordered from Jet.com. I should say ordered anything "through" them since this is being sold and shipped by Barnes & Noble. This is not about where I got the book from it's about the subject matter.

Fortune & Glory: A Treasure Hunters Guide deals with a subject I have been interested in since I was young. It wouldn't be much of a stretch to say most boys are interested in adventure and finding hidden or buried treasure. The book cover even strongly resembles the title from the Indiana Jones movies.

Indiana Jones, of course, stimulated the desire for fortune and glory through movies and a lesser known book series. But outside of entertainment, the search for mythical treasure is nothing compared to digging up information about possible hidden treasures. I thought the internet would be full of websites dedicated to stories of lost cities of gold, pirate booty, lost artifacts and antiques. I found nada, nothing, zip, zero, zilch. The only thing I found was this book. I'm hoping it's a starting point for my research.

I have no intention of running off to South American jungles in search of riches. But I would like to write some stories of someone who does chase their dreams. Half of the fun of writing a story is in the research and the surprising tidbits of information that you discover.

Maybe I should take my research and start a website for treasure hunters. After all I can't be the only Indiana Jones fan out there with dreams of "fortune and glory".

Until tomorrow,

Ken

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a Disappointing Ripoff

Day 79


The new Star Wars movie The Force Awakens has been out long enough and made record amounts of money, so I can reveal the truth. Ready?

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is nothing but a REMAKE of the original Star Wars movie.

The first movie, later renamed Episode IV: A New Hope. All Disney did was rearrange the characters. Luke Skywalker is now a girl, Han Solo is a disenfranchised storm trooper. Mark Hamill plays Luke Skywalker and is set up to be the next Yoda (although not nearly as cute). Carrie Fisher as "General" Leia replaces Mon Mothma as the rebel leader.

R2D2 is a rolling ball with "the secret plans inside" put there by the new Princess who is a male fighter pilot for the NEW rebels. Harrison Ford plays the part of Old Ben Kenobi Telling the new characters that the force is real. And we have a new Emperor and new Darth Vader. And the Death Star is now a Death Planet. Mind boggling!

If you've seen both movies I'm sure you can see what I'm saying. Unless, of course, your in denial. True fans though would know they're being flim-flammed. And it is seriously disappointing.

With all of the excellent books and stories they could have chosen to make a new movie, they took the easy way out and did a transparent remake using the exact same story as the first movie.

News flash Disney! The first movie wasn't successful because of the story or the actors (most relatively unknown). It was epic because of the special effects. Those special effects are no longer special as they have been copied repeatedly over the years and today are almost common in scifi movies.

I can only hope the next movie is not a copy of The Empire Strikes Back. The fans both old and new deserve better. The proof is the record money the fans spent to watch this retread.

Until tomorrow,

Ken

I Like to Hibernate

Day 78


I find it's getting late in the day and I'm behind on my blog entry. I should have had this done a couple of hours ago. I am a procrastinator by nature but even more so in the winter time. I'm like a big ol' bear (in more ways than one) who hibernates in the winter. This is suppose to be the time I do most of my writing. Come spring and summer and fall I'll be fishing, though not as much as I use to.

The point of this 365 day blog challenge is to get into the habit of writing everyday. I want to publish a book of poetry, as much for the publishing aspect as the poetry itself. Poetry is not a big seller and so I'll be self publishing or indie publishing is the modern term. Of course, I hope to sell some books. That would be great for my ego if not my wallet.

So with that in mind I must start reading Dante again. When I read Dante I start to think and talk in verse. My brother tried to take me to the hospital once, saying I was babbling and he thought I had brain damage. Poetry is not for everyone, often filled with hidden meaning. My poetry is not deep. Like maybe knee deep. Written by an average poet for the average reader. Why should only those with a high I.Q. be the only ones to enjoy poetry? Here's to the common reader with
extraordinary passions and some imagination.

Well, that's enough waxing poetic for one evening. But, there will be more, oh yes, there will be more.

Until tomorrow,

Ken