It’s hard to believe that a week from today is July 4th, which always seems to be the beginning of the busiest part of the year for Saugatuck and all of West Michigan’s beach towns. With what was a slow start to the summer season, it seems as though our summer has taken awhile to get here. But now that it is here, the weather seems to be cooperating too as the forecast is very typical of summer warmth sunshine and cool Lake Michigan breezes. ahhhhhhhhh….
This weekend we are fortunate to have two couples from European countries with us at the bed and breakfast. They aren’t traveling together, which makes it even more coincidental. As they know, bed and breakfasts and Inns located throughout Europe are much more of the traditional type where guests have always been welcomed into homes where and empty room or two is all it would take to be deemed a bed and breakfast. Of course, in the states our bed and breakfast Inns are much more elaborate than the original ones in European countries.
One of the great things about our location is the numerous dining options available in Saugatuck, South Haven and Holland Michigan. But we also have quite a few options close to the bed and breakfast within walking distance for our Inn guests. Just last night at the last minute we decided to go out to dine with some friends and had to decide which of the area restaurants we were to dine last evening. We eventually decided on Su Casa Mexican restaurant as it is a nice casual alternative. There is a variety of fine dining to casual dining all nearby the Inn.
Typical for Saugatuck and West Michigan in the summer time, we have been experiencing our fair share of stormy weather lately. The current bed and breakfast guests commented this morning before breakfast just how cozy and safe it feels to be in the Kingsley Inn as the storms pass. Some of the bed and breakfast guests even enjoyed the stormy weather from the wrap-around porch, taking in the lighting, thunder, wind and even hail that we experienced late yesterday and last evening.
One of the many attractions in the summer in the Saugatuck area is Mason Street Warehouse in the Saugatuck Center for the Arts building. Mason Street is a theater company that performs throughout the summer season and brings a touch of Broadway to downtown Saugatuck. The opening for the shows this year is the musical “Chicago” which should be an amazing show to say the least. We always look forward to this troupe’s performances as they truly are a very professional company that mimics broadway productions.
Certainly one of the best ways to experience Michigan hospitality in the summer is by staying at one of the numerous bed and breakfasts, esepecially so many of us that are close to the Lake Michigan shoreline. It truly is amazing just how many of the bed and breakfast Inns are occupied each summer season by the many travelers who come to explore the beach towns of West Michigan and all of the other fantastic small towns in the state.
Driving along the highway today, I was once again impressed as usual by the glistening water of the Kalamazoo harbor as it meanders along Saugatuck. From the highway, the water seemed like glass today as the sunshine made it all a very picturesque scene. The harbor is a big part of what gives the Saugatuck community such a unique setting and the sunshine sure did seem to help today too.
Around the property in our beautiful landscaping of the bed and breakfast are numerous flowers and flowering bushes that “take the stage” during various times of the year. Recently the rhododendruns took center stage and were quite a display to behold. But like many of the seasonal flowers around West Michigan, they soon were done blooming for another year. Just today we dead-headed them already so that they could begin the process of setting their bulbs for next year’s display.
Here in the Saugatuck Michigan area we tend to have a short but hardy growing season. Landscape and greenery are extremely hearty this time of year and it always seems like it is still very early in the season to trim the shrubs and bushes, but that is exactly what we need to do this time of year. Mind you, we also need to do a follow up trimming by August as many of them grow at such a rapid pace during our summer season in West Michigan.
Today was a picture-perfect day, or at least I sure think so. I absolutely love this low humidity sunshiney 70 temps weather. If I had to pick a day that we could carbon copy and duplicate for much of the year, I think this would be it. So I took advantage of a bit of time out of the bed and breakfast to walk along the pier and out to the lighthouse in nearby South Haven and what a fantatic day it was!
