My friend Molly is raising her children right. “You should have an art to fall back on,” she tells them. Traverse City is a good place to do that.
Babs writes: The arts are alive and well in Northern Michigan. This is taken from inside the Dennos Museum in Traverse City. Unfortunately I do not know the name of the artist who did the outdoor sculpture, but like it a lot. The Dennos brings great things to Traverse City and it’s always worth stopping to see what they have.
I love the Dennos. It’s a small museum, but very well designed and curated. The Inuit art collection is something special, there’s a good performing arts series, and there’s a hands-on children’s room where I like to spend a lot of time whenever I’m there. The museum store is a tiny treasure house.
While Babs was hanging out at the Museum, Louan and I were over at Sleder’s listening to Bill Staines. Stories ripple through his music, or maybe it’s the other way around, but at the end you know you’ve been someplace else for a little while, and you know you’d like to find your way back there again sometime.
Torch Lake Views 
P.j. grath
March 28, 2011
You had a good day in town, Gerry. We’re fortunate to be close enough to Traverse City to take advantage of its many and varied offerings.
Gerry
March 28, 2011
Wait, wait – how’d I miss this? Hi, PJ! You’re right, it is a good thing to have a small city with a big arts community. I swear, pound for pound there are more writers and painters and songwriters and photographers and . . . well, let’s just say it would be depressing because of all the competition, but it’s exhilarating because of all the fizzy inspiration.
flandrumhill
March 28, 2011
‘Having an art to fall back on’ – I like the twist of that. I think far too many wait for their senior years to discover their artistic side. The time to do something creative is NOW. Engaging in artistic activities releases endorphins of the very best kind with absolutely no side effects.
Of course the best type of art is culinary 🙂
Gerry
March 28, 2011
The best time for practically anything fun is now if you ask me. What’s for supper?
flandrumhill
March 28, 2011
Lasagna. I’m making it with lots of garlic.
Sybil
March 28, 2011
Love that picture looking out the museum window Gerry.
Gerry
March 28, 2011
Classic Babs. Other people would go take pictures of the pictures on the walls inside. Ha. We have Babs. We’re special.
Robin
March 28, 2011
What a wonderful piece of advice, to have an art to fall back on.
Gerry
March 28, 2011
Isn’t that good? I think Molly is a gifted mother.
Louan
March 28, 2011
I love knowing that I have enough art, to fashion a working life and to also fall back on. I believe, I used up my retirement, in my youth, so maybe, falling back on art is just a return to it.
Gerry
March 29, 2011
I think I may have used up my retirement in my youth, too, Louan! Thank goodness we have art to fall back on.