Report on recent Thanksgiving week trip.

[Tom@BV]

Hi Everyone,

Really enjoyed our (10) day Thanksgiving week trip to Blue Mtn. Beach. Thanksgiving Holiday Buffet @ Baytowne Center (Magnolia Ballroom) was wonderful. I would go there again next year. Had a few cooler temp. days, but it was in the low 70's when we left. Sun was out everyday and welcomed by this Michigan guy. We walked the beach and enjoyed every day.

Now for my observations while visiting 30-A.

30-A is a special place. I just wish I knew about it sooner. We enjoy visiting this time of year with smaller crowds. The area is growing and everywhere you look a new development is in progress. I wonder what it will look like in (10) years?? Our favorite resturant was "Fish out of Water" for lunch. Can't wait to come back in April 2007 for our next visit.

We looked at future real estate property purchases (vacant land). Property values may be down, but it will only last a short period. The area will never be cheaper. The people asking ridiculous prices think they are living in the hot market a few years ago. They will never sell untill they adjust pricing to the current market. Buyer's today are looking for value and will pay a fair price. When I hear comments like the "sky is falling" it's from the poor guy who bought at the market high. Oh, in my opinion anything south of Hwy.30-A is prime stuff. Looks to me like a lot of people will get burned with overpriced property.

I'll post a few pictures of our visit when I get them off my camera. Enjoyed going down to the beach with my cup of hot tea & watching the sun come up over the water. Interesting rays over the sand. Didn't see many people out this early except a few taking the dog out for a morning walk.

Tom & Lynda

[Mermaid]

:clap_1: Good to hear from you again and glad you enjoyed your trip. Your photos are good ones so I can't wait to see!

[Miss Kitty]

Thanks Tom for a very fair and balanced report. So glad you had a great time!

[Tom@BV]

Thanks everyone,

More A.M. pictures. Standing on the beach (Blue Mtn Beach) looking West to Destin & East to Panama City with my telephoto lens.

Tom

[Tom@BV]

Last ones for the day. Yesterday's castle & birds in the A.M.

Tom

[Miss Kitty]

:clap_1: ...I know it's better in person, but these shots are great for the old sowal soul!!!

[Tom@BV]

Thank you Ms. Sueshore,

Did you attend the Seaside Santa parade Saturday Nov. 25th.??

Santa was there for all the little kiddie's & big girl's too.

T

[RiverOtter]

Great photo's, thanks for sharing :cool:

[Miss Kitty]

No, Tom...sorry to say we were not there for the parade. But, I just love that inflatable on the MiniCooper!!! :clap_1:

[30A Skunkape]

No, Tom...sorry to say we were not there for the parade. But, I just love that inflatable on the MiniCooper!!! :clap_1:

Is that Smiling Joe inside that bubble?:lol:

[Tom@BV]

This will be my last posting of pictures. I wanted to show everyone what it looks like early in the morning. Everyone else always shows the sunset, I like the mornings!!!

Lots of little critters out there in the morning looking for food & the first rays of sunshine.

The last picture is one I just had to give you a peak at. There was a private wedding at our condo just before Thanksgiving. I just had to take a picture of the beautiful basket of flowers.:wub: We were not a part of the wedding & just got a peak through the window. What a beautiful wedding with a beach setting.

T

[supermom26.2]

Tom, I saw your locations, my dad is from Charlevoix and I am from Ann Arbor. We had been vacationing here since 1996, bought here in 1999, and had been going back and forth from Ann Arbor to Santa Rosa Beach until 3 1/2 years ago, when we finally said "What are we waiting for?" We have had no regrets. I do miss Michigan football "GO BLUE" and the Detroit Tigers! Thanks for sharing the beautiful pictures!

[Ocean Lover]

This will be my last posting of pictures. I wanted to show everyone what it looks like early in the morning. Everyone else always shows the sunset, I like the mornings!!!

Lots of little critters out there in the morning looking for food & the first rays of sunshine.

The last picture is one I just had to give you a peak at. There was a private wedding at our condo just before Thanksgiving. I just had to take a picture of the beautiful basket of flowers.:wub: We were not a part of the wedding & just got a peak through the window. What a beautiful wedding with a beach setting.

T

:clap_1: :clap_1: :clap_1: Thanks for the great pics!!! I :wub: Sowal mornings too!

[gotothebeachmom]

Thank you Ms. Sueshore,

Did you attend the Seaside Santa parade Saturday Nov. 25th.??

Santa was there for all the little kiddie's & big girl's too.

T

We watched from Seagrove. What a funn parade. We really enjoyed the parade and the company of many friends. The kiddo's (young and old) :wub: the candy and beads that the parade participants threw to the "crowds". It was a nice way to end a wonderful week.

[Tom@BV]

Tom, I saw your locations, my dad is from Charlevoix and I am from Ann Arbor. We had been vacationing here since 1996, bought here in 1999, and had been going back and forth from Ann Arbor to Santa Rosa Beach until 3 1/2 years ago, when we finally said "What are we waiting for?" We have had no regrets. I do miss Michigan football "GO BLUE" and the Detroit Tigers! Thanks for sharing the beautiful pictures!


Thanks for the warm welcome. Especially nice to know Supermom was our Northern MI. neighbor. I am surprised no one asked more about the wedding. My wife is still talking about the beautiful flower's. I understand the flower's came from Atlanta in a refrigerated truck in the middle of the night & set up the morning of the wedding. They were the most beautiful flower arrangements I've ever seen.

Here's a few more pictures of the beach at sun-up.

T

[Tom@BV]

Forgot this one.

T

[Paula]

Hi Tom: Your photos are stunning. Thanks for posting them and for giving us the trip report. We LOVE trip reports on SoWal.com. I am also your neighbor from Michigan -- Ann Arbor. I have heard that Petosky is beautiful, so hearing you say how beautiful SoWal is is extra special coming from someone who lives in Petosky! When we asked friends on ours where we should go for vacation in Michigan "up north", they said "Petosky". Perhaps you can tell people on the board a bit about Petosky or Michigan's upnorth.

It was Supermom who told us about SoWal and we ended up buying two small cottages, one in 2003 and 2004 - just before the market skyrocked and then started going down again. I agree that this area is going to be just fine (better than fine) in the medium and long-run (and we plan to keep our cottages for the long run so the market is pretty irrelevant to us except that it did stop the excessive growth). We're still living in Michigan (and probably always will), but go to SoWal whenever we can. We'll be there more often (such as throughout the winter) in about 6 years when the kids are in college.

[Tom@BV]

Hi Paula,
Good to hear from our MI neighbors!!!
Lets tell our Sowaller's about our beautiful state of MI. We go up-north like everyone travels to Sowall. When I say Petoskey this includes Boyne City, Charlevoix & Harbor Springs. We purchased our lakeside condo about (20) years ago btwn. Petoskey & Harbor Springs off M-119 on Round Lake. We have fallen in love with our small (inland) lake & recently (3) years ago completely remodeled it from the floor up including bath tubs, etc. Our place will go to the kids when we leave this earth.

Petoskey is special and growing into the resort jewel of the midwest. We especially like Bay View www.bayviewassoc.com (http://www.bayviewassoc.com) founded in 1875 by the United Methodist Church with 440 period victorian cottages with their christian & musical opportunities. We also like Harbor Springs for their July 4th parade festivities (dog & look alike competition). The parade on the 4th in Petoskey & Harbor Springs is something you have to see to believe. You would think it was the early 1900's. If you like wooden boats I like the concours auto/boat show in June www.bayharbor.com (http://www.bayharbor.com) and everything else about the area's wonderful resturants. The town of Petoskey has a new downtown renovation going on www.petoskeypointe.com (http://www.petoskeypointe.com) that will again change the area forever.

Anyway I have to stop here because I could go on forever. Petoskey is not for everyone if you dis-like cold weather. We like our MI summers & our Sowall winters. I forgot to say I really enjoy my summer travels up-north during the summer when the wife is there for the summer. I commute to my business (260) miles downstate over the weekend, stopping along the way to buy "sweet black cherries" from the local markets. I OD on the cherries along the highway spitting out the cherry seeds through the cars moonroof. Looking in the mirror I smile with purple lips (cherry juice) & know this is the life & why I live in Petoskey. Enjoy a few pictures.

T

[Tom@BV]

A few more.

[Lady D]

Tom, I love the pics. Especially the one of the gorgeous house in the snow. Makes me definitely want snow. :clap_1:

[Tom@BV]

LadyD,

That house is in Bay View & one of my favorites. I understand it was a catalog kit house sold by Sears Roebuck back in the early days. You purchased the kit and built the house yourself. Why can't they do that today???

T
BTW: I was just reading this post & looked out the window. A hawk was hunting for his dinner. You never know when your time is up little rabbit.
What a beautiful bird:wub:

[tistheseason]

Tom - how nice of you to post morning shots. When I'm down there I always intend to get up early and head down to the beach -- but I rarely make it. Your photos are a nice reminder of why I should!

And the flowers from the wedding are BEAUTIFUL!

thanks for your report!

[Paula]

Tom: Thanks for the tour of "up north" in Michigan. We've been to the area with the big sand dunes, but haven't spent much time up north because we spend all of our vacations visiting family around the country or going to SoWal. And summers in Ann Arbor are very nice (quiet because students have left town for the summer, easy to walk everywhere, and lots to do or nothing to do, whatever you prefer!). But someday I'd love to go up north more often -- people say Camp Michigania is a great way to spend the week for families, but we haven't done it yet. Too many wonderful places to go!

[Tom@BV]

Hi again Paula,

Just want to say, stay away from Northern MI in the winter unless you like cold Northern Canada winds blowing across the water that makes you curse our Canada friends. I just got back last night from checking our Petoskey condo for frozen pipes, etc. Everything was ok and on the drive from Petoskey to Cadillac (Hwy#131) I had to follow a snow plow so I could see the road. The winds blow off the lake with lake effect winter snow & you can't see for the white outs. It's fun, but all the while I was thinking about the white sands of Blue Mtn. beach. Here's a picture of white snow (not white sand) when I started out. Lake MI (Petoskey bay)is not frozen over yet, but soon will be. It was 14 degree's when I left P-town. Can't wait to be back in sunny SoWall & look at white sand.:wub:

T

[Paula]

Hi T: Great photo. You're right about the cold. If it's this cold in Southeastern Michigan, it must be pretty bitter up north -- but gorgeous. We bought in SoWal because we wanted to get away from the cold and, so far so good! We figured summers in Michigan and fall/winter/maybe spring in SoWal would be about as good as it gets (August is a great month, too, because it's quiet and the pool and ocean are nice and warm). But we'll have to start coming up to northern Michigan in the summer to really round out the good life!

[Allifunn]

Grayt pictures, Tom!!!! :clap_1: Thank you for posting and sharing!