The Summer Adventures Continue!

Welcome to the latest edition of Bootsy's Beat! 

There has been a lot happening since I last blogged, thanks for being patient!

I went to a Detroit Tiger's game and it was my first! I got a Cabrera jersey! My stepdad Mark Gross is so nice, he got us front row seats! 

Detroit Tigers game with my mom, brother and stepdad

Check out the Detroit Tiger's here: Detroit Tigers

Insider tip: Bring a baseball mitt to catch a ball!

I also went to a lighthouse in Silver Lake with my mom; Jennifer Gross, my brother Georden and my Aunt Lynette. We bought tickets to go inside and take a tour. Tickets are $5 for adults and $2 for kids.

Scenes from the Little Sable Point Lighthouse

Check out the Silver Lake Lighthouse here: Little Sable Point Lighthouse

Insider tip: Check out the merchandise in the gift shop.

After the lighthouse we ate fish from Bortell's Landing. I got Icelandic fish and it was so good! It is family owned and operated. They catch all of the fish fresh from Lake Michigan.

Eating fresh fish with my mom and brother

Check out Bortell's Landing here: Bortell's Landing

Insider tip: Go across the street to the State Park after you eat.

I also went with my dad; Chris Cordle, to a spectacular, music event in the middle of the woods called "Creekfest" It is a music and art event that takes place every year. People camp and there is music and magic everywhere. It would take years to know every bit of magic that is everywhere you look. Every time you turn around there is something new to discover like a statue or a fairy garden. There are a lot of dogs and even a duck race in the creek. My dad and I also learned how to square dance! 

Insider tip: Bring your own drinks and a dish to pass for the evening potluck!

Scenes from Creekfest

Every year is the Lakeshore Arts Festival in Downtown Muskegon. My dad and stepmom; Sarah Sass, and I went. I ate a gyro in the park and got my face painted by Hippsy Lake.

Check out the Lakeshore Arts Festival here: Lakeshore Art Festival

Check out Hippsy Lake Face Painting here: Hippsy Lake Face Painting

Insider tip: There are millions of dogs to pet! Always ask the owner if it is OK to pet them first and then pet away! I personally petted 31 dogs that day.

Having fun at the Lakeshore Arts Festival

One of the most interesting places we went this summer is Boulder Ridge Animal Park. This animal park is not really a zoo. This place was started by a family and they know what the animals need and how to properly care for them.

Check out Boulder Ridge Animal Park here: Boulder Ridge Wild Animal Park

Insider tip: Bring cash and you can buy treats and actually feed the animals!

Having Fun at Boulder Ridge Animal Park with my dad, brothers and stepmom

Every year my stepmom and I enter a juried art show through Muskegon Center For The Arts which is at Red Lotus Gallery. They have a group that cleans out debris from Muskegon Lake and they put the debris in boxes. You sign up for a box and go to the gallery to pick it up. When you get your box it is all sealed and you have no idea what is inside. Then you have to make a piece of art out of the materials in the box. It is really fun!

Check out Red Lotus Gallery here: Red Lotus Gallery
Check out Muskegon Center for the Arts here: Muskegon Center For The Arts
Check out the Muskegon Lake Project: Muskegon Lake Project

Insider tip: Be as creative as you can and keep in mind it's not always the first idea that works!

My box for this year

One of the best ways to get around Muskegon is by bike. We collect vintage bikes and like to ride them along the Lakeshore Bike Path. The path is a beautiful and easy ride and along the way are lots of places to stop. The path goes all the way out to Lake Michigan. We keep a set of bikes in my stepmom's office and we ride all over the place.

Riding one of my favorite vintage bikes along the path

Check out the Lakeshore Bike Path here: Lakeshore Bike Trail

Insider tip: Take a break and sit at one of the picnic tables or bench swings along the way. Stop and watch all of the boats on Muskegon Lake or the Lake Express Ferry dock.

I toured the Milwaukee Clipper! We rode our bikes down the Lakeshore Bike Trail and there it was! I was so excited that it was open for tours. My dad rode the ship when he was a young boy. There are many rooms including staterooms which is a place where you sleep, a galley (where you eat), Soda Bowl (an ice cream fountain) movie theater, dance floor, main deck of the ship, a bar, fold down beds (some of the booths where you eat even turn in to beds!) a place to sit and a huge furniture collection.

Check out the Milwaukee Clipper here: SS Milwaukee Clipper

Insider tip: Be nice to your tour guide and pay attention, he has some really interesting stories. Also as part of the tour they even give you a little ice cream treat in the Soda Bowl!

The Milwaukee Clipper

Summer is a time for art fairs and we have been to a lot. My dad was even performing on stage for Walk The Beat at an art fair in Grand Haven! It was a really cold day so while he was playing my stepmom and I strolled in to The Coffee Grounds and I got a hot chocolate. After my dad played we walked through all of the booths and we bought some art. We love Red Hydrant Press from Grand Rapids and they were there. My dad bought Sarah and I a really cool linocut from Red Hydrant Press.

Check Out the Coffee Grounds here: The Coffee Grounds
Check out Walk The Beat here: WalkThe Beat
Check out my dad here: Christopher C. Cordle
Check out Red Hydrant Press here: Red Hydrant Press
Check out the linocut my dad bought for us here: Seis lunas, Mother and baby day of the dead linocut

Insider tip: Always talk to the artists at art fairs. Some times they have Etsy shops and websites where you can see and buy more of their work.

Art fairs are everywhere in the summer and lots of fun to attend!

My family loves to go to The Harbor Theatre to see movies. We feel very strongly about supporting local businesses. They have first run movies, comfy seats and their prices are great! At night your movie ticket comes with a free bag of popcorn! You can also buy VIP tickets. We recently saw "Wonder Woman" at the Harbor Theatre and we all loved the show.

Check out The Harbor Theatre here: The Harbor Theatre

Insider tip: Buy a drink to go with your popcorn and after the movie take a stroll through Lakeside.

My dad and I walking to the Harbor Theatre

Every year my brother's go to Boy Scout Camp. While my brothers are away at camp we always go to Mangiamo's, a huge mansion in Grand Rapids. This year we even got a super secret tour of the upstairs where there is bathroom that is all original! After dinner we always walk over to Le Bon Macaron and I pick out a variety pack of the tasty treats! We take a long walk after that and we stop at Brewery Vivant where I always get a Hop Soda. It is a really special part of my summer.

Check Out Mangiamo's here: Mangiamo's
Check Out Le Bon Macaron here: Le Bon Macaron
Check Out Brewery Vivant here: Brewery Vivant

Insider tip: Get the baseball sized meatball and spaghetti at Mangiamo's and Le Bon Macaron has coffee drinks and lattes too. Also neat fact: Brewery Vivant is located in a former funeral home!

Walking in to Mangiamo's with my dad and checking out all the treats at Le Bon Macaron

Every summer at the Farmer's Market in Downtown Muskegon is the Retro Expo. It is a day long expo full of antiques and vintage goods. I picked up this cool, silk, hair flower which was made out of men's ties.

Check out the Retro Expo here: Retro Expo

Insider tip: Look through all the booths twice there is a lot of treasure to discover!

Cool hair flower clip from the Retro Expo

I was heading off to swim at my friend Maizy's house and I was very hungry. My stepmom took me to a really cool place. It's called Wayne's Deli. It is locally owned. They have a really cool shop where they roast their own coffee and they have a huge variety of drinks. The best part is they have a deli counter. You can take some of the food from the deli home or you can eat it right in the store. When you go to the counter you pick out a bread, then meat and what you want on it. The people behind the counter make you your sandwich and it is really tasty. I had ham and cheese on white, bakery bread.

Check out Wayne's Deli here: Wayne's Deli

Insider tip: Tell all of your friends about this place when you go. It is really cool!