Thursday morning David and I had breakfast at one of the new restaurants in Northport. The North End, located in the former Eat Spot building on the corner of Mill and Third Streets, features a local and nautical theme in its decor and good, fresh variety on the menu. 
Most of the people having breakfast on Thursday were eating outdoors at cafe tables in the back garden. We chose a cozy corner inside, and there are also picnic tables in the front garden area. North End is open for breakfast and serves lunch from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., along with pizza a couple of friends swear, with its fresh ingredients, is the best in town. (We’ll have to try that soon.) Breakfast is served from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. and until noon on Sunday.
Since Bill and Nina Collins bought the old Grandma’s Trunk building on the northeast corner of Nagonaba and Mill, for quite a while now the home of the Pennington Collection, there have been a lot of upgrades. Most recent improvement is new landscaping along the Nagonaba Street sidewalk--shrubs, roses, peonies and more. The focus, as I overheard when passing by, is on plants that won’t get too tall and won’t need excessive amounts of water. The new garden border wasn’t finished yet on Friday morning, but already it was looking good.
Friday morning is, of course, farm market day in Northport. Mario was at the market with a new, bouncy puppy (I’m guessing golden retriever), but I took no photographs this time—too busy planning and executing my shopping! Bread and almond croissant from 9 Bean Rows, snow peas from Bare Knuckle Farm, granola from the Northport Promise, basil and cucumber from—can’t remember, but he was the only one who had fresh basil, and I was glad to see it, because I didn’t plant any myself this year (massive oversight). The Bare Knuckle folks still have the most beautiful radishes and carrots I’ve ever seen anywhere.
On the way back from the market, which came after stops at the bank and post office, I treated myself to an iced latte from Brew North--my first visit to the coffee house this year. I know, I know! How can that be when it’s right across the street? Bur the barista couldn’t place me, either, though my bookstore is just across the street in the other direction. That’s how work-focused those of us in business can get in the short, busy summer season. Here was something fun, though: old photographs on the wall included a couple of 106 Waukazoo Street, long, long before anyone ever dreamed it would someday house a bookstore and an art gallery.
Here are a few other scenes from Brew North.
And here, back at the bookstore, is that delicious, buttery, flaky almond croissant before I made it disappear. Sarah looked on longingly--and so patiently that she was rewarded with a few crumbs. We had already started our day earlier at home with outdoor exploration, gardening and laundry. As David used to say, memorably, “We can sleep in the grave!” Summer! I come awake in the morning already planning my busy day, because when you own your own business, there’s such thing as clocking out.
7 comments:
Looks great!!
The croissant? As good as Paris! But how about that big tree on Waukazoo Street, just south of my building? If it were still there, it would be right in front of the Garage Bar & Grill and would shade us both!
What a lovely shopping trip, Pamela. It all sounds wonderful, from breakfast to the Farmer's Market, to the croissant to the iced latte. It may have been busy, but it sounds so quaint. I hope you are having a really good July at the bookstore.
Summer is going well, thanks, Kathy. And there's lots of July left. Garden is good, too. Important to create breathing spaces in this hectic stretch. Out in the woods with Sarah this morning--or should I say, out in the jungle?
Northport definitely shows to best advantage here. You know I love the vintage photos. And, um, the croissant.
I was hoping someone would comment on the vintage photos. As for Northport today, I’ve probably given a false impression here, because you are not seeing PEOPLE! You’re not seeing all the people at the farm market, all the people having breakfast in the garden at the North End, all the people in long lines at Tom’s Market every morning and afternoon. But it’s great to see people enjoying themselves on vacation, and last night after dinner at home we made an expedition to my favorite beach down in Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore. The water was fantastic—refreshing and clear. The evening was quiet and peaceful. We saw wild turkeys and deer on the drive home. Sarah doesn’t like to swim, but she is happy to wade, so she and David did that while I swam out and floated on my back in calm (last night, not always) Lake Michigan. It felt like a little vacation to me, even afterwards: sandy, barefoot and disheveled!
I was thinking that there were probably some Civil War veterans somewhere behind those 1920s storefronts. Just a few of course, old men trading stories in the late afternoon.
We had a little vacation yesterday too, wading in the Bay, sniffing the breeze, napping on the deck. It was good.
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