Michigan Memories
This One is Mine, Boonedocks, Richard Shindell, Sabrina Ionescu and Diana Taurasi, Fishy Foot
Welcome to my weekly newsletter. This week’s issue features vacation traditions, Maria Semple’s first novel, a Glen Arbor outdoor deck with great food and music, a favorite singer-songwriter, a pair of WNBA standouts, and a foot in the mouth. I hope you enjoy the picks and pics.
Fave Five 44: Michigan Memories. Tale of two women (This One is Mine), pike perch (Boonedocks), singing storyteller (Richard Shindell), great guards (Sabrina Ionescu and Diana Taurasi), and a Fishy Foot.
Fave Five List: Leelanau Love
Barb and I first visited the Leelanau Peninsula in northern Michigan in 1988 when we stayed at The Homestead Resort located on Lake Michigan in Glen Arbor. Starting in the 90s we returned with our family for a week either there or on nearby Glen Lake. Since then, we have only missed one year (2020) and vacationed with many permutations of our immediate and extended families. Last week we returned to The Homestead and enjoyed spending time with all 11 immediate family members and a total of 25 in our extended family.
Joining us this year were David Garfield (my brother) and Claudia Joyce; Joan Garfield (my sister), Michael Luxenberg (her husband), and Rebecca Luxenberg (their daughter) and her two children; Ed Olszewski (my nephew), Elizabeth Norton (his wife), and their two children; and Walker Hayes (my nephew) and Chelsea Hayes (his wife) and their daughter. The rest of the Olszewski family (my sister Ann, her husband David, and their daughter Julie) were unable to attend this year but have joined us multiple times in the past. The Homestead has become our family’s gathering place, and we love it and the entire Leelanau Peninsula.
Five Favorite Family Vacation Traditions
Swimming, sliding, and sunning at the Beach Club and the Village Pool at The Homestead Resort
Climbing up the Lake Michigan Overlook on the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive and the Dune Climb in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Pontoon boating on Glen Lake under the skillful navigation of Captain Barb
Returning regularly for free samples at Cherry Republic in Glen Arbor
Enjoying Funky Grilled Cheese with Tater Tots at Art’s Tavern in Glen Arbor
Honorable mention: Ordering a Chubby Mary (or Chubby Virgin) and sharing a bowl of Seafood Chowder at The Cove in Leland
Book Best Bet
This One is Mine by Maria Semple
I previously featured Where'd You Go, Bernadette and decided to read the author’s first novel. I finished reading This One is Mine this week up north. I liked it, but not quite as much as Where'd You Go, Bernadette. It is a captivating tale of foibles, friendship, and forgiveness — sometimes funny, sometimes poignant.
From Amazon: Violet Parry is living the quintessential life of luxury in the Hollywood Hills with David, her rock-and-roll manager husband, and her darling toddler, Dot. She has the perfect life -- except that she's deeply unhappy. David expects the world of Violet but gives little of himself in return.
When she meets Teddy, a roguish small-time bass player, Violet comes alive, and soon she's risking everything for the chance to find herself again. Also in the picture are David's hilariously high-strung sister, Sally, on the prowl for a successful husband, and Jeremy, the ESPN sportscaster savant who falls into her trap.
For all their recklessness, Violet and Sally will discover that David and Jeremy have a few surprises of their own. This One is Mine is a compassionate and wickedly funny satire about our need for more — and the often-disastrous choices we make in the name of happiness.
Restaurant Recommendation
Boonedocks 5858 Manitou View, Glen Arbor, MI 49636
At The Homestead many years ago, we ran into one of Roger’s CYO basketball teammates and his family. The father strongly recommended the perch at this local restaurant, saying that “it melts in your mouth!” We did not take his advice for some time, but when we eventually did, it turns out that he was so right. The Canadian zander perch (also known as pike perch) is larger than local lake perch, and it is very flaky and tasty.
We met our St. Louis friends Tim and Kathy Poor for lunch at Boonedocks on Tuesday. Barb and I shared a main (dinner portion) of Fresh Lake Perch (hand-battered, lightly fried Canadian zander perch, served with lemon, tartar sauce, fries, and coleslaw). There was plenty for both of us, and the perch was as delicious as ever.
There is live music on the deck every night, usually the Americana genre that I like. Even when we are shopping at the grocery store across the street, we always enjoy hearing whichever band is performing that evening.
From the restaurant: Boonedocks is a great family destination for dining inside or outside in a cozy, rustic “Up North” atmosphere. Boonedocks’ All-American menu features half-pound Black Angus burgers, fresh local whitefish, perch, sandwiches, fresh salads and a variety of delicious appetizers. We proudly host incredibly talented local musicians every night on our stage that is located on our outside deck.
Marvelous Musician
Today is Richard's 63rd birthday. I first heard him in 1991 when "Are You Happy Now?" was included on When October Goes, a CD curated by Christine Lavin. When Sparrows Point was released in 1992, I bought the CD and most of his subsequent releases. I have seen him at The Ark in Ann Arbor on March 7, 2010 and several other times, and at Carrick's Tiny Barn Concerts on November 16, 2018. He is one of my favorite singer-songwriters.
From Wikipedia: Richard Shindell (born August 3, 1960 in Lakehurst, New Jersey) is an American folk singer, songwriter, producer, and musician. Shindell grew up in Port Washington, New York, and now lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with his wife, Lila Caimari, a university professor, and their children.
Shindell's career received a boost in 1997 when Joan Baez recorded three of his songs ("Fishing", "Reunion Hill", and "Money for Floods") for her album Gone from Danger and invited him to join her 1997–98 tour. In October 2019, Shindell announced that he would cease touring in order to pursue other projects.
Shindell collaborated with Dar Williams and Lucy Kaplansky to form the group Cry Cry Cry. On their eponymous 1998 album, Cry Cry Cry covered an eclectic mix of songwriters. The trio toured in support of their album before resuming solo careers. In 2017-2018 the group reunited briefly. Shindell and Lucy Kaplansky reunited to collaborate on a new album of cover songs, Tomorrow You're Going, funded through Kickstarter, and released in March 2015 under the name Pine Hill Project.
Shindell's songs and songwriting style often involves storytelling from a first-person point of view: an INS officer and illegal immigrant in "Fishing", a World War II soldier in "Sparrows Point", a Confederate drummer boy in "Arrowhead", an Argentine grandmother in "Abuelita", and a power broker in "Confession". His other personae include a New York City cab driver in "The Last Fare of the Day", a man on death row in "Ascent", a war widow in "Reunion Hill", and Mary Magdalene in “The Ballad of Mary Magdalene.”
Are You Happy Now?
A Summer Wind, A Cotton Dress
Reunion Hill
The Next Best Western
Beyond the Iron Gate
My Playlist
Sports Stars
Sabrina Ionescu and Diana Taurasi
Sabrina just broke Diana’s single-season record for 5-5-5 games (five rebounds, five assists, and five three-pointers) when she recorded her fourth this season. Earlier, Sabrina set a record by making 25 of 27 attempts in the final round of the WNBA three-point contest.
Diana just passed the 10,000-point mark for her career when she scored 42 points in a game. To have done this at age 41 is incredible. And look what else she has accomplished in her career:
3 NCAA National Championships at UConn
5 Olympic Gold Medals
3 WNBA Championships
6 EuroLeague Championships
7 Russian League Championships
1 Turkish League championship
Pardon The Interruption: Tony Kornheiser lists Diana’s championships
Sabrina Ionescu
From Wikipedia: Sabrina Elaine Ionescu (born December 6, 1997 in Walnut Creek, California) is an American professional basketball player for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball for the Oregon Ducks. She is the NCAA all-time leader in career triple-doubles, the Pac-12 Conference all-time leader in assists, and the only NCAA Division I basketball player to record 2,000 points, 1,000 assists, and 1,000 rebounds in a career.
Sabrina Ionescu scores record 37 points to win WNBA 3-point contest
The New York Liberty's Sabrina Ionescu broke WNBA and NBA records for most points in a 3-point shooting contest by hitting all but two of her treys in the final round of the competition, which kicked off 2023 WNBA All-Star weekend.
Ionescu's 37 out of a possible 40 points surpass the single-round record of 31 in the NBA (done by Stephen Curry in 2021 and Tyrese Haliburton in 2023) and 30 in the WNBA (Allie Quigley in 2022).
Sabrina Ionescu breaks epic Diana Taurasi 5-5-5 record
The New York Liberty were terrible in 2020; but at the end of the day, they were rewarded with the privilege of drafting Sabrina Ionescu, one of the most talented guards in the association. Ionescu made waves earlier this season when she set the all-time record (WNBA and NBA combined) for most points scored in the three-point contest; but on Friday night, it was the 25-year-old guard's turn to show off her well-rounded game.
It was Ionescu who led the way for the Liberty in a 76-66 victory over the Minnesota Lynx. In addition to tallying a team-high 18 points on 6-16 shooting from the field (6-11 from deep), she also added six rebounds and five assists to her account. And in doing so, she set herself apart from some elite company.
Per ESPN Stats & Info, Sabrina Ionescu tallied her fourth game this season with at least five boards, five dimes, and five triples. This gives her the single-season record for the most such games, beating Diana Taurasi's record of three that the Phoenix Mercury star set in 2010.
Taurasi recently made history herself, as she became the first player in WNBA history to score 10,000 or more points in its 26 years of existence thus far. Thus, for Ionescu to beat the Mercury legend in achieving any statistical feat is a noteworthy accomplishment given how elite Taurasi has been for the entirety of her career.
Of course, Sabrina Ionescu has a long way to go before she comes close to having the career Diana Taurasi has had. Ionescu is just in her third season for the Liberty, so she'll need to continue playing at a high level while remaining healthy for at least 15 more years to do so. (Taurasi has played at a top level since 2004 — so for her to remain a quality player to this point in her career is no mean feat.)
Diana Taurasi
From Wikipedia: Diana Lorena Taurasi (born June 11, 1982 in Chino, California) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and is considered to be one of the greatest players in WNBA history. She was drafted by Phoenix first overall in the 2004 WNBA draft. Taurasi has won the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award (2004), three WNBA championships (2007, 2009, and 2014), a historic five Olympic gold medals (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020),[3] one WNBA Most Valuable Player Award (2009), two WNBA Finals MVP Awards (2009 and 2014), five scoring titles (2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011), and three FIBA World Cups (2010, 2014, and 2018).
She has also been selected to ten WNBA All-Star teams and fourteen All-WNBA teams (including ten first-team selections). In 2011, she was voted by fans as one of the WNBA's Top 15 Players of All Time and was named by the league to its 20th and 25th anniversary teams, respectively the WNBA Top 20@20 in 2016 and The W25 in 2021. Also in 2021, she was selected by fans as the league's greatest player of all time. On June 18, 2017, Taurasi became the WNBA all-time leading scorer and on June 27, 2021, became the first player to surpass 9,000 points. On August 3, 2023, Taurasi became the first player to score 10,000 career points. Her penchant for scoring in crucial situations has earned her the nickname "White Mamba", coined by Kobe Bryant. Taurasi is one of 11 women to win an Olympic gold medal, an NCAA Championship, a FIBA World Cup, and a WNBA Championship.
Mercury's Diana Taurasi first in WNBA to reach 10,000 points
Taurasi finished with 42 points, her most in a game since 2010 and the most she has scored in regulation in her career. Her season high was also her first 40-point game since July 14, 2010, according to ESPN Stats & Information. At age 41, she is the oldest player with a 40-point game in WNBA history.
Taurasi started the game relatively slow. She came into Thursday needing 18 points to hit 10,000. She scored five points in the first quarter and another five in the second. She came alive after halftime, scoring five points — including a 3 at the buzzer of the 24-second clock — in 66 seconds. Then came the history-making 3.
Already the WNBA's all-time leading scorer, Diana Taurasi became the first in league history to eclipse 10,000 points Thursday night. She is the only active player in the top five. She didn't stop there, though. Taurasi had 32 points in the second half, the second most in any half in WNBA history.
Taurasi's 10,000th point came on the 1,344th 3-point field goal of her WNBA career. The only other player in league history with at least 1,000 3-pointers is Sue Bird with 1,001.
Picture Pun
Open mouth, insert foot.
