Front Porch Discoveries

This afternoon we put our traveling chairs in the trunk and headed off to our weekly rendezvous with that front porch experience. After wandering around a small local village that really is a great place we decided that for a quiet view of the world it just was too busy to open our chairs and enjoy watching the world today. Luckily this lovely village has a sister just down the road. We drove off over a bridge and found among the Victorian buildings in Douglas this small coffee shop. Right beside this wonderful discovery was a small side patio in the shade of some of the more stately buildings so we sat down with our drinks. This village sits so close to the busy summer hub of Saugatuck and still holds a summer surprise - a wonderfully peaceful place to relax.

From between two buildings we could see the street and any passers-by and still enjoy a quiet cup as well as a soft breeze and a sky that was puffy with clouds. That sky was the focus of much of this afternoon as we styled back in our chairs. We sat there sipping our drinks and watching some small birds that periodically dipped down to the cement flagstones that made up the patio and then up to the trees. Thier wanderings through our porch were cause for much conversation today.

The view of the quiet street from our vantage point was one of a tiny river side communitythat looked like it had stepped right out of the past except for the constant buzz of passing cars of course. This sultry warm spot shared a gorgeous view where neighbors and tourists strolled quietly together. Our undiscovered Brigadoon seemed not to have been discovered, but many artists and galleries call the town home. It amazes me that people could miss a gem of a city center with such history and charm. But I suppose with so many places along the lakeshore it's easy to overlook some of these smaller venues.

Now for many the beach or shopping is the summer thing to do but for me a place to sit and watch the quiet beauty of small town life is just the right place to be on a Sunday afternoon.