Postcard from Interlochen 2: Hike and Write

Tuesday afternoon was the annual Writers' Retreat Hike and Write. Program co-ordinator Anne-Marie organises a trip to the Sleeping Bear Dunes shoreline, which overlooks the vastness of Lake Michigan. The idea is that people hike through a forest and up a hill, emerging at the top of the dune. After a short walk along the crest of the dune (which rises to about 200 feet at points), people get the time to sit looking out at the lake in the sunshine, and either write in their journals, continue writing they've already started, or do some drawing:

It was a scorching mid-summer day, which wasn't so great for my pale Anglo-Irish skin. But it was worth frying in the open air for the chance to look out at the lake from my perch up on the sand dune.

On the way back we all visited a local chocolatier called Mimi Wheeler, who makes hand made chocolates from cocoa pods she imports from South America. The choccies are filled with wild ingredients like beetroot, hot chilli peppers, and basil.

Her shop is filled with all kinds of beautiful things relating to chocolate making, including a mould in the shape of a pig:

You can find out more about Mimi's fantastic chocolates at www.grocersdaughter.com.

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