Walnuts or Tennis Balls?

Every year in September my yard gets littered with what looks like hundreds of tennis balls. They are not tennis balls, they are walnuts. They are the product of several huge black walnut trees in my front yard at the Munro House Bed and Breakfast in Jonesville Michigan. The same trees that give awesome shade all summer, produce a plethora of debris in the month of September and early October. The nuts that fall in the street make a sound like gunshots when they are run over by cars.  The neighbor kids enjoy the popping noise.
 

Along with the walnuts, come small branches and leaves that the heavy nuts knock off on their way to the ground. It is a big chore to clean them up every week, especially if the weather does not cooperate when there is time in my schedule. I used to save them for the Boy Scouts who would collect them and sell them to the Amish. The Amish would then clear the rind, crack the nuts, and use the meat for baking purposes. The Scouts have not been by to collect them this year, so I guess they will end up at the landfill. I have attempted to save the meat for myself, but it is a very messy job. Inside the green rind is a black, mushy, ink-like substance that envelopes the nut. All of that needs to be discarded and it is a big mess that is difficult if not impossible to clean from clothing.  The Amish buy them by the ton, and my vehicle will not support that much weight.

Anyone who is ambitious enough to take on this challenge is welcome to come to my house and collect the nuts.   They start falling en masse around Labor Day.  These are always the first bare trees of the season.  Before peak fall colors are evident in the area during mid October, my black walnut trees will be barren of leaves, and nuts.  The quantity of nuts is cyclical, with a large quantity every 2 or 3 years, and a much smaller quantity in-between.  This year has been a big year for us, so we are looking forward to some relief in 2011.



Mike Venturini
Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast

Boat House Coldwater MI Restaurant

The Boat House Restaurant on Coldwater Lake has been getting a lot of buzz lately. It's about a half hour drive from the Munro House in Jonesville. We hopped on our GoldWing and decided to check it out.

Coldwater Lake is just beautiful. It is a large body of water with housing developments everywhere. Some homes or cottages are lakeside, but most just have lake access. The winding road that circumnavigates the lake is a very scenic drive. About midway on the East side of the lake is the Boat House.  The restaurant is located right on the lake with its patron parking lot across the street.

Entering the Boat House at street level is the fine dining restaurant. Friends and acquaintances have described the food as the best they've had outside of a big city. The owner takes pride in obtaining ingredients locally. That includes the seafood, fruits, vegetables, and meat.  We were told that they hand pick their farm animals and have them fed a specific diet until they are just the right size for the most tender cuts of meat. Expect to spend $100 per couple for a 5 course dinner.

Downstairs at lakeside is a bar and enclosed deck area on the dock for a more casual meal. Sandwiches and salads dominate the menu, but steaks and seafood are available, too.  The dining area is open air, but screened in, to enjoy the experience of being on the lake. The sandwiches are under $10, the steaks and seafood are under $20.

I am in search of the world's best cheeseburger and found a very good one at the Boat House.  The presentation was superior, and the lakeside ambiance was most comfortable. These elements combined for a very relaxing and enjoyable night out.

Mike Venturini
Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast

Ray's Tavern in Reading Makes Best Hamburgers

Folks in Hillsdale County know that if you want a really good burger, you go to Ray's in Reading. Ray's Tavern is on highway 49 in downtown Reading, Michigan, about 20 minutes from the Munro House in Jonesville.

USA Today reported that Ray's served the best hamburger in America.  The article is still posted on the wall behind the bar and this notoriety appears on their sign.

We go there regularly for a really good burger in a small town atmsophere. The folks around here automatically go there and may not know just how good Ray's burgers are.  When it's normal to go somewhere for a good meal, it is sometimes easy to forget just how good it is because it's "normal". The burgers are very good and their home made potato chips are equally amazing.

Ray's Tavern is pretty easy to find. Just take highway 49 to Reading and Ray's is just South of the only blinker light in town. Friday and Saturday nights and special event weekends are pretty busy. But at lunch time and other nights, it's pretty easy to walk in to this small town tavern, get a table, and enjoy one of the best burgers around.


Mike Venturini
Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast