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Back to school...
or not!
For parents and students, September is the beginning of a new year. For those of us without kids in school, it is a time of discount travel and less crowded parks and pools.
Terry and I find ourselves in the latter category. Since we never had kids of our own, our habit has been to travel after Labor Day. We realized the benefits of post-summer travel on our honeymoon.
Married Sept. 10, 1976, our intent was to go to Boston, somewhere Terry had always wanted to go. Our honeymoon night was spent in — where else? — Niagara Falls. From there, we took I-90 across to Boston. The drive was not bad.
Actually getting into Boston was another matter.
Somehow, we got in a loop and kept going around in a circle. After passing the “Boston 10 Miles” sign for the fourth or fifth time, we saw a sign that read “Cape Cod Right.” We took it. Being after Labor Day, we found a very affordable lodging at the Cavalier Inn in Yarmouth and the best stuffed shrimp in the world at the Red Coach Inn. That was 48 years ago, so we doubt they still remain — but our good memories do!
We were only going to stay a few nights, but the inn offered an even better rate to stay a few more nights, so we did. Our intention was to continue down the East Coast to Philadelphia, but Terry wasn’t feeling well — car sickness — so we headed west to visit her aunts and cousins in southern Illinois.
Being naive Midwesterners, toll roads were something new to us. Do you know how many tolls there are (or were) getting from Boston to Scranton, Penn.? But after that (and the Pennsylvania Turnpike), it was clear sailing. It wasn’t until several years later that we realized Terry only gets car sick if she’s not driving. I gallantly relinquished driving to Terry and all has been bliss ever since...except when I miss to inform her of a crucial turn!
All this is a roundabout way of announcing our annual post-Labor Day trip to Orlando and The Villages. See you when we get back!
We hope you enjoy this issue of our magazine. As always, remember to patronize our many loyal advertisers, without whom this magazine would not be possible. Be sure to tell them you saw them in Pointe Magazine! See you around the Pointe!
John Minnis
Publsiher
In the spirit of back-to-school season, I have books — and more specifically, libraries — on the brain.
As vice president of the Grosse Pointe Library Foundation (GPLF), I extend a friendly invitation to our annual fundraiser, Books & Bubbles, on Thursday, Oct. 24 at Ford House.
What was once Masquerade for the Stacks, Books & Bubbles was born out of an effort to appeal to a wider age range, make the event more affordable and evoke a cocktail party atmosphere.
This year, funds will support multiple projects throughout all three branches. Among them are Ewald Branch fireplace restoration, underwriting expansion of the Library’s book club kits and significant digital book expenses, technology upgrades to the program rooms at Ewald and Woods Branches and a much-needed restoration of the Herbert Matter Mural, The History of Writing, at Central Library.
Visit gplf.org to learn more and purchase tickets. We are anticipating a quick sell-out!
GPLF has another piece of exciting news. With a generous gift left by Vivien McDonald, GPLF Executive Director Paige Domzalski and Grosse Pointe Public Library (GPPL) Director Jessica Keyser came up with the idea for an endowed scholarship for aspiring librarians at Wayne State University School of Information Sciences.
GPLF is also using a portion of the legacy gift to fund a new internship position at GPPL. Applications (an incredible number!) are currently being reviewed. Through the scholarship and internship, we hope to support the next generation of librarians.
“The heart of the library is the staff. The best investment we can make is to continue to have the most well-trained, qualified and highest caliber of staff here,” says Jessica.
I’ll conclude with two quotations from The Library Book by Susan Orlean, who visited Grosse Pointe as part of GPLF’s Books on the Lake in 2023:
“The publicness of the public library is an increasingly rare commodity. It becomes harder all the time to think of places that welcome everyone and don’t charge any money for that warm embrace.”
And: “In times of trouble, libraries are sanctuaries.”
Happy back-to-school season and happy 20 years to Grosse Pointe Library Foundation!
Lauren McGregor
Editor