Traverse City Record-Eagle - Northern Living

Northern People: Celebrating adoption month
Karen and Kerry Ferguson traveled around the world to complete their family. In 2001, the Traverse City couple adopted daughter Ru, 9, from China when she was 10 months old. In October, they left for China to adopt another girl, 5 1/2-year-old MeiLin Xue.
Kathy Gibbons: You think it won't be you
The phone rings. You recognize the voice as your nephew's. He's calling from Canada, where he says he's been on a fishing trip with some buddies. They've unwittingly caught fish on tribal land and have been arrested by authorities there. Then wants to know if you can help by wiring him money.
View From Sunnybank: Foot-in-mouth blooper
Sigh ... Friday morning, true to form, smack in the middle of Manhattan, I managed an absolutely splendiferous faux pas, a feat I seem to repeat with depressing frequency. Jen took us, via the underground trains, to visit Roberto at his Fifth Avenue architectural firm. We'd been promised a tour, and, as architecture and I have enjoyed a lifelong romance, this expedition was eagerly anticipated.
Local Book Briefs: 11/08/2009
'Nonnie' book wins bronze medal; Fidler presenting at library Tuesday; Part-time Omena farmer writes novel
What's with the anger?
Outbursts. Rage. Extreme crankiness. It's the misbehaving reality television starlet, or the frustrated driver in the car next to yours. It's tennis champ Serena Williams and rapper Kanye West behaving badly. Or, maybe, it's you.
Diver finds 'time capsule'
Libert, a part-time Charlevoix resident and president of Great Lakes Exploration, believes he may have located the remains of Le Griffon, a French ship that sank in 1679. If proven, the find would be a treasure of historical significance on a par with some of Columbus ships.
Dee Blair: A New York state of mirth
A bilious billboard reappeared again and again as I was ferried, via bike basket-nest all over New York. Huh. Piles of desperate people were seeking out their clinics, eliminating that worry. I bent double, speechless, convulsed with laughter, for what seemed like hours.
Ed Hungness: Men buy and wait; women shop
I have come to the realization that men buy and women shop. When men go shopping, they are on a mission and their goal is to complete the mission. Women actually enjoy the process and delight in meandering through endless clothing and cosmetic departments with numerous pauses along the way.
Discuss chocolate with local author
Barbara Disborough will discuss her passion for chocolate on Nov. 7 at the Kingsley Branch Library.