Happy Father’s Day to all you dads out there, especially my son and son-in-law.

Prior to about 120 years ago, the human race was a nomadic one. If you were going to cross a distance of land, you probably were going to be walking. You could ride a horse or be pulled in a wagon, but your pace would be set by someone or something putting one foot in front of another.

My blood was boiling on my short drive to the school board meeting Monday night.

TRAVERSE CITY — If not for the color of his beard and mode of travel — brown and beaded versus snowy white; and a three-masted sailing ship, versus a reindeer-pulled sleigh — Anthony Mikula might be mistaken for being the Santa Claus of the Seven Seas.

Trout Water: A Year on the Au Sable, By Josh Greenberg

TRAVERSE CITY — As graduation season comes to a close, one Traverse City school rises above all others when counting the number of years graduates have graced its doorways.

It is 4:45 a.m. and my husband Joe just left for work. Sons Benjamin and Joseph left before that.

When I was 20, I married a Vietnam war objector. My husband, four friends and I decided to travel to Europe so my husband could escape the draft. We followed Joni Mitchell’s lead and eventually ended up in Ierapetra, Crete, close to Mitchell’s beloved caves at Matala.

Rolling sand dunes meet turquoise waters. Vineyards form pleasing pastoral patterns. Farmhouses and fish shanties. Stunning sunsets. Leelanau Peninsula is a feast for the eyes. Not surprisingly, it also inspires and nourishes its art communities. A number of outdoor events are on the summer calendar geared for both artists and art appreciators. Watch a professional paint in real time, peruse a summer morning art fair or try your creative hand at capturing Leelanau’s many moods. Let Leelanau be your muse.

At this moment, the world is our oyster. It’s opening up, and there’s a pearl inside — the opportunity to be together (safely) once more.

The word “pandemic” is never uttered during “Inside,” the new Netflix special from comedian Bo Burnham.

GRAND RAPIDS — While Interlochen Center for the Arts has announced an abbreviated summer concerts series with six August shows, another popular West Michigan amphitheater plans a full schedule of 28 shows starting in mid-July — about the same time that the Michigan-bred Greensky Bluegrass ro…

GREILICKVILLE — Depending on the room you’re in, AV Studios in Traverse City looks like it could be either a recording studio or a concert venue.

Hunched over, atop her mountain bike, Susan Vigland’s joy-fueled grin gives away that she’s having the time of her life when she’s competing in Bell’s Iceman Cometh Challenge.

Name: Lisa Moberly. Restaurant: Rad.ish Street Food — with two locations at the Coin Slot in downtown Traverse City, and inside Stone Hound Brewing Co.

Gwizdz’s Gadgets and Gear:

BALDWIN — I missed my first three bites. Three different ways.

As a lifelong fisherman, I have picked up a few things along the way that really matter in regards to this favorite activity. Access to the water and fishing opportunities for all has been a big part of it all.

Near my house lies a ravine. Not deep by any standards, yet a depression nonetheless, snaking its way downward, curving right, and blending into the vast depths of a mile-long swamp beginning at the bottom of my hill. Though I’ve lived here nearly 10 years, I’m still peeling back the layers …

While we may agree that the word “brunch” is a combination of the words breakfast and lunch, how we partake of brunch in northern Michigan can be wildly different.

Before moving to Traverse City, Catherine O’Connor made a career out of shopping. Not for herself — but for the high-end clients she got to know while working in luxury retail.

TRAVERSE CITY — Lately Mike Terrell says he has never seen so many people on the trails.

The name of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore embodies the culture of Michigan’s first land and water stewards, and thousands of years of geological evolution.

The “infrastructure” initiative that includes a variety of expenditures designed to improve our lives in a variety of ways is opposed by those who choose to be literalists as to what that word means.

As Pride month blooms and rainbows flutter around town you may find yourself more motivated to reflect on the language you use and ways you are an ally. This can be intimidating as learning about the LGBTQ+ community, labels, terms, or pronouns can sometimes be overwhelming at first glance.

I was south of town last month, finishing a series of errands, when something new happened.

THOMPSONVILLE — Thompsonville’s past and future roll into the present June 19 when the community dedicates its Diamond Crossing historical marker and simultaneously conducts a public visioning session for capturing community potential.

We have entered the month of June. Is it possible that 2021 is almost halfway through?

The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC is a top destination for so many tourists and families each and every year. From the Declaration of Independence to moon rocks brought back from the Apollo space missions, the Smithsonian curates and safeguards some of our nation’s most important…