Why The Great Lakes Are Great

I saw the below video shared on social media this week and it did a decent job of summing up why the Great Lakes are so great. Growing up in Michigan, I can remember studying HOMES (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior) back in elementary school geography lessons and how the glaciers formed the Great Lakes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBRcOLcEwF0

It seemed like every year around Michigan Week (does anyone remember Michigan Week?) we would focus on Michigan history and geography which inevitably lead to studying the Great Lakes. I believe it was in the 4th grade when we watched this 1968 film (yes, it was on a film reel!). Funny, how the image of the man in the midst of the polluted waters has stuck with me all these years later.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afs_A_Lz2w4

Just watched this again for the first time in over 30 years and it was a real nostalgic treat. Amidst the schmaltzy music and humor you do get a good overview of how The Great Lakes formed.

Probably around this same time period in elementary school, we also watched this Canadian classic - Paddle to the Sea. The possibility that you could send a little boat down a stream in the woods and it would flow all the way through the Great Lakes to the ocean always intrigued me as a child.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olXmGz4iCxM

Does anyone else remember watching these films back in the day? How about Michigan Week?

J.W. Westcott II - The Only Floating ZIP Code in the United States

Have you ever wondered how the ships on the Great Lakes receive mail? Well, wonder no more. The J.W. Westcott II has its own ZIP Code (48222) and has been responsible for (among other things) mail delivery to ships on the Detroit River since 1895.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcGQugU7xiw&t=11s

Here's a short video of a few different deliveries being made. You can see how much skill and coordination is needed to make these transfers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrJh2hU5NMA

The J.W. Westcott II doesn't just deliver the mail. Here they are making a captain delivery: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIXyF5BiMlY

Want to learn more about the J.W. Westcott company? Read this New York Times article.

There is also a great little children's book about the J.W. Westcott II, Mail by the Pail (Great Lakes Books Series).

Michigan's 180th Birthday Sale!

Michigan became the 26th state on January 26, 1837. To celebrate Michigan's 180th Birthday we are having a sale on all of our Michigan-shaped wooden gift basket crates! You won't see prices this low on these gift baskets again any time soon.

The sale runs January 26th through January 29, 2017. Check out the discounts!

Watch 2016 Western Michigan Football Team Highlights

My first year at Western Michigan in 1996, the football team won two games. To encourage students to show up to games they even gave out free pizza. Let's just say that even with that offer I didn't have to share the pizza with too many people. 20 years later and WMU had a perfect regular season (13-0) and played in the Cotton Bowl against a very good Wisconsin team. This was definitely a season to make any alumni proud.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTf6yfx0fNE

We were so pumped up about Western's football season that I even helped my son 3D print a WMU 'W' cookie cutter for my wife this Christmas.

1st 3D printed cookie cutter is a 'W' for @westernmichu #rtb I am helping my son make his Christmas presents for mom. He is 3D printing custom cookie cutters that he designed 😁 #wmu #westernmichigan #westernmichiganuniversity #rowtheboat #kalamazoo #michigan

A photo posted by Andrew Norton (@allthingsmichigan) on Dec 23, 2016 at 8:54am PST

Row The Boat :)

$10 Flat Rate Shipping For Cyber Monday!

Today, November 28th, 2016, you can ship our gift baskets and boxes anywhere in the United States for only $10!

Load up your online shopping cart and if you are sending gifts to more than one address make sure you click the checkout link that says "Checkout With Multiple Addresses" so you can add the addresses and gift card messages for each recipient.

When checking out, simply select the "Flat Rate Cyber Monday" option for $10 shipping.

Remember, you can order today and choose a delivery date closer to Christmas.

Take advantage of our $10 Flat Rate Shipping today!

Michigan And Again - The Accidentals

"Michigan And Again" might just be my song for this summer. Take a listen to the breezy instrumentals and wistful lyrics, close your eyes, picture a myriad of Michigan's sights and sounds, and feel the longing of home if Michigan is where you hang your hat. The Accidentals might just be on the brink of something big. Savannah Buist and Katie Larson, the founding members, round out their trio with multi-instrumentalist, Michael Dause.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KB_lytx-i3I

You can name-your-price and download "Michigan And Again" at The Accidentals' Bandcamp page. The song is the first off their upcoming June 2016 release of a five-song EP, Parking Lot.

Michigan (And Again And Again And Again And Again)

We lay down in the grass In our nest of sleeping bags Breathing in the shallow canyon air The water, 45 degrees We wade out to the knees And soak to the sleeves in a semi-aquatic prayer Great state, what state am I in? Compass roses bloom again Home of the water, Canada's daughter Cradled in a crescent moon grin Michigan and again and again and again and again Michigan and again and again and again and again Soft shoulders of sand dunes Porcupine cactus flowers bloom In the dust of the devil's empty living room Salt silts the flattened land Time like a snake in the sand Powdered porcelain in a stranger's hand Great state, what state am I in? Compass roses bloom again Home of the water, Canada's daughter Cradled in a crescent moon grin Michigan and again and again and again and again Michigan and again and again and again and again Looking down to the high five Grazing ground to hear the sound of a heavy sigh Home is where you left your heart behind Even fortified fossils dissolve over time When I came home, I went down to the lake My dad told me he counts up the days And when I packed my bags, coffee stains of jet lag There were conifers lining the driveway, whispering "Stay, stay, stay, stay, stay Stay, stay, stay, stay, stay" Great state, what state am I in? Compass roses bloom again Home of the water, Canada's daughter Cradled in a crescent moon grin Michigan and again and again and again and again (x8)