Dunes Blog

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I know I’ve made it very clear in the past that I want to keep politics off of this blog, but with the recent upheaval in the financial markets and political wrangling that has followed, I thought I’d share the letter I wrote to Pete Visclosky today.

I’ve written him in the past and I still believe that he actually reads our letters and takes what we have to say to heart. Call me a sentimentalist if you want but I still believe my voice matters.

So, feel free to use this letter to come with ideas for your own. We need to do everything we can to stop this bailout.

End political message.

—-

Dear Mr. Visclosky:

I’m writing you with great concern about the Bush Administration’s latest grab for power in a supposed ‘emergency.’ My wife and I have watched in horror for the last week and half as the economy looked to be on the verge of collapse.

While we recognize that something needs to be done to contain the problem, we don’t think that bailing out Wall Street with $700 billion is the answer. These big investment banks have made their own bed and they must now lay in it.

I would not trust a man who was the former CEO of Goldman Sachs with unlimited fiscal power to fix the problem. While Mr. Paulson’s knowledge and experience may be admirable, he is tainted by his connections to Wall Street. He is not the man to lead us out of this. Wall Street executives don’t deserve to have their banks bailed out, then go on to receive multi-million dollar bonuses while we, the American Taxpayer foot the bill.

What is most frightening of all is how the Bush Administration already had this ‘emergency’ plan in the works for months. There is only 4 months left in Bush’s Presidency, don’t give them more unaccountable power in these last few months. They can still do a lot of damage and then leave an even larger mess for the next President to clear up.

We’re being pushed around by fear right now and these are the absolute worst conditions under which to commit to spending $700 Billion. I hope that you do not support the Wall Street Bailout and vote against it unless there are provisions within to protect our interests, punish those who let this happen and reign in the unmitigated greed in Wall Street.

I hope Congress gets paralyzed by indecision, as they usually do and don’t vote on anything before they recess to Election. That way, there will be time to weigh in all the options and come up with a viable solution that would not be influenced by Electoral Politics. This problem has been stewing for over a year, what’s a few more months? The banks can stop hyperventilating and just be patient.

I have no problem with Socialism and socially guided government programs. But this is just WRONG. I’m sure you’ve heard it repeated ad nauseam: “Socialized Losses, Privatized Gains” and that is exactly what this plan entails. I’d rather we spend the money on universal healthcare for all or better college tuition funding. I hope your other constituents in District One share a similar view and I hope that you are listening.

Warm Regards
Jonathan Thomas
http://dunesblog.jonathanwthomas.net
Valparaiso, IN

My wife and I have heard nothing but bad things since the County Line Orchard was been bought out by the Luke Oil Company. Last year we didn’t go (we had moved to Chicago), so this year, conscious of the problems we heard about, we decided to find a new apple orchard in Northwest Indiana to go to.

It was actually rather difficult to find out where all the orchards are in the area. But I came across this list which lists all the orchards and wineries in Northern Indiana. The list is slightly outdated; for example Anderson’s no longer has Apple’s, they only do wine grapes now.

The closest orchard we could find was Garwood Orchard in LaPorte. So, the wife and I piled into the car on Saturday and went for a drive. Garwood Orchard is located out in the country before you get to LaPorte, it’s not far off Route 2 and really easy to find.

The orchard has two components, a store and the u-pick orchard about a quarter mile down the road. We were there for Apples and went to the u-pick farm. It was great fun. We rode in a old horse drawn wagon to the Red Delicious Apples and had a really fun time picking apples right off the tree.

Garwood Orchard is very quiet and it was very peaceful out in the country. The farm is gorgeous and a pleasure to walk through.
We spent about $30 and got enough Apples to last us until the end of the season. It felt good to support a family farm that has been around for six generations.

I love Apples and look forward to this time every year. The apples from Garwood Orchard are unbelievably delicious. We also picked up some giant pumpkins and dried corn to decorate the front of our house.

Check out their website for information on what’s ripe and what’s going on. They have special events throughout the season. I’m actually pretty impressed with their website, it’s a decent, clean design, has plenty of information and is SEO’d nicely. Good job guys.

After the orchard, we drove into LaPorte to have a look around and go to a bookstore I remember being there. Neither of us had been to LaPorte in years and were surprised at how much bigger and more developed the downtown was compared to Valparaiso. We were very impressed. There was a fun festival going on called the LaPorte Sunflower Festival. The crowds weren’t too bad.

Unfortunately, it appears the used bookstore called Chuck’s books closed some time ago. There’s a church in it’s place and their phone number is disconnected. It is getting increasingly harder to find a a good used bookstore in the area. It’s a damn shame. We also had fun exploring the various antique stores that populate the downtown.

Also of note, the last Army Navy Surplus Store in Northern Indiana is located in LaPorte. It’s right downtown on Lincolnway and they had a pretty good selection of Army Navy Gear. I used to love the store out in Hammond that is now closed.

There is also a nice orchard in Michigan City called Radke Orchard. Their website is very nice as well and filled with relevant information. There is also a u-pick orchard in Crown Point called Mowry’s farm. Their website isn’t as nice but gives you the most relevant information.

So, if you’re looking for a fun fall activity, Garwood Orchard and a visit to LaPorte were a pretty fun day out.

Northwest Indiana Orchard Links

Directory of Apple Orchards in Northern Indiana
Garwood Orchard Website - LaPorte
Radke Orchard - Michigan City
Mowry’s Fruit Farm - Crown Point
County Line Orchard - Hobart

The fall is by far my favorite time of the year. I love the cool weather, the changing leaves and the general feeling of the season. I also happened to have gotten married in October so it has that bit of special meaning. As we prepare to bundle up for the winter, what are some fun things you can do one last time before it gets too cold to get out of bed?

Well, in the Indiana Dunes there is plenty to do in the fall. So, here’s my Guide to Indiana Dunes in the Fall.

Final Trip To Redamak’s

Redamak’s is a summer institution. They have the best Hamburger in the 4 state area. Believe me, I know, I live on hamburgers and I’ve had them all over the world. It’s great fun in the summer, but it’s also fun in the fall as the crowds have dissipated and there is a more intimate feel. The food is cheap and the atmosphere is nice. They close every October and re-open in March, so if you want that tasty burger one more time, now is the time to go, especially if you combine this with a leaf peeping journey down Route 12.

Redamak’s Official Website - They close on October 26th this year.

Bailly Chellberg Farm Harvest Fest

The Harvest Festival is always great fun. See how the first European settlers in the area lived. You get to see the animals and explore the grounds of the homestead. I did this many times as a kid and it’s a ton of fun. You can also tour the old homes which are in excellent condition considering their age. This year the festival is September 19th and 20th. It costs $5 to park. In March it’s also maple sugar time, you can see how the maple sryup is harvested and made.

Leaf Peeping

We are blessed with beautiful forests in Northwest Indiana. One of the best things (and cheapest) is to climb in the car and go for a drive up US Route 12 to see the changing leaves. I recommend going off 12 onto some of the side roads to see some incredible scenery. Leaves start to peak in mid-October. It’s been a relatively warm year, so that should mean the leaves will be particularly vibrant this year.

Michigan City Beachwalk

Do you remember the movie “The Truman Show?” It took place in an idyllic planned community by the seaside that was just beautiful. Well, the planners of that community also developed Beachwalk in Michigan City. Many of the houses look the same and it’s laid out in a similar fashion. The place is mostly second homes for rich people in Illinois and it’s swamped in the summer. Once the fall approaches though, the place becomes a ghost town so it’s a perfect to visit. My wife and I love driving through and looking at all the really nicely designed houses. You can also rent out the villas for a couple nights, they’re pretty affordable and you’re guaranteed to have the place to yourself.

Michigan City Beachwalk Website

World’s Fair Home Tour

I’ve written extensively about the Beverly Shores World’s Fair Homes before and I’m looking forward to taking the tour this year. It’s costs $10 and you can take a tour of all the houses, including the one that has been fully restored. You’ll get to peek around the house and see the progress of the restoration works and hear about the latest plans. Tickets go on sale September 22nd and they’ll probably go fast. Tours are October 11th and 12 this year.

To buy tickets, you’ll need to register here:

Beverly Shores World’s Fair Homes Tour Tickets

Apple Orchards

There is nothing like an Apple fresh off the tree. There are many orchards in the area that will let you pick the apples yourself. My wife and I have gone to the County Line Orchard in Hobart for the last few years, even though they’ve been bought out. You get a bit of sticker shock when you go to pay, but the deliciousness of the Apple is worth it. Don’t forget the classic Apple Donuts which are treated as crack in my house.

County Line Orchard Website (pretty nice website, by the way) - Be sure to check out the list of what apples are ripe and at what time.

I can’t wait to sink my teeth into a Red Delicious Apple.

Enjoying the Empty Beaches

The beaches are by far what makes Northwest Indiana a jewel on Lake Michigan’s shores. After Labor Day and when the weather cools, the beaches become empty. They’re a great place to go for a walk and take in a cool breeze. Great place to have a bonfire and snuggle close with someone special. I recommend the beaches around Ogden Dunes. They’re surrounded by National Parkland and the parking restrictions are lifted in the off season so you can park near the beach. Ogden Dunes has great beaches and it’s great to walk through the dunes nearby in the fall. Some of my happiest days were spent walking through the Dunes with my Irish Setter, Cutter (since passed away).

If you have anything that you do in the fall everywhere, please feel free to share in the comments. I’d love to hear suggestions!

I was very impressed with the coverage on NWI.com of the recent flooding in the area. With no truly local TV station able to provide round the clock coverage, The Times stepped in and provided that coverage.

Their site was continually updated all throughout the recent crisis with the latest information. You could tell their writers were putting in overtime. They literally filled the site with content about the flooding, all the while continuing regular news coverage. It became a place to find out about the latest road and school closings. The kind of invaluable resource we need in this area.

One thing I and many others wanted to see was pictures. NWI.com became a central place where people could submit and view photos of the destruction in the area. It was fantastic. I literally went through hundreds of pictures and personal accounts.

NWI.com is truly becoming an online portal for Northwest Indiana. The design of their site is clean and efficient, it’s easy to navigate around and it loads quickly. Kudos goes out the the team managing the The Time web operations, they’re doing a fantastic job. I’ve managed content myself, but not on this scale, so I know the kind of work these guys do.

As someone who works doing SEO and Social Media, their site is doing a fantastic job taking advantage of these new technologies. The site has video, RSS Feeds, user comments (though I don’t recommend reading them, your I.Q. will go down) and ways to share content on other social networking sites.

I was surprised to see them stream the Gubernatorial debate live last night. This was an awesome thing to do since there really isn’t a way to air that stuff locally on TV (though I don’t know if the local PBS aired it, probably not).

NWI is undeserved by the major media networks because we are crammed between South Bend and Chicago and thus get the TV networks in both cities. Because of this, coverage on the Chicago and South Bend Networks about Northwest Indiana is sparse, to say the least. The Times is filling that void by using the internet to create a portal for NWI as well as it’s own de facto media network, as we’ve seen with them streaming live events.

Let’s hope they keep it up. I’d like to see a web based video network dedicated to NWI and maybe radio feeds or podcasts. I would also like to see them embrace blogs more and maybe create a directory/agrigator of local blogs.

Speaking of blogs. I was disappointed with NWI Bloggers during the flooding. This is probably the worst disaster to hit the area in a long time and many local blogs were silent (though a couple did blog). Keeping in mind that these blogs are run by people and they were probably dealing with the affects of the disaster. But Blogging provides a unique way to citizens to share their experiences and pictures. Granted, I didn’t write much about it myself because Valpo was spared the worst of the floods and I pretty much stayed in to avoid the chaos.

If you wrote about the floods, please send me links to your entries. I’d like to aggregate the links onto one page so that people can see what other people had to say about this terrible disaster.

Been meaning to upload these pictures I took at the Popcorn Festival last week. The parade and the festival are always great fun!

Here’s a link to the Flickr stream of my 2008 Valparaiso Popcorn Festival Pictures.