LAKESIDE LOVE

When my husband Mark and I first hooked up back in 1971, like most young couples we didn’t have a lot of money for extras like romantic getaways. With that in mind, some of our best times were spent walking the beaches of Lake Michigan. We avoided going in the summertime – too crowded, but chose instead spring, fall and winter when all the tanned and oiled bodies were elsewhere and the beaches were at peace.

Our first stop was always Holland St Park in Holland MI, not too far from his hometown of Grand Rapids, MI. We’d drive in, find a place to park, and the sit in the car and look out over the lake. The water’s look changes with the seasons but there is nothing more visually moving than Lake Michigan in winter. The snow and ice have a raw beauty that is at once primal and overwhelming. Yes, it would be cold; Michigan winters are no joke but when you’re bundled up, coffee in one gloved hand, and your other gloved hand in his – you can’t beat it. The crisp air, the sun sparkling on the snow, and having the occasional snow ball fight made for a great way to start a to a romantic weekend.

After leaving Holland, we’d head for Port Sheldon Road and the long relaxing drive up the coast. Back in the seventies and early eighties, Port Sheldon was a lightly traveled two laner, lined on both sides with trees so tall the canopy blocked the sun. It’s a glorious drive in the spring, but simply spectacular in the fall when the trees turned red and gold. You haven’t seen autumn until you see it in Michigan. .

When Mark and I first started going doing these our drives, we’d go up in the morning and come back home to East Lansing where we were living late that same day. As our circumstances changed, we began driving up for the weekend. At first we stayed in Grand Rapids at the Red Roof Inn, in what we called the Honeymoon suite. To quote my good buddy author Evelyn Palfrey, the room was so small you had to go outside to change your mind, but we enjoyed it. We’d get up early Saturday morning head out and spend the day driving. Then as our circumstances got even better, the two bedroom suites at the Residence Inn became our base of operation. Not only could we cook there, but the fireplaces in the suites created the atmosphere for a more sensual kind of cooking.

But I digress.

Up Port Sheldon Rd, our next stop was a great little place called Tunnel Park. Over the years, the sand dunes that make up the park have been covered by homes, but back in the day, it was one of the most astonishing places I’d ever encountered because you had to walk through a cement tunnel to access the beach. From the parking lot you couldn’t see the water at all. Once inside the tunnel all you could see was the deep blue water up ahead, and when you stepped out of the tunnel there was the lake spread out in all of its glory. I often write about kite flying in my books because that was one of the things Mark and I loved to do. Nothing like sending a kite up over the water and watching it dance in the wind and Tunnel Park was one of the best places to do that.

Back in the car, and again on Port Sheldon Rd for the hour or so ride to our next stop, Grand Haven State Park. This was another hidden treasure. Taking a left onto Grand Ave you ride through a neighborhood of large homes and at the end of the street is the lake. Lake Michigan is not called one of the Great Lakes for nothing. It’s one of the largest bodies of fresh water lakes the world. If you look at a map of my state you can get a sense of just how large it is. In the off season you can sit for hours and not be disturbed. You can check out the gulls, the wind surfers and sometimes the Coast Guard cutters.

After leaving Grand Haven, we head west and north to Muskegon and the state park there. Many a time, no matter the time of day we had the huge lakefront park to ourselves. Great place to take a lunch break, fly our kites, or sit on the dunes and just be together.

An unconventional romantic getaway? You bet, but when you’re young and broke, a cheap weekend date can be the start of something memorable. It certainly was for us.

So what is your favorite romantic destination?  Leave your comments below and be entered to win an autographed book from Beverly!

About the author

The historical romance novels written by Ms Jenkins highlight African/American life in the 19th century. She has 21 published novels to date.

She has received numerous awards for her works, including: six Waldenbooks/Borders Group Best Sellers Awards; two Career Achievement Awards from Romantic Times Magazine; a Golden Pen Award from the Black Writer’s Guild, and in 1999 was named one of the Top Fifty Favorite African-American writers of the 20th Century by AABLC, the nation’s largest on-line African-American book club.

She has also been featured in many national publications, including the Wall Street Journal, People Magazine, Dallas Morning News and Vibe Magazine. She has lectured at such prestigious universities as Oberlin University, the University of Illinois, and Princeton. She speaks widely on both romance and 19th century African-American history.

In 2004 Ms. Jenkins branched out into romantic suspense with the publication of Edge of Midnight. Her first, faith based, women’s fiction, Bring on the Blessings was published in Jan 09. Her newest historical, Captured is set during the American Revolution and will be available in Oct. 09.

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http://www.beverlyjenkins.net

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About the book – click cover to purchase

Dominic LeVeq, the most notorious privateer ever to command the high seas, has just captured a coveted prize: a British frigate. On a dangerous mission against the Crown, Dominic should be thinking only of his ship’s safety. But the rebel captain is utterly entranced by Clare Sullivan, the stunning slave on board. Consumed by desire, desperate to have her, Dominic offers Clare her freedom in exchange for a forbidden night in his bed—a night he assures her will be most pleasureable indeed.

Clare believes that Dominic is nothing more than a seductive rogue used to getting what he wants. But she too feels a tantalizing passion between them, and so she submits to just one night of bliss. She’ll soon realize that Dominic has captured more than her body. He’s captured her heart . . . and she doesn’t want him to ever let go.