Welcome Inventors! Do you like travel stories? Whether it’s an airplane to Africa or a walk to Ben’s Pretzels, getting away from home base is an invention adventure. My latest real-life adventure was a surprise birthday trip to Cross Village, MI. Huge thanks to my Alex, who wanted to give me the stars.

Cross Village was less than a half-hour south of a dark-sky park. This stargazer’s dream gave us a full view of the night sky without competition of city lights. To be completely honest, we brought kids, and they were not enthused to stay out past 11:00 when it really started to get good. But the park and night were gorgeous. If this idea sparked your interest, check out:  http://www.darksky.org/idsp/parks/

Then there was Legs Inn – a restaurant with unusual history and a gorgeous view of Lake Michigan.

Traveling was wonderful for inspiration because it challenged me to think differently. The house soup at Legs Inn featured hard-boiled eggs! Adventure was delicious.

If you venture out, you could run into people like the artists at Three Pines Art Studio. Gene Reck and Joann Condino were not only gifted in ceramics & textiles, they were also kind. They partner with other artists internationally and host classes for all ages.

I left with this fabulous oven-safe, dishwasher-safe salmon dish that easily decorates my home as much as my table!

Also noteworthy: we did accidentally break a piece of pottery when we were there. We wanted to pay for the piece, but Gene and Joann insisted they had a better idea. They invited our kids to help them plant the (mostly intact) broken piece of pottery in a flower pot they had out front. I want to write book characters inspired by these two.

We had breakfast at the Old World Cafe, and the stonework, ornate paintings and enormous fireplace within gave us the feeling we’d been transported to another country. The food was as grandiose as the building. But tastier. 🙂

My challenge to you is to make some travel plans. Let yourself be inspired by the journey, and when things don’t go according to the plan, plant your broken pieces in a flowerpot. That may be the inspiration you were looking for all along. Now go – invent your story!