Meet the Romantic

My name is actually Phylicia, though I sign off as the ‘Practical Romantic’.  My middle name is Delta and I always thought that it would be much more romantic to be named Delta than to be named Phylicia, which is always mispronounced and misspelled, but history will take its course with me in it, and I’ll go down as Phylicia.

I live in Northern Michigan.  Petoskey, to me, is the most beautiful, diverse and entertaining town on Little Traverse Bay.  There is the waterfront, with its long rows of red lamp posts and baseball games in the summer, with the great big clock that calls to the lighthouse by the docks; there is the Gaslight District with its dozens of shops and lovely parks; there is the State Park beach and dunes; the trails to hike, the paths to bike… the options are endless!  I enjoy every aspect of life in Michigan… well, most.

Spring, Summer, and Fall only last from mid-April to October.  Winter takes over the rest of the months.  But winter has its benefits too — in December there is the Petoskey Open House downtown, perhaps the most romantic of all events in Petoskey, by my definition of romance (which readers will come to understand).  There are three ski resorts within driving distance of Petoskey, two of which are right across from each other, so skiing is another pastime of mine.  Sledding, skating, walking across the Bay — winter can indeed be endured!

As you can see, I love where I live.  Petoskey is the source of most of my inspiration in writing and other areas as well.  My other interests involve horseback riding for miles in the trails on the county land, gardening, and walking through the woods and at the waterfront.  Indoors, I enjoy composing music on the piano (mostly Impressionist in style), reading biographies, politics, and history, and writing just about anything.

The Practical Romantic is dedicated to write about the things in the world that are simply beautiful.  It is to bring to light the little joys in this life that the Practical would miss, but also to show the purpose and meaning that the Romantic might overlook.  The two combined make a life full of joy and purpose, a union that makes even the most dreary day brighter at its dawn.