October 2022--You know sometimes all you planned to do was meet up with some friends for lunch. Figured you’d have a nice lunch, catch up on what’s happening with each other’s families, share some laughs, take a few photos, pay your bill and be on your way.
I did just that yesterday—but it was a whole lot more than I could have imagined.
Living in Michigan now and my friends still in Illinois—we planned to meet in the middle. To me, that was meeting in Michigan City, Indiana. I’m not very familiar with that area so I used Yelp to look for a restaurant. I didn’t care what kind of food. Heck, I didn’t even care if it was good food. I just wanted a place where I could meet up with my friends and enjoy some long- overdue time together.
I found a place called Dunebillies Beach Café. Name sounded interesting. Photos looked even more interesting. It’s an old house—built in 1908—with an eclectic variety of old, metal signs, wooden signs, flowers, and other décor strategically placed all over the outside of the building. Tables with colorful umbrellas filled the outside deck area.
Sue and Mary drove in from Orland Park, Illinois—I drove in from Niles, Michigan. None of us knew what to expect, but the afternoon was more about seeing each other than dining at a four-star establishment.
From the moment I turned the corner and saw the building I felt like it was the right place for us. Quaint, colorful and fun! Confirming this thought were two ladies I started talking to in the parking lot from Long Beach. They gave the place two thumbs up.
Once we went in, we were delighted at what we saw—and delighted by the friendly wait staff. Ordered our food and I must say my three-cheese grilled sandwich and homemade potato soup were delicious. The patrons were friendly, too, like they were really happy to be there. We talked with a mom whose little girl was just adorable, chatted for a moment with the women from Long Beach and I couldn’t help but comment on another patron’s French Toast—it looked amazing.
We sat talking and laughing and really enjoying our time catching up with each other and no one was rushing us. Then Lisa, the owner, brought us over a blueberry muffin that she cut into threes. Oh, my goodness, there were more fresh blueberries in there than muffin! She’s the baker and continually is trying out new recipes until she perfects them. And oh boy did she perfect this one.
The conversation with Lisa continued and after commenting on all the paintings and drawings on the walls, we learned they’re from local artists—who also sell their work right off the walls, and she told us about the local, live entertainment she hosts on Sunday nights. Lisa purchased the building and re-opened the restaurant in 2017. She gave us a tour of the upstairs, which has been remodeled and turned into a one-bedroom unit she rents out on Airbnb. Quite impressive—and especially for a woman who basically has done this pretty much all on her own.
What an inspiration.
I felt like Sue, Mary and I had just made some new friends. When the time came for us to leave, Lisa hugged us all. It was actually pretty cool. Who hugs the owner of a restaurant you just met? Us!
We didn’t end our visit there. The three of us walked just a few blocks to get to Lake Michigan. We stopped along the way for a photo op in an oversized Adirondack chair featuring the Sheridan Beach location (kind of felt like Edith Ann) and laughed when we tried to take a selfie of the three of us in that chair. (There is no selfie included because I'm a little technologically challenged when it comes to selfies.) We laughed even harder when we tried to get off that chair!
Continued our walk and within a few minutes we were staring at Lake Michigan.
As always—were in awe of the view from the shoreline. Of course, I was snapping photos of everything, including the native plant life, the tiny tides rolling onto the sandy beach and the lighthouse that sits just off the edge of a long, wooden pier.
The weather was beautiful, and we loved having the opportunity to be outside again. Every day that is nice outside could just be the last of the season. And I loved the opportunity to spend time with these two awesome ladies. We’re hoping to do it again soon.
I’m pretty confident that when we do, we’re going to head back to Dune Billies Beach Café. I’ll be looking forward to more laughs, meeting more new people and of course—those awesome blueberry muffins.
Take it one day at a time.
What a perfect day, Jodi! Thanks for taking us along with you!