Located in the Straits of Mackinac between Michigan's Upper and Lower Peninsulas, Mackinac Island is a magical place, accessible only by ferry, private boat, or small plane. In 1887, Grand Hotel was built on the island to accommodate a new leisure class. Today, horse-drawn carriages (no motorised vehicles are allowed) still bring guests to the 660-foot-long porch to catch the breezes off the Great Lakes. When the Musser family - the owners of the hotel - brought in designer Carleton Varney, a 40-year relationship began, as did an ongoing mission to renovate, update, and create the guest rooms, public spaces, and outer buildings of Grand Hotel. That project continues today. ("The job of decorating is never done," says the designer.) Varney has developed a vision that brings visitors back year after year to their choice of the 397 rooms - no two of which are alike. In Rooms to Remember, Varney - in his usual colourful and anecdote-filled style - walks the reader through over 200 lavish photographs of the 43 Named Rooms and Suites, providing decorating details, history, and insights. This book is the perfect visual guide for anyone ready to explore the beauty and history the hotel has to offer, and a takeaway memento for those who've visited this special place. Come along and join this glorious tour of an iconic American hotel!

This travelogue/biography will be useful to other motorhomers planning a similar tour of Scotland and Ireland, especially when it comes to the difficulties of driving a large vehicle along roads that were originally designed for horses and carts! Written in a light-hearted and sometimes self-deprecating style, it includes ideas for stop-overs, snippets of history, personal observations and lots of photographs. It follows the original blog format (dates), and each section gives the mileage covered that day. It differs from standard travel books in that it's about touring popular tourist destinations but keeping away from the hotspots and finding other lovely places to go. There is lots written about all the famous places in Scotland and Ireland. Bessie, Mike and Me is unique in that it offers a more offbeat type of tour.