Everybody Needs a Little Jeep

When I tell someone from Lansing where I live, a common response is "I've eaten at Farmer's Tavern a couple times." There are certainly worse things a town could be known for. The atmosphere's friendly, and the food's decent. Everyone likes the place.

There's a picture postcard of downtown Mulliken, apparently from 1909, which shows a bustling place lined with shops on both sides. Main Street's not like that any more. Most of the storefronts are gone, and it's unusual to see the street lined with vehicles.

Downtown's main attraction for outsiders these days is Farmer's Steakhouse, a cute establishment liberally decorated with, well, junk. There's a stuffed bear, eccentric photographs, musical instruments, large and small toys, old 45s (what else would they be but "old"?), odd implements--well, you get the idea. The interior walls and rafters are covered with stuff. The decorations are surprisingly well-arranged and attractive, and the effect's captivating. And they change often enough to keep things interesting. They also overflow into the restaurant's central courtyard.

This jeep lives in that courtyard.

I photograph the grounds and building regularly.

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This photograph is an outtake from my 2012 photo-a-day project, 366 Snaps.

Number of project photos taken: 12
Title of "roll:" Farmer's Tavern
Other photos taken on 4/7/2012: I took my V1 along on what I'd taken to calling the Daily Flower Census; shot 29 shots. Then Joan and I headed for Lake Michigan and wandered around Hoffmaster State Park., where I shot pix of tree roots.

Postcard photo link borrowed from the Mulliken Historical Society's page on MiGenWeb. There's a color version of the postcard out there somewhere, but I didn't find it this morning.