Art in the Strangest Places!

It's all in how you look at it! That saying means a lot when you try to consider what is art versus what is not. There's art all over and all around. Art is more than a painting or sculpture. It's more than a painting from a paintbrush but instead, its the actual burst of color that makes your mind react.

We took a walk through Ferndale, MI and discovered art in some of the strangest places, from the graffiti art, cinematic art and so much more!

What art have you seen that you overlooked because it was in a strange place?

Take the next few days to recognize art. The structures and architecture, the curve of stone worn from the wind. Art can be found all around us, all we have to do is look. It's all in your you look at it!

Don't Take it For Granted

What is your hardest daily task? What is your easiest daily task? What tools do you use to complete this task?

The picture you see is an Amish plow. A horse drawn plow to be more specific. Can you imagine doing this task in, maybe, 50 degree weather? Well this picture says resiliant, hardworking, dedicated, and so much more. And there is more where it came from.

There's so much we don't know and every opportunity to learn is a blessing. Learn more about the Amish in St. Joseph County with Step On Bus Tours. This picture was taken while they work, an inside look at their closed lives. With the experience and inside knowledge that Rose Szwed brings to the table, you'll see much further into this life which you and I can only dream.

The More You Know.

The Tour is Coming, the Tour is Coming!!

Gearing up for another tour season, Step On Bus Tours Presents: Amish, Arts and Adventures June 9, 2011. The tour season will kick off it's first tour from the Northville Community Senior Center in Northville, MI and wisk you away to Amish Country in St. Joseph County.

Amish Country in Southwest Michigan is like no place you've ever seen. Step On's tour guide has more than 10 years of tour guide experience and has developed a special relationship with the sensitive culture of the Amish community. Because of her expertise and inside knowledge you can experience an in-depth experience, from propane-powered grocery stores to Mennonite Country Markets and touring the Nottawa Stone School there's something for everyone, and it'll leave you talking about it for quite some time.

Gather a few friends or sign up for yourself! The $80 tour includes an Authentic, Home-made Amish meal, a roundtrip motor coach, goodie bags, an end-of-tour test with prizes and theatrical commentary.

Every trip offers unique photo opportunities so be sure to bring your camera, too!

The tour will depart from the Northville Community Senior Center, 303 W. Main, Northville, MI 48167 between Ann Arbor and Detroit, MI at 8 a.m. and return close to 6:03 p.m.

To sign up for the Amish Tour coming up June 9, 2011 call 248-619-6692, for more information about Step On Bus Tours, visit http://www.steponbustours.com/ or email StepOnBusTours@gmail.com.

Focus on Freedom

Truly clearing your mind and finding your center takes more than a few deep breaths. You have to remove yourself from the hustle and bustle, take time to meditate, to think, to not think, to be. Finding your center is freedom from whatever weighs you down. Few have perfected freedom of mind like the monks at Saint Gregory's Abbey in Three Rivers, MI.

Experience for yourself a day in the life of the monks at Saint Gregory's Abbey as they worship, work and study. Take the time to follow their daily schedule and join their Matins and Lauds that take place in the Abbey Church for an opportunity to focus on your own freedom.

By spending time at the Abbey you can become centered, focused, and open to your spiritual growth. If you've been feeling weighed down by the world this may be a chance for you to reel it in and renew your peace.

Learn about the confraternity, the non-clergy members of the Abbey who are dedicated to spiritual growth in their lives and the flourishing of the Abbey.

If you'd like to spend time at the Abbey or to learn more call 269-244-5893 between 9:30-11:30 a.m. or 2:15-4:30p.m. Monday thru Saturday. You can also visit http://www.saintgregorysthreerivers.org/

"X" Marks the Spot, The Dali Lama was Here

Take the Tour, Free Your Mind!!

Visit the Sacred Sites, Shrines and Sanctuaries where people from around the country are coming to experience the Energy Vortex. Feel the energy as you meditate and expand your knowledge just like the Dali Lama did in a Southwest Michigan barn that you will see during this spiritual tour. Experience the public retreat centers such as The Hermitage with 62 acres of rolling hills and trails for leisurely walking, or take a 20 mile walking tour.

You'll see the serene places that you'll want to linger:

• Native American stone circles
• Labyrinths
• Stone Chapels
• Mennonite Retreat Centers
• Monasteries
• Sound Chambers
• Non-denominational centers
• Christian Bible Camps

NOTE: These trips always offer loads of unique photo opportunities!

COST: $80/person (Note: Prices based on current fuel rates. May be subject to change.)

INCLUDES: Meal, goodie bag, beverage, commentary, prizes, some fun, an end of tour test and wonderful surprises.

Visit our website for regular tour updates. The site is always changing! www.steponbustours.com w 248-619-6692

Underground Railroad SW Michigan

STEP ON BUS TOURS FEATURES SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN’S UNDERGROUND RAILROAD – QUILTS, QUAKERS & QUESTORS – PLAN TO ATTEND FOR BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2011 OR ANYTIME

Themed “Quilts, Quakers, and Questors,” the latest offering from Step On Bus Tours features a fascinating 6+hour journey along the history-making Underground Railroad in Southwestern Michigan, according to Rose Szwed, director and guide of the travel firm.

Step On Bus Tours is unique in that the tour guides not only step on the bus and give narrated tours, but also provide buses. The tour can start from anywhere mid-State leave @ 8A-6P.

Thanks to an experienced and knowledgeable Step On Bus Guide, Szwed says, you can visit site after site without a guide book, concentrating on what you actually see as she fills you in on the authentic facts and history.

She fills you in on all the details of the strong abolitionist movement that gave refuge to the many seeking liberation. That includes sites made historic by the “conductors” on the Railroad who risked much to carry out their convictions.

TREASURES OF HEAVEN: Medieval Relics Worshipped by Royalty and Commoners

Tours available until January 16, 2011

Many of the reliquaries in the Treasures of Heaven exhibit that we are debuting have never been seen outside of their home countries. Included are metalwork, paintings, sculptures and illuminated manuscripts drawn not only from celebrated public and private collections in the U.S. and Europe, but also from important church treasuries.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime tour. The motor coach ride will inform about the various works of art -- secrets and tidbits that would ordinarily be missed if viewing on your own. As well, a tour of select churches will be included on the tour allowing the visitor to see complementary art -- a rare treat only available from Step On Bus Tours.

"People who think of the Middle Ages as a dark period for art and culture will find their perceptions challenged by this exhibition. The relics and reliquaries showcased in Treasure of Heaven provide evidence of religious objects traveling across tremendous distances and of people making pilgrimages across the Mediterranean to walk int he footsteps of important figures from sacred history. The medieval devotion to relics gave birth to new forms of monumental architecture, supported extensive pilgrimage networks and prompted significant developments in the visual arts," according to the Chief Curator at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

The physical remains of holy men and women and other objects associated with them play a central role in a number of religious and cultures and were especially important to the development of Christianity. To convey the sanctity of these relics to the faithful, medieval artists created precious containers, or reliquaries for churches, shrines and personal use. Often covered in gold and silver or encrusted with precious and semi-precious stones, these objects commanded attention. Their outward appearance reminded worshipers of the extraordinary nature of the matter they contained.

Guide is attired in Medieval costume to further explain the era. This is a fun and entertaining event.

A delicious lunch and tasty snack is also included in the $85 price, round trip motor coach ride, tickets to the exhibit, tour of additional churches, goodie bags, and game prizes.