Name: Connie Conder.

Town or township of residence: Leland.

Resident of the county since: “We moved here 11 years ago. We’ve been coming here for vacation since 1962, usually staying at Jolli Lodge.”
CONNIE CONDER of Leland moved to the county 11 years ago, and enjoys reading and cooking.
Age and birthplace: She’s 74 and was born in Detroit.

Occupation: “I’m retired from Midwest Banknote where they printed stocks, bonds and Social Security cards. I coordinated printing financial advisors and attorneys. I didn’t start working there until my youngest child had graduated from college. I graduated from the Michigan State University College of Journalism.”

Marital status: “I’ve been married 53 years to my husband John. We have three grown children, Dan, Tim and Andrea, and seven grandchildren.”

You live in Leelanau County because: “My son Tim wanted to move up here and build a house and we followed him. When we vacationed here we stayed at Jolli Lodge, we just stumbled upon it and enjoyed coming back each year.”

Last good movie you saw: “The Blind Side. It was a fun movie and I love football. My favorite teams are the MSU Spartans and Detroit Lions.”

Last good book you read: “The Help, by Kathryn Stockett. It’s about maids in the South. She is a first time novelist and I just couldn’t put it down; a fabulous book.”

If you could trade places with one person for a day, who would that be: “I guess Hillary Clinton because she is so involved in what goes on in the world and she can actually make a difference.”

Things important to you that you have accomplished so far: “I raised a happy family and everyone seems to be doing well. Life is good.”

What you hope to be doing in 10 years: “Still reading and cooking. I love to cook. I’d rather cook than bake. I married an Italian so I cook a lot of Italian dishes like spaghetti and lasagna. I really enjoy making creme brulé and I make all my pies from scratch. In my house there are three things we don’t buy at the store: pies, cakes and sauces. I love it.”

Things you lose sleep over: “I worry about what I’m going to make for dinner tomorrow, other than that, I sleep pretty good.”

If you could change one thing in Leelanau County, it would be: “Traffic in the summer.”

Favorite dessert: “Flan. It’s a custard with a caramel crust.”

Are you a coffee drinker: “Yes. I like it black and usually have a couple cups in the morning.”

Favorite place in Leelanau County: Jolli Lodge. “We have more fun there as a family. When you drive to it, you come down this hill through the woods, and then it opens up and the first thing you see are the (Manitou) Islands. It’s just beautiful.”

If you had more time you would: “I would read more and have more parties. I love to do parties.”

The words that best describe you are: “Outgoing, friendly, talkative and happy.”