Vacation, Day 2: Sleeping Bear Dunes, part I

On Day Two of our vacation, we dropped the kid (CB--choir boy) off at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp and headed up to sleeping Bear Dunes.

Back in Detroit--a man at Pier Park Shows me a fish he just caught.

See three more shots from vacation day 2 here.

Whitehall, MI, Vacation Trip, Day 1

We drove from the Detroit area up to Whitehall, Michigan, where we had dinner at Crosswinds, a lovely restaurant on White Lake. Our table was beside the water. This tugboat was one of many things we could see from the table. The food was excellent.

See 4 more pictures from vacation, day 1, here.

And a Detroit shot: Right before we left, we went to the car show at the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House. Here is one of the many images from that show:



So I am home now, back in Detroit, but it will take me a LONG time to get caught up!!! Please be patient!

Harrell's

Must be a furniture store. A sort of mural. Warren Street. Sorry about the white sky.

Advanced warning: we're going away for 3 weeks and will NOT be online while we're gone. Camping.

The Alger Theater

The Alger Theater is closed. A friends of the Alger Theater group wants to get it open again. My husband spent many many hours there as a boy. The pigeon was in the falling apart marquis.

Marie's Salon

On Warren in Detroit.

In the Shipping Channel

The shipping channel through Lake St. Clair, which is a shallow lake, is very busy with freighters coming and going.

2800-mile Bike Trip from Detroit starting soon!

Several days ago, I had the delightful experience of meeting another blogger, Lord Keiella of Rode to Me - 2800 miles. 7 weeks. One Bicycle. We met because he is planning a 2800-mile round trip bicycle ride to Florida to have a man to man talk with his 97-year-old foster father. During the trip, he hopes to lose weight, shape up, and make personal growth discoveries, a noble cause indeed. As a person who has set off on somewhat similar adventures, I'm rooting for him every inch of the way.

Lord Keiella posted to Freecycle, an organization to which I belong and support, a list of items he needs in order to make the trip. They included a one-man tent. I didn't have a one-man tent, but I did a lightweight 1 ½ man backpacking tent. (Please don't ask me to explain what half a man is!) It's a comfortable size for a person hiking or biking alone, with room for gear if it rains, or a very cozy size for two who don't mind being very close. BUT, I didn't know for sure where all the parts of it were. I took a chance that I'd be able to locate them and emailed Lord Keiella. He said he was interested, I found the missing parts, and he came over yesterday.

I was interested and excited to meet him. I had no idea what to expect. It turned out he was friendly, interesting and thoughtful. I showed him how to set up the tent, even though he was an experienced camper, because the North Face Tadpole I gave him had a few quirks.

Lord Keiella is based in the Detroit area. He's planning to leave July 2, 2010 He will be stopping at Pensacola, FL on the way to his foster fathers, to see the oil spill and its effects on the birds, animals, beaches and habitats of the area. He hopes to make 100 miles a day. 60 under his own power, his "Meat Motor" and 40-ish using a small gasoline engine to assist, that he expects to get 125 mpg with. He expects to arrive in Florida, if everything goes well, around July 19th, stay and visit with his foster father, and then ride back, stopping at some yet-to-be-decided places up thru South Carolina, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. He hopes to make Myrtle Beach one of these stops.

You can see more details about Lord Keiella's trip at his blog. (He's a lot funnier than I am!) Be sure to check the list of items he needs to complete his trip here, in case you have anything lying around you could donate to him.

On the Black River

Cooling Off

A group of women sit and chat at the end the dock at Pier Park, a good spot to sit in the breeze and escape the heat of the city.

Detroit Ruins

This is right off the River Walk near Centennial Park in Downtown Detroit. Outside, outside, inside. There are many abandoned buildings and homes in Detroit.

Elmwood Cemetery Pond

Elmwood Cemetery Pond. It's not quite officially summer, but it sure looks and feels like it. This is an old cemetery near downtown Detroit.

Detroit Metrobeach

The first picture is the "canal" in the Detroit Metrobeach nature area right near the owl nest. After the barrenness of our winter and early spring trips, this looks quite lush.

The second picture is a quick watercolor painting from our Pinery Trip.

Rainy Day Art Supply

Rainy Day is a great local place to get art supplies. It is located right on Mack Ave. There are brushes and paints of all descriptions, books and gifts and paper. Easels; everything an artist might need. Right next door is Little Tony's Restaurant, a popular local spot. I ate there once, though, and was unimpressed by the food, the service or the ambiance. I never went back.

The last shot is another from the Pinery--of the endless beaches reflected in BB's glasses.

Home from the Pinery

We have lots of new flowers in the short time we were away. The peonies came and went, the pink roses are open and the Clematis.

The second picture shows the part of the beach at the Pinery we AVOID like the plague.

Home from the Pinery

But I'm posting another shot. The "endless" beaches at The Pinery are such a wonderful treat!!!

Last day at the Pinery

Ah the cool great lake breezes on a hot day! AH! We are sorry to be leaving, it's such a treat to be here.