Michigan Living

Billy and I have had some extra time to spend together these past four days, and it has been wonderful.  This summer has been so busy, that we neglected to have time just together.

Thursday we went to the Detroit Zoo Summer Zoomance, which is a special adults only event in the evening.  They have adult beverages for sale as well.  It was our second time attending, and both times were so much fun!  I learned that seals have many vision problems, like cataracts, and can go blind early on.  We met up with our friends Leah and Dan, shared many laughs and had a fabulous dinner out.

Saturday we visited a local winery, Sandhill Crane.  We love to go there and just sit on the wide, low slung porch tasting all 35 of their wines, and just relaxing and hanging out.  You can sample every wine on their list for $5, but if you buy a bottle, that is waived.  We of course bought three bottles. It is a just a slow day, a good time.  Later in the evening we stopped by a friends house, where we talked and talked and laughed.

This morning we spur of the moment jumped on our bikes first thing, and biked to our downtown area and just sat outside enjoying the beautiful morning and a cup of coffee.  It was like being a tourist in our own town, and I think we are going to make this a tradition.  It was a nice calming way to begin the day - the sky was blue, the breeze was comfortable, the sounds of the morning were church bells, and then later, we could hear the choirs singing - where we were sitting was kind of a church triangle, we were surrounded by churches on three sides.

The bike ride took me back to when my mom used to ride around with me on the back- we would ride everywhere like that.  My mom was a daredevil , and occasionally would yell back at me over her shoulder  to hold on, as she would go flying down a giant hill at top speed.  It was terrifying and thrilling all at the same time!

I had a great few days- and all right here within 90 miles of my home, or closer! Sometimes you just need to look around.

Ramblin Rainy Day

A perfect, perfect rainy day. Billy and I originally were going to head to Saugatuck and hang out, but quickly realized that was just a direction, and not really our destination. We wanted to take the day slowly, and if we saw a sign for something off the expressway that sounded interesting, we were going to check it out. So basically, we hit the road and headed west. (by the way, that is not our car, I just loved all their bumper stickers)

We didn't make it too far before we found our first stop off, Hudson Mills Metropark. This is a great metro park! We didn't spend too much time here, just walked along the river a bit, and then looked for a mill that didn't exist. I did spot a multitude of Cedar Waxwings along the river, diving and swooping above the rapids. The park itself was pretty empty, and we blamed it on the gray clouds above, threatening to pour rain at any minute. We made a mental note to come back and kayak here one day.

Further down the road, we saw a billboard for free wine tastings at a local winery, the Sandhill Crane Vineyards. We decided, what better thing was there to do around 2:00 on a rainy Saturday but sample a few wines? And it was a neat little winery! The rain was just gently drizzling when we went in, and the building itself was all warm wood with a wide low slung covered porch that just invited you to sit on it and enjoy a few tastes. So inviting that there weren't any tables left. Nor were there any spots at the bar inside, where you can actually just go and hang out and order regular glasses of wine. But there was a room in the back with tables, and that is where we wound up.

We had a tiny older woman named Alice as our pourer, and she was really kept busy- not just by us, but by everyone in back. By this point, it was pouring rain outside, and it was such a cozy feeling to be inside watching it come down. Sandhill Cranes has an extensive selection, and no limit to how many you can taste. We didn't go crazy, since we still needed to drive home, but we did taste about 6 each. They had some interesting ones with Michigan blueberry flavors and honey, including the Blue Skies Wine, which I loved; Billy really liked the dessert wine Sugar Snow, which had some maple sap flavors in it from actual Michigan Maple syrup, which I hated. But then, I hate maple syrup and maple stuff, so that wasn't a surprise. My absolute favorite was the Abraza, and it had nothing to do with the fact that for every bottle bought, $2 of the proceeds are donated to the Cascades Humane Society. Billy and I would wander into the winery that supports animal rescue, fate kismet and all that. They have three animals, two dogs and a cat, and all are pictured on different bottles of wine. Rusty the Lab is on the Abraza, Rosie the Terrier is on the Sassy Rose, and Miel the calico is on the Miel Amour. The best part is that they are wandering about the property and the building, so we got to meet them.

We had a great time, and actually didn't spend much money. We split a grilled cheese at the Metro Park, and then ordered the Salmon Spread plate at the vineyard, and the total for both came to $10.00. We did buy a bottle or two of wine, but that was not a necessary expense- the whole day could have cost us the ten bucks and the half tank of gas. We found a few new places to visit, and just enjoyed a slow rainy day together. I can't wait for our next rainy road trip!