Motor Family - In Motown

The last part of the Day's Hotel, Hazel Park.

2010-05-17T08:25:00.002-04:00

I did not take this vid, but it is pretty cool.

The Days Hotel in Hazel Park, Michigan. Demolished!!!!!

2010-05-15T07:14:00.003-04:00

For a few years, I used to drive past this hotel on the way to work. It sat on 9 Mile and I-75.

If I remember correctly, it used to be a Holiday Inn. I always thought it looked kinda crumby.

Anyway, it should be entirely gone by the end of this weekend. They started pulling it down last week, and plan to be carting it away by tomorrow.

I wonder what the pub was like....

Check out the water jet above

The sign seems to be covering up another - Holiday Inn? Of course, my memory is never that good.

And just what's needed - a CVS. Because there is never too many corners that can be taken up by a CVS.

Hong Chang Xing - HotPot in Shanghai - LOOK AT THE MENU ITEMS NAMES!

2010-03-24T09:18:00.005-04:00

Shanghai, China. Hotpot.

This means having a large metal dish of water on a table in which you cook your food prior to eating it.

Such a place is Hong Chang Xing. Now, before we got into the food - another post - the menu provided us Westerners much entertainment. The translations were a wee bit off. In fairness, if I were to translate from English to Chinese - I would be clueless. In any event....

Sea Hibernation of Insects Head

Smoking Ducks Tongue (had this - interesting!)

The Hand Grasps the Mutton (??)

OK, some places in the states talk about "MSG Free". Not in this place. Quite proud of its:
Wind Monosodium Glutamate Duck

Hot Fries the Diced Chicken

Black Pepper Cowboy Bone

Soak the Pepper Chicken Feet.

Not too bad, in comparison to.....

Bad Chicken Feet!!!!

The Brine Goes All Out By Defeat the Basin

Three Silks very much in USA are fragile

Not sure what this was, but
It Resembles Honey!

Wild Turkeys at Saugatuck Dunes State Park

2009-07-07T09:09:00.002-04:00

We took a drive to the State Park. Too many mosquitos though to walk around, but we did see these big birds.....

All this at:

Saugatuck Brewing Company (inc. The Lucky Stone) - Douglas, MI

2009-07-06T08:46:00.003-04:00

We were done with wandering around Saugatuck - and things were shutting up there. Seems most places are done by 6pm. The restaurants (apart from The Butler, where we had lunch) all seemed to not fit our needs - either too nice or too hot-dog. And we didn't want pizza.

A last ditch blackberry search pointed us to The Saugatuck Brewing Company (actually on Blue Star Highway in Douglas) - it had a couple of good reviews, so we thought we'd have a look. And it was in Douglas, near where we were staying.

I stopped in and found it served food, brewed its own beer, and was family friendly.

So we gave it a go!

There was also 2 relatively unique (and welcoming) traits here - smoke free, and TV free (as far as I could see).

It seems there is an Irish theme going on - the pub (or part of the pub) within was called The Lucky Stone, and there was what appeared to be real old (pre EU) road signs from Ireland.

I talked to our server, Katie (who was great!), about why the Irishness - the owner has spent some time in Ireland and wanted to somewhat mould the poub around it.

By the look of the beer list (not all of which were on sale yet - the place seems to be on its way up still), they also knew a bit about other countries, or at least the beer coming out of them - there was mentins of Alts, Kolshchs, Impertial Stouts, Porters to name a few.

I had a Weiss bier to start with. It was good - not too heavy, not too bitter and not at all watery. Good! Next I moved to the Alt. Also good, but just a touch too heavy for me after a day walking around stores. The food was normal burgers, sandwiches, pretzels with mustard, pub dinners, and that kind of thing. Nothing wildly extravagant, but thats just fine when what's offered comes out as good as you would wish for. And it did. No complaints from our table at all. Prices - reasonable!

There was also a games area - no, not space invaders, but darts and board games. Nice touch.

Why is it the Saugatuck Brewing Company if it is in Douglas? Well, it used to be in Saugatuck but needed a bigger premises, so the spot in Douglas fitted.

All in all, should we be in the area again, we will be back the Saugatuck Brewing Company to both eat and drink!

Views from the Belfry - Kölner Dom - Cologne Cathedral

2009-06-28T10:21:00.002-04:00

Detroit's Eastern Market - June 2009

2009-06-28T09:44:00.002-04:00

WOW Detroit - Not very wow when it comes to Versus HD and Fox Soccer Channel!!

2009-05-26T19:36:00.002-04:00

Well that says it all - Why don't they broadcast Fox Soccer? And, now during Hockey playoffs, why not broadcast Versus on High Def???

Detroit Tigers Opening Day 2009 - Comerica Park

2009-04-12T09:11:00.004-04:00

Friday was home opener for the Tigers. In Detroit, Opening Day is like a combination of all the holidays with a little baseball thrown in - or, as I call it, a blast!

People all over the place were having fun, bars were packet with lines outside. Tailgating was in full swing, and someone even invited the dreaded bagpipers!

Miller Lite? I knew it!!

Bobblehead guy posed for a photo

The Elwood Bar. Look at the line!

Jazz band at one of the ballpark entrances.

The Big Glove!

Pre-game scoreboard welcoming us there. It felt great being there - the weather was nice - not too warm but certainly not freezing. I've heard tales of snow on opening day - not today!

The Texas Rangers (the other team that was there - apparently there was a game involving another team!) were first to get introduced, followed by the entire Tigers team and staff.

4 F-15C's flew by straight after the national anthem - took us by surprise as they came from over left field. Very cool and very loud!

With the Auto industry in tatters, GM had to pull its sponsorship. However, Mike Ilitch, instead of removing GM entirely from the home run fountain, chose to accompany GM with Ford and Chrysler signs. Nice gesture - after all it's a lot of those who rely on these companies to survive (direclty or indirectly)who buy tickets to come see games like this one.

Reinforcing the support of the Big 3, instead of having a celebrity throw the first ball, a representative worker from each of Chrysler, Ford and GM each threw out 1st balls.

Warm-up was underway...

More welcomes and a crowd anticipating a fun season. Well, at least one better than last year!

And The 2009 Detroit Tigers take the field!!!!!!!! GO TIGERS!!!!!!

Through the 1st inning there were the normal outfield beach balls tossed around through the crowd, attracting the attention of security, who managed to catch and kill said balls. Then, from somewhere above us descended what you see below!!!

It was tossed around with great amusement. Apparently Mike sucks, if you believe what was written on the side of it.

Anyway, security managed to get a good hold on it, and kill it.

Meanwhile there was a baseball game in progress.

The crowd waited in anticipation...

A few runs were score, bases loaded..... then......

Miguel Cabrera hits a Grand Slam!!!

Celebrations! Happy People Everywhere!

Believe this. Someone actually bought a beer!

In fairness, there were more drunk people at the game than I've ever seen there before. It was Opening Day! Amateur day!
One thing I'd not seen before, not even during the playoffs (remember that?), what the staff not allowing people to return to their seats while a batter was up - Red Wings game style. Not a bad idea - it's annoying when people keep walking in front of you during play.

Anyway, the game went great, Galarraga pitched his heart out for 7 innings, giving up just a run, Perry relieved nicely, and Bonine closed but gave up a more-or-less meaningless run. Final score: Tigers 15, Rangers 2. Fantastic!!!!

Happy Tigers!!! Let's keep on winning!!!

In case we didn't know, the Tigers won/...

So, it was a slow walk out... nobody seemed in a big rush.

Above and below... joviality at its best outside the park. Nice to see the guarding tiger without his Carhart coat on - Spring, welcome to Detroit!!!

Now, we needed another beer - look at the line into Hockeytown!! We chose to avoid.

A great day, great fun, great weather, great result. Couldn't be better!!!!

From there, we wandered past a few bars with big lines, seen a kid who drank too much want to fight the world, and eventually made it to the not-too-crowded Foran's Bar!

Myers Motors - North American International Auto Show Detroit 2009 (NAIAS)

2009-04-05T18:44:00.004-04:00

The amount of entries I have started and not finished is getting out of hand. This was one....

Myers Motors - according to their website, they are the first to come through with an affordable Lithium-powered highway speed vehicle. These days, it's harder than ever to define "affordable".

We seen the car in the "electro-basement" at the NAIAS. The car is TINY! Highway indeed - could ya imagine looking through the window at one of the hubs of a 26-wheeler? Man, I thought the Smart ForTwo was small!

I was interested in it - it looked like it had aspects of about 5 different decade in it. Unfortunately there was no-one near to ask about it.

Here's the pics:

The above pic pretty much sums up this year's auto show!

From Myer's website comes this one:

So the question is: Do you roll a bowling ball at them or take one home to the kids?

I shouldn't be that critical - I know very little about them and in fairness - best of luck to ya Myers!

Happy St. Patrick's Day 2009

2009-03-17T13:28:00.002-04:00

Tigerfest 2009 at Comerica Park. The Detroit Tigers are BACK IN TOWN!!

2009-01-24T18:18:00.003-05:00

Spring must be on the way! There’s baseball activity – the Tigers just signed a reliever – Brandon Lyon to help the bullpen, and Tigerfest was underway today.

The guarding tiger at Comerica Park reminded us that it was still cold with his winter coat on.

Ice sculpturing was underway – no chance of it melting in the 16 degree Fahrenheit temp.

Miguel Cabrera immortalized in this fine statue. Immortalized until it warms up that is.

Unfortunately, what was as close as we got to seeing him today.

The look of the ball park would send a shiver down yer spine today. Hey, here’s an idea. Why not have a hockey game at a ball park in the winter?? Wait…

North American International Auto Show Detroit 2009 (NAIAS) - Hyundi

2009-01-24T10:04:00.002-05:00

North American International Auto Show Detroit 2009 (NAIAS) - Lincoln C Concept

2009-01-23T16:13:00.003-05:00

North American International Auto Show Detroit 2009 (NAIAS) - Brilliance Auto - The Chinese are coming!!!!!! (Part 2)

2009-01-23T16:07:00.000-05:00

North American International Auto Show Detroit 2009 (NAIAS) - Jaguar

2009-01-22T19:10:00.002-05:00

North American International Auto Show Detroit 2009 (NAIAS) - Lotus

2009-01-19T20:02:00.002-05:00

Lotus had a bunch of cars in a rather drab area - nice small expensive cars for enthusiasts only

North American International Auto Show Detroit 2009 (NAIAS) - BYD - The Chinese are coming!!!!!! (Part 1)

2009-01-18T23:27:00.003-05:00

North American International Auto Show Detroit 2009 (NAIAS) - DUB Magazine area

2009-01-18T23:05:00.004-05:00

DUB Magazine had it pimped-out car display as usual - this year it was on the main floor, albeit tucked away in the corner.

North American International Auto Show Detroit 2009 (NAIAS) - Lamborghini

2009-01-18T19:42:00.004-05:00

Murciélago LP 640

2009 Gallarado Coupe

Above and below... Murciélago LP 640

Above is the Gallardo LP 560-4 - sleek!

As usual, the models were up there with the cars.

North American International Auto Show Detroit 2009 (NAIAS) - TESLA

2009-01-17T11:46:00.003-05:00

After a few years of speculation, a closure of the local offices, talk of investments and non investments, Jay Leno buying one, law suits, Tesla finally, finally brought their roadster to Detroit.

For over $100k, it doesn't seem much, but it apparently drive like a silent dream monster

Below is the stripped down Roadster. Funny how the Lotus sign is in the background - the Tesla Roadster uses the Lotus Elise as a base for quite a bit of the chassis and frame technology.

Still no sign of the 'Canadian girlfriend' sedan they are reportedly developing...

North American International Auto Show Detroit 2009 (NAIAS) - Chevy VOLT

2009-01-17T11:13:00.002-05:00

The much talked about Volt was on show. One of these days someone will actually drive it.

Hopefully this time they won't kill it...

North American International Auto Show Detroit 2009 (NAIAS) - The New Camaro

2009-01-17T10:31:00.003-05:00

The Chevy Camaro made an appearance

Crazy eyes!

Not a mullet in sight!

Goes into production on March 16th, apparently. Just in time for St. Patrick's Day.

North American International Auto Show Detroit 2009 (NAIAS) - FISKER

2009-01-16T15:27:00.001-05:00

Fisker, yet another electric car company had a couple of very cool, very expensive cars on display

North American International Auto Show Detroit 2009 (NAIAS) - Electric Mini

2009-01-15T13:45:00.004-05:00

Right next to the BMW exhibit was Mini. Keeping in line with the rest of the auto show, they had their Electric Mini. The Mini E.

We asked about the single one on display and were told it is one of 500 here in the US on a fixed 1-year lease.

What Mini done was offered applications to 500 people in New York, New Jersey, and California. ( Note: No Detroit. Thanks Mini.) Apparently you had to be in an area where the power grid could support this.

After a year, Mini would repossess the cars, and they will tear them down and evaluate what condition they're in. Kinda smart, but hopefully for them, they won't miss the Electric Car boat.

One interesting thing is that, as can be seen from the picture above, the batteries take up the entire 2nd row- this is now a 2-seater mini, and seems to have very little trunk space. So, in comparing it to a traditional gas car, yes, the Electric Mini might be cheaper to get you there, but you can only take half as many people!

The car was locked, this was because, according to the Mini show person, it was Car #1, and was destined for the Mini Museum.

North American International Auto Show Detroit 2009 (NAIAS) - MASERATI

2009-01-14T22:48:00.004-05:00

The Maserati Stand! Quadroportes! And the super quick Grand Turismo

Mackinac Bridge Builders - The Mackinaw Bridge Museum

2009-01-14T08:05:00.008-05:00

Here's a picture I took in the summer of 2008.

OK, my time travel machine has had a couple of glitches and as such, I had to resort to taking a picture of a picture in the Mackinaw Bridge Museum.

It's an interesting place that was somewhat under construction, but we got to see a cool movie about how the bridge was build, and all the obstacles they had to overcome.

The museum is located above Mama Mia's Pizza, in Mackinaw City. Food smelled good, but we wern't hungry.

We learned that the bridge opened on Noverber 1st, 1957. Before that, ferries were used to ship hunters (and others) to the UP - and that was only when Lake Michigan could be crossed, ie. when it wasn't frozen.

There is some original equipment from the building on display there still.

including hats...

an a small scale model!

Anyway's here's two more photos of pics. I recommend the museum - it's worth a visit.

Interesting one of the bride under construction....

and

with a steamboat going under the half-built Mighty Mack.

But go and see the pictures in person. They are better!

Christmas! and why we would be lost without the web

2008-12-25T14:46:00.002-05:00

First - Merry Christmas! Again, it's a white one here in Michigan.

Second - an example of how we rely on the web just proved itself out. I looked out the window, and wondered if the temperature was above freezing. So, to find out how cold it was, I sat down at the computer, looked at Wunderground.com and found out it was 29.7 degrees Fahrenheit, and clear. Alternatively I could have opened the door, and checked for myself. But that would have been too much hard work.

Rochester OPC - Older Persons Commission float - CHECK THE SPONSORS ON THE VAN IN FRONT!

2008-12-09T11:46:00.004-05:00

At the Rochester Parade on Saturday, there was a float - The OPC (Older Persons Commission).
It's worth clicking on the pick below to blow it up, and take a look at the name of the sponsors on the van in front.

Way to go keeping the older people happy, Rochester! Merry Christmas!

57th Annual Rochester Parade 2008

2008-12-08T19:35:00.018-05:00

Cos you never know when you're going to need an APC in Oakland Sounty....

The sheriff making a rather scary salute from his tank. And wearing a brown coat....

In the Royal Oak Parade, the Lancers drove around in little cars. Should they have had an accident, or started any trouble, the little vehicles above would have been right there! (Thanks MAC!).

Above, note the tactically camouflaged wheels. It just blended right in.

Scouts! Nooo! Run and Hide!

Holey Smokes! It was most certainly not a day to be wearing a kilt!

See, there's nothing that says Christmas in Rochester more than a gorilla on a unicycle.

In case the gorilla on the unicycle was not bizarre enough, hows about a leprechaun on a golf cart in Rochester, MI, in December!

More about the above and below pictures here

Now, one time in Fort Wayne, IN, I read about ride-on mower square-dancing. I guess this is the wheelchair equivalent

Holiday Magic in Royal Oak 2008 - Christmas Parade

2008-11-22T21:29:00.005-05:00

Pre-Thanksgiving Royal Oak means Parade Time! Santa's first stop in Michigan is, and should always be Royal Oak. It's a regular event - but unlike last year, we had both kids with us. Different and nice.

Cold day - 24 degF setting out. We were suitable donned in thermal gear, making the weather a non-issue, as seemingly did everyone else.

Pre-parade. If you were to have had too much to drink last night, and fell asleep on the middle of the road on Washington, above is what you would have woken up to. Assuming, of course, that Royal Oak's fine Police Department would not have put you safely away, or that you did not get ran over by a crazed party-goer and ended up dead or badly wounded. But I digress. Back on track....

So, you'd stand up, and above is what you would see. A beautiful morning in downtown Royal Oak. Ok. Enough.

There's Oakland County Sheriff. They could have picked ya up off the road, so as you would not have spent the night asleep in the middle of Washington Avenue, when there's a parade on the way.

Or indeed, the afore mentioned Police Force. Forget the flags, there's people asleep on the road!

Back to reality. The pipe band were there. Nice and melodic, as a group of men should be, assuming they were properly dressed without underwear. Twas cold, as I said earlier.

And the bands.....

We watched the above and below band traipse through horse poop. The music was alright.

Nothing like a lollipop aircraft. As of now, I have no idea what that was all about.

And it wouldn't be the Christmas Parade without the Lancers- grown men in little cars. I think I see my future!

Is there not a whole bunch of grown men our in the woods right now trying to bag a species not unrelated to those above? They could have came to Royal Oak!

Stagecrafters are doing The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe. Above is The Witch.

And above is some kinda clown. Again.

It wouldn't be Christmas without a couple of sheiks....

And above is the wonderful CandyBand. I love the forefront lady's expression - the band were not that bad...

And above is the Cass Tech Marching Band, who represented us at the Orange Bowl in Texas last January.

Paws. Taking a pause.

The one wheeled biker club. Only half as badass as a regular club.

Look carefully above. That unicyclist is actually rope skipping. Seriously.

Scouts should be marching. Not in a float!

Above is Detroit School of Rock and Pop. This is the first I've seen or heard of them - except for a seemingly quiet storefront on Washington. More can be found about them on their website - best of luck to them! Make the Detroit area famous for music again!

Pinewood derby racing for bigger kids. Now there's an idea - could solve this issue!

WHIP IT

Whip it .... like... Noir Leather! Wouldn't be holiday season without a little leather, pvc, and general fun.

Santa arriving in town, and below, getting the key to the city. He must have lost the one he got last year. Dunno how - it was huge!

And on we went to Lily's Where the bagpipers congregate. We had a delicious brunch there - I reccommend it! Nothing like munching on a cajun shrimp omlette while listening to Scottish pipes and drums.

Other Royal Oak links:
Royal Oak Memorial Day Parade 2008
Holiday Magic in Royal Oak 2007 - Christmas Parade - Miracle Madness
Zombies In Royal Oak
Mothers Day in Royal Oak 2007

Woman Smoking in Car With Kids - WHY????

2008-11-19T10:42:00.002-05:00

I think I've made it obvious here before that I feel that smokers are somewhat inconsiderate.

Yesterday, more proof of this was cast along side me.

On my way into work, while stopped at the lights, I looked aside at the car next to me - a blue Chevy Impala. Lady, early 40's driving. Wearing a woolly hat, and puffing energetically on a cigarette. OK, what she does in her own car is just fine, once she doesn't throw the left overs out or blow smoke in my path.

But it was the two little kids, all wrapped up in their winter gear in the back seat that particularly irked me.

These two elementary-aged kids will smell of nicotine when they get into school. Worse still, they will have inhaled a large amount of mom-of-the-year's cigarette smoke - yea, passive smoking, there are still smokers out there who believe it has no effect. (The EPA seem to think is does pose a problem - ETS (environmental tobacco smoke) is apparently responsible for 3000 deaths annually in US nonsmokers, and has a more drastic effect on kids).

See the evidence is there, yet people just chose to ignore. Is that addiction so severe that parents will put their kids health at risk (bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma)? Are they doing this willingly, or do they not know the facts? Cripey, it's 2008!!! Or perhaps, they just choose to ignore the facts.

See, there is a lot said about women smoking when pregnant. I've seen few or no warnings about strapping your kids into a car and inflicting tobacco smoke onto them. There should be more.

Heck, make it illegal. I'm not aware of any such law here in Michigan, but California, Louisiana and Arkansas have already taken that step - it's a ticket if you get stopped. Granted you need to be stopped for another offense first, but at least they are doing something.

So what did I do? I rolled down my window, made brief eye contact, and she sped off.

Poor kids. I wonder will they smoke?

New York Rangers v Detroit Red Wings at the Joe - and Ted Lindsay night

2008-11-16T17:34:00.009-05:00

October 18th. We were give 4 tickets to see The Wings take on The Rangers. It was also Ted Lindsay night - an Omri Amrany-commissioned statue was unveiled.

Our plan was to get there sufficiently early to see the official presentation to Terrible Ted, but we went for food at The Olympia in Greektown (mediocre food, flaming cheese was nice but expensive and small, lamb moussaka was bland and the pasta dish my wife had was gooey - but the kids enjoyed their turkey wrap), and as a result of the lack of speed, we got there after the ceremony. But we still got our commemorative canvas posters.

Our seats were behind the goal, just 10 rows up. A great spot to see an Original Six game!!

And the game. At the 28 second mark, Samuelson stuck the puck in the net. a couple of minutes later, Franzen did likewise.
Unstoppable. Except last season when he got concussion..

But the Rangers came back and scored. And then Holmstrom scored. Then the stupid Rangers came back and scored 3 more and they were in the lead

But then Jiri Hudler came back and equalized with about 4 minutes left, and we were headed for OT.

OT did happen, and it lasted a whopping 23 seconds - Marian Hossa got his first for The Wings at a very important time.So The Wings won That's why they are the best. Wings - do me a fovor, head east and then a little north to Ford Field and tell dem Lions how ya do that winning thing.

Bièvres, a little village just outside Paris.

2008-10-30T11:01:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, I got picked up from the hotel in Paris before breakfast was served - I was hungry. To make me even hungrier, we drove around some of the sights. Not that I was complaining, I got to take some wonderfully bad photos.

Anyways, we stopped there for some breakfast i.e. we stopped at a bakery/pastry shop and bought some pastries. Fresh, warm, and tasty.

If you like Paris, but not the crowds and traffic, this would be the place for you! Far enough to be quiet, and close enough that you can ride a train in there.

In the bakery, I watched a man buy 3 loaves. See, in France, you buy your bread daily, because it's not full of preservatives that allow it to have a shelf life of 100 years! And it tasted really good too.

About the worst quality pictures from Paris, France you'll see....

2008-10-29T05:57:00.006-04:00

It's pretty difficult t take photos when you're in a moving Smart ForTwo on Paris streets that are mainly cobblestones and it's still dawn. So below are my best efforts from today and yesterday.

Above, the Eiffel Tower, below, an early morning Champs Elysees. Pre-tourist time.

Above, a typical brasserie - there are hundreds like it (note the awning covering the 'outdoor 'part - it's there the smokers sit). Below is a bridge over the River Siene.

More Champs Elysees above, and below is just around the corner from where I stayed.

Above, you can just about see La Defense in the distance. I visited there years ago. Not this time. And below is L'Arc de Triomph.

The restaurant on the corner (L'Carre) above is where I had dinner last night. Lamb shank and some kinda wheat. Expensive, but tasty. Everything is expensive here in Paris. Meal consisted of started, 1 bottle of beer, main course, and one glass of Saint Emillion wine. 50 Euros. That's somewhere between $70 and $100, depending on what time of day you check the exchange rate these days. But the food was delicious.

Detroit's Eastern Market

2008-10-26T12:24:00.004-04:00

Driving up Woodward Avenue, Detroit

2008-10-26T11:24:00.005-04:00

After Eastern Market, and due to most of I75 being closed, we had to drive up Woodward. Here are some poorly taken pictures - many through the car windscreen.

There's a lot of churches along Woodward.

They even fry chicken in some churches......

Ah! The Turkey Grill!

Modena Cathedral - or Duomo.

2008-10-20T19:30:00.004-04:00

An October Wednesday Afternoon in Modena

2008-10-13T20:36:00.015-04:00

Wednesday afternoon, after lunch, we had a handful of hours to kill. As it was an incredibly beautiful afternoon, a walk around the ancient town was in order.

Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista, Modena (Chapel Of St. John the Baptist)

2008-10-12T10:57:00.003-04:00

Modena does churches real well. They are all over the place, and are very old.

On my first trip out there, I passed by this one without really noticing. 2nd trip there, it's age was pointed out to me - there is documentation to suggest that a church has been there since 1190, when it was known as San Michele (St. Michael I guess).

Interestingly, the current structure was reconstructed from 1723 to 1732, and is pretty much the same as its been since.

I read elsewhere (unconfirmed) that the church was also the last resting place for prisoners on their way to execution.

Unfortunately, it was closed when I was there

Osteria Ruggera, Modena, Italy

2008-10-11T23:39:00.003-04:00

Wednesday afternoon this week, we needed to eat out. We visited a restaurant which my colleagues came upon by chance some days earlier - Osteria Ruggera. See, this is what I love about Modena - all you need to do is wander around and you'll find somewhere good pretty soon. In fact, I can safely say I never had a bad meal in Modena.

Osteria Ruggera is a tiny little place with lots of Sinatra pics and other photos inside - nice and small- so we parked all 6 of us on the outside - which was a little covered deck on the sidewalk. And why wouldn't we? It was a beautiful October afternoon - warm and quiet.

Our host was a wonderful lady who spoke no English, but thankfully we had our Italian speaking American with us who done a great of of filling our empty plates with roughly what we wanted.

Note here: we got no menu - out host was able to recite all to us by heart. Note 2: by heart there were no prices given either....

Antipasta was, per usual, a load of cold cuts of delicious hams, salamis and cheeses. Next up, and this was new to me, was cold vegetables, some pickled, some in oil. Aubergine, or as is called here, eggplant, both in olive oil and with tomato paste and Parmiagiano Reggiano, also, courgette strips in basil spiced oil, and, to spice things up, some stuffer chile peppers. All, of course, with bread. Fantistico!

And then onto the Pasta. I had Spaghetti Buffolo - which I now believe means spicy - fine by me. It was some kinda meat on, well, spaghetti, with a mildly spicy tomato sauce and fresh basil. The kinda spicy that creeps up on ya.

All was washed down with a couple of bottles of Sangiovese. Well, we were in Northern Italy. When in Rome... but we were in Modena.

In conclusion, the meal was great - best lunch in a long time. The price was apparently a bit on the high side - I didn't pick it up - but for a 2 hour lunch which comprised of excellent food and wine, we were all complaint-free. Recommended.

Across from where we sat was a wig shop. See below.

Torino Lamborghini Town Life - a little car in Modena, Italy

2008-10-11T11:07:00.003-04:00

Wednesday afternoon, wandering around Modena, I spotted a car I'd never seen before... see below!

A pretty bizare little thing, looked like the Nissan Micra, VW Beetle, and the Smart ForTwo all mated and had a baby, and painted it red.
After asking the interwebs, it turns out it's a Town Life, a car made by the Torino Lamborghini company - owned by, yep, Torino Lamborghini, who is the son of the famous Ferruccio Lamborghini, known for some inconspicuous sports cars.

Interestingly, this car comes with a choice of 3 power options - 505cc 15 hp gas engine, or with 505cc 5.4 hp Lombardini diesel engine, or Helektra which uses a 5.5 hp electric motor.

Made in Italy. For Italy. But it looks like a blast!

The Chicago Shiny Bean in Millenium Park - Cloud Gate

2008-09-29T07:59:00.000-04:00

After lunch, we took a walk Millennium Park, and stopped off at the big lit up water squirting fountains. The kids got soaked and had a blast I guess that's the whole idea. From there, onto "Cloud Gate" , which is really a huge big highly polished bean where you can see some spectacular reflections of the city.

Camping at Sleeper State Park - near Caseville, Mi

2008-08-23T12:40:00.000-04:00

Last lot of Woodward Dream Cruise photos from 2008 - Saturday Afternoon

2008-08-19T18:41:00.018-04:00

Other 2008 Dream Cruise photos are here, and here

For some from 2007, click here

Now the car above is something else. From what I can see, it's a BMW Isetta, probably from the late 1950's. A primer for the Smart ForTwo of the curretn day?

Woodward Dream Cruise 2008 - Saturday Photographs

2008-08-16T13:33:00.012-04:00

Woodward Dream Cruise 2008 - Friday Photographs

2008-08-15T22:13:00.034-04:00

Here's a bunch of photos from this year's dream cruise. I'll put them into better order soon .. but for now, enjoy the photos!

Tubing in a Thunderstorm - Rifle River Tubing Trip 2008 - Rifle River State Park

2008-08-12T12:43:00.000-04:00

We spent the weekend having fun. Granted, it should have been huge amounts of fun, like in past years, but Mother Nature failed to cooperate. Nor did the Orange Barrel Authority, nor indeed, did much.

Let’s see…

Friday, we head out as I get out of work at about 3pm. Got as far as Auburn Hills on I75, before grinding to a halt. Left lanes closed. Orange barrels everywhere! Took about an hour to get through it all. Then on to the Zilawakee (or is that Zilwaukee?) bridge, which was still closed, so we got the I675 tour again of Saginaw.

Eventually we got there, got tent up, and relaxed. It was a beautiful evening, not too cold, so we thought it a good idea to leave the fly sheet off the tent, and watch the stars. ‘Twas nice – got a little cold, but nice. Until the morning when the clouds came over and the rain started to fall… PANIC! We got a tarp across the tent so no harm done – apart from wet clothes. Breakfast was had in the rain.

The rain passed but it was still cloudy, and there were rumbles of thunder in the distance. But, like the die-hard tubers (a potato?) we are, we battled on undeterred. We were going Thunder Tubing!

Go, off we goes to Troll Landing. It’s still not raining…. but the skies are gray. We drop off our coolers, and go to the end of their section of the river (you go there, park up, get taken in a bus to the start, get in a tube and float back to your car). So, after only a little wait, we get bussed to the start. We all get our tubes, tie the cooler tubes to ourselves, and start to float. Still gray skies, still no rain.

Then it started raining. Then there’s thunder rumbling. But hey, thunder never killed anyone. Right? And then the rain really started belting down, and it was c-o-l-d! So, I’m looking back up river, and there’s this HUGE bolt of lightning. And, almost instantaneously, one loud, loud thunderclap. We looked at each other, rounded a bend, and opted for the (marginally) less dangerous option of getting out of the water and taking a little shelter under a tree. At least we had an opportunity to eat a little lunch – soggy sandwiches.

Anyway, the rain eased up a bit, and a decision was taken to re-take to the water. One family had enough and ran away, deciding that hiking back to the Troll Landing by foot was better. But the rest of us, brave warriors that we are, took to the water.

The rain stopped, the sun came out and it was beautiful. Then the sun went away, and it rained again, but only for a little while.

The river seemed to be flowing a little deeper than last year, but still pretty bumpy. Overall, if the weather cooperated, it would have been an ideal trip. It took us 3 ½ hours, all told from getting in to getting out, and when most everyone got over the rain, storm, and cold, most people somewhat had fun.

From there it was back to the campsite (Rifle River State Park), where we had a huge camp fire meal, made bigger fires, smores, beer, and sleep.

Sunday was up, pack our wet tent, quick snack, and hit the road. After a brief stop at the Jerky Outlet (can’t pass a jerky outlet with the kids in the car), and another at Starbucks in Birch run, we were Detroit-bound.

Ahh…..Home.... Flushing toilets, hot showers. TV.

Kwame Goes to Jail - John Six-Pack??

2008-08-07T15:30:00.004-04:00

So, the beloved Mayor Kilpatrick is currently inside Wayne County Jail, for Bond Violation.
You know, he's a complete jackass - he clearly considers himself above the law. His bond conditions were pretty clear - so what does he do? Swan off to Canada on "city business".

The judge asked: "Who was dying?", looking for a reason for the violation. "The City was sick", came the reply from Kwame's lawyer. The judge shoulda jailed the lawyer too - for such a dumb answer.

Fair play to the judge for insisting that Ole Kwame is just the same as any defendant - "What matters to me though is how the court overall is perceived and how if it was not Kwame Kilpatrick sitting in that seat- if it was John Six-Pack sitting in that seat, what would I do?"

But, I really need to ask - what is a John Six Pack? There's a term I've never heard before - I guess it means Joe Public. But John Six Pack???? Perhaps John is a bit of a lightweight who gets into brawls after drinking a six pack of bad beer??

Anyway, I fully expect Ole Kwame Sixpactrick (heh heh) to be out and back on the bad streets of the D tomorrow - his appeal is set for then.

Now, my first reaction when I heard he was in the slammer was - great, he will finally resign. But in hindsight, I'm wrong. He won't resign. Why would he? He's tha man, and he is getting paid a good wage to be it. Why give that up just because most everyone thinks he should? Why give up the big car life? Or the parties? Ooops, sorry, there never was a party.

Anyway, sleep well, Kwame. Wonder will ya get any action?

Elvis at Wrigley Field

2008-08-05T16:24:00.002-04:00

This made me laugh. While running onto a field is never a great idea, when it's 70's nite at Wrigle Field, it's in the middle of a huge thunderstorm (with a tornado warning in effect), and you're dressed as Elvis, then I guess the rules don't apply.

I guess the guy will get charged with something, so it kinda sucks for him, but respect to the King. I wonder if alcohol was involved, but I suspect that it was. Mainly because drinking beer is the think to do during a rain delay.

Imagine the story the cops would have. "I just place Elvis under arrest". Imagine the mugshot!

The King is alive. At Wrigley Field. Yay!

The Grand Hotel on Mackinac - Grand Theft!

2008-07-23T16:43:00.000-04:00

Alright, so we didn't stay at the Grand. I doubt if I will - it seems to be one of these things in life that separates the rich (or those who pretend to be) from the rest of us.

The $15 charge to even enter the lobby (or, i guess, walk down the street in front). What is that all about? To keep out the riff-raff'???? I wonder how much they actually make on people going ion there just to look?

Proper dress????? Coat and tie? No slacks on chicks? Dang!

Nice garden. But it would want to be.

You know, I don't have much of a problem with The Grand being an expensive hotel, nor indeed with the dress code. It really is the stupid $15 charge to even get into the lobby that gets me. The place has historical relevance, but it's not the White House!!!! Part of the reason it's in business is because there are so many people come to the Island and maintain the Main Street & ferry businesses - without them I doubt the hotel would exist - or maybe it would and have to be much more expensive. So what does the Grand do? Charge 'ordinary' people an arm and a leg to see how grand it is?? It would have cost us $60 to even get in!

In fairness, I might be able to afford to stay there. But out of principle, I won't ever. I will stay on the Isalnd, but not there.

Anyway, here's a sign showing where William Backhouse Astor. I've not managed to find out who he is yet. Probably because I didn't try.

Horn's Gaslight Bar - Mackinac Island - Magical Nachos & Top Service

2008-07-23T15:50:00.001-04:00

After coming down from Fort Mackinac, hunger was raising its dizzy head. We checked a few menus, and were almost tempted to go into the "Irish" bar, but the Horn's Gaslight Bar & Restaurant seemed the most appealing. Especially with two kids in tow.

It kinda reminded me of pubs in England with high finished ceilings and a long bar with mirrors behind it. Except, unlike the English pubs I used to go to, it was very unsmokey (Granted, all pubs in England have to be smoke free these days.) No, nice, big, and airy.
I can't remember the name of our server, but she was smiley, happy, and dang efficient. Beer was served - Sam Adams Cherry Wheat - complete with a cherry - the beer didn't stay in the glass too long - it was thirsty work doing all that walking. So I had another.

From the menu, I ordered the Super Nachos with chicken - which turned out to be some kinda delicious spicy chicken. Jalapeños, olives, salsa, and all the works were piled on - with loads of fresh cheeses. Good thing I only ordered a half order!

Now usually nachos are not to the spice level I like, and here was no different. Not a criticism, as not many like spice to my lavel, but when I usually ask for hot sauce, I'm given either Frank's Hot, or Tabasco. In here, our wonderful server took me a choice - whihc included Cholula - my absolute favorite daytime chili sauce. One more good mark for this place.

Our daughter had grilled cheese & fries - we believe it was good - because she ate it all - I guess it may be possible to mess up a grilled cheese sandwich, but not here.

Wife had a chicken Fajita wrap - also no complaints - came with chips, and a spicy dip, as ya can see below. It was large - I had some of the other half.

The boy had a cheeseburger, which he ate at such speed we feared for the safety of his fingers. And as such, gave me no chance to take a pic. But use yer imagination, it was a burger in a bun with fries in a basket. There!

The price is something I can't recall exactly, except it was real reasonable. Horn's Gaslight Bar certainly got the thumbs up from the Motorfamily. It's like the Pad Thai on the menu of the local Thai place, which I always order - I'm sure there are other great bars and restaurants on the Island, but like the Pad Thai, it's going to be pretty hard to deviate from Horns on our next trip.

And they have music in the evening. Next time..

UPDATE: For those of us with Mackinac withdrawal symptoms, Horn's has a webcam!!! Click here for it, and enjoy the island from afar!

Fort Mackinac - A trip back (further) in time.....

2008-07-23T10:45:00.000-04:00

Not long after setting foot back on solid ground, and walking around a bit (bark chapel etc) we decided to visit Fort Mackinac.

This fort was built by the British in 1780 - and after a lot of to-ing and fro-ing, and the odd fight ended up occupied by the Americans. In the 1800's it didn't do much as from a military standpoint - being a place for reserves, and acting as a prison for a while.
It became a National Park towards the end of the 1800's and, as such, housed US Army soldiers. It has since became part of the Mackinac State Park.

The fort now houses not soldiers, but State employees dressed in period garb - as seen above. They eagerly fire off their 45-70 Springfields - and frightened the kids.

Above - a pic of a pic of the main building in the fort in 1890, and below, a pic of it now. You can see they try to do a good job in keeping it as it was.

Above, the well dug out by the british, which bore through 150 feet of rock!!!

We got to watch the cannon demo, and our little girl got to help cleaning it out. Quite a bang!

Above is a view of the front of the fort. Weather-wise, it was dreary and foggy early in the morning.

A kitchen in one of the residences inside the walls of the fort

The soldiers who called this place home were often bored, and what better thing to do when bored than drink beer. Now, with a town so close and plenty bars, they often wandered down there, drank heavily, got into fights and caused all sorts of problems. So, fair play to the Army - they came up with a genius solution. Instead of banning drinking, they opened a bar inside the fort. Below is what it looked like.
The beer was the 'best', 'Shlitz, Milwaukee'. Hey, at least it wasn'y Budweiser.
And you could even have a game of pool.

Just to the left of the entrance was the guard house. Which also had a cell. What had been covered up sometime during the American period was the Black Hole you see below.
Looking at the state of it, it was a bit more of a crime deterrent than the cell. Particularity if the ball and chain in the pic below was used.

Of course, you can't beat a good flogging.

Above and below - the Post Bathhouse, where the soldiers were expected to take a bath once a week.

We were treated to some Military music, singing, dancing, and a court martial while there. It's a very cool place to visit - there is the hospital (with information on Dr. Beaumont), a school, the old corner sentry posts, stores and much more.

Even with two kids, we spent about 3 hours there. Very much worth the $32 total admission price.

Mackinac Island - A small step back in time. Marker after Historical Marker!

2008-07-23T10:12:00.003-04:00

So, we got there. Still dreary, but the day had promise.
Mackinac has no (barring emergency) motorized vehicles. It's all horses and bikes. I wonder if skateboards are allowed?? Now, Mackinac Island is the Island Time Forgot. If you look carefully at the picture above, you'll see it's not the Island Starbucks Forgot. Nope, Starbucks is here and trying to inflict it's little bit of Generica on the Island. But that's ok. Just don't open a Wal-Mart.

There are rather a lot of Michigan Historic Markers on the Island. the one below is the Executive Summary, I guess.
After walking down the street towards the fort, we happened upon the little building pictured below - the Missionary Bark Chapel

Below is a poorly taken photo of the inside. This re-constuction marks the time Fr. Claude Dablon spent the winter on the Island, doing missionary work.
On the other side of the street form the bark chapel is the Trinity Church - a tiny little construction. Which was closed when we were there.
The Historical Marker below gives the Church's history in better word than I can. I would have liked to get in there and see the hand-carved walnut altar.
And onto the State Park, which as far as I know is most of the Island, and does include the Fort
On the way up to the fort, we encountered a squadron of scouts marching down the hill. I've since learned that there is a scout camp up behind the Fort. Perhaps that could be something for another time with the boy.

Then it was onto Fort Mackinac. Below are some photos of the Island on the way up to, and in the fort. There's lots more stuff about the fort here on it's separate entry.

See how the weather cleared up over the day.

Below is the Grand, with the Mackinac Bridge in the background.

After traipsing around the fort for a handful of hours, we developed a decent hunger, and eventually ended up in Horn's Gaslight Bar - more on that here.

Then is was gift shops, Fudge Shops, and biking. We hire 4 bikes from one of the many bike vendors - two little ones for the kids, a 'mens' 18 speed for me, and a 'womens' 18 speed for her.

We done the round the island circuit - didn't attempt any hill as we had an 'inexperienced biker' with us. I was happy with the bike company too - we got back a bit in more than an hour and a quarter, but they rounded it down. I'm between two minds about whether to take our own next time.

Anyway, I didn't take too many pics from the bike and there really was nothing worth publishing so it's onwards from there.

We took a walk down Market Street

Below is the McGulpin House, believed to be one of the oldest on the Island. We didn't go in there as it was closed.
We also stopped by The American Fur Co. Store, which also houses the Dr. Beaumont Museum
The store was cool - and the kids asked the Guide, who was dressed in period costume all sorts of questions, and she answered most of them. She showed how cloth and material was sold there, allowed them to try on a beaver skin top hat, and displayed how stores from that era operated.

In the room next to the store was the Beaumont museum. In a nutshell, some dude got shot in the stomach, and some doctor dude used the hole in the dude's stomach to investigate how us human dudes handle food we swallow. Or, for the story written in a better way, see below:

We went to The Biddle house........
....where the Girl helped the demonstrator there to tease sheeps wool, to take in wood for the fire (we try to get her to do that at home..), sweep the floor (again..), and help with cooking. We also got to smell some garden herbs. all really nice.

Inside the kitchen in The Biddle House

As the sign below indicates, the building is old.
From the Biddle house, we went into the Benjamin Blacksmith Shop, right next door. Lots of sparks and no photos.

Somewhere along the way, we seen the city buildings. As with everything on the island, they are in old style.

I wonder how many get arrested on the island and for what? Drunkenness or shoplifting maybe? Fudge theft?
I liked the Police Bike Parking Lot.Outside the courthouse is a marker, about a legal milestone that was reached in that very courthouse. Apparently one fisherman dude was in his house, and two other dudes started to tear it down. On sleeping good dude got hurt by the bad dudes, and the fisherman duded hollered "yo! quit or I'll pop a cap in yo behinee". The bad dude didn't stop, so fisherman dude fired off, killing the Bad Dude. The Police and Judge put the Fisherman dude in jail for manslaughter, doing hard labor. The Michigan Supreme Court dudes didn't like this, and said "yo, come on, the dude was just defendin his property. Let him loose". And they did.
Click on the picture below (to expand it) for the official story, but, I'm tellin ya, that's how it happened:

We walked on. The small memorial area was nice... pics below

There were some horses on Market Street. In fact there were some horses everywhere.
And on we walked, up the hill that would crescent at the Grand Hotel. On the way was Union Congregational Church
Small with Nice Windows. It's a popular wedding venue.
Outside a restaurant, we seen this tortoise (or is that turtle?) bronze statue. What is it and what's so French about it?
There was also the plaque above, about a former owner of the Grand Hotel

And above, The Grand Hotel. I have issues with it, more here....

Two more Markers
A nice picturesque alley, below.

And below, a native Lake Huron Colored Flying Shark, taking a leap to the sky.

And then it was back to the mainland!