BFAW - Day # 6 - Arbor Day

What a marvelous change in weather from Sunday to Monday.....humidity dropped like a brick, and temps never got to 70.  I was up before 6 am writing my blog entry for Sunday while sipping a great cup of coffee courtesy of my sister.

Around 7 we went for another long walk and talk......and talk we did.  When we were young we spent a lot of time talking at each other, but very little time talking with each other.  I guess we are making up for that now.

Around 10 we picked up Jill's good friend Maureen and drove into Ann Arbor for a few hours.  Last year when we were visiting here Jill took TLE and I to The Treasure Mart.  I was hoping we would visit there again this year.  What a cool consignment store.  As we were walking in the door Jill asked me what I was looking for and as I was telling her I collected state license plates I immediately spied a 1966 Michigan plate.....it turned out to be the only car license plate in the store, but this day it was mine.  I also bought a street sign, which I will post a picture of later with the license plate.

Jill found some cool earrings she will re-purpose at a later date, and some very interesting vintage prescription eye glasses.  We finished our browsing just before Noon and decided to walk over to Blue Tractor Brewing for lunch.  Again, Jill had taken TLE and I there for lunch last year, and we thoroughly enjoyed the food and the beer.  I had a seasonal Porter this time that was yummy, along with a salad special, which included a beautifully grilled salmon steak.

The weather continued to be brisk under partly cloudy skies with the bluest sky I have seen in a few weeks.....a sure sign the humidity has fallen.  We arrived back in Chelsea around 2....Maureen had a meeting to attend, and then Jill and I headed back to her homestead for the afternoon.  I took a short nap, then walked up to Elliott's barn to see what motorcycle projects he was working on this year.  He had a vintage Kawasaki on the stand and was in the process of removing the rear wheel to install a new tire.  Elliott was a Kawasaki dealer back in one of his numerous prior incarnations.  This particular model was one that was later widely used by police departments around the U.S. for their motorcycle fleets.  There were a number of other motorcycles in various stages of restoration.  I was just wearing a t-shirt and shorts, and got quite cold standing in the barn....eventually I scurried back to the house to put a jacket on.

File picture of Smokehouse 52 BBQ

Around 7 we drove into Chelsea to have dinner at Smokehouse 52 BBQ which has some great local brews on tap, and according to the reviews I read, the best pulled pork anywhere.  I did sample some pulled pork, it was delicious.  The portions they serve are enormous, so there were a couple of "doggy bags" filled with leftovers at the end.  We had a delightful dinner, and conversation that ran on and on about everything under the sun.  

We got home around 9, and Jill and I sat and looked at some pictures of my grandmother Cornelia going back into the 1800's.  Her mother was born in near a town called Ormstown just southwest of Montreal in Quebec.  I had not realized my great grandmother was born in Canada until yesterday.

My sister is also retired (from University of Michigan) and in her second life she has an internet based business called Maker Dolls .  She is actually quite good at what she does, and her site is doing quite well.  Take a look if you have time, and are interested.....just click on the link!

This trip to visit my sister has been pretty special.  We have spent hours talking, and re-establishing a relationship that was missing for so many years.  It is a good lesson, and one that has been repeated in my life often.....things rarely turn out the way you expect.

Thanks for stopping by!