Best part about being back in the states? Spending time with family and friends. Because our trip home was so last-minute, we were able to see a few without having to arrange the usual big gatherings. We love those big gatherings, but the smaller, cozier ones allow for more quality one-on-one time. We were so grateful to those who were able to carve out some time from their busy schedules.
I stayed home most of the time, since both Tims were going in to work each day. Being the homebody that I am, it was a pleasure to putter around the house during the day and cook for whoever might be home for dinner. I did get a chance to do some shopping, hoping to find some good summer clearance sales, and came away with three new pairs of capris. I wear capris daily in Thailand, so it was a good investment. I also picked up a pair of work shoes for Tim, and various items we wanted to bring back with us. (Did you know it is almost impossible to find solid deodorant in Thailand? It's basically roll-on or spray. Curious.)
I was able to stop in to both my old libraries and see some of my favorite people. So many changes, yet still felt like "home." I was happy to have some "off-site" time with a few of "my gurls."
We were fortunate that two of Tim's sisters happened to be in town at the same time, so we had a nice get-together out at the farm. His brother and sister-in-law drove in as well. And I squeezed in a lunch with my sister, brother and his wife. So nice to see everyone.
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| Work has begun on the Woodward Ave. Streetcar |
After Tim headed back to Thailand, I had an extra week to enjoy the beautiful Michigan weather. Mike offered a visit to the John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids as his gift to me. (Did I mention how much I love zoos? ;-) My boys know me well!) Tim2 and I drove out to Grand Rapids on Saturday afternoon. The Art Prize was in full swing when we arrived and parking was precious. Mike kindly grabbed a spot on the street and let us use his spot in the lot adjacent to his apartment building.
ArtPrize® is a radically open, independently organized international art competition... For 19 days, three square miles of downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan, become an open playing field where anyone can find a voice in the conversation about what is art and why it matters. Art from around the world pops up in every inch of downtown, and it’s all free and open to the public.This was the seventh annual Art Prize event, with over 1500 entries at over 160 venues around the city. We were pretty hungry when we arrived, so we went for dinner first. Restaurants were very crowded, but we finally found a place called "Luna," that had just opened across from Van Andel arena. We enjoyed some nice fish tacos and "Mexican Pepsi." (I'd never heard of this before; it tasted pretty much like regular Pepsi but came in a cool bottle.)
It’s unorthodox, highly disruptive, and undeniably intriguing to the art world and the public alike. - www.artprize.org
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| outside the library |
After dinner we join the crowds and walked around the downtown area, crossing the beautifully-lit Sixth Street Bridge across the Grand River. We weren't able to see a lot of the entries, but enjoyed what we did see. There were even entries in the river.
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| in the river |
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| Children's Museum on the riverfront |
The next day my boys treated me to a delicious breakfast at San Chez Bistro, then we hopped in the car for the short drive to the John Ball Zoo. A playful stone dragon greets visitors from its home in the pond outside the entrance. The zoo is tucked into a hill, so we rode the funicular (look it up.) Several white-haired visitors rode the funicular up at the same time. It turns out they were attending a friend's ninetieth birthday party at the ballroom venue at the top of the hill. That's gonna be me when I'm ninety...
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| funicular, funicula... |
The zoo is in a beautiful, natural setting, with lots of trees and opportunities for some up-close animal-watching. The brand new tiger exhibit was really two enclosures with a long run between the two, so the tigers can hang out at the pool when they want. We enjoyed the grumpy-looking howler monkeys, big brown bears, squawking penguins and a stubborn tapir who refused to budge when the trainer brought his lunch. My ever-competitive boys had to prove who could jump higher, with the contest ending in a virtual tie. (They will each tell you differently!) It was an extremely enjoyable day that ended all too soon.
The night before I left, Tim and I went for pizza, then caught the premier of the movie, "The Martian." It was a very creative, well-thought-out story, more "what if" rather than pure fantasy, especially in light of the newly-announced discovery of water on Mars. And besides, Matt Damon! Thankfully we didn't have to wait for a midnight showing, catching a more reasonably timed eight o'clock show.
Tim kindly drove me to my early morning flight the next day. The good-byes are always hard. But the sting of "good-bye" was eased in the knowledge that they would soon be coming our way. Thanks again to everyone who went out of their way to make our impromptu visit home a memorable one. <3
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