Lee and I arrived in Milford, west of Detroit, on Friday night. My friend Margaret, whom I first met in California 30 years ago or so, came to visit. She was a friend first, but was also my room mate for a short period of time when I lived in Pleasant Hill, when I worked for the Contra Costa County Public Library System. Way back then.
Margaret came to see us Friday night, and stayed in the RV for the weekend. We had so much fun!! On Saturday, we canoed on the Huron River, first downstream for an hour. Margaret is an expert paddler, so I was in good hands. We stopped in Milford and had a late lunch/early dinner, followed by ice cream. Then back to the canoe, we paddled upstream for an hour and a half to return to our starting point. The Huron River is small and lazy in this area, but beautiful. There are lush growths of cattails and blooming lily pads. There were Canada geese families taking afternoon swims, and ducks of various kinds, sometimes with ducklings. And, most amazingly to me, there were mute swans, occasionally paired, with their cygnets. Can you imagine a more idyllic scene? We got a little too close to one cygnet, and its mother hissed at us as we floated by.
The proud parents:
The precious (and not so ugly) cygnet:
On Sunday we visited Greenfield Village and the Henry Ford Museum, both in Dearborn. I had been to Greenfield Village many years ago, and my, it has grown. We saw the bicycle shop of the Wright brothers (the actual shop - it was purchased and moved to Dearborn from it's original location, as were most buildings in the village). Edison's workshop is here too!
Wilbur and Orville Wright greeted by their sister in front of their home (only the home is real):
A clock shop:
An 1880's farm house living room, with two 21st century visitors:
It was a very warm day. We found an industrious chicken digging a hole in the ground to escape the heat:
The next stop was the Henry Ford Museum, next door. It is filled with...
Planes (including Byrd's plane, flown in the Arctic):
Trains:
and automobiles!
In addition, there was a special exhibit on equal rights. We sat in the same bus that Rosa Parks sat in many years ago, when she refused to give up her seat for a white man. Imagine that, the same bus. Incredible.
A special and unexpected treat ended the day. The Coca-Cola and Mentos guys were there. At 5 o'clock they released Mentos into Coke bottles, synchronized to music. It was quite amazing. Lee video recorded a segment of the show.
Click here to view the video on YouTube.
We are indebted to Margaret's friends, Frank and Julie Barrett, who kindly got us in to both Greenfield Village and the Ford Museum without charge, using their membership cards. It would have been quite expensive otherwise. Every little bit helps.
I wish we had more time here, but unfortunately we are on a schedule. People have suggested places we should see as we go along, but we just don't have time. We will have to make this trip again, when we can wander at our leisure, and follow our pleasure.
Next stop, Mackinac Island!
