For years we have been dreading this day since it is one of the biggest expenses you can incur when redoing a home! I remember when my father had it done, we used to have hardly a drive way at all, but my dad took care of that and had everything paved. Ever since that day it seems it has been my job to shovel the snow of it but thats another story. The cement was buckling from years of hot and cold weather so its something that really needed to be done. Hopefully this cement will last as long as the one my dad put in.

After the cement hardened, James wasted no time setting up his play area on the new foundation.

Continue reading “New Cement 2005” →

Years of different style gardens and trees had made the back yard a rolling terrain till we finally had it leveled. Another enormous job since just the year before we had a sprinkler system installed. The best thing was we were able to make a nice play area for James in the back, complete with wood chips just like they have at the park (we heard the rubber chips get too hot in the summer and can actually burn a child on a hot day).

James seems to enjoy the new yard and it should be easier to maintain being level. Also there is grass to the fence so it should cut back on the amount of weed wacking that needs to be done. Got a big thumbs up from the neighbor on this one.

Continue reading “Leveling The Back Yard and Sprinkling System 2005” →

Our annual visit to Mackinaw and one of the largest suspension bridges in the world. Mary was a little under the weather today so James and I went to the Fort. It’s still pretty much the same way I remember it when I first went there with my mom and dad about 40 years ago or so. The thing I remember most about the Fort was the skeleton in one of the watch towers so that was the first place James and I went, sure enough, he was still there.

James is much more mobile than he was at the last visit here so that helps, we don’t need to keep him in a stroller all the time. He enjoys running around in the open areas that they have at the fort and at the parks. He is not yet thrilled by the historical significance of some of the indoor displays at the Fort.

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We like making stops on the way up and down to Mackinaw and this is one of our favorite if not the favorite. Bronners is the largest Christmas store in the world and its located right here in Michigan just a few miles off I75 on the way up north. Lots of video as we made this our gateway to Mackinaw for this year.

Each Sunday James and his Dad take Aunt Peg shopping and then go to a park. This weekend we chose Champagne Park where James participated in a variety of activities under the tutelage of Aunt Peg.

Champagne park is a huge park that is located on Pelham between Ecorse and Middle Belt road (on the Allen Park side of the street) and in addition to the park facilities and shelters, has an ice rink and tennis courts. James Dad remembers playing CYO baseball at Champagne park in the seventies. He also remembers helping his Aunt Criss field ground balls at the park when she was practicing for her softball team.

James had a blast here, being bounced on the teeter totter thingy and going into the monkey bar sphere which should be fun for climbing once he gets a little older.

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Nuff said…