Month: May 2006
Canterbury Village 2006
This is a popular stop for us on the way home from Mackinaw. Its only an hour away from our home so its well within striking distance anytime we want. This was fun for James because its almost all toys and Christmas at Canterbury, all throughout the year. Lots of craft shops as well but primarily the theme is Christmas. While not as big a Bronners, its a little more elegant and has an animated nursery tale that simply fascinated James to no end.
Plenty of Dept 56 houses here as well including a Halloween display which was sort of the inspiration for the one we made in the basement. If you have a chance be sure to visit Canterbury Village out near the Pontiac area, its great fun especially for the little ones.
Remember it is a Christmas village and it can get pretty crowded in December, but you can have the place pretty much to yourself in the summer.
Mackinaw Island 2006
We really enjoy going to this island, the earlier the better. We try to get there before 8am because we pretty much have the whole island (and boat ride) to ourselves. The only people on the boat with us are people who work at the stores on the island. We go up the big hill, past the big Fort, and straight into the State park part of Mackinaw. It always reminds me of the trek Dorothy took to get to the witches castle before the flying monkeys got them. A forest full of mystery and landmarks all over. Three graveyards are here as well, a Protestant one, a Catholic one, and a Military one. Most of the graves here are well over a hundred years old.
There is also Skull Cave, Arch Rock, and a scenic view that simply cannot be captured with a camera. In the city you have the Grand Hotel which was the setting for the movie “Somewhere in Time” with Christopher Reeve.
There are no automobiles allowed on the island for transportation. You must walk, ride a horse, ride in a horse drawn carriage, or ride a bicycle. There is a small airport on the island, it is a good hike to get to but we have done it so its possible. However why come all this way to see a small airport?
Mackinaw City 2006
Every spring we make a trek up north to the straits of Mackinaw and go to the State Park on the Island. Mackinaw is spelled two different ways and both are correct, sometimes you see it as Mackinac, sometimes as Mackinaw. This is due to being occupied by both the French and British who had different spellings for the name.
An obvious strategic location along the great lakes, Mackinaw is littered with history including forts, military graves, indian burial grounds, and one of the largest suspension bridges in the world which joins the upper and lower peninsula’s of Michigan.
We had a special treat this year, on the ferry back from the island we drove under the bridge which is something that usually is not allowed. There was a VIP on board which is why they did it, who the VIP was I have no idea.
Museum Ship Tour Saulte Ste Marie 2006
The Museum Ship offers more than just a tour of her deck. Housed inside her massive cargo holds is a 20,000 square foot museum with over 100 exhibits! The Edmund Fitzgerald exhibit holds the two lifeboats from the stricken vessel. Torn away during the sinking, these lifeboats are two of very few major artifacts recovered after the tragic demise. The exhibit also features an hour long presentation about the events that occurred on November 10, 1975 which caused the tragic loss of one of the Great Lakes’ largest freighters. In addition to the museum exhibits, the Museum Ship VALLEY CAMP displays four 1,200 gallon aquariums stocked with various species of fish from the Great Lakes region.
The ship is gigantic, you could kick field goals on the deck and never have to worry about the ball going overboard. I am not sure who is the original owner of this tanker. Its says Republic Steel in some area but I also saw the emblem for US Steel (both are my customers in Lorain Ohio).
A great tour, hard to believe one just like it sank in Lake Superior.
Sea Shell City 2006
I remember as a kid seeing an episode of the old Adam West batman show where the Joker tied up Batman, Robin, and the Jokers girl friend (that’s why hes the joker) and fed them to a giant clam. The cliff hanger was Robin being eaten by the clam with only his foot sticking out of the clams mouth. Batman broke out of the chains and saved everyone and that night they had clam chowder for dinner.
So naturally when I see a sign for a man eating clam I am going to pull over and take a peek. While the clam was not quite that big, it sure was big enough to swallow James. Sea Shell city has a huge variety of sea faring souvenirs and is a great place to visit on the way up (or down) from Mackinaw. Octopus, starfish, alligators, shark jaws, and many other treasures of the deep are here for the taking (after you pay of course). Other man made items such as sea shell lamps and sea shell bottle holders fill aisle after aisle. A fun place to visit.
Heritage Park Petting Zoo 2006
James and Peg went to the Taylor petting zoo this day, this was his first experience at an actual petting zoo and he enjoyed it very much. James was wearing sandals that day so they asked us not to let him out in the barn because you are required to wear shoes so he was a little limited, but it worked out well because the staff would bring the animals to him in his wagon.
So remember, if you ever go to the Taylor petting zoo at Heritage Park to wear sneakers instead of sandals.
James really enjoys the atmosphere of barns and livestock, he remembers his favorite animals names and wants to go back and see them some more. Aunt Peg had fun too, showing James all the animals and explaining to him their names and what they do.
