The Kleiber Family Timeline

Category: Parks

Visits to parks

  • Parks of the Magic Capitol 2012

    James did such a good job helping out at the Flea Market we figured he could take a nice long break and play at the parks in Colon Michigan, which is exactly what he did. He really loved the new slides and went up and down each one multiple times, but he still likes the original park which is made of wood and is quite old, or at least it appears to be old, that might be the design.

    After James had his fill of parks, and after the flea market was over, the entire family went about exploring the Magic Capitol locations including the library and the flower sale that was going on outside the school (It was the day before mothers day so I bet they made a good profit).

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  • Oakwood Commons Park 2012

    When it comes right down to it, Oakwood Commons has to be about the prettiest rehabilitation center I have ever visited. There are nature trails, playgrounds, rivers with wild life, and rolling hills. Since Aunt Peg has been in the place it has been too cold to take advantage of these things on our visits but the last couple times the temperature has been mild (and dry) enough so that James can play outside there.

    James always visits Aunt Peg first before playing, unfortunately Aunt Peg cannot see him from her window. Whenever James visits Aunt Peg she always has a goody for him (Aunt Peg plays Bingo at Oakwood Commons and sometimes wins prizes for kids)

    Aunt Peg hopes to be out of Oakwood Commons between the middle of May and the 1st of June.

    If you look closely at the picture of the river you will see a goose swimming in it.

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  • Macinaw Island State Park 2010

    Each year we travel through the State Park and always find something new along with old reliable sites (like the arch rock). This year there were several first’s. James went for the first time without a wagon so he had to do all the walking by himself. Another first was going up a stairway we found in the woods that took you to the highest elevation point on the island, the pictures really don’t do it justice.

    We stopped at the little rest area which is North of the Grand Hotel as we were exiting the State Park. James always gets an ice cream and Mary has a chance to check out some of the souvenir shops there. In the center is the collection of horse drawn vehicles including the hearse (which they still use when someone dies).

    The key to a successful day at Mackinaw Island is to get there early, before the crowds. This year we did very well at avoiding the crowds and the weather held off for us till we were finished. The boat ride home is when the weather made a turn for the worse but our day was already complete by then.

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  • Duda Tot Park 2010

    Just because Peg is recuperating and in therapy does not mean that Jame’s Sundays have changed that much. This last Sunday he went to Peg’s to help dad pick up her mail, cane, and some stamps. Then we went to Pegs who gave James a cookie for his trouble (james carried in the cane without hitting anyone, an impressive feat). Afterwards we stopped at a park where James got to play. The park was empty (most are around here probably due to video games and computers) but James and Dad made the best of it. We even had a foot race.

    The park was unique because of the dinosaur slide which drew us in. Pretty cool and was the first thing James went to play on.

    After the park James went home and made “pretzel alphabet words” which he later ate. If you would like to see pics click on the link below.

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  • Madison Park 2010

    Aunt Peg was admitted into the hospital for trouble with her leg, but James and I still managed to have some fun at a local park which had 3 different sets of playgrounds for him. The park is at Madison in Dearborn so its not too far away to walk to.

    The primary elections were going on but hardly anyone was going into the school to vote. Guess that must be a sign of the times.

    One thing that I liked about this park was that it had a musical section at one of the playgrounds where the kids could play different music on different instruments. Strange we were the only ones using the park, perhaps the kids in the area need to take more of a break from video games (including James). James currently is playing Toy Story 3 video game on Wii, but thats another story.

    All in all, we both had a really good time at the park and the weather was simply perfect, not too hot and a gentle refreshing breeze to keep you cool.

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  • Mackinaw Island State Park 2009

    James was very good for this trip, and he still likes to ride in the wagon for much of the journey through the state park. This is actually our second wagon, the first was a gift from Criss and wore out because it was used so much. Now that he’s older he doesn’t need the wagon as much, but still takes advantage of it, especially on steep slopes upward.

    All in all James did great this visit, he is beginning to get familiar with the surroundings now and is building on past trips to Mackinaw. Since we live in the suburbs, it is difficult to have strolls in the wood that last for hours like we can at Mackinaw Island.

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  • Oakwood Park 2008

    Most weekends in the summer we make a visit to Aunt Pegs and visit the park next to her complex. James has been playing here since he was in a stroller and almost every weekend in the summer. There is a huge soccer field there also which comes in handy if we want to kick a football or shoot one of James rockets off. They have a swimming pool in the summer but we never go to it, I think you have to live in the city for that. However we seldom see anyone using the pool anyway so why bother.

    James Aunt Peg sometimes shops while we are at the park, James will play for about a half hour then we go pick up Aunt Peg at the store and help her with the groceries. Its a system that seems to work for everyone.

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  • Mackinaw Island State Park 2008

    James made it around the entire island this year at Mackinaw State Park. No automobiles are allowed on the island, but they do have an interstate that shows up on maps.

    Our routine is pretty well set, we visit the State Park early in the morning, go to Skull Cave, then to the 3 cemeteries which are older and creepier than anywhere else. We then visit either Arch Rock or the Turtle park, sometimes we visit both, depending on the weather and how tired we are. The two are in opposite directions from the graveyards. When we are really motivated we will head toward the airport or the small little village hidden in the woods of Mackinaw Island (probably not really hidden but it just kind of pops up on you).

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  • Mackinaw Island State Park 2007

    Another trip to Mackinaw and a walk through the Mackinaw State Park with highlights like the Skull Cave, the old cemetery’s, and Arch Rock. We usually finish up with the state park by noon then go through the city which has many tourist attractions including a haunted house and several magic shops. Mary and I spent our honeymoon here so it always has a special meaning for us.

    This year we found a plaque from the movie Somewhere in Time starring Christopher Reeve. The movie was filmed on Mackinaw Island at the Grand Hotel so if you want to see more of Mackinaw Island, rent the movie. Also if you enjoy time travel and science fiction in a non shoot em up way, rent the movie.

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  • Dinosaur World Kentucky 2006

    A couple great tourist stops in Kentucky, the Kentucky Cave and the Dinosaur Park are among about a dozen tourist traps in this area. Theres also a haunted house and quilt outlet so you know we had to stop. James is a big dinosaur fan (he pronounces it “dino-hore” which leads to humorous situations with clerks, asking for their dino-hore location).

    We really enjoyed the Dinosaur Park, it had everything you could imagine as far as dinosaurs. We took a stroll through the park and their had to be at least a 100 (probably more) dinosaurs lurking there and some of them were huge. There was also a dinosaur theatre and a fossil dig along with a dinosaur play area which James took advantage of. About 2 hours north of Nashville, it makes a nice first rest stop for the trip home to Michigan.

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