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Greenfield Village Halloween 2017
Despite the high temperature being only in the mid 40’s and an overcast sky, we braved the elements and visited Greenfield Village on the last day of their halloween spectacular. Pumpkins lined the streets and fields and all were carved (I wonder where they get all the carved pumpkins?). We made sure to ride the train, ride the model T, and ride the carousel since it will be probably a year before we get to ride them again. We enjoyed the tribute to the Birds as they had a bunch of crows outside of the school yard as one of their exhibits. Its very clever how they weave Halloween into all the American history there.
James Halloween Party 2017
This event is so much fun for the entire family as everyone does their part to make this party work. Believe it or not this is the 7th Halloween Party and it really has grown from its humble beginnings. Lots of time spent at garage sales and after Halloween sales throughout the years pays off this time of year. This is also one of the two busiest weeks of the year for Dad (the other is magic week in Colon MI) as he has to take vacation time to get everything done. We actually start working on the party after Labor day but we don’t really push it till the week before.
This year we had bonus surprise – a Magic Mirror Photo Booth which was a lot of fun, it was loaned to us by Dynamike the Magician who came by before the party to set everything up. James was able to assist our guests in getting their picture taken throughout the day, some of these pics are included in the gallery.
Thanks again to all the people who have supported this party both this year and in years past. The party was very well attended and a fun time was had by all.
Please note that the video below is a multiple video playlist, to play from the beginning simply click play, to view the list and jump around click the upper left corner of the playlist with the three horizontal lines.
James Birthday 2017
Its hard to believe James is now 14 years old and going to High School. James got plenty of gifts this year, especially in the mail. Thanks to Aunt Criss, Uncle Ken, Grandma, Aunt Peg, Keith & Renee, and of course Mom & Dad. James got to pick his favorite restaurant so we went to the China Buffet for dinner (James had school). When asked if he wanted a party or was still happy with having the Halloween party instead he immediately answered Halloween.
Abbotts 80th Magic Get Together 2017
We have two weeks each year that are just exhausting due to having so much fun. The week of James’ Halloween Party is one of those weeks and the other is Magic Week in Colon Michigan which features the Abbott Magic Get Together (also James has his VIP camp finale this week so it is truly a busy week for us). Magicians everywhere performing on the streets, performing in tents, performing on stage, and performing in shops. We have been coming to these since James was 2 so he loves it and in that time has been called up on stage twice by magicians to help.
VIP Camp 2017
Another season of VIP camp has come and gone, it sort of symbolizes the beginniner of the end of summer since it ends the beginning of August. James had a blast this year especially with all the swimming adventures that went on during the camp.
The camp begins the week after the 4th of July and as mentioned above ends usually around the time the Magic Get Together begins (early August). The camp goes from Monday till Thursday beginning around 9:30am and ending at 2:30pm. During this time the campers see and do an array of fascinating things from visiting Turtle Cove to going to the movies to having a squirt gun battle outside the building. A great social experience for the kids and James loves it.
Woodhaven Festival 2017
Woodhaven is right next to Trenton just off I75 and each year they have an awesome summer festival that has to be seen to believed. This year was special for James as he got to see the Side Show folks he had met earlier in the summer performing for real (they will also be performing at the Magic Get Together a month from now). The banner line for the side show is literally gigantic as you can see from some of these pics. The carnival is free to attend, parking is reasonable and close, and a great time was had by all.
A Summer Project
Nothing better for a boy and his dad to work on a nice summer project, and this year was the marble roller coaster. On the surface this looks pretty simple, but actual construction was problematical at best as many items had to be considered. After several hours, and help from Kitty Thelma, we were finally able to make the thing work and video taped it as proof because we suspect not too many people would have the patience to deal with this thing.
Bronners 2017
Mom had a coupon for Bavarian Inn so on the trip back from Mackinac we ate a late lunch in Frankenmuth and then proceeded to Bronners to round out the day. Mom also had a coupon for 15% off anything we buy at Bronners so we checked everything out and saved a little money along the way. James saw a $4,500 Christmas tree he liked that he liked in the Christmas tree forest, the tree was taller than our home. On the way out we saw the Bronners parade float and snapped a couple pics there as well. It was a really great finale to a wonderful time up North.
Mackinaw Island 2017
It was a wee bit chilly on the boat ride to and from Mackinaw city, but we survived and then bought Mackinaw sweaters on the island. James and Dad went through the Mirror Maze and completed it, then followed up with a visit to the haunted house where James survived terrifying creatures of the night. Mom loved the shopping and we all met up to go down to the rock beach and attempt to skip stones. Like the city, new stores replace old every year and this year was no different, with the Magic shop next to the haunted house gone. One thing that was really different was seeing a cruise ship docked at Mackinaw City, seems an 11 day cruise of the Great Lakes was taking place which started in Chicago, how fun would that be!
Mackinaw City 2017
It seems that every year we go to Mackinaw there is something new to see. This year we noticed a couple magic shops were missing but a new haunt had appeared. Unfortunately by the time we got to Mackinaw Crossing the haunts were closed, at least we got to go through the one on the island. After checking out all the souvenir stores at the crossing, James found a laser game he liked and did it a couple times till he made the top ten and got a little cert from the store that he had accomplished this feat. Meanwhile Mom was thrilled that the lilac bushes in the city were blooming and took several pics of them. Toward the evening we went to the park where James jumped back and forth under the bridge between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.
