The annual Blues festival in Marshall Michigan took place this day and we were in attendance for the festivities. The 2023 Marshall Blues Festival is a FREE family-oriented music and entertainment festival sponsored by the Marshall Downtown Development Authority. Rain or Shine. Full slate of Blues music with a cash bar beer tent along with plenty of food along the street. This is also the home of the American Museum of Magic so we usually stop off and make a visit to support this historic museum, along with several antique shops that are also located in the festival area. We saw 2 bands while we were there, Tony Thompson & Friends and Dann the Band Feat. The music was awesome and a great time was had by all.
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We made a visit to Michigan Memorial to check on the graves. Grandma Judith had just been placed in her tomb and it can be seen when facing the “Graf” family graves. It is the first structure you see but her tomb is on the other side that you see (facing away). The graves looked fine for the most part and Aunt Peg’s picture on her grave still looks good. We did have to clear some growth from Uncle Raymond’s grave and if it continues we may have to ask them to raise it again.

You may notice a section of the wall has been removed, this was supposed to be for a stations of the cross section but they ran into some issues so for right now it is incomplete.

Michigan Memorial is still the prettiest cemetery that we have seen, although we have not seen all that many. The pond as you enter the facility is still the centerpiece and right across from the eternal flame memorial for the military.
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James’ Grandma (Judith Landis Lantz) was interred this day at Michigan Memorial Cemetery in Flat Rock Michigan. She is in a crypt about 50 yards from James’ other Grandparents who are buried along the wall in that area.

Judith was buried with her dolls, some of which she has had all her life, and James, Mom, and Olga (a friend of Grandma) laid out the dolls and other treasures of her in her crypt.

Judith died two weeks ago, she had made arrangements with the Neptune society for cremation upon her death which took about a week to complete. Michigan Memorial requires 72 hours notice so that took a few more days which is why it took two weeks to have her interred. Her friends Olga, Alice, and Dorothy were also present.

Afterwards we all went out to lunch together, it was a very pleasant time for everyone under the circumstances.
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It was a beautiful June day and it was James graduation day. James graduated with honors and was the top student at his campus (the Taylor campus). James had been attending Wayne County Community College for two years and has earned his first college degree. It came on a sad note though as his Grandma had passed away the day before.

James has been on the Tigers Jumbotron and the Lions, all within a few weeks of each other.

The ceremony was beautiful and held at Ford Field in Detroit (where the Lions play. The ceremony took a couple hours and concessions were open for it, although I do not think alcohol was being served. After the ceremony we took James to his favorite restaurant and then home for ice cream and cake (and congratulatory balloons)!

Congratulations James, we are all so very proud of you.

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According to our Ancestry.com account (which is currently operated by her Grandson James) When Judith Elinor Norman was born in 1937, in Oregon, her father, Edwin, was 36, and her mother, Grace, was 27. She married William Howard Landis on December 29, 1954. They had three children during their marriage. She had one sister.

Judith recently came up from Tennessee to stay at the Garden City Tower apartments here in Michigan. She found out about Garden City when she visited James one year and sent in an application. It took several years but finally there was an opening and she got in. She is currently adjusting to life in Michigan and the cold winters that we have, but she is not a stranger to it, she was actually raised in Michigan, living on Woodward near 7 mile road in the 1950’s.

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James was recognized with honors at Wayne County Community College in Taylor Michigan this day. There was a ceremony and several guest speakers before the honor students marched up to the stage to receive their commendations.

After the ceremony we took a couple pictures and then went out for ice cream. Once again, James has made his family proud and it was not without much effort on his part. Many long nights he would be up late studying for exams or prepping for classes. This semester he had classes not only in Taylor but also two days a week in Detroit, not to mention a virtual class at home so it was a very busy and hectic schedule this last semester for James.

Congrats James, very well done!
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VIP Camp continues to plan things once a month for its campers, and this month had a special treat, a bowling outing but not just a bowling outing but a bowling outing in an ultraviolet setting. The lanes were all lit up and the bowling alley looked pretty spectacular (or at least as spectacular as a bowling alley can get in this day and age).

James bowled very well and had one of his highest games. A great time was had by all and we are all looking forward to the summer VIP camp which is rapidly approaching.

James took advantage of this outing to turn in his deposit for camp via check, thus saving himself a stamp. Maybe all those business classes he is taking in college are starting to pay off!

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This Mothers day was a little different than ones in the past as we had to plan a few things out in advance, but I think we did great and everyone had a good time.

First, Grandma was in a rehab facility as she fell and broke her arm so that made things a little rougher on everyone.

Second, since we had to visit Grandma at the rehab place on Newburgh and Ford, Mary picked out a buffet earlier in the week to try around Wayne and Ford so that we could visit Grandma and then do our festivities.

Third, rather than going to an antique store, Mom went shopping for clothes near the rehab center.

The restaurant was great, Mom got a chance to go shopping and eat at her new restaurant so all in all it was a good Mothers day.
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James had his last day of college today as he was studying and taking exams at the Detroit campus. James feels he has done pretty well so we are all optimistic that he will have a great graduation and hopefully graduate with honors.

James’ graduation is about a month away, but because of the scheduling, his last day is in early May. This gives him a little spring/summer break before graduation, and then on to VIP camp.

Looking back on the last two years it is amazing how fast time flies, seems just like yesterday we were picking him up from OW Best Middle School.

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The halfway to Halloween vendor show took us 3 years to attend, but we finally made it this year. We actually never heard of it the prior two years and was hard to find anything about it on the internet. Despite that it was pretty well attended on a beautiful day in early May.

It is located on a farm on Ann Arbor/Saline road and it had 60 Halloween vendors. In addition their was a hearse car show and a Halloween art show. Plenty of concessions and even a couple “preview” haunts and escape rooms. The cost was only $5 per person and only Mom and Dad went to this event as James had to study for his final exam at Wayne County Community College on Monday.

We ended up buying several products including several t-shirts, a “Night of the Living Dead” gumball machine, and a used but full size animatronic. A fun time was had for both Mom and Dad but we missed James and thought he would have enjoyed it, however it was very mature of him to stay home and study, as he will have all of summer for fun and games.
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