We travelled to the airport to drop off James but we wanted to make sure everything was ok and he got through security.

As it turned out it was a good thing that we stuck around as James weight on his luggage was six pounds over the limit so Mom helped James thin things out so that it would be acceptable.

Everything worked out and the extra stuff we took out of his suitcase we took home with us.

A reminder for flights in the future, it is not wise to pack several rolls of euros for the buses and vending machines, convert the euros when you get to the country.

This did give us a chance to snap a couple pics of James getting ready to leave.

Have a safe flight and enjoy the trip to Europe!

Continue reading “Getting James On His Flight” →

VIP Camp had an excellent day of activities including bowling at a great complex called Kudos on Pardee road before Eureka.

In addition to bowling their was arcade games for the kids, plenty of room for parties, and plenty of food. Activities such as the afore mentioned bowling, ping pong, and pickle ball are available along with some bizarre ones. Some of the more bizarre games included Axe Throwing and Football bowling.

The menu included hot food such as wings and pizza along with salads and Mac and Cheese.

We were very impressed with this facility and would suggest it to anyone looking for a place to host a party not only for children but for adults. Continue reading “VIP Camp Visits Kudos” →

The Sears store in Lincoln Park has been a staple in the neighborhood for years and many have very fond memories not only of this Sears store but the entire complex which included gift shops, a movie theatre, a toy store, and (of course) a Big Boy which was a favorite of James Grandma.

This Sears store used to be not only the largest Sears in Michigan but in the entire U.S.

It will be replaced with Business condo’s including a Chick Filet and a car wash. The identity of the other stores is unknown at this time but talks with Costco fell through so it won’t be a Costco. Continue reading “2024 Sears Demolition Begins” →

Happy Mothers Day

What a perfect Spring Day for Mothers day, after the somewhat dreary day we had yesterday. This year we took Mom out to probably her favorite restaurant, an Oriental Buffet in Canton that has crab legs and all sorts of seafood. We found this place while Grandma was in a rehab center a few blocks away. Mom had a 15% off coupon which always makes a day brighter.

This year was a little sad as it was the first one without Grandma, but we were sure she was looking down on us this day.

Its hard to think of Halloween in the middle of Spring but we do it once a year. Once again this event was held in the Saline/Ann Arbor area and we made our trek out there early. The line went fast and we enjoyed everything we saw. We did not buy as much as we did last year but we did buy a few items.

We went through one of the small haunted houses they had there and that was alot of fun. We enjoyed the vehicles they had on display, its hard to believe they do so much for just one day.

We went home to meet James for lunch, then Dad drove back out to pick up another item. We also won something in their raffle – a couple scary DVD’s so that was a nice surprise. A great time was had by all.

Continue reading “Halfway To Halloween Sale 2024” →

James received a special award from Wayne County Community College, but we had to travel up North for the ceremony which was about a half hour West of Gaylord.

The award is known as a MOSPA award (Michigan Occupational Specialties Populations Association) and is described as a Student who has demonstrated perseverance, personal growth, and exemplary achievement. As you can see in the pics there were not many students who won this as most of the awards were for teachers.

While it was a long journey it was well worth it to see James add another honor to his already impressive student resume.

Continue reading “James Receives MOSPA Academic Award” →

James took this video in stages using two different filters on his camera.

The eclipse in Detroit was about 98% but James wanted to see it at 100% which meant a trip South to Ohio. The traffic was heavier than ever on our way to Ohio to watch the eclipse. Specifically Liberty Ohio where the Drive in Theatre called Field of Dreams resides.

The first picture is a herd of deer we saw between Wauseon Ohio and Liberty, but the rest are pics of the eclipse we saw at the Drive in. They had a DJ playing requests and Mom got to hear a Toby Keith song she likes. The flea market there had about 15 booths and we ended up buying some honey and a pumpkin that was made by a 3D printer. While there were plenty of activities going on we took pictures of the sun, both with a regular camera and a filtered camera. The Eclipse started at about 2pm and was total at about 12 after 3 so these pics were taken during this period of time. At the end James took a few more showing the sun coming out of the eclipse.

All in all it was a great day and an incredible experience.
Continue reading “2024 Total Eclipse” →

All good things must come to an end and so it was with James’ Paris trip. The intention of the class was to get the students actual time in a French setting where they could really refine their speaking of the French language and interact with the culture and history of the French people.

James took some pictures of his hotel room before he left to give us an idea of where he stayed for nine nights, then headed out with his class to the airport where he took a direct flight home to Detroit on Air France. The flight was scheduled to take 9 hours but was only a little over 8 hours as James’ family picked him up at about 8:30 pm Detroit time.

Continue reading “2024 Day Ten of Paris Trip” →

The last full day of the Paris trip was a free day for the students and most decided to go to Euro Disney for the day, but James had other plans. James left for London England!

James had to get up early to make the train, in fact so early that the subway was not even open and he had to walk to the train station. Once there he enjoyed a trip along the French landscape till the “Chunnel”. The Channel Tunnel, also referred to as the ‘Chunnel’, is the longest underwater rail tunnel in the world and connects southern England (Folkestone Terminal) to northern France (Calais Terminal) beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. From there he went through customs and to the British Museum where he had bought tickets weeks before.

It did rain while he was in London and James had to buy a new souvenir bag.

After seeing the museum, Big Ben, and Parliament – James returned back to France (going through French Customs again) and made it back to the hotel mere minutes before the hotel curfew.
Continue reading “2024 Day Nine of Paris Trip” →