Leannderthal

Interesting variety of feet, no?  Four of these feet belong to a couple of wedding heads, Kari and Patrick.  They finally tied the knot on Thursday!  Kari and Patrick threw this wedding together in three weeks, and it could not have been more perfect if they had spent a year planning it.

I knew they were planning on a small wedding, mostly family with a few close friends, so I figured inviting the landlords was probably not high on the list.  But then, Kari and Patrick did me a huge honor.  They asked me to officiate!!  Kari had done her research,  and with her help I became a minister in the Universal Life Church.  Kari got to know the very kind gentleman behind the counter at the local branch of the county clerk’s office, and everything is official, Patrick and Kari are married!

Don’t they look elegant?  Fortunately, I already owned the robe.  It was a beautiful day, and every detail went off without a hitch.  Can you say “without a hitch” when two people get hitched?

We did the ceremony beside the Detroit River.  Don’t you just love this photo?

Everyone who knows Kari and Patrick knows they belong together, and they figured out the most perfect way to do it!

Afterwords, a beautiful reception at Le Petit Zinc, a lovely and very small restaurant in Detroit.  If you ever get a chance, check out this tiny restaurant, the food is wonderful!

Congratulations, Kari and Patrick!!

Where I Stand Sunday is an ongoing photo essay examining the different places Lynn Krawczyk spends her life standing. Too often we take for granted the everyday places we spend our lives walking on. If you’d like to join her by posting a photo on Sunday of places you’ve been on your blog/photo hosting site/website, leave a comment on her Sunday posts telling her where she can find you/your photo and she’ll add a link to her sidebar so others can find you. I am one of those that Lynn has badgered into joining her, I have changed it to “where I stood”, because right now I’m sitting in front of the computer, not standing anywhere.

Our friend Ric was in town yesterday, and he expressed an interest in going downtown.

What to do?  He’s already seen a lot of what we have to offer over the years, but he hadn’t seen Hitsville, U.S.A.  We took an amazing tour, and learned a lot.  Berry Gordy started Motown with $800 borrowed from his parents.  It wasn’t really borrowed from his parents, all 8 of the children worked, and $10 a week from each child’s wages went into a fund for anyone to borrow who had a great idea.  Berry asked for $1000, but the family felt his idea was worth $800, so that’s what he used to start the Motown empire.  He paid the family back within a year at 6% interest.  I’d been to the museum before, but it still amazes me to think all that went through that little white house on Grand Boulevard.

Then a bite at the Woodbridge Pub, lovely food and atmosphere.   I had a wonderful lentil salad, and a Stroh’s in memory of my father.

I’ve always had a soft spot for blue bunnies.

We showed Ric our dilapidated train station.

Beep , indeed.

Then we headed for Ann Arbor to see Funktion at the Top of the Park.

We checked out a couple of Ann Arbor historical buildings, a little more intact than the Detroit buildings.

A lovely day.  Back to work.

Party shoes meet work shoes.

Mark and I rototilled a space behind one of our houses to make a community garden for the tenants.   A garage and workshop used to stand in this space, so there was lots of rubble under the ground.  Even after running the rototiller, I couldn’t put a shovel in the earth without hitting rock.

This is the pile of bricks and rubble pulled out of the garden.

And this is the garden.  I put in a few plants, but to my delight the residents immediately planted the rest.

It will be a happy garden.  That was the work, Wednesday night was play, we saw Shemekia Copeland at the ark.  What a great show for blues lovers, Shemekia’s voice is amazing and she’s got a great band.   Last night we watched a lot of local bands take the stage at the Power Center in tribute to the Beatles.  It was part of Summerfest in Ann Arbor, a great night.  Lots of work, lots of play.  Maybe I’ll go back to bed now.

I’m so excited, for once I remembered not to buy eggs right before going to the Saturday farmer’s market, so I could buy these beautiful green eggs!

I also got olive bread from Boule,

a flat of impatiens,

and a few other flowers!  Hmmmm…..what to do with the eggs, maybe green eggs and ham?

Last night I went out to dinner with my mom and my sister Jane, as I am likely to do on Tuesday evenings.  We chose Bahama Breeze, known for their wonderful mojitos.   Once there, we were quickly approached by our animated waiter, Peter.  If you’ve been to Bahama Breeze, you already know you are likely to get animated waitstaff with lots of conversation encouraging appetizers and drinks.  Peter took our drink order, went away, and in a timely matter returned with our mojitos.  I was focused on my drink, but my much more observant sister notice as he walked away that Peter had a towel draped over his shoulder.  She said “Our waiter has a towel, be prepared for the planet to be demolished.”  She was referring to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (1952-2001), where the prepared  intergalactic hitchhiker always carries a towel.  I immediately remembered that I had read, via a friend on facebook, that towel day was coming up.  Towel day is a day that Douglas Adams  fans carry around a towel in homage to the creator of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (the trilogy that is now six books).  Jane didn’t think that would have anything to do with why our waiter was carrying the towel, but I was pretty sure towel day was upon us, while Jane and I were hashing this out my mother shouts to the waiter “Hey, come here!  What’s with the towel?”  Well, Peter took a deep breath, so I knew it would be a big explanation, I jumped in and asked “Is it towel day?”  That is exactly why Peter was carrying a towel, and he was delighted that someone understood.  Peter explained that in sixth grade he gave a book report on The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy wearing a robe and sipping tea so as to look as much like the main character, Arthur Dent, as a sixth grader could look.  Peter is more obsessed with HHGTTG than Jane, I believe.  Anyway, come May 25, 2011, Jane and I will have towels draped around our necks.  I hope you had a happy towel day, I certainly did.

They make blond beer, brown beer, black beer and red beer.  Most people can drink beer that matches their hair color.  Finally, so can I, Romulan ale.

Saturday, Lynn and I did a little gallery hopping.  The first gallery we hopped to was the Northville Art House, where we each have two pieces currently on display.

These are my voodoo skulls.  There’s a lot of cool stuff on display, see it if you can.

Lynn and I hit two other galleries, we saw a lot of inspirational work.

Saturday night Mark and I went to the Ark to see Girlyman, a quirky trio (well, no longer a trio, they added a rockin’ drummer) with phenomenal harmonies.  Take a listen to “Easy Bake Ovens” if you get a chance.

Then Sunday, the day for love, Mark and I went to a party at our friends, Janice and Marko’s.  We planned for a couple of hours but spent longer, J & M have an amazing house, amazing friends, and amazing food, needless to say, an amazing time was had.

This took us closer to the east side, so we wound up at Dylan’s Raw Bar, where we ate lovely sushi and celebrated an early Mardi Gras.  The joint was absolutely rockin’ with a band headed by Paul Carey and RJ  Spangler.  Beads were flying, people were dancing between the tables, and we all marched out with the saints.  Great weekend.  Go see some art and music first chance ya get!

First it started with mom not making her holiday fudge anymore.  A few years ago I decided I would take over the tradition, and I asked mom for the old family recipe.  Her reply, “I don’t have it!”  Well who does?  “Leann, it’s on the side of the Hershey’s cocoa box!”  Hmmm, so much for long standing family traditions learned at your mother’s elbow.  The recipe isn’t on the box anymore, but it is on the internet.  I’ve made it a few times, and wanted to do it again this year.

First batch didn’t harden up quite right, so I tried again.  I read up on problem with fudge on the internet.  I measured carefully.  I boiled without stirring.

I didn’t add butter too early.  I watched the temperature carefully.

Alas, the second batch was soup.  I gave up.  I went for the old family toll house chocolate chip cookie recipe.

What!?  That’s not a family recipe either!?!

Getting ready to have folks over.   I wonder if I’ll remember to serve the corn?

Mark and I have been doing a lot of fall planting.  Forsythia, holly, and maple and oak trees.  Exhausting, but exciting.

In front of an old case that used to contain an amazing elixir.  I had a wonderful Foreign Extra Stout at Liberty Street Brewery the other day, but there will always be a place in my heart for the cheap beer I was raised on.  Dad always had Stroh’s in the house, and I was almost always welcome to it.   I loved the little bit of cork that lined the caps.  In the spirit of supporting local businesses, I’m proud to say I drank locally produced beer then, and I do now.

Where I Stand Sunday is an ongoing photo essay examining the different places Lynn Krawczyk spends her life standing. Too often we take for granted the everyday places we spend our lives walking on. If you’d like to join her by posting a photo on Sunday of places you’ve been on your blog/photo hosting site/website, leave a comment on her Sunday posts telling her where she can find you/your photo and she’ll add a link to her sidebar so others can find you. I am one of those that Lynn has badgered into joining her, I have changed it to “where I stood”, because right now I’m sitting in front of the computer, not standing anywhere.