On the Road

Last week I got a few days out with some lady friends for a little fun and adventure.  First up was a trip to Midland, Michigan to tour the Alden B. Dow House and Studios.  Alden built his unique house in 1935 after studying under Frank Lloyd Wright, there is definately an influence in style although Alden branched out in creating an original cinder block shape that was only used in 11 structures, all of which are found in the mitten.  The patent for the design was sold twice but oddly the idea never took off.  The house has been inpeccably cared for and when Mrs. Dow passed away in 1991 the three children took little from the property and it has been a wonderful historical site since.

We also had a chance to walk through the 110 acre Dow Gardens designed by Alden's father Herbert Dow owner of the Dow Chemical Plant.  It took years to create and was inspired greatly by Japanese horticultural design.  The home Herbert and his wife Grace lived in is also on the property and open for tours however we did not fit that in on this trip.  The color garden was absolutely amazing and I loved the various red metal bridges throughout the grounds.

The Children's Garden had lots of things to get young people involved in daily up keep of the grounds, from watering troughs to brooms for keeping walkways tidy, a huge bubble pool, an army of scarecrows, and the hit for me was by far the massive bronze hog statue!  It was incredible to see the work of both father and son, all of which took extreme care and consideration of children as they developed their ideas.  This was a time long before television and Gameboys, cell phones and iPods.  A time when imagination was cherished and being outside and active was a normal and expected part of everyday.  I was truely inspired by the visit in more ways than I can express.  Just placed my Burpee seed order for late start veggies that will go in as soon as the pigs go to fair this weekend, so excited to have fresh food growing on my own property again.  From 1999 to 2009 I always had a pretty extensive garden but eventually lost time and energy for it, looking forward to a renewed spirit in celebrating the simple things.

Another surprise trip was a chance to travel to Stratford with a friend, her son, and granddaughter to see a matinee performance of "Pirates of Penzance" which I haven't seen probably since high school.  It was a stellar performance and I was amazed that many of the cast were also leads in the 42nd Street production.  On the way home we stopped at a great cafe/coffee house in Port Huron, The Raven which was soooo cute, the live music was excellent as well as the lobster bisque!  Great way to end a great day, even got home in time to watch the opening ceremony for the XXX Olympics in London.

Is this photo gorgeous?  Many of the farms around our area grow sunflower crops, this one is just down the street from our house and we drive by many times during the week on the way to activities and errands, always makes me smile.  Alexandra and the BF got approval for a one bedroom apartment and got moved in earlier this week.  They were a little stressed about it but very excited at the same time.  I'm glad to have her finally settled in somewhere and not living such a nomadic lifestyle. 

Next week is the Eastern Michigan State Fair so the Partons will be busy showing pigs, auctioning, doing barn duty, riding rides, and having a downhome good time with some folks who truly know how to keep it real. 

Remember to always broaden your horizons

and stay inspired!