Ice Age Comes to Grand Haven

The Tri-Cities Historical Museum has a new exhibit. "Ice Age Imperials" It is very interesting and there are hands-on activities for the children.

Chicago under ice...

Timeline

Animals

There is also tie-in material at the library.

And at home, this couple has been visiting us in the morning.

For St. Patrick's Day, I made boiled potatoes and veggie Reuben sandwiches. Tempeh in the place of corned beef - very tasty. But then anything with sauerkraut is tasty.

 It looks like we're on the right side of winter now. Temperatures going up and snow all melting away.

Rockford Michigan

On Saturday we took a drive to Rockford. It was chilly out but dry and sunny. We had never gone in that direction before so we enjoyed new scenery. We of course avoided the expressway and took the back roads. There are lots of farms and orchards, mostly apple, along the way.

The standard post office style built at some point all over.

One reason I wanted to go to Rockford was that it has a yarn store. I actually made it out without buying anything but I enjoyed looking around the store and touching. It is a very nice shop.

We did some window shopping and then stopped for lunch at the "The Official Hot Dog Capitol of Michigan." They have a full menu in addition to hot dogs. I had a veggie dog and Jack satisfied the craving he's been having for fish and chips. We also shared what are the best fried mushrooms I've ever had. They hand batter them and use big, firm, fresh mushrooms.

Topiary!

The waterfront is very pretty.

Jack of course had to check out the train.

Book store!

A fun relaxing day.

Daytona

Jack doesn't watch much NASCAR but the Daytona 500 is one he doesn't miss. I was informed back on Monday to make no plans for Sunday. So I made no plans except to get out my cookbooks and look for some new recipes for munchies during the race.

Two new recipes I tried were a Garlic Veggie Dip and an Eggplant Spread. They both turned out great and I'll for sure make them again. Recipes for me are suggestions. I always play with them changing the amount of ingredients and sometimes substitutions. More garlic is always needed and I generally kick up all seasoning over the recommended amount. If you try them season to your tastes. Both require chilling before serving.

Garlic Veggie Dip

equal parts plain yogurt (or sour cream if you prefer) and mayo
minced garlic
chopped onion
chopped water chestnuts
chopped parsley

The water chestnuts add a nice crunch and substance to the dip.

Eggplant Spread

eggplant (cooked at 475 until skin is dark brown) peel and chop
minced onion
olive oil
lemon juice
pepper
sugar (small amount)

It is very tasty. In addition to using as a spread, this could also be served as a side dish. I wouldn't chill if I were using this way. I'm thinking it might also be nice in stuffed shells.

Let the race begin!

After the race while Jack played guitar and goofed off in his office, I watched a movie. It didn't get very good reviews in general, so I'm in the minority here, but I liked it. Not your run of the mill story. I generally like movies about authors and such.

On a not Daytona day side note, we have started a new jigsaw puzzle. Haven't done one in years so looking forward to it. And I'll have a map of Michigan highlights when it is finished. Love maps.

It is a beautiful warm sunny day out today. However, tomorrow night we're suppose to get more snow into Wednesday from the storm rolling through the country's mid-section now. As February closes in on March, I look forward to the weather warming up for good. It will be nice to trade in the snow blower and shovels for garden pots and deck furniture.

Frozen in Time

Saturday we walked downtown to check out the Frozen in Time event - "live mannequins" in store windows depicting movie scenes. Even though the town is covered in snow it was warm and the sun was shining so a very nice day to be out and about. The sun shining also made for interesting reflections in the shop windows. You can see the actors and the buildings across Washington.

There were a lot more but you get the idea. Made for an interesting walkabout.

Speaking of frozen in time...

On Sunday it was very warm and we walked downtown for lunch. It was starting to rain by time we got home. Then we kicked back for the afternoon with The New York Times.

As of Monday morning the temps are still above freezing so we have puddles not ice - a good thing.

But we're scheduled for more precipitation, maybe rain, maybe snow and then in a day or so getting cold again - so freeze. It is Michigan.

January Ends

January ends with a burst of warmth. On Monday evening we walked up town for dinner. We figure when the cold wave hits we won't want to be out and about. This morning in was in the low- to mid-50s. We took Sugar for a nice long walk. Things are thawing out and there are puddles. The wind was blowing hard but it was still warm. No wind chill this morning. But it is foggy.

Ducks are becoming regular visitors on Washington.

Spotted these in a shop window. What's old is new. I had a coat and dresses like these in my youth. Note Sugar's reflection in the window.

Central Park.

Our driveway is a mess. Hopefully the cold snap holds off long enough so all the water drains. But we're suppose to get more rain today and tomorrow so I'm not very hopeful.

Lost

On Friday, Jack was heading to a doc appointment at the hospital. Sugar and I tagged along for the walk. Sugar and I peeled off at Duncan Woods. It was pretty this time of year. I like the open look without the leaves. I'll have to go back when the sun is shining to see how that looks.

Jack reported that I got lost in the woods. That would be real hard to do because Duncan Woods is very nice but not that big. What happened is when I came out the other end, as always seems to happen when I do this, I wasn't sure exactly what combination of turns to make to get home. It is a part of town I don't normally walk around. I always had a general idea of the way to go so not lost in the real sense, maybe more wandering about in an inefficient manner. But that was OK. Even though it was raining lightly, it was one of our last warm days. Sugar is always thrilled to sniff out new locations so she wasn't complaining.  Of course before the next time I'm heading to Duncan Woods, I could look at a map and figure out the straightest route home, but what would be the fun in that?

Jack and I discuss how nice it is to not know where everyplace is. Someone will reference a town here in MI and we are clueless. We know the Muskegon to Holland to Grand Rapids area pretty well, but get out of that triangle and it is still mostly a mystery to us. We truly can get lost in MI - an impossibility  back in IL. Having lived there our whole lives, any town mentioned we could place it geographically - south side, north side, western sprawl, mid-state, downstate, etc. With our road trips, we are learning MI. So more and more places are becoming familiar. However, I doubt we will ever have the complete grasp of MI that we had of IL. I like it that way. It is like traveling. You go to see new things. When we travel, I love truly getting lost in big cities. No plan, just start walking and see what happens. You might miss the "must see" museum, but instead you find wonderful little local gems and quirks of the city.

Go out and get lost - I highly recommend it.