The final stop on our North American/Great Lakes tour was Michigan, for a visit with D's extended family. Ed & Lorna were kind enough to drive us from Niagara-on-the-Lake through southern Ontario and across the Blue Water Bridge from Canada to Port Huron, Michigan. There we met D's cousin Jason and his wife Jackie
(who visited us in the UK 2 years ago) for a fun lunch and lots of bicycle talk between Ed & Jason -- Jason is an avid rider too, as you can see on
his website. We said goodbye to Ed & Lorna, then from Port Huron we went on to D's cousin Amy & Sergio's lovely home in Romeo, where we stayed for 4 nights.
The family definitely rolled out the red carpet for us. We were treated to dinner at Uncle John & Aunt Linda's house later that night, where we shared lots of funny stories well into the evening. The next morning, Jason, Jackie, Amy, Sergio, their sweet daughter H, D and I all headed off early to The Henry Ford complex just outside of Detroit to visit
Greenfield Village, the largest outdoor museum in America.
Greenfield Village contains nearly 100 original historic buildings, moved to the site from their original locations by Henry Ford and arranged in a village setting, with the intent to show how Americans have lived and worked since 1776. Among the buildings onsite are Henry Ford's birthplace, the Wright Brothers' bicycle shop from Dayton, Ohio,
and Thomas Edison's Menlo Park laboratory from New Jersey. We were greeted at the gate and given a Village overview by D's Uncle Dan:
who, in his retirement, works with the many horses in Greenfield Village. For Uncle Dan, it's more a passion than a job -- and it shows. We loved seeing him driving the horse-drawn surrey filled with visitors around the park all day; the smile never left his face. (I hope we
all find things in retirement that bring us such joy!)
We started our tour of the Village with a train ride around the park's perimeter, to give ourselves an overview.
We spent the rest of the day exploring and learning interactively about American history. We even learned a bit about British history -- there is an original Cotswolds cottage in the Village with a true English garden!
The 100-year-old carousel was a big hit with H:
as was the old-fashioned photo shop where we had our picture taken in front of a classic background:
We wrapped up the day with an ice cream outside of Edison's lab
followed by a quick stop at the stables to say goodbye to Uncle Dan. Even there, his enthusiasm for the Village and the horses was contagious!
The next day was the 4th of July, and to celebrate we went back to Port Huron for a festive and fun lunch barbeque at Jason & Jackie's,
where we got to visit with their cats Bailey:
and Louie (who is camera-shy). After lunch, we headed to the Lake Huron waterfront for a cruise aboard the Huron Lady. Here we are -- moving counterclockwise (or "anticlockwise", as they say in the UK) from top left-- Uncle Dan and Aunt Cathie, Sergio and Amy, Aunt Linda, little H, Uncle John, D and me, D's Mom & Dad (visiting from North Carolina), Jackie, and Jason.
The cruise was a blast and gave us lots of opportunities to enjoy the sunshine and visit with one another.
After the cruise, we all headed to a wonderful seafood restaurant on the St. Clair River for dinner.
On the short ride back, brother & sister Jason and Amy had to sit in the "way back", just like we all did with our siblings in the old station wagons as kids! And watching them unfold themselves to get out was really funny!
The next day began with a leisurely breakfast with Wimbledon and the Tour de France on TV, and a family of deer grazing right outside of Sergio & Amy's windows.
In fact, the deer are such regular visitors to their yard that Sergio has had to raise his garden fence in order to keep them away from his abundant crops:
Sunday also brought another family picnic. This one was at Amy's house and also included Sergio's mother Yolanda, with whom I always love talking.
She was a schoolgirl in France during World War II, and lived through the Nazi occupation, during which time she had to speak German in school. She is French, but has lived in Italy & San Marino also, so our talks this visit included lots of reminiscing about places we've been in Europe. She is also the mother of 11 children (Sergio is the youngest); needless to say, she's led a fascinating life. D's cousins Larry and David were at the picnic with their wives and children also. It was a fun and lively affair!
Everyone seemed relaxed and happy, especially when they were around the dogs, Bentley and Daisy. Fluffy white dogs seem to have that effect on people!
The party concluded with a rousing "Happy Birthday To You" for D's mom, who celebrates a milestone birthday later this month.
What a great way to celebrate, surrounded by happy family! Our visit to Michigan was outstanding, and we're so grateful to have such a large and loving family. Our thanks to all for the hospitality and warmth!
The final stop on our North American/Great Lakes tour was Michigan, for a visit with D's extended family. Ed & Lorna were kind enough to drive us from Niagara-on-the-Lake through southern Ontario and across the Blue Water Bridge from Canada to Port Huron, Michigan. There we met D's cousin Jason and his wife Jackie (who visited us in the UK 2 years ago) for a fun lunch and lots of bicycle talk between Ed & Jason -- Jason is an avid rider too, as you can see on his website. We said goodbye to Ed & Lorna, then from Port Huron we went on to D's cousin Amy & Sergio's lovely home in Romeo, where we stayed for 4 nights. 
The family definitely rolled out the red carpet for us. We were treated to dinner at Uncle John & Aunt Linda's house later that night, where we shared lots of funny stories well into the evening. The next morning, Jason, Jackie, Amy, Sergio, their sweet daughter H, D and I all headed off early to The Henry Ford complex just outside of Detroit to visit Greenfield Village, the largest outdoor museum in America. 
Greenfield Village contains nearly 100 original historic buildings, moved to the site from their original locations by Henry Ford and arranged in a village setting, with the intent to show how Americans have lived and worked since 1776. Among the buildings onsite are Henry Ford's birthplace, the Wright Brothers' bicycle shop from Dayton, Ohio, 
and Thomas Edison's Menlo Park laboratory from New Jersey. We were greeted at the gate and given a Village overview by D's Uncle Dan: 
who, in his retirement, works with the many horses in Greenfield Village. For Uncle Dan, it's more a passion than a job -- and it shows. We loved seeing him driving the horse-drawn surrey filled with visitors around the park all day; the smile never left his face. (I hope we all find things in retirement that bring us such joy!)
We started our tour of the Village with a train ride around the park's perimeter, to give ourselves an overview.
We spent the rest of the day exploring and learning interactively about American history. We even learned a bit about British history -- there is an original Cotswolds cottage in the Village with a true English garden!
The 100-year-old carousel was a big hit with H:
as was the old-fashioned photo shop where we had our picture taken in front of a classic background: 
We wrapped up the day with an ice cream outside of Edison's lab 
followed by a quick stop at the stables to say goodbye to Uncle Dan. Even there, his enthusiasm for the Village and the horses was contagious! 
The next day was the 4th of July, and to celebrate we went back to Port Huron for a festive and fun lunch barbeque at Jason & Jackie's, 
where we got to visit with their cats Bailey: 
and Louie (who is camera-shy). After lunch, we headed to the Lake Huron waterfront for a cruise aboard the Huron Lady. Here we are -- moving counterclockwise (or "anticlockwise", as they say in the UK) from top left-- Uncle Dan and Aunt Cathie, Sergio and Amy, Aunt Linda, little H, Uncle John, D and me, D's Mom & Dad (visiting from North Carolina), Jackie, and Jason.
The cruise was a blast and gave us lots of opportunities to enjoy the sunshine and visit with one another.
After the cruise, we all headed to a wonderful seafood restaurant on the St. Clair River for dinner. 
On the short ride back, brother & sister Jason and Amy had to sit in the "way back", just like we all did with our siblings in the old station wagons as kids! And watching them unfold themselves to get out was really funny!
The next day began with a leisurely breakfast with Wimbledon and the Tour de France on TV, and a family of deer grazing right outside of Sergio & Amy's windows. 
In fact, the deer are such regular visitors to their yard that Sergio has had to raise his garden fence in order to keep them away from his abundant crops:
Sunday also brought another family picnic. This one was at Amy's house and also included Sergio's mother Yolanda, with whom I always love talking. 
She was a schoolgirl in France during World War II, and lived through the Nazi occupation, during which time she had to speak German in school. She is French, but has lived in Italy & San Marino also, so our talks this visit included lots of reminiscing about places we've been in Europe. She is also the mother of 11 children (Sergio is the youngest); needless to say, she's led a fascinating life. D's cousins Larry and David were at the picnic with their wives and children also. It was a fun and lively affair!
Everyone seemed relaxed and happy, especially when they were around the dogs, Bentley and Daisy. Fluffy white dogs seem to have that effect on people!
The party concluded with a rousing "Happy Birthday To You" for D's mom, who celebrates a milestone birthday later this month.
What a great way to celebrate, surrounded by happy family! Our visit to Michigan was outstanding, and we're so grateful to have such a large and loving family. Our thanks to all for the hospitality and warmth!
2 comments:
Hey A, we miss you already! H wants to know where's the pic of you and her in front of the forest background from Greenfield Village. She asks this despite herself being in nearly half of the 37 pics you posted! She's not a ham or anything!:-) Hugs, A
Hi Amy:
We miss you too! Tell H to take another look at the photos -- I just added it in! xo's,
A.
Post a Comment