MIFF
We took the opportunity to attend the Maine International Film Festival. We had a terrific time. We had to adjust our schedule as the first movie (Il Paradiso del Pavone (The Peacock’s Paradise)) that we wanted to see was having technical difficulties (no subtitles).
- Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris – This was a wonderful needed diversion. This was our favorite movie of the set.
- The Story of My Wife – This was a complex story where we just kept thinking, geez, if they only would have a conversation.
- River – important but not thrilling
- Straighten Up and Fly Right – This was an interesting movie on being different.
- Penelope, My Love – based on the real-life experience of a couple with a daughter on the autistic spectrum.
Hazel
Turns out, Hazel is a very strong swimmer. We took her kayaking (with her “shark” life jacket. She quickly jumped out of the kayak and started swimming about. The first time, she kind of went head first under, but quickly changed to jumping out with her head up.
We had taken her into the water in bits to make sure that she was safe. With the latest experience though, she is clearly a strong swimmer.
Clouds
I’m loving all the wonderful views of clouds here in Maine. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.
Rm to D2
Rm took the opportunity to visit our youngest daughter. This is the major reason that we moved to Maine in the first place. All reported a great time.
Wedding & Vacation
We traveled back to Michigan to attend a wedding and enjoy a bit of a vacation. We brought in a wonderful couple to watch Hazel while we were gone.
We traveled all day to Dearborn, arriving in time to enjoy some chicken shawarma sandwiches, tabouli, fatoush, and hummus. The next day we picked up some Michigan favorites (Vernor’s, spices, etc.). We also visited and cleaned Rm’s Dad’s gravesite. Then we headed to Dearborn Brewing, yep, I brought my mug back, for some good beer. We were able to chat with Chris and Amy for a while.
The next day was the wedding. Christian and Jenna had a wonderful ceremony. In between, we stopped off at Qawah House for some coffee. A medium pot of wonderful deliciousness. The reception was fun. After the reception, we headed to La Feria. Though short-staffed, who isn’t these days, the wait was short, and the service was phenomenal (as usual). We cruised around downtown Detroit as visitors.
We headed up to Traverse City the next day. The morning drive was nice. We were surprised that Mackinaw Brewing was closed on a Sunday. Bummer, but it’ll be open tomorrow.
Monday we started with a quick trip up to the Mission Point Lighthouse. This is a wonderful little lighthouse on the 45 parallel. After that we headed off to Traverse City and some wine tasting. The weather was beautiful to sit outside and sip some wine. We stopped at Bonobo Winery for a tasting flight. We enjoyed some conversation and a terrific view. The wine was very good. We headed around to Sutton’s Bay, with a quick stop at Moomer’s for lunch (ice cream – this is vacation after all). The ice cream was wonderful. Next to Sutton’s Bay. We enjoyed wandering around Sutton’s Bay. We even picked up a Peacock for the garden.
We stopped at Black Star Farms for another wine tasting. This one was a bit of a challenge since we know and like so many of their wines. Still, we found a new wine and purchased a few bottles to bring home.
Back to Traverse City. Cherry Republic was sadly out of sour cherry balls. Even sadder, Mackinaw Brewing no longer carries the Havarti Cheese appetizers (think mozzarella sticks with Havarti cheese). I was able to pick up a couple of hats from Diversions. Rm did some shoe shopping with no luck.
We headed back up to Mission Point Lighthouse to enjoy the sunset. What a beautiful evening.
The next day was another travel day. We headed to the Baseball Hall of Fame area. The only issue was Waze deciding to send us through Canada after I had checked to make sure that it wasn’t. It’s frustrating when you can’t change the route to what you want. Thankfully, I’ve made the trip before, so we could avoid the directions.
The Baseball Hall of Fame was next on our agenda. I had purchased the earliest possible entry time and was glad that I did. We enjoyed seeing the history and controversies presented in the Hall. It was getting pretty packed by the time we left. We had a nice lunch (hot dogs of course, in honor of baseball) and wandered Cooperstown. Then, time for the ride home.
Turkeys?
On our way to pick up our farm share, we saw a family of what looked like turkeys. Two adults and about nine offspring were crossing the road. I saw looked like turkeys, except brown in color, because at least one of them took off in flight (cue Les Nessman here). I’m still searching for what they were.
