Michigan 2024

 

Michigan

August 2024

 

Grandson Miles is doing a repeat 6-week camp at Interlochen Center for the Arts, but with a twist: he will return to Interlochen for his senior year of high school, as Anthea had done. We’ll repeat our trip out to see him and also visit with Russ’ brother Doug and sister-in-law Ann in Midland. Daughter-in-law Anthea will drive from Queens to join us; son Matt is otherwise occupied performing at the Tahoe Classical Festival. We’re sorry that Anthea’s parents, Pamela & Brian, also can’t join us this year.

 Thursday-Friday, 8/1-2: “Frogs and Balloons”

An uber reserved at 4am for our 6:15 flight to Chicago, but silly Marjorie made it for the wrong date! Change of plans, we drive and park at the airport. Airport’s all discombobulated by construction, both parking & terminal. Interesting art along a corridor. 

Flight on time to O’Hare, easy connection, on-time to Saginaw, passing over pretty farms & windmills looking so neat & tidy like a model train set. Doug is waiting for us, a short drive to Midland. Greeted by Ann & daughter Katie, plus dogs Cindy (wearing a cone, poor thing) & Mija.

An early birthday dinner for Doug at Lucky’s Steakhouse. First, get accustomed to driving Doug’s big hybrid, lots of bells & whistles; can’t figure out the radio & some other controls, but basics are OK. Midland is a pretty city to drive around, nice houses & lots of pretty trees, but watch out for deer. After dinner we go to downtown for part of Midland’s “River Days” celebration, parking by pretty St. Briged School. Live music, hot air balloon baskets spewing fire. 

Back to the house we watch some Paris Olympics. Simone Biles wins all-around gold in gymnastics; the US team won gold earlier. And we had enjoyed the spectacular opening ceremony last week: teams riding boats along the Seine among the beautiful city sights, Celine Dion’s show-stealing “courageous tour de force” closing performance of L’Hymne à l’amour by Édith Piaf from a stage at the base of the Eiffel Tower. Her 1^st performance since diagnosis with stiff-person syndrome in 2022.

Next AM a return trip to Dow Gardens; the Dow family has been very generous investing money in the community. Last year giant insect sculptures were spread around the gardens. This year a “Ribbit Exhibit” of 17 frog sculptures by “Frog Man” Andy Cobb. Plus the beautiful walkways thru flowers, trees, and streams. Lovely, tho a hot & humid day. 

Beautiful marigolds planted along a 2½ mile stretch of Eastman Ave. The 34^th year of “Midland Blooms,” a community project coordinated by the Business Alliance: 100s of volunteers plant 1000s of flowers, rotating marigolds & petunias. A stop at Culver’s for lunch, including Marjorie’s favorite MidWest treat, turtle sundaes.

Doug has his real BD dinner at Grand Traverse Pie Company, highlighted by cherry crumb pie. Then we head to Chippewassee Park, near the Tridge, a three-legged wooden footbridge spanning the confluence of the Tittabawassee and Chippewa Rivers, to watch the launching of hot air balloons. We sit along the river with 2 friendly local ladies. Beautiful sights! Back to the hot air balloons later. A beautiful evening to watch the balloons “flicker” & “glow” as they are lighted inside by flames. A wonderful show!

 

Saturday, 8/3: “Wonderful Tour Guide”

           

Marjorie cooks up breakfast, “bonding over bacon” with Mija. After a Cleveland overnight Anthea will be driving to Interlochen, where we will rendezvous. A nice AM for our 3-hour drive to Doug & Ann’s 2^nd home in Charlevoix, about an hour north of Interlochen. Speed limit reaches 75! 

Thru pretty forested areas, occasional farms & corn, then lots of orchards (cherries, apples, peaches) and farm stands. A Tim Hortons stop for coffee; the worst coffee carryout lid ever! Thru Elk Rapids, celebrating “Harbor Days.” A giant swan sculpture, built in 1966 as a float to carry Miss Elk Rapids in Harbor Days and the Cherry Festival (cherries are a big thing around here!). A sign for the 45^th Parallel, labeled the halfway point between the Equator & North Pole. 

After a brief stop at the Charlevoix house and stocking supplies from Eastport Market, south to Interlochen. Past familiar sights from last year: sculptures of mastodon, hippo, horse painted with American flag, and more; large sunflower fields. An immense soccer complex. Nice resorts & beaches along the lakeshore. Now it’s my “Oops!” Forgot the tickets for tonight’s concert. But Marjorie can bring them up on her phone. Isn’t modern technology wonderful.

           

We meet up with Anthea at the camp. A lovely afternoon & evening to stroll the beautiful grounds, music wafting thru the trees. 

We connect with Miles. Dinner at Melody Freeze. At the theater, fronted by a friendly bears sculpture, Marjorie is complimented by a student for her “cool” style; nothing about me. 

The end-of-season production this year is “Wonderful Town,” a Leonard Bernstein musical set in 1930s Greenwich Village; 1^st stage production 1953, 1958 movie starred Rosalind Russell. As last year, a professional-quality performance. Miles is wonderful as “Tour Guide” in the opening scene. His NYC friend Emma is wonderful as one of the female leads. Orchestra on stage behind “city” scenery. Our drive “home” takes us past Elk Rapids fireworks. Anthea joins us for cherry pie a la mode.

 

Sunday, 8/4: “Dancin’ on the Roof”

           

As usual I’m up early, a bit after sunrise. I drive past farm stands and art galleries to the Charlevoix marina. A park with nice flowers, pretty sun reflections. Back to the house, where Anthea has taken a walk thru the flowers & grasses, birds & deer. Certainly a lovely spot. There will be new neighbors soon, a house under construction at the end of the road. 

Marjorie is again in charge of breakfast before we head back to ICA for a repeat show at 2. Lots of local political signs (good luck Mary Merchant!), a few for Trump. We go rogue, ignoring Marjorie’s phone GPS to continue straight thru Traverse City. Not a good decision, road construction delays, but we arrive on time to Interlochen. Past a sign for “Crap Shack” consignment shop.

           

Into the theater. Happy to hear Emma’s parents made it after flight delays. We alert most of our row to Miles’ star turn in the 1^st scene. And he found out just before that he was needed in additional scenes: Conga, My Darlin’ Eileen, Swing. Another fine performance by all. 

Dinner at the Grill Tent, then a short wait to enter the grounds for the grand finale of the 97^th season. We set up our lawn chairs on the grass looking down into The Bowl filled with the World Youth Symphony Orchestra. After 2 other pieces JoAnn Falletta (the 1^st female conductor for this finale) conducts Les Préludes, joined by additional instrumentalists. During the piece the Interlochen Summer Dance Ensemble, dressed in white, comes dancing down the aisles … and on the roof! Wow! After Anthea gathers up Miles and all his stuff we rendezvous in Charlevoix.

 

Monday, 8/5: “Orchards and Airports”

           

Some rain during the night. A pretty sunrise. Mostly cloudy & cool today, temps in the 70s. At breakfast Miles shares stories of his time at camp. Marjorie tidies up before our drive back to Midland. Anthea & Miles will drive to Canada to visit Brian & Pamela, then will stop later in the week in Albany, where Miles will be sing with a chorus at Siena College near us. Our drive takes us past mile after mile of orchards (have I mentioned the cherries and farm stands?). Signs for GoGo Squeeze, a purveyor of snack pouches. A vet’s sign: “Be the person your dog thinks you are;” we’ll have to suggest this for one of Fr Walsh’s “thought for the day.” A stop at a rest area with sculptures of men at work. We pick up some lunch at Family Fare.

           

Back to Midland, Doug drops Ann off for PT then drives us to the very quiet Saginaw airport.  No seating choices for our “Basic Economy” tickets, we sit separately both flights. A 2+ hour wait, plus a ½ hour delay. News reports of Hurricane Debby threatening “historic rainfall” in the SE, likely up to us in the NE for the weekend. Into O’Hare, past “Cannabis Amnesty” boxes in the terminal. An hour late out of Chicago, a somewhat rough ride, landing in Albany about 10:30pm.

 Another lovely family trip.

Postscript:

           

After their visits in Canada with Pamela & Brian, Anthea & Miles’ drive to Albany on Friday is long and wet, one delay for a tree fallen across the road. The remnants of Debby bring some heavy rain and flooding in the region. But they make it OK. 

Miles has a day full of rehearsals with the NY-ACDA High School Honor Choir at Siena. We reward his efforts with a belated birthday party, complete with a Grandma cake decorated with Haribo bears (Grandpa’s contribution). We also watch continuing coverage of the Olympics, including “breaking” (aka break-dancing), a new addition to the Games. Amazing moves! 

Miles is part of a short excellent concert in the Siena Union Sunday afternoon. Clearly this was an enjoyable experience for him with an energetic and entertaining conductor. Then it’s down to Queens to rendezvous with Matt & William (and Arlo, who will be so excited to greet them).