Three times this year the place that I did half of my growing up in will be my home for month long stints. Next year is a whole other ball game and I really don't know where I'll be, but for now I am here. Somebody asked me yesterday, "But don't you leave in a week?" Yes, yes I do. However, it has been such a long time coming that it doesn't feel real. On May 29th, I will be leaving for Boston and will not return for seven weeks. SEVEN WEEKS traveling to Boston, New York City, and around the Dominican Republic. As you hopefully know, most of those adventures can be followed by clicking
Not a Pirate here or at the the top of this page. I seriously can not believe it, but I'm very excited.
Metamora in May has been extremely low key. The slow pace is good because I am able to do the things I need to before I leave, but bad because I get bored very easily. Even when I have someone to hang out with, we are usually stumped for something to do. Mostly, I've been frequenting the nearby parks, the nature trails (pictured left), or hanging around outside my house when it has been nice enough to do so. I have done a couple cool things since I've been here though. It has been consistently warm for the past week or so, which I definitely have enjoyed.
Yesterday, I got sunburned on my shoulders while cleaning the pool. I have been on a major mission to get the pool opened and ready before I leave. I just want my dad to have something that he is able to do, since a lot of activities have been ruled out, but there's still a lot he can do. He's a lot stronger than I anticipated, which makes me happy and less worried about leaving. We went to Comerica Park last week to see Central play against Michigan State. We lost 5-2, but I enjoyed our time together.
On Friday, I went to see Kathy Griffin at the Soaring Eagle with my dad, my mom, and her friend. It was odd for me to go all the way up to Mount Pleasant and back in one day. Being up there made me wish I could spend some time with friends that are still in town this summer and it was kind of a tease. On the other hand, despite everything else that happened that night, Kathy Griffin was hilarious and awesome and definitely worth seeing. I apologize that her face is washed out in the side picture, we sat pretty far away. I'd also like to say that I am so glad that my school is only two hours away instead of four, because that is just too much travel to do in one day.
So, this past weekend, Oxford hosted its (I believe) 2nd Annual
Backyards & Burgers. Now, being a resident of Lapeer County, I was expecting something of
Lapeer Days quality. If you don't feel like actually visiting the website, here's a snip-it of Lapeer Days history:
On Aug. 28, 1902, Alonzo A. Bostick and his son Austin celebrated the grand opening of Bostick Stove Works in Lapeer. Neither Alonzo nor his son could have foreseen the legacy they bestowed on our community. The simple grand opening celebration inspired the idea of a community festival held for the first time the following year. The Lapeer Days Festival was born. From simple beginning’s it has grown over the years to become the county’s largest festival and Michigan’s largest FREE festival.
Okay, so maybe not that quality, but I expected more than it lived up to be. There were seven restaurants competing to have the best burger in Oxford. Only two of these restaurants had outdoor booths, but luckily
'Wiches, the winner, was one of them. Their "burger," that was admittedly more of a steak sandwich, was delicious and will now be featured on the menu. I had two major problems with the festival.
One, it was basically just a carnival. The actual burger area was hard to find, there was no stage, and we had to ask someone for the results of the contest. I was there on Saturday night, which was basically the end of the festival, and the winners were announced at 1:30 PM. The burger area/beer tent were on the back side of some shops and there were no signs that I saw to direct you.
Second, this festival seems to be strictly for Oxford residents. While I live fairly close to Oxford during three months of the year, I do not have the ability to go out to eat at each restaurant competing and try the burger. I feel that trying each burger is necessary to vote properly. What would have been the best option in my opinion would be for each restaurant to have a booth, first of all, and to also be giving out samples of their burgers. Maybe Lapeer and Mount Pleasant have made me accustomed to free stuff, but I think that would be best. Yes, it is a financial issue, I understand that. There are other options than giving free samples, like a $10 sample platter. My ideas would make it A) a much cooler festival and B) create more accurate voting. I should be running this thing, my word.
Admittedly, the carnival was cool. I think it was mostly because I am so used to Skerbeck rides and whoever does the rides for the
Eastern Michigan Fair. I only rode Vertigo because just that was $5 and the wristbands were $20 unless you bought them in advance for $15. It was fun though, I had a good time, I just think that I could have had a better time with some alterations to the festival.
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| Vertigo |
Tomorrow, I get to see my very good friend, which is exciting. When my dad and I drove down to the baseball game last Tuesday, we saw the car shows going on in Oxford and Lake Orion, so we're going to go check that out. There may be pictures in the next blog post. Remember to keep an eye on both blogs.
And a great sigh of relief as I get all my pictures to sit where I want them to, even though the one is not clickable: Ahhhh... :)
Hello! Guess where I am headed... ATLANTA, GEORGIA. Yes, I
know, I was just there a month and a half ago. The redeeming factor is that I
will only be there thirty-eight minutes. Thirty-eight minutes to catch a
connecting flight in the Atlanta airport seems daunting, but my gate is only
two down from where I will exit. That’s one benefit about flying Airtran, you
do not have the nightmare that is a Delta flight in Atlanta. Delta basically
owns the Atlanta airport, so navigating the huge facility is a challenge. I
have to admit, I am not too fond of Airtran though. Everything about this
flight has been unpleasant, except the view. It’s 6:30 AM and the sky is so
gorgeous. It’s the only thing that’s keeping me from being a sourpuss on what
is typically a pleasant flight out of Bishop Airport. 
My carry-ons are not
safely stored because the flight attendant said that they could take my
backpack and did not offer to help me. Instead of disturbing my aisle mates and
forcing help, I have my backpack shoved partial under my seat with no foot
space. The in-flight snack is two non-descript packaged cookie/crackers that
I’m not sure if I want to try. Also, I chose seat F because I wanted a window
seat, but that was a bad idea because shifting to the third seat from the aisle
is difficult and uncomfortable. I MISS MIDWEST! Seriously, fresh baked cookies
on the plane were probably the best thing ever and the flight attendants were
accommodating and wonderful. I can not believe how far away from Boston I have
to fly to get there. That is my real destination, by the way, and I can’t wait
to get there. No idea what I’m going to do there, but I’m looking forward to
it. I know my first steps will be to navigate the shuttle, subway, and streets
and wrestle my luggage downtown to have lunch with my sister. In the Airtrain
magazine, they have a picture of a Memorial Day tradition that I am going to
attempt to see if they have not gotten rid of it.
