Vicki and Steve took a mid-week trip up to Waterford, MI to visit our kids: Dan and Andrea. For the record, they have aged out of minor status and definitely play in the majors.
On the way to Waterford, MI we stopped at River Raisin National Battle monument. This monument describes a couple of battles at Frenchtown, MI (currently Monroe) during the war of 1812 as well as describing how the local settlers and native Americans lived. The American forces came in and routed the British forces. A couple of days later, a larger force of British regulars and native American warriors returned and decimated the American force. Sadly, some native American warriors returned after the battle to kill the wounded soldiers. This massacre resulted in an increase of enlistment into the American army and the eventual passage of the 1830 Indian Removal Act.
The visitor center was huge, it contained a full longhouse, wigwam, a great theater, and then a very large, open flex-space that is used for multiple projects.
After River Raisin we continued onto Waterford, onto the beautiful Elizabeth Lake. Steve is happy to be walking up Dan and Andrea’s side yard.
Dan and Andrea borrowed a couple of kayaks from their neighbor to complement their kayak and paddleboard. So the six of us (Dan, Andrea, Steve, Vicki and the dogs Thor and Luna) paddled around the lake in 90 minutes. It was a relaxing afternoon on the lake, the weather was warm but overcast. Unfortunately, we don’t have pictures of the dogs on Dan’s kayak or Andrea’s paddleboard because our phones were not in the water with us.
Andrea’s parents Tom and Patti joined us for dinner. We haven’t seen them for several years (before Covid), so it was great to see them. Dan cooked steaks on the grill (on his new deck!) and we enjoyed the pasta salad Patti brought. Dinner was rounded out with shrimp and sauteed zucchini and squash. After dinner we enjoyed custard from BB’s Custard.
Friday morning Dan, Andrea, Steve and Vicki took the boat out. Dan rode his foil and wakeboard. Andrea rode her wakeboard. Steve got dragged behind the boat for 20 feet trying to get up on the wakeboard. Dan and Andrea looked great as they did different maneuvers on the water. Steve looked like a drowned cat.
The “Dream Cruise” was happening during the weekend. And a Goodyear blimp was there, providing rides from the airport to Woodward Blvd (where the cars were cruising) and back. So we saw the blimp travel back and forth many, many times while we were there.
Of course there was great conversation between everyone that day, there always is. And we talked about different ways to co-celebrate some big birthdays this winter. V: Quarter Century, Half Century and Three-quarters of a century all in the same year.
The RV made an entrance at the end of the trip: Steven picked it up from our storage lot so we could prepare for our next RV adventure.
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