Ann Arbor - Friday

Before I get into the real subject of this post, a bit of an update seems appropriate. As everyone knows by now, Hurricane Irene rolled up the east coast at the end of August leaving devastation in her wake. Thankfully, by the time she arrived in Connecticut, her status had been downgraded to that of tropical storm. Still, tropical storms carry quite a punch.

We were lucky. We were without electricity for only 2 days. Food was grilled, we dined outside, candles lit our way once darkness fell. Ellie and Grace enjoyed painting, coloring, reading, playing board games, then gathering small limbs and helping rake leaves once the rains stopped and the winds subsided. Of course, when their pile of leaves was large enough, they proceeded to jump in them...

Tuesday morning early, the power was restored and the day was spent cleaning - emptying the fridge, doing laundry, etc. Wednesday was spent packing for vacation in Ann Arbor, Michigan - home of the University of Michigan (John's alma mater) and Le Dog as well as the host of the 2011 Midwest Tandem Rally.

Remember those two-seater bikes that we bought back in April? Seems there are groups that get together for weekend rides. Who knew? Being married to a cycling enthusiastic...well, let's just say that I should have suspected such events existed. 

On September 1 we set out for Ann Arbor with the bikes secured to the roof. Since Ellie and Grace were such good travelers, the first place we visited on Friday was a park so they could run and play.

Grace played on the swings, while Ellie and I explored a bridge.

Soon, though, they discovered the pond and, more importantly, discovered just how much fun it is to throw rocks in the pond and watch the water ripple afterwards. Actually, I probably enjoyed the rippling part more than the girls. They loved getting Dad to see how big a splash he could make.

Afterwards, we rode the bikes into town and stopped by Zingerman's for a bite.

The best part of the day was yet to come.

We'd been telling Ellie and Grace that they'd get to meet Daddy's friend Jules in Ann Arbor and they were so excited. You see, Jules is the chef/owner of Le Dog where John worked while attending the U of M. It's to Jules that thanks are owed for John's culinary skills. It's probably also to him that words are owed when John gets in his "cooking zone". Even after 20 years together, I just sit back and watch when he's in the zone.

After visiting with Jules, we set off to register for the Midwest Tandem Rally. More on that tomorrow.