Tom and Ji Ji

She's a real charmer! She speaks a little English - last night when she went to bed she said "Bye bye Tom".







Ji Ji and Daddy Peter:


Tom says she's the luckiest little girl in the world.

Life Goes On

Yes, there is life after losing the big game.

First of all, we dropped Tom off at Metro and hugged all around and waved bye bye until December in Florida. Bye Tom! All day we kind of looked around for him, but he was definitely gone.

We both napped - sleeping off the exhaustion of defeat.

But happily, we had a 10/10/10 event to go to over in Southfield, so we went on over and it was a great distraction. There were good conversations, good food and kindred spirits ro enjoy. Hooray for a multi-faceted life.

Tom is Here!

We picked up Tom at Metro last night, and it was such fun to have him here this morning. We had a chance to catch up with his plans for the week. He's heading to Boston Sunday morning to visit Peter and Laura and their newly adopted Chinese baby Audrey (Ji-Ji). Well, she's not really a baby - she's three years old. Those adoptions take a long time, it seems.

Then he's going to be spending the week in Boston going to see Amanda Palmer in Cabaret - it sounds like he's planning to see it three times! Jana will join him on Friday or Saturday to see Cabaret with Tom and Peter.

There was a football game this afternoon. It was a designated "Maize Out".



During the National Anthem, a parachutist from the 101st Airborne landed on the field with the game ball. It was very impressive and so compelling that everyone forgot to sing the National Anthem!





We were both thrilled to have Tom with us at the game - sorry that it wasn't much of a treat for him. We're happy in these pictures because the game hasn't started yet!







The first half was better than I expected, actually. The second half was just exactly what I expected - oh dear. We're not happy with the coach, of course. And of course we're not happy with Michigan's defense. Our disappointment remains beyond description.

We're committed to the "be true to your school" philosophy - we love our alma mater and the football team even though we don't love the coach. To remind ourselves why we're so loyal, Dick photographed our brick at the Stadium and Main entrance to the Stadium. Four Generations of Maize and Blue Faithful:


The Sad Finale


Back to the apartment for pizza, rehash, and more football on TV!

AA to Adrian

This was an absolutely gorgeous fall day. We began with breakfast in Saline and then headed in a southwesterly direction, stopping whenever a cache looked inviting and do-able.

This area of southern Michigan is a picture-perfect farming area. The farms are huge, well-maintained and extremely neat and tidy. It is a real pleasure to drive the country roads and see one pleasant farm after another with multiple outbuildings and impressive barns. As far as we could tell they seem to be growing mostly corn and soybeans. Most of the outbuildings and barns are painted red, but we did see several white farms where everything was painted white. Judging by the size of the farm equipment that we passed on the road, I thought maybe those big farms were corporate. Dick says that they could be co-ops instead.

We went through many small towns and villages. A couple of them were not well known, at least to us! Saline, Mooreville, Macon, Clinton, Tecumseh, Wellsville, Palmyra and Adrian -what a lovely drive.

We had a great time. Here are some of Dick's logs:

10/07/2010	You found A very old resting place
We spent the day caching from A2 to Adrian. The return trip had been nonstop along the back roads until our Nuvi dinged for this one. As we read the description, we just couldn't pass it up. We have found 7 cemetery caches on this trip and were discussing the segregation of the Catholics and the Protestants. Was it that the Catholics didn't want to be buried with the Protestants or was it the other way around? Who rejected who? What did they do if someone who died was Jewish? Oh well, found the cache about 4:30, signed the log and drove home. Thanks for bringing us to this unusual place.
10/07/2010	You found Fair Haunting Grounds
We started out this morning in Ann Arbor with the goal of having breakfast in Saline and caching our way to a late lunch/early dinner/supper in Adrian, so here we are. We found this one at about 3PM. Signed the log and went off in search of food. If a combined breakfast and lunch is a brunch, I guess we are looking for lupper or linner. TFTC
10/07/2010	You found A Room With A View
Yoik!! I'm gettin to old for this stuff! We wanted to give this one a shot because we think this is how SQ caches should be placed if possible, off the actual site and away from the graves. Although I was carefully inching my way down the slope, (The silly Garmin was pointing to a spot about half way down.) suddenly my feet went out from under me and I did a kiester plotz. Luckily I grabbed a bush and pulled my self back up to my feet. Now the blankety blank GPS was pointing back up the slope. So just climb back up! Easier said than done, but slowly I pulled myself up, only slipping back a couple of times. I knew I was close because I found a Pokemon card. I didn't know it but I was searching the wrong side of the hide.The better half of the team was saying "That's enough!"as I clambered up to the top You know how it is, just one more peek. SCORE!! Signed the log and left a Pokemon card. Thanks for the adventure!
10/07/2010	You found I Ain't No "Old Shed"
When we started out this morning with the idea of caching our way to Adrian, we didn't focus in on cemetery caches but we did wind up with quite a few. We find it fascinating that these old sites in southern Michigan have tomb stones that are so much older than those we are familiar with up north. We are surprised to note that so many of the early settlers lived to such a ripe old age. It appears that, for the most part, if they made it through their teens, they were good for 70 or more years. Thanks for the history.
10/07/2010	You found Good Lord!
We are caching our way to Adrian and here we are in Palmyra, a town we've never heard of before. Thanks for giving us a reason to stop, thanks for the history and thanks for the cache. Signed the log and left a smilie pencil.
10/07/2010	You found STOP !!! BUCKEYES ADVANCING #1
Palmyra. Palmyra? Palmyra! Are we still in Michigan? Never knew there was a Palmyra. We almost bypassed this one just to see what Palmyra looks like. But Hey! How can you just drive past #1 TFTC
10/07/2010	You found STOP !!! BUCKEYES ADVANCING #6
Today's goal was to cache our way along the back roads from Ann Arbor to Adrian. Traveling from cache to cache in a south westerly direction on a beautiful fall afternoon we were struck by the cleanliness, neatness and beauty of the farms. Almost every one was well maintained and orderly. It was extremely enjoyable. Thanks for another smilie!
10/07/2010	You found Treasure Trove
What a great spot! From the great number of stones in German, we're guessing that the Lutheran church must have stood near to here in the past. Our question though is about the mound. With all the surrounding land being flat, could this square mound be natural? Did the settlers using teams of horses scrape the land into a mound? If so it doesn't appear to have affected the surrounding top soil. Or perhaps this is the site of an ancient settlement of the mound builders. We really appreciate it that you brought us here. The camo on the tin is falling off, we often have some in the cachemobile but couldn't find it today. We added a little heart to the stash after we signed the log. TFTC
10/07/2010	You found STOP !!! BUCKEYES ADVANCING #5
When these caches pop up on our route we have to grab them. This weekend we aren't worried about stopping the Buckeyes, can we stop the Spartans. We are quite apprehensive about sitting in the Big House Saturday and being subjected to the worst pass defense in the nation (120th of 120 teams). But thank you for another smilie on our caching expedition down to Adrian on an absolutely fantastic fall afternoon..
10/07/2010	You found SQ - Holloway Hide
Thanks for a hide that we could decipher. We just had a run of 3 DNF's so any find looked great. There were no trackables in the cache. The zip lock is torn but we did not have a replacement. We got quite a chuckle over the nearby name "Freshcorn". Thanks for the fun. (We're always respectful in the cemetery areas, but we did find this unusual name and respectfully photographed it.) 10/07/2010 [Traditional Cache] Adam's Adventure Michigan Visit Log Didn't find it 10/07/2010 [Traditional Cache] These events have SO moved me Michigan Visit Log Found it 10/07/2010 [Traditional Cache] EAGLE TRAIL CACHE: COMMUNICATIONS MERIT BADGE Michigan Visit Log Found it 10/07/2010 [Traditional Cache] FACT: The Un Zipped Mail.... Michigan Visit Log Didn't find it 10/07/2010 [Traditional Cache] Dont forget them Michigan Visit Log Found it 10/07/2010 [Traditional Cache] Service's 1st hide Michigan Visit Log Found it 10/07/2010 [Traditional Cache] Thanks Dad... Michigan Visit Log Found it 10/07/2010 [Traditional Cache] Big Oak On A Hill

Blast From the Past

OK boys and girls, your challenge for today is to identify these faces from your past. This is the Van Buren Public Schools monthly retirees breakfast.

Ten points for each ID. Ready, set, go !

DIA Day

Off to downtown Detroit for more of the Detroit Institute of Arts cache quest. The museum is very interesting - and on a Sunday it wasn't crowded at all. The displays that I enjoyed the most were the European medieval sections. The colors are so vibrant, and the craftmanship is amazing.

They have several versions of the Madonna and Child - it's fascinating to see the various interpretations.


This medieval French chapel was brought here piece by piece after WWI. The architect of the museum incorporated the chapel into the general framework of the building.


It was a thrilling place to be this morning. I haven't even mentioned the Rivera Hall. which is painted on all sides with Diego Rivera murals.....


....and VINCENT VAN GOGH!



Then off to the Detroit River to do another part of the DIA cache quest. Did you know that there is a William G. Milliken State Park? We didn't. It's right on the shores of the Detroit River.

The fabulous glass wall where we found the clues to the cache coordinates (with a little help from our friend).

VIEW OF LE CROTOY FROM UPSTREAM by Georges Pierre Seurat

(with Windsor casinos in the background!)

The paradox of Detroit - The beautiful Renaissance Center and condemned buildings as seen from Atwater Street.


When we left downtown Detroit, we headed north to Oxford, Lake Orion and Walled Lake to pick up three more DIA caches. Two out of three isn't that bad! At Oxford, there were way too many muggles to make a find!


Here are Dick's logs for today:

Found it 10/03/2010 You found [Traditional Cache] Chevy
Working on the series today we decided to try one up north. This was so straight forward after the puzzles we had worked on that it was an absolute pleasure. Thanks very much for the cache. Took nothing but pictures, signed the log, grabbed the code and left a flask of hand sanitizer.

Found it 10/03/2010 You found [Unknown Cache] View of Le Crotoy from Upstream
Today was a classic "Had it not been for geocaching, we would never have seen this place". For us, "this place" is downtown Detroit. Years ago we used to laugh at our step-father, who, when they were on their semi-annual trips to Florida, would not drive I-75 because it went through the city. Now we have become him. However, a cache in a park named for William Grawn Milliken, Michigan's greatest governor, is something that we couldn't resist.
Arriving at GZ, we were stymied. The puzzle form is something outside our experience. Even though the cache owner had answered our email prior to our seeking the cache, we didn't have a clue. Standing in the wind and the rain we just could not see the solution. Another phone call to Rattrack, another very patient answer. Eventually, the light dawned and we were able to solve the riddle of the glass wall.
Construction in the area caused us to track and back track but eventually the cache was discovered. We signed the log, traded sigs and bugs, grabbed the code and split town.
Many, many thanks Rattrack for your patience and assistance. With out your help we would have never puzzled it out.

Found it 10/03/2010 You found [Unknown Cache] The Detroit Institute of Arts
The puzzle caches in this series overwhelmed us. Because we were apprehensive about how to proceed after reading the earlier logs we contacted the owner prior to heading out for a drive into the city.With his answers in hand, we picked Sunday as the time for the least traffic.
In the past, we had visited Detroit on many occasions starting with birth for one of us. When our children were young, trips to Belle Isle, Tiger Stadium, Hudson's, Cobo, Hart Plaza etc. were commonplace. However since it's been more than 20 years since we have ventured into the Motor City, today we were both somewhat outside our comfort zone.
When we arrived and went to GZ, our expectations were dashed, how to get the required answers? We bought tickets and went inside. We had a great visit and saw many of the pictures that have been posted around the area but were surprised that none of the docents were familiar with geocaching, let alone the DIA series. (They do now) We answered the questions, and completed our tour. (We think that the section with medieval armor and early Christian art is spectacular) With the questions answered and the cords entered we set out to find the final only to be accosted by a panhandler seeking enough money for a burger". We discovered that our solution led us to private property. Ouch!
A call to the owner pushed back in the right direction but it was being staked out by the panhandler seeking more "burger" money from other visitors. We waited him out and finaly scored the cache. WOW!!
Many thanks toRattrack for his help and putting up with us today.

Found it 10/03/2010 You found [Multi-cache] Dancers in the Green Room
Thanks to a hint and encouragement from the owner we stopped back today when we were in the area. I can't imagine how we missed the first stage on our earlier trip. It was right where we expected it to be and we both think we looked there. Successfully found the final, took the code and left a small hand sanitizer.
Thanks 5* for the help!!

DANCERS IN THE GREEN ROOM by Edgar Degas

On beautiful Walled Lake, "Where the shores meet the stores" !

Oh My Goodness!

Gracious sakes alive! What an exciting game. At the end we were sure we'd be going into overtime, but no...Denard threw a hail Mary pass that actually worked, and we scored the winning touchdown.

We couldn't receive ESPN-U here at the apartment, so we went to a sportsbar (Damon's) to watch the game. It was delightful - full of young families with really adorable, well-behaved little kids and lots of TVs, not to mention good food and a charming young waitress.

We had such a great time. I'm just coming down with a mild cold, so I was happy to be inside watching today instead of at the stadium.

Quick-Score Offense Leads Football to Triumph at Indiana
10/2/2010
U-M posted five scoring drives of fewer than two minutes -- including a 48-second drive that culminated with a five-yard touchdown rush from Denard Robinson with 21 seconds remaining -- to hold off Indiana, 42-35.