My Mother's Day Surprise

Christin found a perfectly updated Cape Cod house

Beautiful living spaces--that desk is the "fly tying" center and Leo's favorite challenge (he has managed several times to open the drawers and get to the feathers!)

Ready to plant their herbs and tomatoes

One of Leo's smaller sticks! He has a pile next to the garage and every few days Joe has to pick them all up again!

Lansing is full of beautiful green space--parks, forests, rivers and lakes. This forest/biking path is 1 1/2 blocks away-we went maybe 3 miles on this -Leo retrieving a stick (of course!) This is flooded though.

This hillside was filled with blooming woodlands flowers

Adorable

Michigan State has a huge ag department including this ice cream and cheese production/store call Dairy Store--our 2 hour walks every day made us feel better about enjoying the HUGE ice cream cones. Delicious :D

Visited Joe's lab and school at Michigan State--he didn't wait for me to get a natural picture so I made him pose at the microscope--thats why he is laughing at his slide :D I learned all about his research and cross sections of otoliths!

Old Town  popcorn store with tasting stations

Founders Brewery Saturday night in Grand Rapids-we did miss Kevin joining us here

 At the Broad Art Museum at Michigan State

A beautiful mirrored piece--the undersides are painted so the upper one reflects what is beneath.

Last Monday Kevin surprised me with a ticket to Detroit --for the upcoming Friday night. I was definitely surprised--as I am usually the one booking fights etc and he isn't aware of whats on my radar or calendar--but  great luck prevailed-it was actually a perfect weekend for Joe Christin and me to get together and goof off a little (a lot).  Joe starts his field work this week as soon as his supplies arrive and Christin has a one week trip to DC planned.  


I arrived in Detroit and drove 90 minutes Friday night where they had red wine waiting for me at 11 --the next day we walked Leo, enjoyed "Hippie Hash" at their favorite breakfast joint Fleetwood Diner (this person has actually re-created hippie hash on the blog), toured  Michigan State where Joe showed me his "tagging otoliths" work. We stopped at the Dairy Store on campus and enjoyed their homemade ice cream before heading to  Old Town where we shopped in art galleries, bead stores and antique stores.  Later that night we drove to Grand Rapids and met his lab partner Abbie and her parents who were visiting Abbie on the completion of her Ph.D., and other friends joined us at Founders Brewery -- There was live music and it was a  really fun place. Early on Sunday we joined Abbie and her parents (coincidentally also friends of Christin's from her home town, Falls Church) again and Joe's department head, Bill and his wife for Sunday brunch.  Afterward we visited the new museum on campus Broad Museum  which I think is absolutely stunning, inside and out. We took Leo on yet another beautiful walk through a forest near Lake Lansing and had a quick beer at the rooftop "Thirsty Perch" of the Blue Gill Grill before I had to pack my little bag and head home. It was a fabulous weekend of sunshine, walking, talking and enjoying food together.  I am so grateful that for this Mother's Day, I got acquainted with Joe and Christin's friends, school, city and life in Lansing---couldn't be better! They were gracious hosts and acted as if they didn't have anything better to do than goof off together--which may have been what we all needed most :D