Tag: Art

Last Days in The Mitten

When I was in Muskegon, I found this great screen print. I bought the tank top version since it was so hot that day. One thing that caught my eye was that every one of my finalist cities in on or near one of the Great Lakes. The water has always had a pull on me. Maybe it was growing up in a city with five lakes, or maybe it is just how powerful water is? There’s just something about it that draws me in; I have the utmost respect for it.

I think I say it every time I leave one location for another, but it’s hard to believe that it was already time to leave Michigan. There were a few errands that I needed to run on my last day, and I wanted to be sure I had enough time to load the car and get everything settled. In the evening, my friend, her husband, and I went out for dinner at The Green Well. We had a lovely time and barely talked about work (a minor miracle!). Then we walked down to Furniture City Creamery for dessert where we all enjoyed some very good ice cream. I had mine in this adorable kid-sized cake cup, and it was the perfect night cap and toast to Grand Rapids.

There were two options for us to get to our next destination – Irondequoit, NY (just to the east of Rochester). We could go through Canada, or we could go through Ohio. Ohio had its appeal since we wouldn’t have to cross the borders, but the trip would be about an hour longer. Right now, border crossing as a naturalized American citizen is unsettling at best. Believe it or not, I don’t have a prison record or a speeding ticket to my name, but I can’t help feeling a certain way about “testing” my documents at the border. Did I mention that I hate driving through Ohio?

So, we went through Canada, and it was lovely. Crossing into Canada took longer than it took to get back into the US. There was quite the line. We stopped at one roadside rest area on the way for a break. The roads were perfect, and Arthur barely complained. I did make an effort to make sure he didn’t over-eat before left. He found a comfy spot under the passenger seat, and we made it to Irondequoit in around 7 hours. When entering the US again, the border guard did have some very good questions for me, but I passed the test with flying colors, and we were back in the US without any issues.

Just a Little More Michigan

Michigan brought the return of my famous tater tot hotdish, some delightful banana bread, and lots of local fruit – the strawberries and cherries were my favorite.

Just a couple more works of “art” from Michigan – the beautiful marble gallery wall at the Muskegon Art Museum, this lovely dress I found at the grocery store, Meijer, on clearance, and Arthur admiring the light art that my coffee cup made on the wall one morning.

Overall, Michigan was fantastic. I liked Grand Rapids more than I thought I would and felt quite at home there. If you forced me to rank them now, Michigan has the edge over Chicagoland.

Until Next Time…

I typically only write after I’ve been somewhere and not while I’m there. With my upcoming 8-month stay in New York, it’s going to be hard to keep that up unless I become grossly behind on the blog. So, I’ve decided to write while in place, but the details may become more vague to preserve some anonymity. Thank you, as always, for reading along with us. More adventures to come!

Mainly Muskegon

Sometimes, it’s hard to believe that it was a whole year ago that I had been to Michigan and spent time in Holland and outside of Grand Rapids in Jenison. This time around was so different. With the freedom to travel by car, every day activities like going to a movie or to the grocery store were just easier. It’s one of the things I’ve had to adjust to outside of the RV. In Grand Rapids, unlike Evanston, I was able to establish a routine, which felt like a step back to getting normal.

I read a few books, I did some meal planning with an actual oven and full-sized refrigerator, and I did more baking – one of my favorite things. I made banana bread and chocolate chip cookies and monster cookies. Thankfully, I had friends to share them with, but I ate my fair share. I also went to the same hairstylist twice. I found Studio 3 Salon because it was open on Sunday, and I found a wonderful stylist who really listened to what I needed and was able to deliver.

These might seem like small things, but it all feels like really big – like I’m returning to a “normal” life. I am forever grateful for my time on the road and all the adventures, but there’s a part of me – a very big part of me – that is yearning for a place to call my own and, well, my own furniture. 😂

Muskegon

I did get a chance to drive out to Muskegon a few times when I was in Grand Rapids. On my first trip, I had intended to go to the Muskegon Museum, but I failed to read the tiny print, and it was the only Saturday (other than holidays) that it is closed during the year. 🍫 So, I went and bought a purse instead.

My second trip out to Muskegon involved a tour of the area with a work friend who spent the day taking me around the area and showing me all the fabulous beaches and places to eat. To start, we had delicious hand-press lemonades and cookies at The Gooleyguk Cafe.

On the way around Lake Michigan, we stopped at cantilevered, replica of the historic Fort Dearborn – The Block House – in the State Park. It sits high on a hill and is a remarkable piece of craftsmanship.

We visited a lighthouse that was built in 1875 – White River Light Station & Museum. We didn’t take the tour, but we did enjoy its channel and the lake views.

We stopped at a great shop in Whitehall, Colby’s Hokey Pokey, as well as the town’s General Store, which had souvenirs and so much beautiful fabric. We had lunch at Colby’s Cafe and Brew in Whitehall and shared a really great strawberry lemonade cupcake. On the way back through Muskegon, we stopped at the pop-up shops in the downtown area. One of the spots we stopped was Jeremy Church‘s photography, and he gave us both a free print and signed them. We had a great day!

On my third trip to Muskegon, I was finally able to tour the Muskegon Art Museum. Now, I will bore you with some of the art that I loved while I was there.

(L to R) Bow of Ulysses by Richard Hunt (the picture doesn’t do its form justice); The Road Through the Common by Jose Weiss; there was a whole room of glass art that was all unique and lovely to wander through.

(L to R) I didn’t grab a close-up of the title card for this one, but it’s so striking I had to include it; Nassau Beach by Leon Cabo; Tea Cup by Lee Price.

The primary reason for my visit to the Muskegon Art Museum was to see the Julia Child exhibit. There were many artifacts from her life, and I enjoyed taking a peek at those items. I didn’t appreciate how it was organized – more like things were put to fit a space instead of any kind of order. Nonetheless, it was worth it to spend some time amongst her things and her history.

For lunch, I asked the person running the gift shop for a recommendation for a great burger place. She recommended Hamburger Mikey’s, which was a short walk from the museum. It was a really delicious burger and French fries. I enjoyed the burger and fries on the pier at Heritage Landing. And, even though it was Bike Time in Muskegon, the pier was fairly empty other than seagulls and a few fishermen.

I really enjoyed spending time in Muskegon and would go back for another burger in a heartbeat.

I will also make time to check out their beautiful Hackley Library. This is the Shakespeare garden outside of the library.

Tales of a Tourist

I did make some time to be a tourist in Chicagoland. I was able to schedule tours at two of the Frank Lloyd Wright houses in Oak Park, including his home and studio.

It really was like a “full circle” kind of moment when I was on the tour of his home. Even though he didn’t live there long, you can feel how the origin of the person and the design aesthetic began. There were some more traditional styles mixed with what would become his signature style.

Some interior pictures of the woodwork and a mural in a bedroom.

His office was my favorite part of that tour.

In late May, I had a chance to tour the Robie House as well. The lighting and the glass art were beautiful in this home.

Based on what I’ve learned about Frank Lloyd Wright over the dozen or so houses I’ve toured, I don’t think he’d be my first pick for an architect. I admire his work, love the art glass, and can truly appreciate his style, but living in the FLW house would be a nightmare – leaky roofs, dark spaces, and uncomfortable, built-in furnishings.

On a particularly adventurous day, I drove into the city proper for some museum time and a boat tour on the river.

I saw some pretty famous art the Art Institute of Chicago and also saw some art that I really liked.

The Chagall stained glass windows were incredible, and I was surprised and delighted to see a Monet winter scene and an O’Keefe that was not set in the southwest.

There was so much to see, but I think I did get to every wing of the institute and would highly recommend it if you have a few hours in Chicago.

I also saw the “bean” from a distance when I was walking to the Art Institute.

I thought I could fit all of the tourist stuff in one post, but alas, I am tired, so one more about Chicagoland, and then we’ll be off to Michigan.