C's 60th Birthday Celebration

Critters, swimming and books: a winning combination to celebrate my sweetie's 60th. We spent a couple of days in the Holland/Saugatuck area. Avoiding the mobs at Saugatuck's Oval Beach, we opted for Saugatuck Dunes State Park which is midway between the two towns. The park info warned of a 2/3 mile walk from the parking lot to the beach. I worried that this was gonna be a tough slog through the dunes but we were pleasantly surprised: the walk was entirely through the woods. The weather was clear and warm with a good breeze but alas, Lake Michigan was too frigid for the Watergirl. We hung out under our beach umbrella for a couple of hours until it was clear that the biting flies were going to be relentless. On the walk back:

Lil' Bucky! Before we left, someone had posted a short vid on FB about this fearless guy and there he was! In the flesh, velveted antlers and all! Just extraordinary--the park is protected land so the deer are not afraid of humans. Walking back through the woods, I spied a doe and motioned C to be still. The doe saw us and sauntered in front of us about 30 yards away. Then, a couple of spotted fawns appeared! Mom was leisurely walking down the trail seemingly unconcerned about her little ones. The fawns were in high spirits as they often are, playing games with bushes and jumping around. No worries with these folks! Normally, if a doe had spotted us, she would have immediately bolted along with her kids. What a treat!

After heading back to the hotel in Holland, C went for an hour swim in the pool while I rested. That evening, we had supper at The Wild Dog Grille in Douglas which is just to the south of Saugatuck. Relaxed upscale place with vegan offerings. Do check out if in the area. 

The next morning and early afternoon, we spent in Saugatuck wandering through the shops. Nothing particularly extraordinary but C enjoys a good nosing around. A striking feature of the village was its dog culture. A good number of people had them and they seemed to be welcomed in most shops. In fact, cafes with outdoor seating had bowls of cool water for their canine visitors. We lunched at Fresh Basil Cafe and it was cool enough to sit outside. The counter was staffed by a couple of young ladies from Ukraine. More vegan grub and very tasty gelato and sorbetto.


That afternoon we went back to Holland to visit Centennial Park. A section of the park was being turned into a celebration of the Wizard of Oz which is one of C's favorites. Oz's author, L. Frank Baum vacationed frequently in the Holland area. The park will feature a combination of bronze and horticultural sculptures bordering a yellow brick road. The first piece has been completed--it is a living sculpture:



Across the street was the Holland Museum-they have a nice collection of 16th, 17th Century paintings by Dutch masters and a tiny Rembrandt etching, maybe 1"x2". In the gift shop, C spotted an A-Z compendium of Victorian illustrated children's books. That evening, we leafed through it in bed and I thought of one I had as a child. The book has been long lost, I made a mental note to look for it in Ann Arbor.


The next day we traveled to the Battle Creek area to visit Binder Park Zoo. We were there 9 years ago and remains one of our favorite places.

Cheetahs

Snow leopard

Lynx

Black Bear

Tortoise

The real Mr. Tortoise was undergoing medical treatment on a foot so we visited his bronze doppelganger.

Chinese Red Panda

B/W Ruffed Lemur

Peacocks

Peacocks wandered freely around the grounds. At the cafe, a couple of peahens panhandled for food. One readily ate french fries from C's hand while the other enjoyed a nearby family's pepperoni.

Llama

Mr. Llama enjoyed all sorts of scritches and here, C said he seemed to be sniffing her breath. His wasn't bad either.

Brachiosaurus Sculpture

This life-sized sculpture was pretty cool and getting close, it is astonishing just how large these creatures were.

The path to the trolley that takes one to Wild Africa.

You arrive at a replica trading post that over looks a savannah-like expanse.

For many, this is the highlight of the park-feeding the giraffes. Feed is romaine lettuce that costs $2/leaf. Oh, stop clutching your chest, it's a profit point for the organization.

"Say, do you have something for me?"

I asked where do the animals go during the winter. They said that they have a huge facility about 7 miles away and noted that the building looks quite out of place in it's surroundings. To accommodate giraffes, I bet it is!

That afternoon, we drove to Ann Arbor where C was born and lived until age 10. We got up bright and early to have breakfast at Zingerman's, a notable bakery/deli/cafe. Barely a block away is the Farmers' Market which is always fun to peruse. Waiting for shops to open downtown, we visited C's childhood home. Her elementary school is nearby, accessible by crossing the street from her home, then following a 20 yard tree-and- shrub-lined path. 

Once downtown, we visited our favs: Crazy Wisdom Bookstore & Tea Room which offers selections on traditional and alternative religions and spirituality, feminist and LGBTQ and all sorts of oils, teas, incense, crystals; Ten Thousand Villages which sells international handcrafted items; Dawn Treader Book Store-one of C's most favorite book stores, it can only be described as a mix of something found in a Dickens novel or at Hogwarts. Books are jammed everywhere, floor to ceiling in a labyrinth of rooms with barely navigable paths. Someone recently commented to me that there's always a gem to be found there and indeed, I found one. I headed for the children's section, with only a vague memory of my childhood book and its cover. I immediately found it!!

The True Mother Goose-published in 1916, illustrated by Blanche Fisher Wright.

Fabulous, inventive imagery with strong colors that appealed to me as I began to make art. Somethings never go out of style and I would highly recommend this as a reading book to any parent with a youngster.

Finally, we came across a hole-in-the-wall book store called West Side Book Shop. Like Dawn Treader, it is wall to wall books with much towering from the floor like stalagmites. I was nosing around when C came up and told me I needed to check out the back room as there were photos and prints I would enjoy. Indeed. I was astonished to find on the walls a good number of original Edward Curtis photographs. Mr. Curtis received a grant in the early 20th Century from J. P. Morgan to document Native American life before it disappeared.

Beautiful sepia tones, shot on glass plates. And, they could be yours...if you had $1500 on hand. I chatted with the owner wondering how he obtained these museum quality pieces. "Oh, I've been collecting them for 40 years now". He was quite a character. Upon hearing that C teaches at MSU, he recounted the time when his professor invited him to a party. The guest of honor was Argentine author Jorge Borges who was giving a talk at Jocundry's Book Store in East Lansing!

We finished the celebration on C's Birthday with a meal at the State Room, practically the only upscale restaurant in town that offers vegan fare.

A fun-filled send off as my sweetie enters her seventh decade on the planet. Happy Birthday and I wish you many, many more.