Bezabor: Detroit-area trip. (posted from the Southfield, MI Public Library)
Tuesday, 13 December- After spending the morning channel-surfing the local channels on Mom and Dad’s TV (and watching a really good travel video that Mom and Dad had on Yosemite National Park) I needed to get out and explore a little on my own while Labashi continues to chat with her Mom. In preparing for the trip I had found a Starbucks just a few blocks from their house so that was a good first stop--- I read today’s Detroit Free Press while enjoying a good ol’ Caffe Mocha. It’s a bit colder here--- the high was only 19 yesterday and when I left the house at noon today I don’t think it had quite reached that—but it doesn’t seem all that cold. It has been snowing lightly all morning but not enough to cause a driving problem—it’s just pretty.
At home (in PA) I had checked Wififreespot.com to see where I’d be able to connect to the web out here and was happy to find free wi-fi at the local library so that’s where I’m filing today’s log entry from. The library is only a mile or so from the house and it’s laptop-friendly—all you do is walk in, set up your laptop and connect. They even have electric outlets in the library tables! And they have an on-site café--- very nice!
Monday, 12 December-
We spent this entire day on the road. We left shortly after 8 am and arrived at Labashi’s parents’ home in a Detroit suburb by 1615 or so. That’s a 500 mile trip in just over 8 hours, including a coffee stop, lunch, and a gas stop. This was our first long trip in Labashi’s Honda van and it was very comfortable. The driver’s seating position is a little different in this van and I’ve had some very minor discomfort in my legs on hour-long trips so I thought I might have to make some adjustments or take some extra breaks but that was not the case.
We spent the evening around the kitchen table, listening to stories Mom and Dad told about the early years of their marriage. They were born in Belgium and after Dad graduated from college they married and took the ocean liner ‘Queen of France’ to Montreal, with no job and a grand total of $500 to their name. It was fantastic to pore over the pictures taken in the early Fifties. There, across the top of a lifeboat in the foreground, is Quebec City, the Hotel Frontenac clearly visible—their first sign of a city after crossing the Atlantic. Labashi and I had celebrated there at the Hotel Frontenac a few summers ago, having our first (and only!) meal of chateaubriand and champagne so we doubly enjoyed seeing the 55-year-old picture. There were other pictures of their stay in Montreal and their audacious cross-country trip to Sasketchewan, where Labashi was born a few months later.
Sunday, 11 December-
Today we relaxed for the morning and watched a movie, ‘Shaolin Soccer’ in the afternoon. Actually, I did the relaxing and Labashi continued working on family history in preparation for our upcoming trip to visit her parents.
‘Shaolin Soccer’ was a silly movie but very entertaining and rich with insider jokes and sight gags. It’s the story of a Chinese young man and his brothers, all experts in forms of kung fu, who decide they can use their kung fu skills to win a professional-level soccer tournament. The protagonist, “Steel Leg”, is played by Stephen Chow and Stephen is also the director. So part of the enjoyment is watching what this extremely talented guy does, both in his exaggerated, made-up movie role and in his real-life role as director. Highly recommended!
That evening we packed for our trip and then watched the Survivor Guatemala finale. For the first time in the Survivor finales, we felt that we would be fine with any of the final three – but we were rooting for Danni, the eventual winner. She played a low-key, very smart game. Good for her!
Tuesday, 13 December- After spending the morning channel-surfing the local channels on Mom and Dad’s TV (and watching a really good travel video that Mom and Dad had on Yosemite National Park) I needed to get out and explore a little on my own while Labashi continues to chat with her Mom. In preparing for the trip I had found a Starbucks just a few blocks from their house so that was a good first stop--- I read today’s Detroit Free Press while enjoying a good ol’ Caffe Mocha. It’s a bit colder here--- the high was only 19 yesterday and when I left the house at noon today I don’t think it had quite reached that—but it doesn’t seem all that cold. It has been snowing lightly all morning but not enough to cause a driving problem—it’s just pretty.
At home (in PA) I had checked Wififreespot.com to see where I’d be able to connect to the web out here and was happy to find free wi-fi at the local library so that’s where I’m filing today’s log entry from. The library is only a mile or so from the house and it’s laptop-friendly—all you do is walk in, set up your laptop and connect. They even have electric outlets in the library tables! And they have an on-site café--- very nice!
Monday, 12 December-
We spent this entire day on the road. We left shortly after 8 am and arrived at Labashi’s parents’ home in a Detroit suburb by 1615 or so. That’s a 500 mile trip in just over 8 hours, including a coffee stop, lunch, and a gas stop. This was our first long trip in Labashi’s Honda van and it was very comfortable. The driver’s seating position is a little different in this van and I’ve had some very minor discomfort in my legs on hour-long trips so I thought I might have to make some adjustments or take some extra breaks but that was not the case.
We spent the evening around the kitchen table, listening to stories Mom and Dad told about the early years of their marriage. They were born in Belgium and after Dad graduated from college they married and took the ocean liner ‘Queen of France’ to Montreal, with no job and a grand total of $500 to their name. It was fantastic to pore over the pictures taken in the early Fifties. There, across the top of a lifeboat in the foreground, is Quebec City, the Hotel Frontenac clearly visible—their first sign of a city after crossing the Atlantic. Labashi and I had celebrated there at the Hotel Frontenac a few summers ago, having our first (and only!) meal of chateaubriand and champagne so we doubly enjoyed seeing the 55-year-old picture. There were other pictures of their stay in Montreal and their audacious cross-country trip to Sasketchewan, where Labashi was born a few months later.
Sunday, 11 December-
Today we relaxed for the morning and watched a movie, ‘Shaolin Soccer’ in the afternoon. Actually, I did the relaxing and Labashi continued working on family history in preparation for our upcoming trip to visit her parents.
‘Shaolin Soccer’ was a silly movie but very entertaining and rich with insider jokes and sight gags. It’s the story of a Chinese young man and his brothers, all experts in forms of kung fu, who decide they can use their kung fu skills to win a professional-level soccer tournament. The protagonist, “Steel Leg”, is played by Stephen Chow and Stephen is also the director. So part of the enjoyment is watching what this extremely talented guy does, both in his exaggerated, made-up movie role and in his real-life role as director. Highly recommended!
That evening we packed for our trip and then watched the Survivor Guatemala finale. For the first time in the Survivor finales, we felt that we would be fine with any of the final three – but we were rooting for Danni, the eventual winner. She played a low-key, very smart game. Good for her!
posted by Bezabor&Labashi | 15:18
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