Our Tax Dollars at Work

 

So, funny story...

 the other day,

Terry asks me, "Do you think if we called the city

 that they might take down these dying trees?"

 

and I replied, "Ha, no way".

 

Monday morning, a city worker is banging on the door,

and informs me that they are going to take down

our two dying trees.

 

This one on the side street,

and another at the back of the property (below).

 

They were quick, did one before lunch,

and one after.

 

There's the end of it. All done.

 

While they were at lunch,

neighbors came and grabbed up all of the wood

 for their fireplaces (I guess).

 

In the middle of all of this,

some more city workers showed up

to replace the stop sign that someone took out

 during the icy morning last week.

 

For all of the bad things I have to say about Center Line,

I have twice as many good things to say about our city services.

 

They used a giant hydraulic thing

to pound that sign in.

 

They returned promptly after lunch

to take down the tree at the back of the property. 

 

All done.

Good job.

Kudos.

Not so Confusing Corner

 

The wind storm was so bad

 that the power lines came down on the road behind our house;

and "confusion corner" became

"silent square".

The police and fire started shutting down all roads around our house.

 

they brought in road blocks, and cones, and signs,

 and taped off from tree to tree.

It was hilarious.

 

and because DTE ws so behind,

 I enjoyed five glorious days of silence.

No cars zooming down the street,

no hooligans walking up and down the sidewalk.

Nothing.

Just birds chirping, and squirrels playing.

 

I was so happy. 

Then they came.

DTE fixed that wire and life returned to it's noisy normalcy.

 

They very next day, we awoke to a snowstorm,

and someone had taken out the stop sign on the back corner.

 

The city workers stuck the sign back in

 and propped it up with an old tire and cement blocks;

which remains there still today...

 

Welcome back to "confusion corner".

 

This last Sunday was a beautiful day,

so Terry and I decided to forego our usual estate sale hobby,

and do something different.

 

Neither of us have ever been to the DIA

(Crazy right?)

Lived here all of our 50+ years,

and we've never been to the Detroit Institute of Arts...

 

So we went.

It was really, really nice.

Quiet Sunday morning, just meandering through the maze of exhibits,

and actually seeing paintings by VanGogh, and Renior, etc.

 

We will definitely go back.

 

Then we went to Mexican town,

and had lunch...

 

And drove down the riverfront.

 

Things are really coming together downtown.

Every time we go it gets safer and more enjoyable.

 

Fifteen years ago, when Terry would take me there,

I would be freaked out.

Now, we go down there and feel very comfortable,

and always have a good time.

 

Finally, I thought I should take a goodbye pic of "The Joe".

Who thought those stairs would be a good idea ???

Dog Days of Winter

 

My nephews, Kenny & Andy came up from North Carolina

 for a visit at Grandma's house.

 

These two wonderful young men are getting married this year,

which makes for two interesting trips.

 

Kenny, 9-3-2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia

 

and Andy 11-4-2017 in Richmond, Virginia.

 

Sooo....

Me & Terry and Bob & Peggy are planning two separate trips,

 to the same place, all within a couple of months.

 

We can't wait. Our road trips are always a blast.

 

*

 

 

Here is Terry's latest challenge...

 

an old piano stool, we picked up at an estate sale for a few bucks.

 

It has a million coats of paint on it,

and Terry is going to restore it.

 

Look at that original claw, with glass ball foot.

 

This is a really cool find, and I will post more on it later,

(when it's warm enough for him to get back in the garage).

 

Still working on this doll house,

slow and steady wins the race.

 

A rare 65 degree day in February,

and this little guy popped up.

 

Found a perfect antique piano...

 

This is the boys room...

 

and the girls room.

 

The kitchen is a challenge.

 

All in all, it's really coming along nicely,

very time consuming and a lot more expensive than I anticipated.

 

This will be a bathroom someday.

 

*

 

And last but not least...

 

here is the painting that I just had to have.

 

It was the first thing that caught my eye

 as I walked into an estate sale last weekend.

 

I just had to have it.

I don't know why, but certain paintings just scream at me,

and this one would not let me walk away.

 

We actually left, and had to go back,

because I had to have it.

 

Unrecognized artist, C. Burger it looks like,

no million dollar prize,

just a French city scape that makes me want to be there.

 

Now it's over my fireplace.

 

No apologies.

Never a Dull Moment

 

Friday night, Terry finished the door to the basement closet.

Here he is hanging the slider for the door.

 

This is the door we got for $20 at the salvage yard.

Terry sanded it down, and painted it white.

 

And finally, this closet/pantry is no longer an eyesore.

 

*

 

Time for a road trip...

 

On Saturday we went to a couple of estate sales on Grosse Ile,

and on the back we decided to take the scenic route.

We drove down Jefferson Avenue,

all the way from Grosse Ile to downtown detroit.

 

Turns out, it was not very "scenic".

 

Piles of "PetCoke".

 

Strange gated industrial areas.

 

Power plants.

 

Alleys to nowhere.

 

Boarded up shells of once beautiful buildings.

 

Giant industries behind barbed wire fences.

 

Historic Fort Wayne... crumbling.

 

We did speak with a lovely young lady

 who sat in the guard booth at Fort Wayne,

and she gave us a little info about what's going on there.

 

It is number one on our list this spring,

to go for a visit here.

 

Can't even remember what this empty old building is...

 

Coming up to the Ambassador Bridge...

 

Hard to see through all of this crap.

 

There she is through the rearview...

 

We spent a few minutes on reflections and reminiscences,

of fun trips to Canada...

 

and then reminded ourselves

 that we can't even go over that bridge to Canada anymore,

unless we go through the pricey new process

of "driver's license enhancement". 

 

Pretty church.

Terry was driving too fast to get the name.

Why can't he read my mind?

 

 

What is this?

The old train station, or police station, or whatever...

 

Some rich person bought it,

and has no immediate plans for it,

 so to appease complaints about the condition of the building,

 they put 50 million "cheapass" windows in it.

 

It looks ridiculous.

 

 

Coming into the heart of downtown Detroit.

 

Casino? Nope, not today, not ever.

I might as well throw my money out the car window.

 

The two iconic coney islands in Detroit need professional security now...

Sad.

 

Coming up to Ford Field and Comerica Park.

 

There it is. Tiger Stadium.

Always gives me hope for summer.

 

Coming down Woodward Avenue.

What a mess!

The lightrail project (stupid),

They might as well bring back the horse and carriage while they're at it.

 

Another cool church,

but Terry refused to block traffic so I could get a good look at it.

What's wrong with him?

 

Finally, the end of our journey...

Eight mile and Woodward.

 

There is the "State Fair Apartments",

where my Grandma used to live,

and we visited every weekend.

 

Looks empty, but I'm not sure.

 

This road trip was fun, sad, enlightening;

surely not dull.

Fun to not take the freeway for a change... 

Sad that miles and miles of riverfront are off limits...

Enlightening to the challenges that the city of Detroit faces...

 

and never a dull moment with my sweetie pie.