Daddy in LA

On Thursday, Niki, Charlotte, Peter, and I flew to LA to visit the Evans' and attend Grandpa Spike's 60th Birthday Party. We did not take the Nikon - Niki is using her mother's camera and will post pictures from Thousand Oaks.

On Friday morning, while Niki and the kids slept in, I drove into LA for a few meetings.

We rented a 2010 Ford Fusion SE - just a 6-speed auto 4-cylinder. I was shocked how fun this rig was to drive.

Since I was on my own, I drove into LA from Ventura County by taking Decker Canyon down to PCH, then in Santa Monica Boulevard to Century City. I started out in the fog, and climbed above the clouds, where Decker Canyon intersects Mulholland.

I parked in my old parking garage in Century City. Only here can you find an old Rolls Royce Corniche Convertible with a Minnesota plate parked in a compact parking spot. 1 hour 45 minutes here cost me $34!

After leaving my meeting at the Century Plaza Hotel, I drove through Beverly Hills to my favorite old car store/used car-bookstore in West Hollywood.

I bought a used book about Oldsmobiles (you can take the boy out of the Midwest, but not the Midwest out of the boy), and left to find our old apartment off of Melrose.

Melrose Avenue - always bleak in the morning, but always exciting in the evening and weekends.

Once done on Melrose, I headed over to Amoeba Music in Hollywood. Love this place!

I had a great meeting Downtown (1 hour parking - $25), and lunch with an old colleague in Studio City, then I pointed the Fusion west on the 101 and headed out of the Valley back to Ventura County. On the way, i found this old gent thundering along in his old Vette.

Peter and Charlie met their Great Aunt Sibyl, we had a great party on Saturday, and when Sunday rolled around, I had to head back to Nashville. Of course, I took PCH down to LAX.

Me on the coast. Niki and the kids are there for another week. I look forward to having them home!

Michigan Pix from Dad's Blackberry

During our trip, I took a few pictures with the Blackberry:

Peter buckled in and ready to go!

First, I drove. Then, Mom drove. Then, Charlie took the wheel for a while.

Peter headed up front to help his sister drive.

One of GrandDad's buddies has an old Suburban . . .

. . . with a 502 V8!

An old-school bumper sticker from the UP.

We drove back to Rochester on Monday morning.

After the long drive, Peter settled in for a nap.

Granny Great and Grandpa Great came over for dinner. After dinner, Grandpa Great settled in to play with Peter.

But, what started as a nice, heartwarming moment featuring the eldest and youngest TFMs (Taylor Family Members) became less so, as Charlie and NanaB turned the Japanese House of Friendship into a fortress and started a war by throwing balls at Niki, Grandpa Great, and Peter.

After Grandpa Great and Granny Great left, Charlie and GrandDad had an adventure.

How do we get where we are going? Use the map!

The intrepid explorers on their way.

Charlie leads the way to the goal - the Charlotte Garden.

Yup! We found it!

Charlotte waters the Charlotte Garden.

The Stringer Men.

On Tuesday, we turned Charlotte's beloved Big Red Van south and left Camp NanaB on Cobb Creek. We'll be back in November. Thank you, GrandDad and NanaB for such a great week!

Up North

After I flew back to Michigan, we drove up north to Up North. After checking into our motel and a quick nap, we headed over to the Jolli Lodge just south of Leland, Michigan.

GrandDad and Charlotte went down to the beach to wade in Lake Michigan for her first time. Peter also dipped his little toes.

While the family speculated whether or not the rope could hold my weight, I found out that I'm still terrified of swinging on the rope swing.

Enjoying Uncle Doug's grilled whitefish dinner on the shores of Lake Michigan.

The next day, we headed over to Traverse City to take in the Cherry Festival Parade, Charlie and Peter's first parade. Charlie sat up front with Ellie and her friend.

After the parade, we hit a few wineries.

On Sunday, Peter, Charlie, Mom, and NanaB took it easy on the beach at Suttons Bay while GrandDad and I had a sail.

GrandDad, NanaB, Charlie Jo, and Peter on GrandDad's boat.

Skipper Charlie Jo takes her place at the helm, and Peter is appropriately concerned.

Once Peter put one of our two heirloom ancient life preservers on, he was ready to go.

Taylor Day

On Thursday, Niki and the Mugwumps got together with Granny Great and Grandpa Great. Granny Great and Grandpa Great took them to the Van Hoosen Children's Garden, to the Duck Pond, and to the Brookwood Pool. Unfortunately, it appears that we only have pictures from the Children's Garden (probably because Niki accidentally left the camera at the Children's Garden). Quite frankly, I wasn't there. I was at work, then flying all over the East coast trying to get from Nashville to Detroit. So, I'll do my best with these captions. Niki tells me that they had a great time!

Granny Great is a very active member of the Garden Club, which put together this garden. The Garden is at the historical Van Hoosen Farm. Van Hoosen Farm was a very successful and advanced farm owned and run by Sarah Van Hoosen, a descendent of the founder of Stoney Creek (Rochester's initial settlement).

The Garden is gorgeous.

The Garden has its own little Stoney Creek school. The Rochester school system still runs the original one-room schoolhouse in Stoney Creek. All third-graders in the system (including me) spend a week at the school reading from primers and churning butter. Niki just pointed out how Stoney Creek is also spelled "Stony Creek" on signs all over Rochester. I told her that I thought "Stony" was the correct spelling, but it turns out both are right. Here's a funny discussion of the confusion over the spelling of Stoney v. Stony Creek in Rochester.

Peter was a very willing pupil.

Professor Taylor and his assistant, Charlie, wrote on the blackboard while Peter took notes.

After class, Charlie took off on the tractor.

Back at Camp NanaB that night, the Stringer's Japanese Friendship Ball House Fortress came out. Peter was very concerned about what was going on inside.

So, he went inside to find Charlie goofing around. Soon, I arrived back from the airport with GrandDad and we went to bed excited to head Up North.

Camp NanaB

On the morning of the 5th, I flew back to Tennessee, but Niki, Charlie, and Peter stayed in Michigan at Camp NanaB.

Charlie and Peter visited NanaB's library. Charlie admired the library's reading boy while Peter chewed on McGee the bear.

Charlie rocked on the library's rocking ducks bought in memory of Grandma Stringer.

Then, Charlie and NanaB gave Peter and Niki a puppet show.

The next day, NanaB took Charlie to a program at Dinosaur Hill, a nature preserve in Rochester Hills. I used to go to programs there when I was a kid.

Peter set up camp in the middle of NanaB's new family room and played.

Each evening, Charlie read books with someone in the family before going to sleep. She slept on a hide-a-bed in GrandDad's office, which used to be my room. She was tickled that the couch became a bed.

Peter dressed snappy and found a chair that matched his eyes.

NanaB and GrandDad took Charlie on an adventure in the front yard that involved a map.

They followed the map down into the rock garden . . .

. . . and found two special sparkly rocks!