Ahhh, back after a long and arduous journey across the southern regions of the state. Friday was a Day of Amazing Travel and Family and Friends, and it proceeded as follows:

In the AM I took a quick trip to the Detroit Renaissance Center (or RenCen, per both my Grandpa and Mother, the latter of whom claimed "yeah, of course it's the RenCen. It's always been the RenCen.") to retrieve my Visa-Stamped passport. I walked in on a Japanese woman in the bathroom at the Consulate. I then took my Carolla onto Highway 5, which is a bizatch in lots of ways, including the ways of north, south, east AND west. But finally we (me and MicVat) found the right direction, after a stop at a grey gas station to sneak a peek at an unpurchased road atlas.

Highway 5 took us to Grandma's for a visit with her and Grandpa and Chet and Bruce PLUS a phone call from Uncle Dave. Lovely. The visit was really nice, especially because it reminded me of an Easter visit to the same place during which transpired a terribly interesting and entertaining discussion of Butter Lambs. Allegedly my Grandpa, who is quite the artist and did wood carving until a few years ago, used to whittle these babies up for Easter feasts of yore. Or at least so claims my Grandmother.

Ann Arbor was the next stop (minus Plymouth -- grey and rainy) to drink pink cocoa and look at pictures and eat noodles and walk in the rain and visit with Kate and Hendricks and Bowling, Shaw and The Beej. Goulet, and finally I drove, while listening to old school Prince, to Kzoo for Kzoo's homecoming! Actually, I could care less about Kzoo's homecoming. But I do care about my dear friend Jess, who was in town on a brief respite from grad school at Tulane. And so we caught up and watched Sealab 2021, not to be confused with SeaLab 2020, and peered out the windows at the miserable weather and enjoyed the hospitality of her buddies. Woot.

And now, let the countdown begin. 66 hours until I give Dick Cheney a brusque nod at the Cherry Capital, and then breeze outta the country. This place is dead anyway, or at least that's what I'll tell myself.