Retired in Ann Arbor: Road trip! to DuMouchelles and Slow's BBQ in Detroit

The other day we went on one of our favorite road trips, to Detroit!  We have several places that we enjoy visiting while there, but on this trip we were on a mission.  We were going to preview a piece of furniture that was up for auction at one of the best auction houses in the midwest:  DuMouchelles Fine Arts Auctioneers.

Retired in Ann Arbor: Early spring dam to dam walk

The weather has been so unusually beautiful the last few days, that we decided to do a big walk from the Barton dam, past the Argo dam, into Kerrytown (for a break, and a latte), and then back to the Barton dam.  (Round trip:  5.4 miles, 1:52 without the break)  Check out the free iMapMyWalk app to save your stats.


Even though the landscape is still mainly brown, there are signs of spring everywhere!

Michigan 8 man crew

A couple of years ago, I took the Learn to Row class, offered by the Ann Arbor Rowing Club.  What a great experience!!  Everyone in my group was new to rowing too, and there was a good age range of people in the group.  It is great exercise, and a lot of fun.

If you're looking for a new adventure this summer, I recommend it.

There is one log where turtles love to hang out-- last year there were a couple; this year there are a bumper crop!

If the sun is out, you may be able to see them (from the boardwalk on the northeast side of Argo pond).

Barton dam

Barton Dam was built in 1912-1913 to generate hydroelectric power.  The City of Ann Arbor bought the dam from Detroit Edison in the 1960s, and restarted hydroelectric generation in the 1980s.  Check out ArborWiki for more information.

And enjoy this weather-- quick!  before it's gone.

Retired in Ann arbor: Stadium Hardware

Gloves and boots for early gardening

There's nothing like a good old-fashioned hardware store. Remember when you were a kid, and you would go to the hardware store with your dad when you broke a window, or when you were just bored during summer vacation, and tagged along for something to do?

Single screws

Those were the days before the big box stores; where if you needed one screw, you could buy one screw, rather than a package of them.  And, if you weren't sure what you needed, the guys who worked there always did-- and were happy to give free advice.

Nice new clean gardening tools 

And guess what?  That store still exists, here in Ann Arbor.  Stadium Hardware appears to be doing fine-- in fact, they just expanded.  Want to know more?  AnnArbor.com has a nice article here.

Broken handle?  Don't throw it away, replace it.

Cute gift idea for grandkids--
a little Radio-Flyer wagon to pull their toys  $15.99

Stadium Hardware was started about 50 years ago-- when you fixed things when they broke, instead of just replacing them.   Since the world is moving back to the idea of recycle and reuse, I think repair should be added to the list too.

Ladders and wheelbarrows out front

Retired in Ann Arbor Happy hour! at Vinology

Last week we decided to go upscale for our weekly happy hour, so we headed to Vinology.

This is a perfect destination to enjoy your favorite glass of wine, or to try something new-- from their list of 50 wines by the glass, or 100+ wines by the bottle.

If you're not sure what you want, it's also possible to have a wine flight created for you-- or you can try some of the flights that they create.  The next time I am in the mood to splurge, I plan on trying "When dirt tastes good"-- although at $21, it's not in our happy hour budget.

Happy hour ends at 6:00, so we hustled in at 5:50, and announced our plan to take advantage of the special pricing.  We had a very friendly and accommodating waiter, and our choice of nice tables in the bar.  Both the bar and the dining room spaces are very nice-- and the bubble room would be a fantastic space for a party!

Wine by the glass is 1/2 price, and they have an interesting selection.  If you're not a wine drinker, some of the draft beers are $3, but the focus here is on the wine, and they're doing a great job, as illustrated by winning the 2011 Open Table Most Notable Wine List award.



The happy hour food offerings were  sliders and the featured pizza-- both priced at 1/2 off.  As usual, we ordered both, with the intent of splitting them.

A+ sliders, with great condiments

The pizza was also delicious, and was large enough to have been dinner-

Total bill:  under $30 without the tip
Wine  $6.50 and $6
Sliders $7
Pizza $8

Next time we'll probably just do the pizza and wine-- although the salads look fantastic too, and would be a good addition.

This was a great happy hour--  we'll be back!

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Retired in Ann Arbor: Hill Auditorium

One of the special destinations that can be found here in Ann Arbor, is Hill Auditorium.  It is the largest indoor entertainment venue here, and can seat 3,538 people.  It was named after Arthur Hill, a regent of the university from 1901-1909.  He bequeathed $200,000 to the university for the construction of a venue for lectures and musical performances, and when it opened in 1913, it could hold the entire student body.

Ann Arbor News photo from 1912

Decorated for "The Messiah" 2011

Albert Kahn was the architect, and besides designing the beautiful interior and dignified exterior, he also was chartered with creating a building with perfect acoustics.

Looking at the ceiling, from our seats

Wikipedia reports that Kahn wrote to the pre-eminent designer Hugh Tallant, to see if it would be possible to build an auditorium of that size where every seat could hear.  Tallant responded in the affirmative, and designed an auditorium in the shape of a megaphone, with an oval stage.





Kahn's granddaughter reported that after the building was nearly finished, they tested it out by having her drop a pin on the stage, which he heard from the last seat of the second balcony.

Everyone from the New York Philharmonic to the Grateful Dead has played here.  I remember seeing Bonnie Raitt here in the 1970's, where she and her band were standing on the stage, with much clapping and stomping going on in the audience, and she looked up at the crowd and said, "this place is WAY to classy for me!".


Lucky for us, we have a world-class venue, and there is no dress code enforced.  So jeans?  Sure.  Bonnie Raitt?  Yes!  (May 25).  Enjoy the show!

Photo from the Michigan Daily,
during renovation in 2002

Retired in Ann Arbor road trip! Original Gravity brewing company

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On a recent Saturday, we decided to take a mini-road trip and try out Original Gravity in Milan, Michigan.

I had sampled their beer at a couple of beer festivals, (and always found my way back to their tent), so we decided to visit them at the source.

Only 14 Miles south of Briarwood Mall, in MI-lan (accent on
the first syllable, not like the one in Italy)

The dining room is a cute pub space, and the girls were in love with the sandwich menu--  yum!  vegetarian choices and avocado.
(Have you noticed that the guys never seem to have a problem with a pub menu?)

Lunch is available on Saturday and Sunday, and during the week, they are open from 3PM-- check here for hours.

We really enjoyed ourselves, and will return.

Special event on March 10  4PM-11PM
Raise money for the Red Cross by enjoying beer!

Lots of great prizes, including this awesome bike from Sweet Bike Shop.

Retired in Ann Arbor: Matthaei Botanical Gardens

 Happy 50th birthday Matthaei Botanical Gardens!  We decided to visit the conservatory to see the photos of the original construction, and to enjoy the spring blooms.

 Be sure and check out the gift shop-- there are great spring flowers available for purchase for around $5, and some of my favorite children's gifts that encourage outside play and learning.  Who can resist butterfly nets and bug cages?

Century plant

This is a huge century plant-- which can be found in the arid house.  It is now 70 years old, and according to their website, we're still waiting for the first bloom.

(wow......70 years old and still a baby......I like it!)

It was a serene setting, with guitar and flute music floating through the air--


Free admission, but there is a charge to park unless you become a Friend, which we highly recommend.

Looking for an excuse to spend more time here?  Check out the many volunteer opportunities.

Retired in Ann Arbor: Ace Barnes Hardware

Sometimes we don't think about hardware stores as great shopping and gift-buying destinations.

But through the years, we have discovered that hardware stores can be great places to look for souvenirs while traveling internationally, because you can often buy the kitchen supplies that are unique to that country.

We have several locations around town that would be a wonderful find for a foreign visitor, as well as us!  One of my favorite hardware store destinations is Ace Barnes hardware on Stadium.

They have the best collection of gadgets, as well as very complete selections of some of my favorite imported brands, such as Le Creuset and Bodum.

They also sharpen knives, which is one of the to-do items on my list.

When I saw the cookie cutter display, I started thinking of the cool spring cookies I could make:  flowers and dragonflies?  Yes!

If you're looking for a little peek of spring, check out their display of outdoor patio supplies.......
and dream--
(while you're shoveling your sidewalk).

Retired in Ann Arbor Happy hour! at The Raven's Club

It has been awhile since we have gone out for happy hour (as opposed to the daily happy hour that happens in our kitchen), so we decided to try a new venue:  The Raven's Club.

We arrived shortly after 5, and settled into a comfortable table in the back.  My first impression was of how beautiful the restaurant is!  The lighting is very nice, and each table had a small candle on it-- so even before dark, it is a very romantic venue.  Classy music from the swing era and a Sam Spade-era film on the TV, complete the mood.

They had a great selection of happy hour specials, all priced at $4.  We had the following, for a total of $20:

Pint of Darkhorse $4
Pint of New Holland $4
2 delicious beef sliders $4
1 petit portion of pork ribs (with deliciously spicy BBQ sauce) $4
Pommes Frites $4
What a fabulous deal!


We were so impressed with our experience, and the full menu looked so good, that we made reservations for dinner this weekend, in one of the round booths in back.  Wow-- Valentine's Day is over, and I think I have a new infatuation!

Retired in Ann Arbor: Mining for treasure at TreasureMart

 It has been close to a month since I visited Treasure Mart-- so I was excited to see the new merchandise that has been consigned in my absence.  I didn't buy anything, but was interested to see the nice selection of Lenox china, among other items.  Lenox china is the only bone china made in the USA, and is known for high quality and beautiful patterns, and buying china from consignment or at auction can save 70-80% cost.

There were also a number of nice items that could make interesting and inexpensive Valentine's gifts.

Cute frame  $1-- only missing a special picture
of the 2 of you

Great globe-- (give them the world?)

Grandma's cookie jar

Clock with a Mona Lisa smile

Waterford champagnes:  marked down to $17.50 each
(Retail would be around $80 each)-- now you can afford
the GOOD champagne!

Amber vase  $6-- (This is large enough to
hold a dozen long-stemmed roses)