On the road

to Wisconsin we made several stops in Michigan.




Russ' cousins, Bruce and Bill, work a family farm. Bill works it full time while Bruce works it part-time and Bruce's son Geoff helps out also.

(Every time Russ says he's going to call Cousin Bruce, I just cannot help thinking of the radio dj, Cousin Brucie!)

Here are Bruce and Russ in one of Bill's seed corn fields. Bruce said that the farm is one of the smaller ones around, which doesn't mean tiny, just smaller in comparison. Peaceful, quiet and level with sandy loam soil, the farm is a pleasure to visit.




What an intriguing barn this is on the part of the farm Geoff lives on. It was his great grandmother's homesite, and this is one of the original barns.



The barn isn't quite empty! Here is a Ford 8N, the same style as Russ renovated back in Arizona as his final tractor there. We spent the night in Union City, then had brunch with the brothers the next day before going to Sarah's at a Mexican restaurant in Grand Rapids that has fabulous Mexican cuisine. I'd definitely rank it as in my top 5 Mexican restaurants.




Sarah had promised the reindeer pants on her blog....sure enough, here they are! She's in a whirlwind here, trying to coordinate pets and kids and schedules and packing and getting ready for the knit-in and baking and cooking (here with the Swiss chard potato soup) and phone calls.... She really knows how to put on a party!



And the feast that went with the Knit-In! Sarah outdid herself. There are two cakes on the counter from other knitters, as well, but you can't see the additional two soups on the cooktop she made that afternoon. The bread on the cutting board is freshly baked that afternoon as well. Much of the menu was organic from the local cooperative. We're honored to have a knit-in thrown for us. Thank-you so very much, Sarah (AKA Sarry June, as Russ nicknamed her).




The next morning we three were on our way to 2.75! We stopped at this amazing rest area which honored each job the MDOT workers perform. It is especially touching to us as Russ is a retired ADOT employee. Well-kept, clean, plantings with keys to identify each flower or herb, this rest area will be revisited!

Next up: The Bridge and the lake shore.

(Click any photo to embiggen!)