2024 Summer Trip - Hello Again Michigan - 2024/07/16

Colorado, it's been fun, but it's time to jump on a plane and head back to Michigan! We've got a lot more summer traveling to do! 

The kids always like to get in the first car of the train and sit in the window while it takes us to our terminal. 

And in just a few hours, we arrived in Detroit! 

Here's the Beast coming to pick us up (and Rita driving it)!

Grammy and Grandpa couldn't wait to show us their garden. Look at those big cucumbers! 

And the kids started playing volleyball with Aubrey right away. 

It's good to get out and stretch your legs. A walk around the neighborhood and already we're seeing some bunnies. 

And even baby ducklings! 

Amy and Donald have some awesome neighbors who surprised her with this giant sign in her yard. 

Happy 50th Amy! 

The kids made cards. 

And boy are they eyeing that cake. 

Since we're here for a few days before a big road trip, it's a good time to do some maintenance on the truck. I got the kids out there with me as we all worked to change the oil on the Beast and replace the filter. 

We've still got that summer fun pass for Chuck E Cheese, so while everyone was busy with work during the day, we made our way over to CEC to win some tickets. Ian is pretty good at Pop the Lock (until they change the settings because he's winning too much). 

And Skeeball is winnable if you get a little lucky! 40000 points gets you 100 tickets! Ian won!

Theresa won! 

Then we're back again to win another day! I got the first 20000 points, then Ian helped me finish it off. 

As a special treat, for both them and us, Ethan and his friend Adriana took Ian and Alli plus her nieces on an afternoon of Chuck E Cheese fun! They provided the free babysitting, we provided the food and gameplay. Works for me! 

We like going to all different CECs because they inevitably have different games. 

Fun times! 

Theresa and I have been missing our favorite coffee shop back in Winter Garden Florida. Both of us love sitting as a coffee shop, drinking out of real mugs, and chatting. We asked for recommendations (someplace tasty and with real mugs) and heard that the Kekoa Brewing Company in Wyandotte Michigan was the place we should go. 

I told the barista they came recommended and that we had heard they serve coffee in real mugs! We were ready to be impressed. 

They also have fancy toast and other tasty looking things. 

Like different coffee flights that they offer each month. This month's in a Marine Life Coffee Flight. A pre-made taste test sounds right up my alley. 

That's what I'm getting! 

Theresa's "Fancy Toast" called the Night Cap, made with toasted sourdough bread, organic peanut butter, bananas, shaved chocolate, and local honey was really really good. 

But we were just a little disappointed when the coffee came out and it was in a paper cup, even after I specifically mentioned the mug. 

My coffee flight was interesting. It looked pretty, but there was barely any drink in the glasses. They were loaded with ice, so after a few sips they were done. 

The Sting Ray Latte with gingerberry syrup and ginger pieces was quite gingery. That's not quite my thing, so I didn't care much for it. 

The Ocean Latte with sweet vanilla triple berry syrup, and crushed blueberries, had hardly any berry flavor to it. Again, not too impressed. 

The Whale Shark Latte with coconut almond syrup and toasted coconut was actually good. I do like toasted coconut. 

And the Clown Fish Latte with Orange Creamsicle syrup and a dried orange slice didn't have much orange flavor to it, and the dried orange slice was not even edible (I tried). 

Overall, the flight was a bit of a bust for me. I should have just gotten a regular coffee. 

While chatting in the coffee shop, we remembered the TooGoodToGo app we had used to such great success in California. Theresa checked and found a bakery nearby that had surprise bags for just $4! Looking at pictures from their reviews, this Jack Skellington pie really stood out. We have to go! 

So, off we went to River Q's Pastry Pantry! 

Inside there were so many beautiful and tasty looking treats. 

We started talking with the daughter of the owner who told us how they bought the place 9 years ago. She raved about her mom's pie and asked if I liked pie. 

Oh yes, I love pie! More than cake even! 

She said, hold on, let me go get you a piece. We walked nextdoor to the ice cream shop that they partner with and sell pies by the slice. She grabbed a piece of blueberry pie and gave it to me for free! Yum! 

Thank you so much! 

Then she told us about a deal they had going on cake for just $1 each (normally $2). We headed back inside to grab a few more treats. 

Here's what we came away with in our $4 surprise box. 6 mini cupcakes, a slice of German chocolate cake, and two large cookies! 

And we have quite the variety of cakeballs too! Thank you River Q's! 

There's even more truck repairs needed before we get on the road. Before leaving Florida, Theresa's door wasn't automatically locking or unlocking. You could use the handles, but neither the FOB or the interior unlock buttons would work. Looks like we've got a bad actuator. It's a $15 part, but it's certainly not that easy to get to. 

It's inside the door, which means it's a tight space in the first place, but it's also got so many linkages to it. Just think of all the things connected to your door. There's the latch where it holds onto the frame, the exterior door handle, the interior door handle, the electronic button to lock and unlock, and the little post on the door itself you can pull up or push down to lock the door. 

To get access to everything, you have to remove the door panel (not too big of a deal), but also the exterior door handle, various linkages, and even the WINDOW GLASS! All so you can get to this part that I learned has a history of failing after 3-4 years. 

Grr. At least now we have experience taking the door apart, and can do it again when the other doors start failing. 

The kids have been loving being balloon artists so much that Theresa bought them a pack of 100 balloons. They watched so many YouTube videos and went through all 100 balloons in just 2 days making swords, puppies, and other creations. They also learned how to tie balloons by themselves (thank goodness) instead of coming to me every time. 

Let's go visit Chuck E Cheese just one more time on our last night here. Anyone who happened to be free was invited to come. 

With our last few credits, we had a skeeball tournament to see who could get the highest score. 

Nice work Ethan! 

We did a few other fun things while hanging out with friends in Michigan, but those were big enough to warrant their own post. I'll get those out shortly. 

On our last night in town, Aubrey brought everyone Crumbl cookies. Thanks Aub! 

And in the morning, before we hit the road, Grammy was busy cooking the kids favorite, Grammy's Chicken Nuggets, like only she can make them. 

Thanks Grammy love you! 

Thanks for everything Michigan family!

And now, with Beauty in tow, we're on the road again to continue our summer of adventures!