Is the 99c store really cheaper?

The answer is yes! On some items...

Why doesn't the sun fall out of the sky?

Good question. I don't know.

How come I didn't see Jesus on the plane?

He doesn't fly coach? Thanks Hannah for asking. The entire plane got a hardee-har-har out of this question. You know with planes flying so close to Heaven it does seem to follow that Jesus might be seen.

Need to know more about beachcoming? Ask your children and Google.

Despite living in Alpena for a few years, and visiting when I was little, I do not remember going beachcombing. Hannah and Sophie turned out to be experts, and collected fossils, and some very artistic looking driftwood. One driftwood piece appears to be a shark or a marlin. Thanks to the girls, I now know about the Petoskey Stone, a honeycombed fossil of coral over 350 million years old. Turns out there is also a legend that claims the honeycombs are really captured sun rays. I got to wondering? How do you turn a fossil into a bead? After a lot of searching, I have no specific answers. I did stop by Bella Beads to ask, and I think Hannah and I will be learning the Peyote stitch at a Saturday class. (They don't drill holes).

I didn't have to search long to find out that the internet is a thriving marketplace for fossils, and even nature created art. I found some formidable driftwood sculptures by Matt Torrens. For the person who has everything, you may want to take a journey into Bizarre Bids. com Weirdauctions.com and Strangebids.com . There are some items you didn't know money could buy.

Step Right Up! Kids Visit County Fair; Mom Surfs?

Admit it. No small town visit is complete without a trip to the county fair. Doug braved the short lines, and erector set rides, and took the kids out for a night on the town. You know the stories about carnys....I got to wondering, "Who puts these events together anyway"? After a little friendly teasing by brother E.J. about the Sker-something- brothers, and Google sluething, I found out more info about the Skerbeck Brothers. It looks like a little amusement takes a lot of work...building a town and moving it, has to be a labor of love!





According to an article about the family by the Petosky Observer, there's no evidence that traveling carnivals are less safe then the fixed variety. I need some more convincing. I'm not a carnival lover or an amusement park lover. The rides make me nauseous. Call me a wimp. There was also a very scary 70's movie about a half-man/half snake that gave me nightmares. Looked it up, and Ssssss, seems to be the culprit.





I do find the concept of traveling entertainment interesting though, and my little sidebar of Googling, led to lots of new info, including a stop at Sideshow World, a site "dedicated to preserving the past while promoting the future of sideshow for fans and performers alike."




I also had a second to look into the ride manufacturers. Wow! Imagine being a ride engineer. Now, that could be a cool job! So, sometimes surfing can lead you to fun-filled rides that are worth figuring out.









Hannah, Aaron and Doug have added Gravitator and the Zipper to their vocabulary and experience bank! Abbie (too short to ride) and I happily sat the visit out (nausea remember), and hung out with Aunt Mary, Carolyn, Mom, Marcia.

Are quirky roadside attractions worth the journey?

After leaving DTW, we headed out into Detroit traffic. We thought Houston was bad! Whew! Traf-fic competition. The kids got to see the largest tire along the way. We also got to see Alex, Aunt Gina and Uncle Ed. After some super falafel sandwiches, and some primo play time with Alex, we hit the road again to see Grandma Kay. We love that other Roadside America attractions along the way included dual spottings of gigantic Babe the Blus Ox, and Paul Bunyan. We passed Dinosaur Gardens, though we didn't go for a visit this time. I do love the ingenuity of the off scale, plaster creatures from the 30's. I promised the kids a trip to the Teepee Motel in Wharton too. Another plaster palace, filled with great memories, and someone's fun idea. During the week, Doug got a chance to kayak on Lake Huron. Grandma Kay and E.J. are witnesses. We also spent the day visiting with the Connolly clan. We vote for roadside journeys everytime. There's a slice of imagination and hard work in nearly every off-beat design.

I got to wondering....what is the story behind those kitschy museums? What drives people to create off-beat attractions?

Do minnows and lemonade go together?

Hi Family and Friends,
We just got back from a week long stay in Alpena, Michigan. The kids had a blast in the water, by the water, and at the county fair.

I celebrated my 40th with a homemade carrot cake, decorated with day lilies and daisies right out of grandma's garden. The children had a chance to play with some new friends..Owen and Sophie...can you believe their great grandparents also used to play together too? The kids put their entrepreneurial skills to work and sold minnows and lemonade for 25c on U.S. 23. They earned $5.25. Gordon's Bait comes to the Blair Street Pier, and were kind enough to share some of the daily catch with the kids. Of course, they had no idea they would soon be competing for customers! The venture was not without business problems including, alleged embezzlement (Aaron took 75c before the spoils were divided), fraud (dead minnows), and injury (a picked scab?) but in the end, all profits were divided, claims were settled and the kids had lots of fun! (Grandparents and parents too!) Like chocolate and peanut butter, minnows and lemonade are certainly a great combination.