March 28th – April 9th
I drove north from Asheville through North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and then Kentucky and ended up at an RV park in Pikeville KY. The first thing I did was put things away and reorganize – this was my first night in the trailer after 3 weeks! It felt good to be “home”. After KY, I drove through Ohio staying first at Lyle Farm, a Harvest Host member, then a night at Indian Lake State Park Campground, beautiful place. On Easter Sunday I went through Michigan and arrived at Nancy and Jeff Renner’s house in Ann Arbor. Nancy and I have known each other since 7th grade, we both went to U of M, in Ann Arbor, and I was the maid of honor at their wedding in 1968. We talked non-stop until bedtime.
I connected with my cousin Maria and drove to the outskirts of Detroit and met her for dinner. On the way back to Ann Arbor, I drove through Ferndale just north of Detroit where Virginia and I grew up. I drove by our house and took some photos. My family had moved to Ferndale Michigan in 1955 when I was 8, Virginia was 11. We had an aunt and a number of cousins there. My ex-husband Chuck McCarty also grew up in the area, although we met in California, and he had a number of relatives including his parents and 4 siblings. I’m fortunate that we’ve all kept in touch over the years, even though some have passed away.
The next day Jeff and Nancy took me on a drive through Ann Arbor and the U of M campus. Lots of memories, and a lot of new things (I graduated from UM in 1968, over 50 years ago!). We never ran out of things to talk about! I watched Jeff make a large batch of bread – he’s a master baker and has devoted clients. He also is a master brewer and a great cook and each meal was a delight!
Another day I drove back to meet Maria and her partner Ed for lunch. I was glad to get a chance to meet him. I drove back through Ferndale again, this time it was broad daylight. I drove past my Elementary School on the way to visit the Detroit Zoo (in Royal Oak) – it was only about a mile from our house and when we were kids a friend and I would frequently ride our bikes to the zoo and then wander around. I especially loved the huge Gingko trees there. I think we got in free. It’s now surrounded by I-696 freeway and Woodward Ave. After that I drove past Northland Center, located in Southfield. It was the world’s largest shopping center, and first regional shopping center, when it opened on March 22, 1954. It was a wonderful place in the 50’s and 60’s. The huge parking lot was where Virginia and I went to learn how to drive. Now it is unoccupied and being converted into Northland City Center. When I got back to Ann Arbor Nancy, Jeff and I went to their favorite restaurant, Knight’s, for dinner.
The next day I drove to New Baltimore, MI, to meet up with Jody O’Brien and Mike McCarty, Chuck’s siblings. We’ve kept in touch and it was so good to see them. Then I connected with Kathy Marcey, one of my RV friends from WA, who happened to be passing through. We met for breakfast then she came back to Nancy and Jeff’s house and parked in their driveway, next to my trailer. I took her on a tour of Ann Arbor and the campus, and then we got ready to leave Ann Arbor the next day.
I drove back to Ohio and stayed at a fairgrounds to view the Total Eclipse (see next travelogue). My final family visit (after the eclipse) was to go see Alyse and Guthrie and their 4 week old baby Francis Jane in Delaware OH. Alyse is Kelley’s cousin whose mom was Mary Jane, Chuck’s sister. I stopped at Panera and bought sandwiches for lunch so we could focus on visiting and I didn’t want to impose on them. Having a newborn is a lot of work and I know they weren’t getting enough sleep. We talked about family and where we all had lived. Kelley and Casey had visited them last year when they were on their way to North Carolina. It was a fun visit, with lots of good memories.
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