Episode 39: July & August 2008
Highlights of the month:
· George Michael Concert in Montreal;
· Day trips to Caseville, Ludington, and Higgins Lake;
· Counting Crows/Maroon 5 concert near Detroit;
· Long weekend in Toronto.
Fresh off our trip to Alaska, we packed again for a long weekend – this time to the beautiful French-Canadian city of Montreal. The main reason for our trip was to see one of Deb’s favorite artists, George Michael, in concert on Friday night.
After arriving late on Thursday night, we worked from the hotel for most of the day on Friday. Friday night, we got dressed up and headed out for a pre-show drink and snack before going to the concert. George Michael has been one of Deb’s favorite singers since she was a little girl, so she could hardly contain her excitement about seeing him live for the first time. Even I have to admit, the concert was pretty good. I forgot how many George Michael songs I know from my childhood or the radio. He is quite the entertainer and had an impressive stage setup. There were people of all ages there, and we had a really good time.
On Saturday we hit downtown for some exploring. We did a walking tour of downtown to take in the dramatic Montreal skyline. Like most downtown areas, this area houses luxurious hotels, corporate headquarters, some very stately homes, and many stores. We walked to the northern edge of downtown where we found McGill University and took a walk through the campus before stopping for lunch. That evening, we headed to Vieux-Montréal (the old town) for a wonderful long dinner. Following dinner, we watched a fireworks display that was put on over the river. The fireworks were part of a festival in which each night a different country executed the fireworks show. That night, coincidentally, was the Australian team’s night!
On Sunday, we went back to Vieux-Montréal for another walking tour. In the center of the old town is Place Jacques-Cartier, which is the home of many street performers who happened to be in town as part of the Just For Laughs comedy festival that was on that weekend. The old town has a number of outdoor cafes, very quaint paved streets, and many old stone buildings dating back to the 1700s. We stopped for lunch at an outdoor restaurant called Le Jardin Nelson, which added live jazz to its large outdoor terrace to create a very nice ambiance. That evening we headed out for another great dinner. On our walk back to the hotel we ran into the funniest parade/festival that covered at least six city blocks, complete with lots of confetti, blow up dolls, and rave music. We learned from a local that it was a festival celebrating light. To be honest, we could not really hear the local very well given all the rave music in the background but still enjoyed watching the parade.
The rest of the month we stayed close to Midland most of the time. We spent a number of evenings and weekends catching up with friends and making the most of the wonderful Michigan weather. Deb returned to the dance class she goes to on Saturdays, which is usually followed by her catching up with girlfriends for the remainder of the morning over coffee. We even did a number of long bike rides during the month, taking advantage of the great bike trails that Midland has to offer.
As you may remember, Deb serves on the Board of the local Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) chapter. This month, BBBS organized a number of activities that we took part in. The first was a trip to see the local baseball team with a number of the “littles” and their “big” volunteers. One of the “littles” threw the first pitch of the game and there were events at the top of each innings for them to participate in, including a group of them (Deb included) singing “Take Me Out of the Ballgame” from the field during the 7th inning. The agency also hosted its annual Golf Ball Drop that Deb helped organize. This event involved selling raffle tickets in advance. Then, golf balls (each numbered with a corresponding raffle ticket) were dropped out of a hot air balloon onto a target. The balls that landed closest to the target were awarded prices. (In fact, we donated some money on behalf of my parents…and they won!) The event was a success and a lot of fun. In addition to BBBS activities, Deb was involved in fundraising for the city’s United Way campaign. Over a two-week period, her activities helped raise slightly more than their goal, so well worth the effort!
We also took a few day trips during August. One was to the annual Cheeseburger Festival in a town called Caseville. This town is about 1.5 hours south east of Midland, along the shores of Lake Huron. The festival is a kitschy street festival, honoring the music of Jimmy Buffet and, as the name suggests, the cheeseburger. While driving to Caseville we noticed that we were driving right toward a pretty large storm system. (Oops, forgot to check the weather before we left home!) Undeterred, we braved the pouring rain and horrible winds to stop long enough for a cheeseburger (which was quite good), while listening to a CD of Jimmy Buffet tunes. As entertaining as the locals were, the weather did dampen our enthusiasm. We ate as quickly as we could and then went straight back to the car and headed home to warm up.
The following weekend we headed two hours northwest of Midland to the shores of Lake Michigan and a town called Ludington. Having beautiful weather this time, we grabbed a picnic lunch and headed to the beach. The shores of Lake Michigan are beautiful, with long white-sand beaches and fresh lake water (albeit very cold!). We took a long walk through the state park and visited a famous lighthouse that is no longer in commission. On our way out of town, we stopped for a round of mini golf followed by some dinner before driving back home. Michigan has some beautiful little towns and Ludington is on our list as one of our favorites.
Our final day trip of the month was to Higgins Lake, a large lake about an hour northwest of Midland. The lake was simply beautiful. Unlike the previous weekend, the water was warm enough to swim in and there were lots of people swimming, boating, and tanning. That was exactly our plan, too – we spent the day reading our books, swimming, and playing Frisbee on the beach. It was a great way to spend a Sunday!
The final weekend of August was a long weekend in the U.S., with Monday being Labor Day. That Friday night, we had tickets to see the Counting Crows and Maroon 5 at an outdoor amphitheater near Detroit. The concert was better than we ever imagined it would be. Both bands were fantastic, but the highlight for us was definitely the Counting Crows. We stayed that night in Detroit and headed out the next morning for the rest of our weekend in Toronto, Canada.
Stopping for lunch at the border town of Sarnia along the way, we arrived in Toronto in the mid-afternoon, giving us enough time to do a little exploring before that night’s events. We started the night with dinner at an amazing place called Perigee in Toronto’s Distillery district. The restaurant’s seating area surrounded the kitchen, which was enclosed by glass so that patrons can literally see their dinner being prepared. The main event of the evening was seeing a stage production of “Dirty Dancing,” based on the movie of the same name. The movie is one of Deb’s all-time favorites and while she did her very best to not recite the play line for line, she could not help but jump up and clap loudly when Baby and Johnny executed the lift at the end of the show. (I was not really moved, but Deb tells me that all you die-hard Dirty Dancing fans out there can relate.)
One of the areas of Toronto that we had not been to on previous trips was the harbor area along Lake Ontario, so we spent most of our day on Sunday exploring that area. The harbor front area, though a little tricky to get to, is well worth visiting. As well as the sights we could get to by foot, we took a harbor cruise to get a different vantage point of the city. That evening, as we were heading back to our hotel, we came across the Second City comedy club just in time to stop in and see the show. Both of us enjoy improvisational comedy and the show did not disappoint.
On Monday, we headed back to the Distillery district to take a look at the stores and have some brunch before driving back to Michigan. Toronto remains one of our favorite cities in North America – it was a great long weekend getaway.
Overall, July and August were wonderful months for us to enjoy the summer and explore Montreal, Toronto, and Michigan. Until next month, take care!
