Detroit or as locals call it The D!

Rusty was flying out to California last Friday so Kevin and I decided that since we were dropping him off at the airport it would be a good day for me to see The D!

We got up really early and left Manchester around 6:30 in the morning. It was a foggy morning, the cars windshield kept fogging up and the temperature outside was in the low 50s. Rusty is a real gentleman and would not let me ride in the back seat, guests are always up front. Somebody raised him properly!

As we were getting closer to Detroit I started noticing hints of what this city has been known for and that's the car industry. 

This giant tire is on the side of highway I94 heading into Detroit. 

Our first order of business was to drop Rusty off at Detroit Metro Airport. After that we headed for Deerborn, MI where we had to go and get some middle eastern pastries. Shatila bakery comes highly recommended and when we walked in I could see why. 

It was a feast for the eyes. Sweets were everywhere and we took a selection with us back home. 

After the bakery we headed downtown to see the inside of The Guardian Building. To say that the tile work and painting on the walls and ceilings was absolutely beautiful is an understatement. My jaw dropped when I looked at the detail and intricacies of it all. 

I saw this young musician from across the lobby and as we walked around I had the opportunity to meet him inside the gift shop. I apologize for not remembering many names in my journey but I have never had much success in this compartment of my brain. I hope that if they see this posting they leave a comment so that I can thank them for the wonderful memories they have given me. 

After this we walked downtown for a bit before heading over to Belle Isle. I have always heard of how rundown and dirty Detroit is. I did get to see this part of it downtown and its outskirts......

But I also got to see its old beauty and all of the renovations taking place. When I see a rundown antique building I don't see trash but rather an opportunity to bring something back to its former glory and that's what Detroit looks like to me. 

A vibrant city that's coming alive with the wise minds from its experienced workforce and the creativity of its youth!

After enjoying downtown for a while we then headed a few miles north along the Detroit River to Belle Isle. Belle Isle is an island in the middle of the river belonging to the USA

From Belle Isle you can see the United States of America to the South and Canada to the North. 

As we were looking for parking we noticed a large group of people over by a pavilion having a good time, listening to music being played by a disk jockey, people dancing and others playing volleyball. We finally found parking and as we were walking by this group of people we asked what was the occasion. They were having a company picnic for the employees. I walked over to the group of ladies and started dancing the NayNay dance. I had never danced this and they were happy to show me. I hope you can view the video my friend Kevin shot with my iPhone. 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FIDl60rEzfA

This young lady named Cynthia, yes I remembered her name, was my main instructor. Thank you for teaching a stranger from Los Angeles a new dance Cynthia!

My philosophy these days is to never limit myself and just jump in and enjoy life every single day!

We then walked over to the aquarium and gardens. Just beautiful!

After this we were ready to eat some lunch so we headed back to downtown. There are many large scale pieces of art throughout the city. 

We enjoyed eating at the American Coney Island restaurant and the people watching is quite entertaining. The hustle and bustle of a large city comes alive at midday when many are running out to grab a quick bite to eat or are in the city to conduct business or as in my case, just visiting another beautiful city. 

Kevin was telling me about a neighborhood that had really fallen on bad times. Many of the homes had been abandoned and crime ridden. Some of them, many of them had been burned down and was a big headache for the city. An artist by the name of Tyree Guiyton had started doing something out of the norm. He started creating art with discarded items. He started decorating some of these burnt homes, painting polka dots on others, doing anything he could to beautify them in his own way. The project is known as the Heidelberg Project. 

The project is known worldwide now and as we were there many visitors in fancy cars, normal cars and even members of the United States Paralympic Team were there. 

It wouldn't be a proper visit to Detroit if I didn't visit Hitsville USA, the home of where it all started for Motown. 

I really need to thank Kevin for taking me to see this piece of history. 

They have many items that have made history on display inside such as Michael Jacksons sequined glove and the hat he wore when he first did the moonwalk. 

This all started on one street now renamed Berry Gordy Jr Blvd

As if this wasn't enough we had to take a break and enjoy some coffee so we headed towards the Detroit Institute of Arts. But no matter where you're at the "art" follows you!

But back to the serious business of enjoying all that Detroit has to offer. We met up with Daniel, that shifty looking guy in the background, a long time friend of Kevin's. 

We enjoyed listening to Antonia Bennet for a while.....

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kLREZrNE8hQ

And then some artwork. 

We ended the day by having dinner with another friend of Kevin's, and now mine hopefully!  Thank you for dinner Wayne, it was delicious and I'm glad to have met your beautiful family. His wife Julie and daughters Danielle and Claire were a hoot. I told Danielle I would do a Migueling picture of her with her face cream on and she didn't believe me. I got the picture but I won't post it publicly, she's beautiful no matter what and I will send it to her if she wants it!  Hahahahaha 

Thank you for the adventures today Kevin. You gave me many more memories that will be cherished for a long time. 

Palm Heaven at Hornbeam Aviaries!

Katy McElroy, myself and Jim McElroy

Yesterday I had the opportunity to finally meet a friend I have known online for many years. This was another one of those moments that make me realize how great this journey of mine truly is. 

My friend Kevin had asked me shortly after I arrived if I knew Katy McElroy and if I was interested in visiting her?  I said "absolutely, I've known Katy for many years online and I would love to finally meet her in person."  So Kevin contacted Katy and arrangements were made for our visit. Being that both Kevin and Katy are excellent cooks, plans were made for our arrival, she would make pizzas for lunch and he would bring dessert for us to enjoy. 

I was really anxious to get on the road but one of my problems when I'm looking forward to something is that I wake up in the middle of the night and then I can't fall back to sleep for a long while. So because of this, and Kevin baking late into the night, we didn't get on the road until around noon!

Kevin drove the two and a half hour trip so that gave me the opportunity to do something else. What is one to do with a camera but take rear view mirror pictures!  It's amazing what one sees on long road trips!

We finally arrived at Jim and Katy's home. Set in the middle of the woods, it's a very picturesque cabin they built in the seventies. I had finally arrived at Hornbeam Aviaries and I was like a kid in a candy store. Katy came out and giving her a hug was like saying hello to a longtime friend. She ushered us into her kitchen where she had started making pizzas. Jim came in and we were introduced, I had to apologize because I wasn't wearing my signature overalls since that's also his choice of apparel!

I brought one of my aprons for Katy and she promptly put it on and we made some pizza.

I was learning to cook healthy....

Who am I kidding?  I have no idea of what to do with all of these kitchen instruments other than throwing them around and making lots of noise with them!

Katy's pizza was so delicious and I ate way to many slices!

I must apologize to Kevin because I forgot to take a picture of the beautiful cake he made for us. 

While we were enjoying lunch we kept hearing all the wonderful whistling Palm Cockatoos make. At one point Kevin was looking around to see where it was coming from and Katy pointed out the speaker on one of her shelfs. The monitoring system is fed into the house where Katy knows what is going on outside in the aviaries. 

So we finally made it out to the aviaries where there's a perimeter fence topped with electric hot wire to keep unwanted vermin out and off of the flights. 

Because of the harsh winters the building is made out of cinder block, when doors are closed the building is heated in the worst of winter. The birds still have the choice is of going outside through small access doors. 

Kevin and Katy admiring a pair of Gang Gangs. 

Katy telling me why I need to get back into Palm Cockatoos!

Katy flocks babies together once they go out into the flights which helps them to grow and mature knowing they are birds. 

Palm cockatoos are very friendly naturally but don't let that fool you because they can bite you hard if in breeding situations. 

If you have never seen a closeup of the inside of a Palm cockatoo beak here it is. They can't close their beaks all the way because they have been adapted to crack their food consisting of hard nuts and fruits. 

The indoor flights are large and filled with toys, perching and natural branches. 

The open top nest boxes allow the pairs to sit on the edge and splinter the natural branches and drop them in as nesting material. 

One of the highlights was being able to see a beautiful pair of Gang Gang Cockatoos. They are absolutely beautiful in person. This species is getting harder to find in American Aviculture. Thankfully there's a few dedicated aviculturists still working with them. 

The male is just so beautiful with the red cap. 

One thing I learned about the Gang Gangs was that the females are larger than the males and it's them who are the dominant partner in the relationship. This little girl was very curious about us and what we might be offering her!

They keep their eyes on us and followed our movement wether outside or inside the flights!

Katy raised the white cockatoos for many years before starting to work with the black cockatoos. She still keeps many of the whites including the Greater Sulpher Cresteds. 

Major Mitchell's 

And others. We weren't able to see most of the whites because some of them were nesting and we didn't want to disturb them. 

She also has Red Tailed blacks. 

And Hyacinth Macaws that were camera shy!

After coming back inside I made friends with a baby Major Mitchell's baby. It was time for his feeding and I got to enjoy him while Katy prepared his food. 

The look of contentment after a good meal!

As we sat in the kitchen we looked out the window and a female wild turkey appeared out in the driveway with her three babies. 

She was curious about us inside and came closer. 

After satisfying her curiosity she went back to her brood and then disappeared into the forest for the night. 

Thank you so much for the opportunity Katy and Jim to visit your beautiful home. I will be back to pick up my Palm baby someday!