Cine-Man: VACATION TIME, MICHIGAN/INDIANA, SEPTEMBER, 2011

VACATION TIME, MICHIGAN/INDIANA, 9-'11

Arrgh! All the pictures that I took on my first week of vacation, and some on my second week of vacation, somehow got auto-deleted by my camera! 'Sucks .... And as if that was not bad enough, I lost my travel notes, too!!! My first week's worth of photos had some pictures of the Amish Folks in Indiana which I took without asking for their permission first; my sister did tell me not to take pictures of the Amish people. But, did I listen ...? No. Which is probably why I lost the first week of vacation photos along with my travel notes---An Amish witch put a hex on me and my camera! So, my vacation photos begin with those that I took on Sunday, September 4th, 2011. I hope that you'll enjoy looking through my photos.

This is a picnic area at Summit Park overlooking Lake Michigan. It is less than a mile away from Bortell's Fisheries, in Ludington, where people go to to buy raw, smoked or fried fish. I don't know who these people are.

Bortell's Fisheries, Ludington, Michigan. I found this on the Internet.

This is the ferry to take, here in Ludington, to get from Michigan to Wisconsin across Lake Michigan.

This is the back entrance to Kilwin's Chocolate and Fudge Shop, in Ludington, Michigan, where we stopped to buy fudge and get directions to the local tourist spot shown in a recent movie. That is my brother-in-law and my niece that you see entering through the doorway.

Do you remember this recent movie?

This movie, 30 MINUTES OR LESS, was filmed in Grand Rapids, Michigan. But the bank robbery scene was filmed at this now-closed bank in Ludington, Michigan, the Ludington State Bank on the corner of James and Loomis.

This is one of two super stores in the Michigan area, the other one being Super Wal-Mart. I forget where it is at.

This is one of Lewis' Farm Market and Petting Farm critters ( I wonder if it tastes like chicken ). It is just roaming around the parking lot. This farm is in New Era, Michigan, on Stony Lake Road.

New for this year: Admission price for the Petting Farm! 'Sucks ....

I don't know what happened to this Peacock's tail. It had a nice, long tail last year.

This pizza place, The Pizza Factory, is in Shelby, Michigan, on North Michigan Avenue. My sister comes by here a lot for some take-out dinner to take to the cottage.

My sister and I stopped off here at the Country Dairy on South 80th Avenue, New Era, Michigan, before we headed back to her cottage at Stony Lake, to buy some Mookies & Cream Ice Cream and a loaf of Donkey Doo Bread w/ Pecans. This is a dairy store and restaurant where they serve beef from old cows that don't produce milk anymore. I don't know about you, but the whole thing sounds cruel and barbaric to me: Killing and eating cows because they can't produce milk anymore; it's like killing and eating your employees because they can't work anymore!

Slightly to the left-of-center in this picture of Stony Lake is a bridge that's barely visible. If you get in a canoe, raft or inner tube and paddle your way under this bridge then have the creek's current carry you along its meandering course, you will end-up in Lake Michigan less than an hour later. Yup, I did it once--and I'd like to do it again.

This is my sister's paddle-wheel raft. To the left of the floating dock was my sister's pontoon boat. It was dry-docked because it was encrusted with Zebra Mussels, an invasive species. You could see the Zebra Mussels in the shoreline water. There are more Zebra Mussels here than there are stones! They should rename this lake, Zebra Lake!

This is similar to my sister's pontoon boat. I got this on the Internet.

These are Zebra Mussels ( 'found this picture on the Internet ). They are tiny, just about half-an-inch ( 1.27 cm ) long. But do they ever proliferate like horny rabbits! All the Great Lakes, not just Lake Michigan, are infested with them. I wish that there was a way of harvesting them for human consumption and/or for fish bait!

This is at the opposite end of the lake from the one which shows the bridge.

Ah, the long walk up the hill from the lake on a slippery, moss-covered road.

The in-laws of somebody famous, a TV personality, own this lake cottage. Scroll down a bit to find out who I'm talking about.

This is Do It Best Hardware Store here at Stony Lake where my brother-in-law and I stopped by to get some stuff.

This is the guest house at Al Capone's ( famous Chicago gangster from the '20s ) vacation home here at Stony Lake, Michigan.

Al Capone. I got this on the Internet.

This is Al Capone's vacation home on a hill overlooking Lake Michigan. It was undergoing some restoration work.

This is Lake Michigan, just down the hill from Al Capone's vacation home. The water was cold and the waves were too choppy for anybody to risk going in for a swim and getting caught in the undertow.

This is Stony Creek meandering on its way from Stony Lake to Lake Michigan.

Another shot of Stony Creek from the bridge. Lake Michigan is shown far in the horizon. Actually, Lake Michigan is less than 200 yards ( 182.88 metres ) from this spot.

This is in the town of Hart, Michigan. The locals were having a Pig Roast. But, I ask you, What is a Pig Roast without Ketchup or, better still, Lechon Sauce and/or Banana Catsup? The next time that I visit, I will be sure to bring a case of Banana Catsup and Lechon Sauce to hand out to all of the diners! By the way, the time-stamp on this and on previous and subsequent photos are wrong ( the p.m. should have been an a.m. ) because I kept forgetting ( "Senior Moment" ) to change the time whenever it came time to replace the batteries.

Lechon Sauce. I found this on the Internet.

Banana Catsup. I found this on the Internet.

Please don't ask me to post a picture of Tomato Ketchup. You all know what that looks like!

That is my brother-in-law and my niece to left-of- center of the picture. To the far left ( the black-colored object ) is one of about half-a-dozen Barbecue Pig Roasters. To the right, you see people filing to get inside the Mudget Community Pavilion ( circa 1993 ) for some sit-down meal of Roasted Pig, Potato Salad, Macaroni Salad, Bread and Cold Drinks--but where's a Bowl of Steamed Rice when you need it?

This is the old one-room school, Randall School ( circa 1876 ), here in the town of Hart, Michigan. The windows that you see to either side of the doorway are those of the restrooms: Girls' on the left, Boys' on the right.

This is the Sackrider Church ( circa 1897 ), in the town of Hart, MI, with a Native American Museum basement, near the one-room school and the pig-roast pavilion.

This and the following pictures are of the nearby Hart Historic Museum.

This log cabin ( circa 1858 ) once belonged to Chief Cobmoosa of the Ottawa Native American tribe. This cabin is pretty much just a rectangular "box" with a fireplace, a small desk, a chair and, on a raised platform to one side of the cabin and partitioned by a curtain, a wooden bed. I'm sorry that I forgot to take shots of the interior. Outside, to the left of the door, is a hand water pump. To the right of the cabin--not shown in the photo--is an outhouse--imaging needing to use the toilet in the deep of winter in sub-zero temperature ( you'd be pee-peeing ice cubes and pooping popsicles---LOL )!

Chief Cobmoosa. I found this on the Internet. He kinda looks like the Hollywood actor, Cliff Curtis--and they even have the same initials! Go figure ....

Cliff Curtis. I found this on the Internet.

This is close to Chief Cobmoosa's cabin. I forget what it is.

That's my sister's backside that you see walking further away. The pavilion in the background is where we sat down for some Pig-Roast meal sans Ketchup, Banana Catsup and/or Lechon Sauce--I'll be sure to bring some next time.

This is a friendly cat across the street from the church and community pavilion. It was sitting outside a blacksmith's shop greeting visitors and tourists.

This is Scott Lankton's blacksmith's shop ( renovated in 1980 ), here in Hart, Michigan, in the Heritage District. And you can see the friendly cat just to the left of the "Open" sign.

This is the basement of the Sackrider Church between the one-room Randall School and the Mudget Community Pavilion. The basement serves as a Native American Artifacts Museum which consists mostly of arrowheads.

The man in the orange shirt that you see loading something into the pick-up truck is none other than George Wendt, famous for his role as Norm Peterson on the hit TV show CHEERS ( 1982 - 1993 ).

George "Norm!" Wendt. I found this on Wikipedia. This is an old picture of him. He's much older now but still on the "heavy" side.

I took these photos of George Wendt, paparazzi-style!

Yup, still "heavy" after all these years.

I didn't know that I had it in me: Cine-Man, a.k.a. Paparazzi-Man!

These are the Porta-Potties lined-up at the back lot of a huge flea market, Burley Park Flea Market in Howard City, Michigan, that my sister, my brother-in-law and my niece took me to. Would you believe that these porta-potties didn't come with toilet seat liners?!?!?! Yuck!

This is the entrance sign of Burley Park Flea Market, Howard City, Michigan. I found this on the Internet.

These are some of the items for sale at the flea market.

After we left the flea market, we stopped at this Chinese buffet restaurant, the Oriental Forest Buffet, in Newaygo, MI, over 20 miles ( 32.19 km ) away from Howard City, MI. My niece ate very little. I think that my niece is at that age when she is now self-conscious about her figure and is on a strict diet to lose her "baby fat". She was a slightly-plump little girl who is now blossoming into a beautiful teen. By the way, at the flea market, I looked around to see how many beautiful girls I could spot. I only saw three beautiful girls: a Japanese girl, a Mulatta, and--of course--my niece! I'm sorry to say, but none of the white girls that I saw at the flea market were anything close to being attractive ( "I Wish They All Could Be California Girls" ).

On the way home to Grand Rapids, Michigan, we stopped at this sporting goods store, the Sportsman's Liquidation Outlet Store, in Comstock Park ( next to Grand Rapids ), on Alpine Avenue NW, to browse around. That's my niece entering through the doorway.

I went here, upon my sister's suggestion, to buy some Michigan State lottery tickets because a lot of people won on tickets bought at this store, Party World, here in Comstock Park, MI, on Alpine Avenue NW. Supposedly, their lotto-winning secret is a dried-up Four-Leaf Clover on the cash register counter that they rubbed their tickets on. I guess when it came time for me to rub my tickets on it, it had already ran-out of its "lucky charm"!!! Boo-hoo, how sad ....

This is in the parking lot of Plumb's Supermarket here in Grand Rapids, MI, on 4 Mile Road NW.

This is the Golden Corral Buffet and Grill Restaurant here in Grand Rapids, MI, on Alpine Avenue NW. My sister's parents-in-law treated me to an all-you-can-eat dinner. Yummy. My "pigging-out at buffet restaurants" reputation precedes me!

>>> You will, perhaps, notice that I skipped a day here. What's missing is my travelogue for Thursday, September 8th, 2011. It's not here because I posted it on my blog on COLOMBIANA ( 2011 ) <<<

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This PakMail shop here in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is close to the Golden Corral Buffet and Grill Restaurant. My sister had to drop-off a package for shipment.

My sister took me here, the Thaiexpress Restaurant, for some lunch. This is in Grand Rapids ( or is it in Kentwood? ), MI. A few doors down from here is a Bridal Shop where wedding dresses are sold for around 50 bucks---Cheap! what a deal. Quick! I should find someone to marry before they raise their prices on their bridal gowns. I gotta start perusing the Mail-Order Brides Catalog. LOL

After lunch, my sister took me to this health food store, Harvest Health Foods, on Eastern Avenue, to go shopping. This is also in Grand Rapids, MI, in the old part of the city. A part of the city that reminded me so much of Oakland, CA. This is exactly the comment that I said to my sister. If you've been to Oakland, CA, you know what I'm talking about here. FYI, I was the first in my family to go shopping at health food stores; it was way back in 1975 when I got on the health-food bandwagon. And I'm still sexy to this day---Ahem! Honestly, I still don't have frown lines, crow's feet and/or smile lines on my face---Thank God. ( It helps that I don't smile a lot or frown a lot--ha, ha, ha. )

My sister took me to visit this place, the final resting place of the former/late Pres. Gerald R. Ford, Jr., 38th President of The United States of America, and his wife.

President Gerald R. Ford, Jr. I got this photo from Wikipedia. Pres. Ford was born Leslie Lynch King, Jr., on the 14th of July, 1913, in Omaha, Nebraska. After a months' long marriage to his biological father, his mother took him with her to live with her parents. And before he turned three years of age, his mother remarried to a Mr. Gerald R. Ford, the son of a store owner in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He was named after his adoptive father although he wasn't formally adopted. He changed his name from Leslie L. King, Jr. to Gerald R. Ford, Jr. on the 3rd of December, 1935.

This is the marker honoring Grand Rapids' World-famous adopted son, former/late Pres. Gerald R. Ford, Jr., who had come back home to rest.

This is the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, on Pearl Street NW, here in Grand Rapids, MI, just to the left of former/late Pres. Gerald Ford, Jr.'s final resting place. I wonder why my sister didn't take me inside to show me around. Hmmm ....

This park is right outside of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum. Some workers were setting-up the stage for an evening outdoor concert in a few hours' time. Already, some people had staked-out their spots on the grass. Sorry, but we didn't get to go to this FREE!!! concert as we had other plans. The river in the background is the Grand Rapids River. To the right of this picture was a stall where fudge was sold. I bought a pack of fudge; I forget what flavor.

This is the pair of shoes that I wore on my vacation. When I got back home to Vallejo, CA, I donated this to the local charity because it gave me blisters between my toes when I went to Makinac Island, Michigan, with my sister and her family. I had to improvise and asked a waitress at the burger restaurant where we had lunch to bring me an extra pat of butter so I could rub it between my toes to ease the blister pain away---It worked! Also, when we were at the Burley Park Flea Market four days prior to this photo shoot, my shoes gave me hip pain.

This is the grave marker of Richard York, a.k.a. Darrin Stephens of the TV show, BEWITCHED ( 1964-1969 ). He died in Grand Rapids, MI, and was laid to rest here in Plainfield Charter Township, Kent County, MI. My sister, my niece, my brother-in-law and I spread-out to look for this grave. I think my niece was the one who spotted it first. I didn't envision a simple grave; I mean, after all, Richard York was a famous TV actor. I was searching for a fancier grave site, instead.

Richard York. I found this on the Internet.

This is the TV show ( I found this poster on the Internet ) that Richard York was on before he was sidelined by a back problem. This show starred Elizabeth Montgomery as a beautiful modern-day ( '60s, that is ) witch. I had a major crush on her, if you must know. And, nope, she was not an Amish witch. Ha, ha, ha.

Elizabeth Montgomery ( 1933 - 1995 ). I found this on the Internet.

This is Richard York's wife's reserved plot, next to his grave.

My niece put the flower ( perfectly framed! ) on Richard York's grave marker. He was my niece's favorite TV actor.

This is the groundskeeper's shed at the cemetery here in Plainfield Charter Township, just north of Grand Rapids, MI. This is the second largest city here in Michigan ( and, by logical extension, the 2nd largest cemetery ...? Maybe ). I think that the restrooms are right behind this shed.

This motel/restaurant in Comstock Park, Michigan, the Swan Inn Motel Restaurant, on Alpine Avenue NW, was leveled by a tornado back in the early '60s. We stopped here for dinner after we visited Richard York's grave.

This is at the Denver Airport in Colorado. The time-stamp is still on Michigan time. I took this picture while I waited for my connecting flight back to Oakland, California.

My late, beloved Geo Metro, months before it was vandalized and totaled by would-be car thieves. This shot was taken at the long-term airport parking in San Leandro, CA, the Espresso Airport Parking, on Doolittle Drive. The time stamp is still on Michigan time.

On the drive home to Vallejo, CA, I took this picture of an accident clean-up on the freeway in Oakland, CA, near the Coliseum Arena ( I forget what they call this arena now ). The time stamp is still on Michigan time.

P.S. If I somehow recover the lost pictures of my first week of vacation in Michigan/Indiana back in September, 2011, I will post them here on my blogsite someday.

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Cine-Man

Monday, November 4, 2013

VACATION TIME, MICHIGAN/INDIANA, SEPTEMBER, 2011

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