About every two weeks or so I make plans for a big move. I generally set my eye on realistic locales such as Sao Paulo or, more recently, Barcelona. Somewhere warm, with a beach, and great seafood. To sate my current bout of wanderlust, I took Warren on a day trip around Lake St. Clair for his birthday. Lake St. Clair is adorable for many reasons but I really love its underdog rally to become the Next Great Lake. For a lake the approximate size of a postage stamp (compared with Lake Superior), this plan takes gumption. I admire that. And it has a point: the lake allows tons of ships to pass from Lake Huron to Lake Eerie and is consequently one of the busiest waterways in the entire world. It's also super pretty. And super close. Here's a peek at our itinerary, should you also need to escape your everyday life--if only for a few hours.
1. Russell Street Deli in Eastern Market. There was no line, shockingly, and we tucked into massive omelets and fresh squeezed orange juice with lightning speed
2. The Edsel Ford House. Lucky for us, the Seven Dwarves and a slew of other Grimm characters were out and about taking in the lovely autumn day. Michigan sure knows how to do fall, I'll give it that.
Warren loved feeling like a giant in Josephine's playhouse/home of the Seven Dwarves. And yes, this "playhouse" was bigger than our actual house.
The Edsel Ford House is modeled after the great estates of Cotswald, England, which was fun to see after reading about a million bad romance novels that take place in that region. It happened to be freezing the day we visited, but we braved a tour of the grounds and learned that the gardener fell into the pool while cleaning it the day before. Bless his heart.
3. Ferry to Harsen's Island, i.e.: my coup de grace! While the entire day's plans were a surprise to Warren, this was by far the best and coolest one. Sure, the ferry takes about two minutes but it is awesome.
4. Schoolhouse Grille. The whole island is filled with charming marshy landscapes and summer homes. While there's not much for visitors to do, the island does have a delicious restaurant in a former schoolhouse. Get "The Farmhand" and you will not be disappointed! Then drive to the island's southernmost tip to watch a bunch of crazy people don wetsuits and brave the frigid water.
5. Morley Candy Factory. Home of Michigan's famed Sanders hot fudge sauce! This place does not mess around. On weekdays you can watch the factory in action.
It's the kind of place that would make Lucy and Ethel proud.
And that's how it's done--happy birthday, Warren! Sorry I didn't make you a ten pound cake again...but you made up for it by making 6 pans of cinnamon rolls.
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