Our 10 Days Near Detroit, Visiting the Family...

This video was made in Southgate Mi. just a few miles from Detroit. We were just on Fort St. last week on our way to my Father in laws house. a.k.a. Papa Jack. Detroit is what it is, but this is what is really going on there in the "Burbs" Nice people enjoying real life. This is the real Michigan. Enjoy the Video.

I'll be posting tid bits about our trip in the coming days, and believe it or not it's mostly positive and funny, except one incident. We were going through Ohio and we drove past a nuclear plant, and I asked my Grandson Corgan if he knew what it was and he said, "if it blows up we will all be killed!"

 Detroit's problems began decades ago with corrupt mayors and crooked unions. I was in the UAW, though I did not choose to be, I had to be. I worked at the Fisher Body plant in Ypsilanti, Mi. Yes, this is a real place, just outside Ann Arbor. The attitude of the workers in the plant was pure hatred and disdain for the company. They would do anything they could to impede production, or stop the line. I really didn't get it. I asked one guy," if we get more cars out the door isn't that a good thing". He told me to shut up, if I knew what was good for me. That was forty something years ago, and what happened in Lansing is the work of "paid thugs". You ask where are the cops?  Did you know that this type of union activity is not against the law? Google it! The car companies were Detroit and the Unions got anything they wanted or they went on strike and stopped production. The cars were crap but we all bought American back then. Now the #1 car company is Toyota.

Guess what, that was in 1968, since then almost a million people have left Detroit proper, and about a 1000 families a month are leaving currently. Michigan used to depend entirely on the auto industry to run their economy, not so today. Detroit as a city is just about finished, the latest idea floating around is to make it into a "Zombie Land Theme Park"  An added note, they added Casino gambling several years ago , with the usual promises, rebuild the city, improve education, blah,blah, blah. The real problem with Detroit is that all the taxpayers have left. The biggest Liberal City failure, ever is on its way to bankruptcy. This video is an example of what is happening in Greece. It's in the beginning stages here.

The City of Detroit, 1962
Play both videos at the same time
the effect is haunting.

The City of Detroit, 2014 Some homes can be purchased for less than a $100. but you have to live in them and take care of the property. This is a video of what's available. Copper plumbing, not included.

 

What's goin' on?

 

The Spelling Bee

Where's Michele?

"Make sure you're home in time to take her to the spelling bee, or she'll be heartbroken!" I told my wife, look, I'll ask to get out early so I'll be here for sure. What school is it at, the Middle School she replied. My wife is an expert on all subjects. I was selling Real Estate at one time and she told me she had a great idea. "why don't you call the Listing guy and make a deal to split the commission 50/50. I said because that's against the law. Her reply "Really?" That's another story.

Off to the
Elementary School

Later that day, I did get home a little early, my daughter was running a little late, it was a beautiful day. I'm sure her and her buddy Corrina were taking their time coming up the driveway, we were a half mile back off the road. She finally got home and we headed for the Spelling Bee. We got to the Middle School (Jackies directions) and the school was vacant.I asked the Janitor where the Spelling Bee was and he said "not here."  My daughter started to cry, and I said It must be at the Elementary School. We finally got there, and yes, the Spelling Bee had already started. Boy, did I have to do a sell job for her to get back in. I heard, rules are rules, no late entries allowed. So I pulled out the Big Guns. Then you guys will have to tell her. They looked at her and said"Take a seat young lady"
Phewww! Dodged a bullet on that one, would've been bad news at home. You're probably wondering, wait a second, she told you to go to the wrong school, doesn't the wife share some responsibility here? It didn't work that way in my house. It was up to me to get it right, even if some of the details were  wrong. In any marriage, my wife believes that is part of the husbands responsibility. Now do you get it?

And now without
further adieu!

Now, the moment of truth. Each time a kid got up to spell, they would return to their seat each time they spelled their word correctly, my daughter was told to sit right next to the next kid getting up to spell. So they hadn't finished the first round, so we were that close to not being involved in the event. The kid next to her got up, went to the microphone and was asked to spell "knife" (can they use that word now in a spelling bee) He spelled it right. Now it was my Baby Girls turn, I thought maybe she'll get fork or spoon.  "please spell the word Finesse" "Finesse.......Fines"  "Finesse"We were in and out in 30 seconds. I told her at least you said it right. Her first response was" I need therapy, and a Dictionary, now!
By the time we got home we were both belly laughing about it, I told her you did spell "fines" right.
I called her this morning and it was like it happened yesterday. I told her I was going to Blog the story, she said ok.  She just turned 40. How about some Spelling Bee music?

Til next time Please Leave a Comment. Thank You!

Summer Vacation in Detroit, part 2

We arrived at Papa Jacks house, a neat little 2 bedroom, 1 bath home with a "Michigan" basement. I was a real estate agent for a time, and you couldn't count basements in the square footage, so it is less than a 750 square foot home. A "Michigan" basement was added well after the home was built, because you needed some more room. They would shovel underneath the house, raise the house. put it on rafters, and dig the basement. For me that task has "move" written all over it. They were affordable and built and designed for one purpose, to house workers who were coming in from all over the country, to get a great paying job, from the car companies. Henry Fords idea about affordable cars for the workers, took root in the housing market as well.The car companies hired anybody and everybody they could. The demand was incredible. Glass makers, housing, retail, if you relocated in the Detroit area, you were going to do well financially in a very short time. Back to the vacation, we had two grandkids with us, Zoe and Corgan, Butch and Zozo to Papa Jack.

Our arrival dinner was the usual, Caprara Pizza, right down the street on Northline Rd.(Nortline to the locals) It was a fresh dough ready to bake pizza in an aluminum pizza pan for $8.50. You took it home, followed cooking directions on the bag. and viola, dinner time.

Check out my first vacation blog, and play the parade video and the Detroit 2012 video at the same time, it is eerie. I did it by mistake, but what a story they tell.

Next blog, "Arrive at Merry Lake"