Sounds & Sights Festival: 25 July 2014

The annual Sounds & Sights Festival continued Friday with fun in the KidZone.

Chelsea Lanes brought its portable bowling alley.

The bear from the Chelsea Teddy Bear Company was out and about.

After that photo, the bear got a big hug.

As always, the balloon creations tent was popular.

This little one waited very patiently for her balloon creation!

The matchbox car derby track provided plenty of action.

The bubble pond was lots of fun. I mean, who doesn’t love bubbles?

Friday’s KidZone fun concluded with an appearance by PAWS, the mascot of the Detroit Tigers!

Young Tiger fans were happy to see him.

PAWS accompanied a reading of Casey at the Bat with his hilarious antics.

Then he borrowed one young fan’s hat, just to see how it looked.

After handing out prizes to kids who correctly answered a few questions…

…he spent some quality time with fans.

He posed for pictures, too.

One of the littlest fans was fascinated with PAWS’ chin.

If you’re wondering if I took the opportunity to get a photo with PAWS…I did. I mean, it’s not every day you get to meet PAWS!

Thumbs up to you, too, PAWS. Thanks for visiting Chelsea, and go Tigers!

Sounds & Sights: 24 July 2014

This week’s Sounds & Sights served as a kickoff for the annual Sounds & Sights Festival, but the sounds and the sights were much like those we’ve gotten to enjoy on the other fun Thursdays we’ve had so far. Like what? Well, like this:

She was having fun dancing to the music of Sel de Terre.

She wasn’t the only one dancing!

This little one preferred to sit and enjoy the music with her balloon.

Elsewhere, there was an artist getting all artistic.

Cold Tone Harvest was by the clock tower.

One little fan was having fun with bubbles.

Tree of Life was at the clock tower gazebo. When Tree of Life brings out its drums, it’s always a party!

Jeff Wawrzaszek was back performing magic by the fountain.

From Grace was at the Sylvan.

As always, the chalk cube was in the middle of downtown.

Blues Dog Inquisition was on the library lawn.

They had some young fans, too.

The Sounds & Sights Festival runs through Saturday night. We’ll be back to regular Thursday night Sounds & Sights events after this weekend, and there are only a few left in 2014! Join us in downtown Chelsea next Thursday from 6:30-8:30pm to enjoy more of the fun.

Sounds & Sights: 17 July 2014

Another summer Thursday in Chelsea, another Sounds & Sights.

The Bluesmatics were on the library lawn.

Even though the weather was beautiful, Stormfront was by the courthouse.

This gentleman appeared to be hungry enough to eat his microphone. He probably should have gone across the street and gotten a Piggy Parfait from Smokehouse 52 instead of snacking on the mic.

Wait, what? He’s playing his harmonica? Oh. Well then, never mind. Carry on.

The Devil Elvis Show was on Middle.

One little music lover was having the best time dancing to the Devil Elvis Show.

He wasn’t the only one.

McLaughlin’s Alley was in the parking lot by the clock tower, which is not an alley. But I guess there’s an alley right next to the stage, so it works. Also, McLaughlin’s Parking Lot doesn’t have the same ring.

The Town Band was under the gazebo.

The Town Band was FUN. It’s like the musical version of a vintage base ball team.

There was face painting by the clock tower fountain.

Who doesn’t enjoy tossing coins into a fountain?

Liquid Plasma was at the Sylvan.

There are only a few Sounds & Sights left in 2014! They happen every Thursday evening from 6:30-8:30 in downtown Chelsea. And don’t forget: next weekend is the Sounds & Sights Festival, with live music through Saturday evening, an art market, and more.

Sounds & Sights: 10 July 2014

Was it yet another gorgeous Thursday evening for Sounds & Sights? Of course it was!

The Dorkestra was on the library lawn. They’re always a lot of fun.

CrossBow was by the courthouse.

CrossBow is very enthusiastic.

What, you think I’m kidding?

I’m not kidding.

Continue reading →

Summer in Michigan: 6 July 2014

Last week’s storm left lumber sprawled across the lawn. Now it’s all stacked where it should be.

The wood pile smiled for the camera:

Elsewhere in the yard, a tiny maple tree is putting out tiny new maple leaves.

Storm Damage and Cleanup: 1 July 2014

A powerful storm blew through Chelsea early Tuesday morning, leaving downed trees and power outages in its wake. The power didn’t fail on this side of town, but several trees fell on the road and a significant part of one tree fell in the yard.

The bad news: that one tree decided to fall on the shed.

The tree cracked in half on the peak of the shed, leaving a mess on both sides of the building.

It also brought down the power line running from the house to the shed.

That not-quite-like-new object is a porcelain insulator. As you can see, it broke when it was ripped off the shed. When he started working on restoring the power line on Friday, my dad visited one store to find a new insulator. Then he went to another. And another. At the fourth store, he found the last two insulators in stock (after being told he should just go ahead and bury the line).

The moral of the story is this: if you need a large screw-in porcelain insulator, search the internet. (Or, if you’re interested in turning a cheap, fairly simple project into a more expensive, labor-intensive project, just go ahead and bury the line.)

Here he is stringing the wire through the newly-installed insulator:

As I said, the bad news from the storm was that the tree fell on the shed. The good news: the shed stood firm against the tree’s assault. The only real damage was a small hole poked in the roof. The chunk of tree that pierced the roof stayed in the hole:

How powerful was the storm? Well, take a look at this photo:

I’m standing under an oak tree. The branch in the foreground is from the elm tree that fell on the shed; what’s left of the tree is visible behind the shed. That branch blew across the whole backyard and driveway to end up where it did.

Here’s another example of the power of the storm:

To the great disappointment of young thrill-seekers everywhere, the slide is now back to normal.

My dad enjoys good chainsaw time, so he fired up his saw and got to work on the debris.

When he’d made the necessary cuts, he gave the retired tree a tug and watched it slide off the shed to the ground.

Of course, while all that hard work was happening, the cats were…

…doing what cats do.

Sounds & Sights: 3 July 2014

‘Twas the evening before the Fourth of July, when all through downtown Chelsea
Lots of creatures were stirring, because it was time for Sounds & Sights.

(What? Poetry doesn’t have to rhyme.)

Comedy at the library is done for 2014, so Coconut Radio was gettin’ all musical on the library lawn.

Johnny Cash tribute band Cash is King was by the courthouse, probably because Folsom Prison isn’t a stage location for Sounds & Sights. (I don’t know if any of the boys in the band are named Sue.)

The crowd was having fun.

Well, most of the crowd was having fun. One little guy decided to take a nap.

Middle Street featured Of One.

The chalk art area once again was a popular destination for kids.

Even the Blue Wheelchair Man got involved! Some kind artist decided to give him hair and shoes.

Escaping Pavement was at Sylvan.

What’s the most Chelsea sponsor a local event can get?

Let’s hear it for corn muffins!

Shari Kane & David Steele were at the Glazier Building.

This little guy’s dance moves were subtle but effective:

The Anthony Lai Band was at the clocktower gazebo.

This photo is from yesterday evening:

This photo is from Sounds & Sights last August:

Sigh.

Human Cannonball was in the alley.

Smokehouse 52 was busy serving Piggy Parfaits to hungry people.

What’s a Piggy Parfait? It’s baked beans, pulled pork, barbecue sauce, and coleslaw, and it’s all in a cup so it’s easy to carry and eat while you’re walking. If it sounds delicious, that’s because IT IS. I know more than a few locals who look forward all week to a Thursday evening Piggy Parfait. If you haven’t yet had one, come to Chelsea next Thursday evening and try one!

Meanwhile, Cash is King was still entertaining the crowd. Several kids had acquired balloon creations and were busy staging what appeared to be sword fights with their balloons…even when their balloon creations weren’t swords. (Never underestimate the power of a child’s imagination.)

I wasn’t kidding when I said the crowd was having fun.

These guys even brought back some vintage dance moves!

Remember the sleepy little guy from earlier in the post? He woke up, and he approved of Cash is King, too.

Don’t miss out on the fun next week! Come check out Sounds & Sights in downtown Chelsea next Thursday — and every Thursday through mid-August — from 6:30-8:30pm.

Detroit’s Historic Fort Wayne: 29 June 2014

After the vintage base ball matches ended, I spent some time exploring the original Fort Wayne. (I took a quick drive around the rest of the property, but I spent most of my time inside the original fort.) Before I get to the photos from inside the fort, let’s get the less pleasant stuff out of the way. Be sure to read the whole post — the photos get happier, and I want to stress this: the fort is well worth a visit.

When you enter the grounds, you see a number of old buildings. A few of them are in good shape, but some of them look a lot like this one:

It’s sad to see such a fascinating part of Detroit’s history rotting away like that, but right now that’s the sad reality of a bankrupt city. More distressingly, even parts of the Civil War-era wall of the original fort — the historical centerpiece of the facility — are crumbling:

Let’s hope this piece of history is fully preserved before it crumbles too much.

Okay, on to happier photos. One of two buildings within the original fort walls is the barracks, seen on the right here:

That building has been well-preserved. Here’s a closer look at the limestone exterior:

A brick addition was constructed in 1861:

The only other structure within the original fort is the powder magazine. it’s built into the side of the hills that form the interior of the fort’s walls, with a gap and a second wall separating the magazine from the earth (and a gutter keeping moisture away from the magazine). To say it’s solidly built would be an understatement.

Quick, everyone say hi to Mike!

On either side of the magazine entrance, there are narrow stairs leading around the magazine up the hill. They’re not exactly OSHA approved, so they get their own signage:

Take another look at this photo, this time paying closer attention to the far corner. See the two tunnel entrances?

Those tunnels lead under the walls to gun emplacements. They’ve been around a while.

Here’s the ceiling of one of the tunnels:

And here’s how the gun emplacements look from the outside:

There are narrower ports, too.

The tunnels also lead outside the fort, and when I wandered through the very sturdy exterior doors, I saw some enterprising plant life finding a home in the exterior wall.

This was my first visit to Fort Wayne, and I hope it’s not my last. If you get a chance, please stop by and check it out — again, it’s well worth a visit. (Even better, check out the list of events at the fort and go to a vintage base ball game — the Early Risers are a friendly bunch!)

Vintage Base Ball at Detroit’s Historic Fort Wayne: 29 June 2014

The Monitors and the Merries traveled to Detroit’s historic Fort Wayne to play matches against the Early Risers and the River Belles. (If you’re not familiar with the Fort Wayne that isn’t a city in Indiana, check out the history of the star-shaped fort on the Detroit River.) I’d been looking forward to these matches for weeks. Why? Because these matches were played not on the adjacent parade grounds, but inside the fort itself! Here’s a look at the field from behind home:

The building on the right is the original barracks. The hills lead up to the top of the walls — and provide an excellent viewing angle for spectators! — and the main gate is out of the frame to the right. At the far corner you can see the entrances to two tunnels; keep those in mind (both for later in this post and for another post to come). The quirks of the fort’s field presented a few extra challenges to the ballists, but when it comes to authentic venues for vintage base ball, Fort Wayne is about as good as it gets.

Also notable: this was the Merries’ first-ever full match! HUZZAH!

There was a good play at the plate:

That photo is one of a burst of seven, and the sequence was too much fun not to animate:

Remember the tunnels at the far corner? You can see one entrance in the background of this photo:

The match ended in the rain, but the Merries were all smiles.

Both the Merries and the River Belles have a player with the same nickname. Here are both Half Pints together.

Together, they’re a Pint!

After a brief warmup, the Monitors took the field against the Early Risers.

Here’s another photo with a tunnel entrance in the background:

Note the paved path on the right side of the photo. If a ball was hit hard and bounced on the path, it could bounce near or even into a tunnel. In fact, one hit did make it all the way to a tunnel. Like I said, extra challenges.