Life of Wry

My objective in spending time in Ann Arbor is to see Peter and Maya.. with a huge caveat. They are working full time and have all kinds of activities and commitments, so get together opportunities happen when they happen. This is 100% a-ok with me; I am not there to be entertained. I use the non-Peter/Maya time to take walks, go to cafes, write, read, catch up, do puzzes, see Lisa and Claire, and in between all that, hang out at the Burnt Toast and talk with Sarah. When Jim’s with me, we try to do other slightly more formal things like explore Detroit or other neighboring towns, explore U of M.. whatever we can find.

This morning I hung around the BT for the morning, then wandered to town and spent a couple early afternoon hours at Zingerman’s, browsed a couple shops, including State and Liberty (where we got Peter a Christmas gift card for a suit) and the Himalayan Bazaar (where I got an idea for a graduation gift).

Around 4:45, I headed out to meet Peter and Maya — post work — at the relatively new Lowertown Cafe (near Northside and Broadway Auto). On my way down there, B.A. called to say the car was ready (nice!) and I made it down there before they closed (or near enough). Drove across the street, parked, and met those fantastic kids for beers. Peter even treated (nice!). Lowertown’s a pretty nice spot! We even drank outside.

After that we had a great, if noisy, dinner at Mani Osteria, and after that spent some time at the B&B talking about our country’s march toward authoritarianism. The kids wanted a Gus fix, but he and Sarah were nowhere to be found.

In spite of the sunshine and the fact the temps are rising (Lisa said the days are 30 degrees warmer this week than last!), Ann Arbor’s still decked out in holiday regalia (as was Grinnell). Must be too cold to get up on cranes to take everything down, yet. This is what a downtown city street looks like in the winter…

This is what I’d consider a perfect (or at least perfectly acceptable) way to spend an Ann Arbor day.