Greenfield Village is a trip in itself – spent seven hours there and could have stayed longer had my dogs held up. Henry gathered up historic homes (and in the case of Edison’s lab, a couple inches of dirt) and transported them all to Dearborn to create this historic    village.  The final Wright Bros. bicycle shop is here along with Henry’s farmhouse birthplace

(picked up a recipe for apple tapioca), first Heinz horseradish factory, a cluster of Edison historic buildings, Harvey Firestone’s farm, Robert Frost’s home while visiting U of MI and so

many more.  Walked in on a 18^th century family having lunch they’d prepared on the open hearth and saw the recreated Edison Lab where Thomas demonstrated the first electrified 
buildings supplied by his power plant to over 3000 people who came from the New York area to be wowed. Another area held craft demonstrations including pottery, soldering tin ware, weaving and glassblowing.  Henry was meticulous about what was brought to the village and how it was constructed; however, Mrs. Ford insisted on having a garden completely under her

control. Also on the grounds is the Ford Academy, a public magnet high school emphasizing research and technology.  Had a bit of a scare when I left the Noah Webster house and realized my camera was missing.  The warning (which I’d ignored) of having all your pictures on one thumb drive raced through my mind.  Luckily, I backtracked and it was sitting on the bench where I’d watched the Webster film on his contribution to public education and development of the American dictionary.  Whew! 

Next day was four hours in the Henry Ford Museum, another incredible accumulation of displays, the largest of which is a train, including the locomotive.  The largest concentration is the collection of automobiles and their progression from Henry’s first through the evolution of styles

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through the years. Also didn’t know that Henry had dabbled briefly in the airplane business. History is also recounted and I paused at the limo which carried Jack & Jackie in Dallas and
the chair that held Lincoln at Ford Theater. A walk through our war history, civil rights movement and women’s suffrage are also recounted as well as displays of furniture styles.  Even did an Avatar video with stage directions given by director, James Cameron. There’s a huge wall painting depicting the dinner held to honor Thomas Edison with mini-portraits of all 262 attendees. A numbered reproduction accompanied by the list of names is also there.  

Moved on up the lake to Port Huron.  There are several sculptures along the waterfront as well as a huge bridge connecting it with Canada.  I met a lovely Canadian couple who had come over to do some shopping. They were farmers who had also done quite a bit of traveling in their covered pick-up named Powder-puff. Although they looked like characters out of Duck Dynasty, they proudly told the story of celebrating their 40^th anniversary in an $800 a day hotel in Banff Springs.

The outer edge of the “thumb” drive is dotted with beautiful stop-off areas overlooking Lake Huron and a string of county and state parks. The Petroglyphs Forest exhibit was closed as well as Huron City.  It was built by a lumber baron, Langdon Hubbard, who built the house called Seven Gables.  Langdon’s daughter married Yale law professor, William Lyon Phelps who summered there and served as minister.  The town was then deeded to a foundation which restored it and had it declared an historic site.

Stayed in at the top of the "thumb" , Port Austin and think I was the only guest in the motel.  Took a walk along the lake and then the three block long downtown.  There’s a lovely beach and park. Can only imagine what it’s like here in the summer. Left Port Austin to the sound of shotgun sounds in the distance so I guess hunting season has begun.  Best I keep my head down.

Decided to wait out the rain in Midland.  Took a look at the downtown Tridge that spans the Chippawa and Tittabawassee Rivers.  Midland is the corporate headquarters for Dow Chemical and their influence is felt throughout the town.  Between showers, I took a stroll through the 110 acre Dow Gardens (the former Dow estate) and saw an ad in a local restaurant for a performance of the Midland Symphony of “Under An Indigo Sky”.  Perfect for a rainy day. 

There was an interesting discussion before the performance between the conductor and the composer and the featured violinist (both living in South Carolina).  The three movements were meant to portray the river country, the coastal area and the Blue Ridge Mountains of the state.  For a while, I felt was back there.  Toss in some Mozart, Mendelssohn and delightful people on both sides of me and it was a very enjoyable evening.

Headed back up the coast to Au Sable and stayed at a beachfront place. Again, pretty deserted.  When the season ends, it really ends.  Got up early and braved the winds to watch the cloud-diffused sunrise. Found a beautiful drive along the
Au Sable River that took me to the Lumberman’s Monument.  Like New England, the pine woods were leveled by the timber industry.  Trees had to be cut in the winter so they could be

moved along icy, snow-covered paths to the river where they were stacked until the spring thaw and moved down the river to the sawmills. By 1900, the barren land was a wasteland and state preserves were set up.  Roosevelt’s CCC replanted millions of trees (in Michigan & throughout the country) and the forests have returns.  We’re a lot smarter now and National Forests protect and teach forest management.