Dearborn Delights

It’s been a few days, but that doesn’t mean there hasn’t been fun to do. This week the kids were a smart and talented group, but for some reason listening and following directions was difficult for some. And I don’t mean that they wouldn’t stop talking or they were consciously making trouble, it was more like instructions wouldn’t register with them no matter how many different ways you explained yourself. Later on in the week it began to gel, but some of those earlier rehearsals were pretty tedious, especially for Mallory. Come show time Friday night, however, the kids astounded us by giving a dynamite performance. We’re learning that no matter how much you prepare during the week, when the lights go up, there is always something that surprises us in a good way.

One great thing about our hotel this week was something called a hot tub and another thing called a sauna. Great way to end a tiring day with the kids. Another fine thing was free tickets to the local tourist attraction: Greenfield Village at the Henry Ford Museum. In 1929, Henry Ford decided to build a village recreating life in the latter half of the 19th century, a living history museum celebrating America. He then proceeded to purchase historic buildings from all over the country and move them there, giving the Village examples of the variety American ingenuity and progress has to offer. The houses of Noah Webster and Robert Frost are there. So is a home built by slaves from Georgia. A 1860s tavern from southern Michigan serves up local beers (tasty) and authentic food from that day. Trade shops featuring tinsmithing, ceramics, and weaving show visitors how life was lived before modern mechanization and farms provide the wheat for bread baked onsite. It’s like a more authentic version of Walt Disney’s Main Street with a special emphasis on major turning points in American life. From Edison’s laboratory to a recreation of the Wright brothers’ bicycle shop, it’s quite a site. One of my favorite things to see there was a baseball game played by the rules of 1867. Definitely recognizable as baseball, but with a few key differences including underhand pitching, no gloves whatsoever, and an umpire who didn’t call strikes or balls.

And much to my delight, because of the large Arabic population in Dearborn, I got to have a childhood favorite for dinner one night: fool. Mmmm boy, love me that fool.