weekend in Michigan
Ann Arbor DIY Fest, originally uploaded by artnoose.
I just got back from a weekend in Detroit and Ann Arbor. It was sort of a haphazard vacation, sparked because G. had told me that Auryn had extra space in their tour van. The van of course--- of course!--- broke down, this time before the tour even started, and they had to borrow a car at the last minute. Somehow they squeezed me in and we were off to Detroit. Auryn played at Trumbullplex which was my second time having gone there. I really like that place, and even though I'm sure it has its drawbacks, it heartened my otherwise occasionally disheartened self about the power of collective living and urban farming. Yes, it really works.
We spent the night with a former resident who now lives in a nearby house with a housemate and cat. It was a beautiful old house that reminded me a little of Pittsburgh. In the morning I met up with Lorraine Perlman. We went out for lunch and then walked down by the river for a while. It was a really great time and I look forward to hanging out with her again if I'm back in town.
Really just to make a weekend of it, I went to Ann Arbor on Sunday and managed to catch most of the Ann Arbor DIY Fest, where I learned how to make soda pop and worm composting bins. The house there is called Hotel Midwest and is another awesome example of collective living. They have two houses on one lot, with a greenhouse and see-saw in the middle. You can't see from this picture but there's a huge garden in the front. I slept in a former bedroom that had been converted into an art studio. On Monday I met with a bookbinder who had a Ludlow machine that I got to see in action. Then I hung out with my librarian friend J. and came home today. It was a relaxing weekend with fantastic weather but I'm glad to be back home. I get to taste my homemade soda pop in a couple of days.