it's captivating

As you may recall, we left off as I was dropping alla to get food for santa’s deer.

I want overload you with the riddles and clues involved

But road food was required since on Christmas eve and day almost everything is closed

I think it’s easier to find food in Israel on kipur then food here on Christmas day

So bravely wearing a santa’s hat- Alla went to a pie store we both like to get – well pies… mmm

We don’t celebrate charismas of course but any holiday is a reason to have fun – and our next destination was the birth place of Santa

I am not converting just yet, but santa’s origin is a dude name kris cringle – which is German- so to a Germanfast we went- for schnitzel, potato pancakes with apple sauce and other German food

I was trying to fit the days activities to dates to be more interesting- so day 2 was a day around the world- since Santa goes everywhere to give gifts- except Israel- I don’t recall ever getting a Christmas gift (or perhaps I was naughty).

So how do you go around the world without leaving Ohio- and why would you want to?

The day begun with baskets- gift basket- we started with the world largest hand woven basket- in Dresden,ohio, moved to the largest apple basket in the world and then to the actual largest basket in the world- quite an impressive site

It’s very interesting to me that these little places take pride in seemingly meaningless facts. Take Sydney, ohio for example- a small industrial place – and the 1^st sign you see as you enter this town is- home of the 1^st civil war memorial building- not a major battle, no hero, no landmark- just the 1^st memorial. I don’t understand this, but moving on- time is short and the drive is long

So around the world turned out to be various world destinations of small towns in Ohio- 1 for each continent and a specific mission for each one- all while trying to do it in the amazing race style-

So Troy led to a mission on Paris (the guy who stole Helena , didn’t you see the movie?)- so finding something French In a town with not a single open shop was not easy- by my racer hit the mark when noticed my car’s license place in the colors of the French flag- this was more like a scavenger hunt- there is more than 1 answer for every question- and any original answer is accepted.

This was a problem when we hit Sydney, and I asked Alla to shoot an exotic animal, shoot it with the camera!- what was I thinking- it took her a second to point the camera at me- I guess I am kind of an odd bird- but mission accomplished

Russia was the espionage mission- we were both espionage trained from the espionage museum a few months back- so my spy made a dead drop- I need to think of more clever missions- it was too easy

We skipped lima and Angola for time issues

But did a detour to neighboring Indiana – for a non interesting point- the highest point in Indiana- which looks like all the areas around it- you can never tell this one is taller- it’s not even on top of a peak

Just a toppled sign on a side road. The importance of this site was shown to us by the appearance of other tourists, who came here all the way from Texas, just for this very spot!- it’s probably irrelevant- that they came for their family who lives close by- we looked at the map half full- a major landmark.

It’s a long Jewish American tradition to eat Chinese food  on Christmas day, since they are the only one who’s open- so after driving for hours to our destination and nothing was open – we found a china buffet. Sometimes it is better to go to bed hungry! I was told this tradition is done in areas of good Chinese food (I usually like it) but this was bad.

 

Days 3 was less eventful – Detroit proved less interesting then we thought- and I was not looking for much! But one good thing they did have- good middle eastern food- mediocre humus- but the Kabab in a wrap- was worth going to a cold and slushy Detroit.

Some shopping … and a movie- Marley and me- never read the book- but the movie is great- funny and sad with just the right amounts- gets 5 Labrador ratings

 

Day 4 (today) was the most interesting so far- in Ann Arbor Michigan (where we had that crazy party six  months ago)

It is a great quaint little town- cute houses, cute quality shops- a town that has something special- which you can’t explain but you know it’s there

Our morning destination was the hands on museum – which is a science museum – where you take the kids just an excuse to go- true – it Is for kids mostly- but it matters not.

They had a special event- a radio conversation with astronaut on the international space station- not a former guy, a live feed from the station itself- how often you get to do that? 1^st for me- even though the questions and answers were not something I did not know- it was quite exciting to listen to Mike – the current astronaut- his Russian comrade did not speak.

So now that we had proof that there was intelligent life outside the earth- we went for more practical missions- making ice cream.

We sit in a room full of parents with kids-  taking bags , with ice, salt, and ice cream solution- and pour this, shake that, open this and Viola ice cream was eaten directly from the plastic sandwich bag J

We spent a few more hours doing the various fit for kids activities- they had a tornado display- that you can blow on and move, you can play on a bowl with water and make the water dance- I don’t know why you would go to the art museum when you have such interesting things. Later we had a liquid nitrogen demonstration- the guy took a balloon and purred it in the liquid N, the balloon shrunk to a tiny ball , then let it out, and the balloon returned to its previous size- and lots of other such experiments.

Another good meal at a great deli – we don’t eat a lot- but when we do- we try to find great places.

In the afternoon we left Ann arbor and drove to a little state park for some hiking

My last winter hike was a mud hike- this was more real- walking in ice, snow and water- not the wisest thing to do with sneakers- I guess I missed the museum display of the affects of water on shoes

So we go to the woods, in coats and stuff, but today is unusually warm- there is snow everywhere and we walk with T-shirts , doing snow fighting and making snow angles.

We walk fast for ducks- since it’s so icy and slippery- fast with little steps- the water wets my socks- cold but bearable today- so we keep going- till we hear a shot.

This park has hunting areas- we didn’t know where this shot came from or what it was aimed at- and after a short while we had back- it was getting darker- a 2^nd shot was heard as we were about to leave- and something was probably about to die

Since then we (now she) is driving and we (I) is writing- on the way to the upper peninsula – we feel it’s not cold enough here.

We plan to do some dog sledging, snowshoeing, and some other snowy fun- while learning how to make fudge and sampling our produce

There were other small tales missed this week- I hope to remember them soon- but more fun is coming

And photos will too.