Kalamazoo and Saugatuck

Dave and I have been busy the past few days, running around Western Michigan visiting people and places. We saw a friend of mine from the Peace Corps in Ann Arbor, and then drove to Portage, where Dave used to live. We're staying with our friend Kellee.

I really dig this part of Michigan. It seems very clean, spacious and inexpensive. We went to downtown Kalamazoo a a few mornings ago and had breakfast at a granola-y kind of restaurant, and then walked around a bit. I was impressed with all the activities and cool shops downtown. We also went to a concert by some of Dave's musician friends before hopping in the car and speeding off to Battle Creek, for a performance by raucus comedienne Kathy Griffin at a big cheesy casino called FireKeepers. (A gambling casino is my idea of hell. All that noise, those flashing lights, the bad food. Bleah. Kathy made it bearable.)

Yesterday we went to Saugatuck, a resort town on Lake Michigan. We wandered around and popped into some little shops with local wine, antiques and stuff like that. I bought some old Florida postcards and managed to leave them on top of the car when we drove away to lunch. When I realized what I'd done (about an hour later) we went back and the postcards were still there, lying in the road. How lucky can you get?

We visited Oval Beach, a nice sandy stretch along the lake. I didn't get in the chilly water, but some people were swimming. It was enough for me to just see the lake and put my toes in.

(Photo: Downtown Kalamazoo.)

Detroit

We went into downtown Detroit on Monday and explored a bit. We took the dogs with us, so we were a bit limited in terms of where we could go. No plush hotel lobbies! No martinis!

Dave's dad had suggested we check out the riverwalk, a beautifully landscaped path that runs along the Detroit river. So we parked near the Renaissance Center and walked north to a small park, where we had a hot dog and sat out enjoying the day. My hot dog had just about everything in the world on it -- tomatoes, hot peppers. Dave called it "Chicago-style," which seems a bit municipally insulting when I'm eating it in Detroit, but whatever. We're all one, right?

We popped into the Renaissance Center so I could stop by Starbucks for a Detroit city mug. Then we drove west of the city to find the headquarters of the orchestra, and we passed through some dicey-looking areas where graffiti was plentiful. I got out of the car several times to shoot interesting stuff. I wish I could go back and spend more time there, but I didn't want to drive Dave crazy and I'm not sure when I would get back on my own. (Or even if it would be safe.)

We also took a drive through Dave's hometown of Grosse Ile. Then we spent yesterday cleaning out some boxes Dave has stored here -- old photos and yearbooks and stuff. We kept the memorabilia, but also loaded lots of bags for Goodwill. It's fun learning more about Dave's past and seeing it all first-hand!

(Photo: One of the buildings we encountered in the dicey part of town. Move in now! To be fair, most of downtown Detroit looks much better than this.)

Driving

We've arrived in the Detroit area after a fun drive yesterday across Pennsylvania and Ohio. (When you drive across it lengthwise, Pennsylvania seems to last forever, though I'm sure it can't compare to Texas!) I decided early on in our trip to pay attention to unusual place names. In New Jersey, we passed beneath both Rattlesnake Bridge Road and Petticoat Lane. In Pennsylvania we drove within a short distance of Lumber City, Glass City and Oil City -- and through a town with the wonderfully bucolic name of Snow Shoe. In Ohio I didn't notice any fun place names -- maybe Ohio is very serious, or maybe I was just tired!

We stopped for lunch in Clearfield, Pa., at Aunt Lu's Cafe, which is part of a big truck stop. Lots of locals in the restaurant, and quotes from famous people like Will Rogers and Neil Armstrong on the walls. I had blueberry pancakes. So home-town!

We're staying with Dave's parents, and they've been great hosts. Today we're off to Grosse Ile, the town where Dave grew up, and also to look around the city of Detroit a bit. We brought the dogs, so we're going to find a place to walk with them so they can get some exercise. They were great in the car, even all the way across the looooong stretch of Pennsylvania!

(Photo: Incongruously, Anna Maria Island last week.)

Off to Michigan

Tomorrow Dave and I are off to Michigan to visit his family and some friends. I'm going to see a friend from Peace Corps and an old friend from college, and Dave has lots of of folks to see too. Should be a whirlwind! We're planning a 10-day trip, but we're driving so we have lots of flexibility on where we need to be and when.

We're also taking the dogs, which will be an adventure!

I'm not taking my computer, though, so blogging may be a bit more sporadic until I return.

I ran five miles at the gym today, after finally figuring out how to operate the video units on the treadmills. I've been relying on my iPod for months because I couldn't figure out how to turn on the TVs! Of course it turned out to be easy, and I spent my whole run watching videos from the '80s, which were pretty awesome. Theme for the day: "Walk Like an Egyptian"!

(Photo: Anna Maria Island, last week.)

Moving On

Well, I'd like to say I've been living in a fog of married bliss the past few days, floating on air and honeymooning in some virtual Tahiti. But truth is, life has pretty much resumed its normal pace.

Not that I'm sad about that. I'm a person of routines, as we all know, so I love walking the dogs in the morning, having my coffee and cereal, working a bit, going to the gym and such. And that's exactly what the past two days have been like -- busy, busy, busy with everyday stuff.

I've had quite a bit to do on the freelancing front, with a couple of articles in the works. I also appeared on a local TV show with the mayor yesterday (the day after he performed our Civil Union, coincidentally) to discuss the hyperlocal news Web site. I went to the gym, and then last night I went to this talk about Houdini, which was pretty interesting.

I've had a little more activity on the job front, and also on the apartment-sale front. Nothing I want to describe in too much detail lest I be jinxed, but it's all promising.

Life goes on!

(Photo: Clouds after sunset last night, spotted as I walked home from the library.)

Civil Union-ed!

Dave and I had our Civil Union ceremony today. We agreed from the very beginning to keep it as simple as possible, so we didn't do rings or special vows or tuxedos or flowers. We went to City Hall and were married by the mayor, in his office, with our three witnesses looking on. In fact, we didn't even stand up. (We sat around a conference table, which I thought was a little weird.) We did wear suits, our one concession to formality.

Afterwards we adjourned to a gazebo behind City Hall and took some photos, and then headed out to brunch at the Skylark Diner. We treated two of our three witnesses, our friends David and Adam. Third witness Bill had to go to work.

I can't imagine how people pull together huge wedding ceremonies! We're thinking about having a party in a couple of weeks, and even that thought stresses me out a little.

But still -- holy cow -- I'm married! It's exciting, but a little strange, too. All my life, I never imagined I'd be here. I dated, sure, and I wanted a partner on some abstract level, but at the same time I wasn't terrified by the prospect of being permanently and happily single. In fact, I regarded it as likely. And I certainly never imagined marriage, coming of age as a gay man at a time when it was utterly impossible.

Yet here I am, a New Jersey suburbanite, with a patient, laid-back, funny, occasionally perplexing partner. During the past year and a half, my single, urban life collapsed and rose again as something else entirely. Happily, I feel like I'm still plain old me, just dealing with different daily habits and different sets of circumstances. The ins-and-outs of my breath are the same, the pulse of my bloodstream and the patterns of my thoughts. Soon I'll (hopefully) be getting a job and buying a car. Wow!

It's weird to think that when people in the future look back on my life, in an obituary or for genealogical purposes, using public records, today will figure so prominently. Just think: One of the single biggest events of my life. Today!

(Photo: Century plants blooming on Anna Maria Island, at sunrise. Century plants are a type of agave that live for decades before blooming once and then dying.)

Sock Monkey 2

A couple of years ago I did a post about a vintage store in Tampa called Sock Monkey. My friend Sarah had stopped there and was enthusiastic about all the fun stuff inside as well as the cool tile walls of the building (click the link for close-up pics). I'd always planned to visit, so I stopped by Sock Monkey on Sunday afternoon and was disappointed to find it completely closed.

In fact, the entire building was vacant, from what I could tell. Makes me wonder if Sarah's prediction that "someday this building will go" is coming to pass.

Dave and I are back home in New Jersey after an uneventful trip yesterday. We were somewhat delayed and didn't actually walk in our door until about 4:30 p.m. I unpacked while Dave hit the grocery store, and then Adam brought the dogs over. They were SO excited to see us!