Rolling again...

Okay, we’re getting back on the horse.. so to speak.  New (solid state) hard drive has been inserted into old laptop, all software transferred, and things seem (with a nod to the technology gods) to be getting back to “normal”. And By God, we can resume recounting the trip to the Midwest.  By God..

But before we start, a heartfelt thanks to those who took a moment to give me some nice thoughts in regards to my &^%#@* shortness of breath issue.   Since I live my life through these postings I will give updates occasionally, but will not turn it into a pity party nor medical narrative..

So, where the hell were we?  Oh yeah, in Holland Michigan (my Dad’s home town) after completing phase one of giving the Morris Moody (called “Mose” by his friends) archives and memorabilia to institutions in Michigan.  We started our morning in Holland with a nice breakfast at the Courtyard

 Delivered by a wagon from some local farm

But to be fair, it was quite tasty, you have to work hard to screw up eggs and bacon.  The chef did come out from the kitchen to ask, a very pleasant guy.  It was really one of the nicer Courtyards we have stayed in.   Holland is a nice little town, although I wouldn’t beat myself to get back to the New Holland Brewing Company.  But we pointed the MOMSTER toward the southeast and next stop was East Lansing (My home town) and also home of

We decided to make more extensive tour the next day, since we were on a mission for now.   I must say that having spent my early life and college years there, one would think I would know my old Alma Mater:

(sing along optional):

On the banks of the Red Cedar,
There's a school that's known to all;
Its specialty is winning,
And those Spartans play good ball;
Spartan teams are never beaten,
All through the game they fight; etc….

(Hmmmm...)

like the back of my hand….. nope!  Needed a map to navigate around ("I don't remember that building!") although one monument was still prominent

Anyway, with the aid of the campus map, we did find our destination

Note the words that are near and dear to MFO’s heart..

She of course had coordinated our arrival with the curator who helped unload the MOMSTER and schlepp the stuff inside

This time there was not only stuff from the “Moody” side, but also from my Mother’s side, the “Craig” tree.   She grew up in Northern (lower) Michigan, around towns such as Millersburg, Onaway, and Rogers City.  Another story for perhaps another time, but her Father Frank (my granddad) was a photographer.  Before he opened his own Studio, he made a living by going around to the lumber camps and taking pictures of the lumberjacks and logging operations.  He would often live in “the bush” eating berries and competing with the Black Bears (so the story goes).  Part of the other story for the other time, my Mom’s sister opened a linen store in Petosky, home of the hoi polloi, and lived the high life..

Anyway back to MSU.  Finishing the donation, we went out to Okemos, and checked into our Fairfield out there.  As nice as our Holland Courtyard was, this was at the other end of the spectrum.  One of our friends (son of my parent’s good fiends) who remained local invited us out to his place on Lake Lansing, for a nice dinner

and enjoying the sunset.

The next day was quite full, and included two dining experiences.  I think we’ll sign off on this note, and hit those next time.   Each one called for a different strategy to

DFD