Yesterday was my 44th birthday, so Andy and I took the day off to celebrate.
We started out with the traditional beer lunch at the Winchester, one of our favorite places to eat (and drink beer) in Grand Rapids. We prefer going for lunch, rather than dinner, because it gets very busy and loud in the evenings. We're too old now to enjoy squinting at a menu in the dark and yelling conversation at each other, so we go there for lunch instead. If you go, make sure you have the green chili. This is something I haven't eaten since visiting New Mexico (way back when I lived in Colorado), and it is so good!
Mr. Handsome.
The woman who was our waitress at dinner said my hair reminded me of her grandma. Another person might take offense at that, but not me! I'm all about the grannies.
Last year we started the day at the Winchester, too, and then we went to the zoo and watched the capybaras swimming in their pool. Last year it was 85 degrees on my birthday. This year it was 20 degrees and snowing. Ah, March in the midwest--how it laughs at us! (I truly do prefer the winter weather to the summer weather in March; it makes more sense in Michigan. Last year's early heat wave helped kill off all the local fruit crops. It was a disaster.)
 |
| Topgraphical map of Michigan. |
This year we headed to the Grand Rapids Public Museum to check out the Titanic exhibit, which was pretty nifty. It told the story of the Titanic mostly through artifacts that have been excavated from the wreck. I was surprised to see how many items had been retrieved. The exhibit was quite well done, with ship sound effects adding to the overall effect, and quotes and stories from various passengers. Mine and Andy's only quibble were that there were a couple clothing props used that were clearly--to us anyway--not of the era. (One was a striped 1970s JC Penney's shirt with the tag still on it, masquerading as a shirt in an Edwardian era third class passenger's suitcase. Yeah, kinda silly detail and it probably only bothered us due to the nature of our work...but they could at least have taken the JC Penney label off.)
Oh, and when we were about 2/3 through the exhibit, a school group came in. The kids weren't bad or anything, but suddenly this lovely, quiet experience was chaos and noise. I probably wouldn't have minded so much if we hadn't paid $17.00 each to see it. (Signs of aging: grumbling about the kids, prices, noise, and lack of authenticity in a museum exhibit. Bring on the Geritol! I am a curmudgeon!)
This is Andy pointing out Lake Freska on the topographical map of Kent County.
We couldn't leave the museum without a stop in my favorite room, this Victorian era specimens room, which is filled with displays of rocks, minerals, coral, skulls, and poor, creepy taxidermied animals.
It was an excellent birthday!
xo
K
.JPG)
Posts
