I was so sleepy when I scooted through the Nickels Arcade last night (Friday) and stopped to take this photo. And I still had an hour-long drive before I'd be home.
It had been a VERY long day that had started with my getting up at 7 a.m. By 8:15 a.m. I was in my minivan making the 50 mile/80 km trip to join Susan and a busload of students at the Slusser Art Gallery on the campus of the University of Michigan. We wanted these fifth graders to see their drawings hanging in the "Aging With Attitude" art exhibit. After seeing the show and eating our bag lunches we went to The Scrap Box, a recycled crafts center on the other side of Ann Arbor. Once there, the kids and the three mothers who'd accompanied them made wonderfully imaginative puppets out of all kinds of strange bits of foam, strings and assorted materials. At 1:30 p.m. they were in the bus heading back to school, and I was on my way to Gallop Park. Once there I parked in a lot beside the Huron River and laid down on the back seat of my minivan. I closed my eyes and took a short nap until my cell phone woke me. I then went outside and spent precious time out in nature.
After that, I did my usual Ann Arbor "things" which included first buying a blouse on sale at my favorite store, and then buying a book on photography at an independent book store I like to support. I had an early supper of samosas, chana masala and sweet lassi at an Indian restaurant I like, and then scooted over to the Rackham Auditorium. I'd read that there was to be a celebration of William Bolcom, the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer/professor, on the occasion of his retirement after 35 years teaching in the Music Department at the University of Michigan. Since it was free I figured I'd do well to get there early. And I was right. It was well and enthusiastically attended by former students, faculty and lots of people like me who know and admire this creative genius. The program included excerpts from some of his many compositions, including ragtime piano, opera, jazz, experimental music, Broadway musicals, cabaret songs and classical sonatas. To read about William Bolcom, CLICK HERE.
After the concert I stopped in at Amer's Deli on State Street for a yummy lemon bar. And it was then that I scooted through the Nickels Arcade on my way to the garage to pick up my car. I was home safe and sound by 12:15 a.m. Of course I still needed to download my photos and put one up on my photo blog. I finally went to bed at 1:45 a.m. Oh my, that bed felt good! I was asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow.
