Dear Nicalai,
Here’s a trick question: what do old people do in Ann Arbor? Before we visited Thomas and Nancy there, I would have answered: walk very slowly, stop a lot to look at birds, nap, talk about ailments, and nap some more. What would you have said? Maybe I’ve spent too much time with Papa.
We stayed with old friends Thomas & Nancy in Ann Arbor, Michigan
Well, I bet you wouldn’t have said this: Go see a classic movie, “On the Waterfront,” — now you won’t believe this! — where The New York Philharmonic Orchestra plays (live!) the sound track, right in front of you. I’ve got to get Nona and Papa to take me to more of these movies!
Here we are in Rackham Auditorium on the U of M campus to see “On the Waterfront.” Thomas and Nancy volunteer as ushers, so we sat with them up in the balcony.
Also, I bet you wouldn’t have said old people in Ann Arbor do this, either: go sailing on a windy fall day. That’s what Thomas and Papa did. Papa took me along. Also, a really nice guy, Paul, went along, but he wasn’t old.
Thomas backed the sail boat trailer down a ramp and right into the lake. Then the boat could float off and be pulled by rope to the dock.
Once the sail boat was tied up at the dock, we all got into it. A gust of wind took us zooming across Lake Whitmore. “Hold on to me, Papa,” I screamed, “or I’m a goner!”
Captain Thomas at the helm and old passenger, Papa, hanging on.
Thomas is a speed demon. As Captain, he steered the ship. Paul served as first mate. He controlled the sails. Papa’s job was just to stay in the boat and keep me from falling into the lake. He lacks experience but got the job done — just barely.
So that’s what old people — plus a plastic Jurassic — did in Ann Arbor. I know because I was there. Next stop Ohio. We’re going to rent a car and drive there. Nona told me, “Solbit, we’re going on a road trip next, all the way to Washington, DC.” That means we’ll be at Uncle Tom and Barbara’s in time for Thanksgiving. Bye.
I’m your friend.
Love,
Solbit
October 2015
*New reader? Get oriented below.
- You may be asking yourself, “Who is Solbit?” Solbit is a fictional character, but she is a real plastic dinosaur, sent to us unsolicited in a package we ordered from Photojojo. So, she’s a plastic jurassic. Solbit is short for the four names given her by our grandchildren: Sparkle, Orangie, Lulu, Breakit. We tend to use her given names for when she’s been naughty. Thank you for visiting Tales of a Plastic Jurassic. Solbit likes company and hopes you’ll come back.
- You can learn more about Solbit at her About page and in the earlier posts, “Solbit: How I Got My Name” and “Solbit: How I Got to Travel.”
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