The non-laboring Labor Day

Though I'm certainly not sick of or in need of escape from my new city, I took advantage of the long holiday weekend to visit Julia in Michigan. Rather than drive (I'm not giving up my parking space for nothin'!), I took the train to Michigan City, IN, near the border of Indiana & Michigan, where Julia picked me up and we drove back to Kalamazoo.

I love riding trains. You meet the strangest people, like the woman who sat across from me on the way home, dressed in multiple layers (despite the heat) and who opened her attache case every couple minutes to remove a bottle of disenfectant spray (a Lysol knock-off) and then peeling back the layers of clothes, would spray herself on the chest, just below her throat. She explained to me it was to "keep cool and cover up her smell" as she smokes. Alrighty then!

As we crossed the border into Michigan, I made Julia pull-off into the Welcome Center to add to my growing collection of border-sign photos. There wasn't a good sign, so we posed in front of the state map. Though Julia is a local, I made her get it on the fun.


In addition to going to church, getting a driving tour of Kalamazoo and lunching with Jules' family, we headed to Battle Creek, MI for an Obama/Biden rally. Regardless of one's political opinion, it's always exciting to be in such an environment and have the opportunity to hear a presidential candidate speak in person. Though the wait was long and all the tall people seemed to be standing in front of us blocking the view, we made friends with some in our immediate vicinity. (More photos HERE.)






The following morning we made a tasty breakfast, baked a cake and on the way back to the train, explored some sand dunes along Lake Michigan.




And of course I had to get a shot of the Indiana border sign (even if it meant Julia pulling over on the side of a major highway :-).

Thanks Jules for being such a great hostess!