'etroit Lions

That's right--no D, no defense, Sunday against Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints who shredded the Lions for touchdowns on six consecutive possessions.  Not only was this game a terrible defensive performance, so is the entire season.  And remember, the defensive coordinator is Marinelli's son-in-law.  Lions fans were rather docile, saving their energy for the few good plays the Lions made.  Even Saints fans gave up cheering because it became too easy--no real competition.  We talked with some Saints fans and they empathize with us; they remember when their team was called the Aints.  Next Sunday the Lions can seal the deal by losing to the Packers in Green Bay.

The rest of the weekend was wonderful.  Saturday afternoon we visited Pewabic Pottery Museum and Store in Detroit.  Kathy and my second visit, Brenda's first.  Some items were the same, but for the most part the pottery was different.  Brenda thought it might be fun to see where it's made.  No tours of the "shop" but just a peek into the working areas just off the store.  Fortunately Kathy found a piece she liked this trip whereas last time she could not (or maybe there were just too many then).

Checked in at hotel and got ready for dinner and concert at Orchestra Hall--the holiday concert of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra Pops Series.  Great holiday music with some pieces we had not heard before--certainly not what one thinks of as traditional Christmas music.  Afterward a drive down Woodward to see the lights and the Christmas tree at Campus Martius Park with skaters on the nearby ice rink on our way back to the hotel.

It was so cold and windy that we decided Sunday morning after breakfast at the hotel to move the car from the hotel to our regular spot a couple blocks north of the stadium to cut our exposure to the elements cutting our walk from 20 minutes to 5.  Normally we would leave the car, walk to Ford Field, then return to pick up the car after the game. Kathy and Brenda found it painful to have skin exposed.  We've had only a few games where the elements have been that severe--thankful Ford Field is enclosed!

He's That Good

A couple years ago Kathy, Brenda and I were in Evart for the Osceola County Fair and stopped to watch a gospel singing group called the Sears Trio. They have been together for a long time and Kathy remembers her dad speaking highly of them. We had heard them several times before and enjoy very much their singing. On this occasion there was also another group entertaining, the New Reformation Jazz Band. A young twenty-two year old clarinetist caught our attention playing what sounded to me like Benny Goodman. (My folks had many BG 45 rpm records, aka vinyls, which I played until the grooves were smooth and I knew every song.) We were so impressed we looked up Dave Bennett on the Internet and tried to find if he was performing locally. He has a website but performances were not convenient either in location nor date.

And then, last Saturday, Bennett, now just twenty-four, performed with the DSO. And what a performance. Classic Benny Goodman songs with his own twist in a few places. Especially Sing, Sing, Sing, perhaps my favorite, which has a couple drum solos. He had members of the orchestra tapping their feet and slapping their thighs in time with his beat. And the woman singer was a chip off the old block of Peggy Lee or Rosemary Clooney.

I will still try to see where he is performing locally--he's that good.

A Weekend in the D...

for the NCAA Division I Midwest Regional and a DSO Pops Series Concert.

Friday afternoon we drove downtown to the Courtyard hotel on Jefferson at Brush, about 15 minute walk to Ford Field. We dropped the car with the valet and checked in where we were upgraded to a junior suite--bigger room including sofa, this one with a view of the Detroit River and Windsor. Fourteenth floor (but that would change--more on that below). During the weekend we saw several freighters both upbound and downbound, and broken ice--several miles long-- flowing from Lake Saint Clair to Lake Erie.

Left for the 7:10 game between Wisconsin and Davidson. Met a few UW fans in hotel elevator who were surprised we would be pulling for Wisconsin--they seemed very parochial, that only they from Wisconsin would be rooting for THEIR team. But they may not be typical. We eventually went back on our word and became Davidson fans. Tied at the half we wondered if either team would shoot well. Davidson owned the second half. Baby-faced sophomore Stephen Curry took over and shot the Wildcats to a double-digit victory with a great individual performance (later he was named Most Outstanding Player of the regional). Wondering why he was playing at DC, Kathy found out he was only 5'7" as a hs junior and the "big" schools would not touch him. I think it works in his favor that he got to such a selective school. The next morning UW fans at our hotel were like rats leaving a sinking ship. A quiet, somber mood among them.

After breakfast Saturday morning we drove up East Jefferson to Pewabic Pottery to see their store. A building in front of the store is being demolished drawing interested people to take pictures. We should have had breathing masks because of the dust. Interesting store with many fine pieces by a number of different artists. A huge kiln and racks of pottery being readied for firing were found behind the retail space. I saw many pieces that I wanted but the price kept the plastic in my wallet. Then drove through Grosse Pointes and back downtown to look for geocaches. Had many options and chose one at Mariner's Church and another at the Renaissance Center--found neither; will do more research so we can grab them later. Dinner at Fishbone's Rhythm Kitchen on the edge of Greektown, followed by a walk back to the hotel to dress for the DSO concert. A great concert featuring six singers belting out songs of the sixties accompanied by the DSO.

Let's get a good night's sleep. And we did, until 4 am when the smoke detector began chirping like it wanted a fresh battery and then went full blast like I was back at school! Called the front desk and was told, "Just remove the battery." I don't think so. "You should send someone up here soon!" was my reply. And a rent-a-cop showed up without a clue as to what to do. He called the front desk and, I suspect from hearing his responses, was told the same thing. Eventually, after we spent about a half hour in the hall protecting our ears from the noise, we were told our room would be changed to the twelfth floor. We packed it all up and, dressed in our finest robe and pj's, lumbered off to our new room led by one of the late night parking valets!!! Finally, back to bed.

After rising later than we planned and dressing for the day, we checked out and were given some accommodation for our inconvenience. Breakfast in Dearborn? Why not. Found a good family restaurant, Leon's, near one of our favorite burger shops, Miller's Bar. We were hoping for a good IMAX movie but nothing that interested us was playing at either the Henry Ford Museum or the Detroit Science Center. So let's just bum around Fairlane Shopping Center. Back to Ford Field where we found a parking spot where we normally park (could have used the hotel parking but thought we would get away from the stadium easier). Went into the stadium for the pregame color. And what a game! The best of the three. Close the entire game though I thought Kansas would begin to pull away from Davidson midway through the second half. But Davidson would not go away and could have won on a last second three-pointer had Kansas not played such tough defense that final 16 seconds. And, again, the star of the game was Stephen Curry. We look forward to seeing him next year.

Stopped by Pat Morrow's on the way home to pick up Tiger tickets we are buying through her son, Brian, for Wednesday's game. Let's get home and get some sleep--without a smoke alarm failure.

Three Days of Culture and a Lions Win

Thursday night we saw Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure, a superb production at Meadowbrook Theatre. Holmes, with his assistant Dr. Watson, finally vanquishes his nemesis Professor Moriarty. Typical Holmes logic and strategy leads to the final fight between Holmes and Moriarty above a great precipice. We are led to believe both are killed, but, alas, Holmes reveals himself in the last scene.

Jim and Sandy Bade organized another trip to Stratford, Ontario, this time to see the musical Oklahoma at the Festival Theatre Friday. We loved the show. Our seats were second row center so we could see all detail in costume, props, facial expression, etc. We were concerned at times that the dancers would fly off the stage into our laps! Before the show we took a tour of the warehouse for all the theatres in Stratford. 50,000 costumes, 10,000 pairs of shoes, thousands of props, shops for making and maintaining all this. Found it interesting that it takes about 7 support people working on a production for every actor in the production--costuming, wigs, set building, etc. We gained a new appreciation for the behind-the-scenes efforts. (Brenda, only a forty minute delay returning to US.)

Disney music was the theme for Saturday's Detroit Symphony Orchestra Pops Concert. All great music and we recognized that from the earlier movies, such as Snow White and Pinocchio, and some of the later that were made into stage musicals, such as Lion King, but were somewhat unfamiliar with the more current movies (Aladdin, The Hunchback, Hercules). We will try to check these out of the library and watch them this winter.

We stayed downtown overnight. In the morning we walked the International RiverWalk (map)from Rivard Park to Joe Louis Arena-- garden rest areas, a fountain, fishermen, joggers, Detroit Princess cruise boat, and a carousel closed for the season. Most impressive is an Underground Railroad commemorative near Hart Plaza that honors those who helped the "flight to freedom." Eventually the walk will go from JLA to east of Belle Isle. Cool temperatures and mostly cloudy sky invigorated us for a late breakfast and a walk to Ford Field. We made the transition from arts culture to sports culture.

Yep, the Lions are 6-2 after they thumped--I mean thumped--the Denver Broncos. It was such a one-sided game that fans left the stadium as if the Lions were getting thumped! The running game was effective early which opened passing lanes later. And although Kitna was not particularly effective from a completion percentage standpoint, he did execute a two-play 95-yard touchdown drive with two long completions. A few Bronco fans were around us, but they did not make much noise after halftime. Heading to the playoffs? Who knows. Their record at this point points in that direction, but they still have half a season. Green Bay twice, Minnesota, and New York Giants will be good tests.

Music from Alfred Hitchcock

Interesting presentation by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra on Saturday. Included with the music from four of his films was footage from the films themselves shown on a screen over the orchestra. It was, for me, difficult to observe the orchestra with the film showing on the screen, competing interests (perhaps more evidence of ADD). The music was terrific, the films wonderful. We are motivated to hope to see the films -- only North by Northwest has been seen recently.

Saturday also was our first event without Vern. We picked Pat up at her house and drove her to DSO. Dinner was at Paradise Cafe at Orchestra Hall. She seemed to handle it well, perhaps better than we did--lots of emotions.

A find start to our cultural season which will be different without Vern.

Then there are the Lions...

Detroit Symphony Orchestra...

Pops Concert last night was exceptional. Theme was big band music from the 1930s-40s with a few extras thrown in. To make it more speciaa, some of our favorite DSO musicians had featured solos on sax, trumpet, and trombone.

Interesting that we know names of DSO musicians like we know names of Detroit Tigers baseball players and Detroit Pistons basketball players!
And the musicians are not telecast like the sports players are. Does that matter? Of course it does--talk to your friends who know names of professional poker players and ask where they learned those names. But I digress...

I attribute my love of swing and big band style music to my early years--my mom and dad must have put me to sleep with that music playing on the radio. Later I collected albums, the LP vinyl disc variety, of the big bands--Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, Stan Kenton, Glenn Miller, Glen Grey were a few.

I left those albums at home when I moved out on my own thinking that I could grab them whenever I wanted. When I was ready to retrieve them, they were almost all gone, probably given away after my mother remarried. My bad. But maybe a blessing in disguise. With the sound quality of digital recordings superior to analog on vinyl, my current collection of replacement CDs gives greater enjoyment. Now to listen to the my new Benny Goodman....