Michigan - September 21, 2012

The title of this blog post is a bit misleading since we left the Michigan hotel (at 8:45 a.m.) and drove through Indiana to Illinois where we spent the day at two Chicago area locations.  The first was Brookfield Zoo, a place I remember visiting with family as a child.  Memory was also stimulated as, just before arriving at the zoo, we passed Riverside-Brookfield High School where I did my student teaching in 1966!  It was that experience which resulted in my deciding I did not want to be a teacher despite having spent my college years preparing for that profession.  So nostalgia was a key element in the first part of the day.

The Brookfield carousel is a new one (2006), an endangered species carousel which features animals at the zoo and/or those which are endangered so serves as an easygoing environmental lesson as well as a fun activity.  Because I enjoy zoos, I also made the effort to see some of the animals and found the pairing of real and carousel animals to be fun.

  

 

In addition to appreciating the carousel animals I had seen at the zoo, there were a number of other cute and charming animals represented.

Grabbed some lunch at the zoo to eat on the bus as we headed to our next destination.

We arrived at Sanfilippo in Barrington Hills, an upper, upper class suburb of Chicago, about 1 p.m.  This is a mansion, more akin to a European palace than a suburban home.  The building is 44,000 square feet, located on 57 acres.  Jasper Sanfilippo, son of a Sicilian immigrant, figured out how to mechanize the shelling of nuts and his company is now second only to Planters in the nut processing business.  Having made millions, he has been able to indulge his hobbies in a spectacular manner.  His love affair with musical machines began in the mid 1970s when he visited Knott's Berry Farm and  Disneyland which displayed nickelodeons and band organs.  He was captivated by their mechanical ingenuity as well as their music.  His collection now ranks among the largest in the world, ranging from Victrolas to all kinds of music boxes, mechanical organs, automatic pianos, and similar items.

                                          This is the grand stairway from the entryway to the house.

I was fascinated by the record players disguised, and used, as lamps.

 The centerpiece of his musical collection is the largest Wurlitzer pipe organ in existence housed in a music room which is 120 feet long, 64 feet wide, 42 feet tall and containing a balcony.  The basic organ was built in 1927 for the Riviera Theatre in Omaha.  It has been expanded to 80 ranks of pipes and also has a 32-note set of Tower Bells hung on each side of the room.  Our group was given an organ recital, the last part of which was accompaniment to a Laurel & Hardy silent film.  Great fun.

While all of this was fascinating, the primary reason for the NCA visit was the 1890 Eden Palais carousel which toured in France from 1890 through 1959.  It was in storage in several places in the U.S. until 1987 when Sanfilippo purchased it and built a separate carousel building near the mansion to house it.  We had a few peeks at the carousel during dinner which was served in the carousel building and then got to ride -- unfortunately most of us only one time because loading/unloading took a long time, and the bus had to leave by shortly after 7 for the return trip to Michigan (and loss of an hour in the time zone change).

Originally operated by steam engines (which have been restored), the carousel is now run by electric motors.  It is 46 feet in diameter, has 36 hand-carved horses, four ornate rocking gondolas, and a spinning lovers' tub.  It is incredibly ornate and gorgeous -- if a bit bumpy to ride.

The entry to the carousel is through an 89' by 42' carved facade with life-sized carved horses, giant art glass butterflies, a painting recreating an original that hangs in the Louvre, and a beautiful etched-glass entryway.  It was in front of this facade that tables were set up, and we ate our dinner.

When we arrived back at the St. Joseph hotel, it was almost 11:30, and I fell into bed, barely taking the time to undress.  Carousel conventions are not for the weak of body or spirit. . . .

Michigan - September 20, 2012

The bus left the hotel at 8 a.m.!  Unfortunately for me (not a morning person) these carousel trips tend to include early starts and long days riding the bus.  We were headed to Flint and the Genesee Co. Park, Crossroads Village.  Although we didn't have time to explore the various historical buildings moved onto the site, we did ride the historic Parker carousel and the historic Parker ferris wheel.  They both are speedy rides -- the carousel goes 10 mph and the ferris wheel whips around at 12 mph.  Because the carousel celebrated its 100th birthday this year (celebrations have gone on all summer), we were greeted with a birthday cake and an impressive cupcake display.

The carousel was fun, but a little difficult to ride -- even for an "expert" like me.  The animals are quite high up so getting on can be a challenge; the motion (more forward and back than up and down) causes one to slide back and forth; the speed makes holding on tightly an imperative.  These problems did not, of course, prevent my riding multiple times!

 

 

There was a delightful horse & cart ride for small children which we could look at but not ride.

The park also has a facsimile paddleboat ride on a lake created by damming the river system.  We took our box lunches and ate them on board while floating around -- quite pleasant.

At 1:30 we left Crossroads Village to drive further east to Greenfield Village in Dearborn, a suburb of Detroit.  In addition to many historic buildings and replicas that Henry Ford had brought together in a mish-mash of periods and styles, there is a historic wooden carousel, a 1913 Herschell-Spillman, which is quite lovely.  We were made very welcome and enjoyed riding as well as walking around the grounds a bit.

I liked this building                               

and enjoyed the variety of transportation shown.

But, of course, the best part was the carousel.

Riding on a frog -- a symbol of a Spillman Carousel.

                                             My roommate Marcia on a hippocampus. 

Upon leaving Greenfield Village, a little late of course, we drove partway back to St. Joseph, eating dinner at Cornwell's Turkeyville and arriving at the hotel about 10:30 p.m. -- a long but fun day.

Michigan - September 18-19, 2012

Amtrak left Chicago on time on Tuesday and arrived in St. Joseph, Michigan, only 15 minutes late.  The National Carousel Association (NCA) had a representative meet the train and drive us to the hotel, which is fewer than two blocks from the train station and overlooks Lake Michigan and the local beach.  Quite a lovely view.  Unfortunately, the train from the Twin Cities to Chicago which my roommate Marcia took was late by two hours so she missed the connecting train.  Because it happens so often, Amtrak was prepared and bussed all the Michigan passengers from Chicago to their destinations.  So by bedtime we were all tucked in.

There were some pre-activities for the convention on Wednesday during the day, but I'd decided not to participate.  Instead I used the time to rent a car to drive to Cassopolis (about an hour's drive away) where my cousin Margie (actually I believe she's my second cousin, once removed -- but who can figure that out?) is residing in a nursing home.  She appears to be doing well in this new home, benefiting from the fact that good friend/primary care giver Dianna is director of nursing at the home so is able to see her regularly and assure the best care.  

I learned the hard way that rental car companies no longer provide any maps to go with their cars.  They apparently want renters to pay for renting a GPS system, which of course I didn't want.  Fortunately a colleague of Dianna whom I'd called for help was able to provide directions, and I successfully arrived at the care center and enjoyed lunch and a nice visit with Margie.

Drove back to St. Joseph to get ready for the opening event of the convention.  There was a banquet with the usual (and some not so usual) speeches, and then we had the opportunity to see and ride on the Silver Beach Carousel, the host for the conference.  This is a new carousel which used the historic Silver Beach carousel as inspiration and guidance.

It's a community-themed carousel inspired by local people and institutions (especially local teams).  The six white horses on the carousel replicate the Charles Carmel carvings on the original Silver Beach carousel.  Thus this is a combination of the new and old and is truly a community endeavor of which the locals are justifiably proud.

In addition to the wonderful carousel Silver Beach has a small carousel museum, two band organs, and a wonderful train set-up which has a miniature amusement park as a part of it.

To bed well after midnight -- far too late for the early start planned for the full day of touring on Thursday.

Chicago Reunion and Visit - September 15-18, 2012

On Saturday, Sept. 15, I flew into O'Hare where I met Pat Jameson who'd just gotten in from Denver.  We shared transport into the city and met up with Mary Ellen Bergeron who'd flown in earlier from Washington, D.C.  In the late 1960's/early 70's we'd worked together at the Chicago Regional Office of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).  We each stayed with/retired from HUD but in different locations; nevertheless we've stayed friends and in touch.

Our hotel, Members' Club, was conveniently located on Wacker Drive, just off North Michigan Avenue and provided a pleasant base.

 But the most significant thing is that the hotel was just around the corner from 360 North Michigan Avenue, the location of the HUD office back in the 60's/70's.  So it was definitely old home week.

Because there was a movie being filmed (on and off) on both Saturday and Sunday, Wacker Drive was sporadically closed, sometimes to cars, sometimes to pedestrians as well.  Made getting to/from the hotel a bit problematic.  But it did provide interest as Pat and I sat enjoying some adult beverages at an outdoor restaurant while awaiting Mary Ellen's return on Saturday afternoon.

 


The weather was quite good -- mostly sunny and warmer than one might expect in mid-September.  We did a lot of walking, up and back on North Michigan several times.  No cows on display, but in celebration of the upcoming Ryder Cup event, there were decorated golf balls up and down Michigan, as shown in this picture with Mary Ellen and Pat.

On Sunday we did an Architectural boat tour on the Chicago River.  I'd done that tour 20-some years ago; there's a lot more happening on the River now than then.  It was a good opportunity to enjoy the gorgeous weather while seeing some of Chicago's interesting old and new architecture.  It is a beautiful city.

This is the old Montgomery Ward office and warehouse -- now a residential neighborhood. 

After the boat ride we explored Navy Pier -- the most-visited attraction in Illinois (so we were told several times).  The Ferris Wheel was fun, despite the continual repetition of Chicago Is My Kind of Town, badly done, over and over!

From the Ferris Wheel we got some nice views.  

 

































I got a head start on carousels (am going on from Chicago to the Carousel Convention) by observing this cute one on Navy Pier.

Our mutual friend, Inez Tremain, had worked with us at HUD in the "old days" but left the Department to be an attorney.  She stayed in Chicago and hosted us for Sunday evening dinner at her high rise apartment.  We enjoyed wine on her balcony before a delicious meal.

 

Monday we headed south on Michigan to visit Millenium Park.  We'd seen the "bean" before but enjoyed it.  Really fun sculpture.

And when so many names have changed (Sear's Tower is the Willis building, Marshall Field's is Macy's), I was delighted to see the Prudential Building, a landmark from my childhood, is still called Prudential.

By standing and watching for long enough, we saw the picture sculpture/water feature south of the bean do its spitting thing.  It's quite amusing, and the water provides a great playground for children.

Mary Ellen chose to go to the Art Institute, wanting to explore the new Modern wing, while Pat and I continued walking south through Grant Park to Buckingham Fountain.  Not being there at night we didn't see the lovely colored light display, but the fountain is gorgeous and impressive.

We walked back to the hotel where I got ready to head up to the north side (Andersonville neighborhood) to meet my brother Dave for dinner.  Took the El but turned the wrong way from the stop so walked 9 blocks instead of 3.  Dave was waiting for me; we had a good meal and a lot of conversation.





On Tuesday morning I took the bus north to meet friend Iris Larson at the Chicago Historical Society.  When I lived in Chicago, I walked, biked, and took the bus past the History Center regularly -- but had never gone in,  They had great exhibits and, because of reciprocity with the Minnesota Historical Society, admission was free!

This is a replica of the first El car which went to the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition.  Each of the "passengers" had a story to tell.  Iris and I listened eagerly.

And, in another precursor to the carousel convention, I saw this horse from the carousel at Riverview Amusement Park, which I loved going to as a child.  It was in the city and thus far enough from home in the south suburbs to make a trip to Riverview a real adventure resulting in very fond memories.

Just before we left the museum we explored the children's activities room.  Yes, I am still a "kid."

Returned to the hotel, gathered up my possessions, and headed to Union Station to catch the Amtrak for St. Joseph, Michigan, where the 2012 National Carousel Association convention is being held.  We'll be visiting a number of carousels (riding buses around the state) during the next five days.  My plan is to continue this blog -- time permitting.  So keep checking.