The Presidential Entourage, Henry Ford Museum, Dearborn, MI 

In a Tale of Two Cities, Presidential-style, let's explore the differences between two towns as the President of the United States of America pays each a visit. The first photo collection is some photos I shot of the Presidential Visit to Henry Ford Museum outside of Detroit, Michigan. 

A helicopter flew around beginning approximately ten minutes prior to The Big Arrival. It hovered around, presumably surveying the scene, perhaps even with some snipers on board. There were snipers located on the rooftops surrounding the location. Look! There were even protesters, protesting something. Pretty majah, right. 

Whoa! And here comes the entourage! Check out those numbers- I think I counted thirty+ There's the President! And the windows of the surrounding vehicles were cracked open, probably with some type of weapon within reach. [pure speculation] 

Now, on to the next one. Another Presidential Visit- this time to Joe Biden's beloved Scranton. Please note that the vice-president did not accompany President Obama to Metro Detroit.

                                    Presidential Visit, Scranton, PA

We were on 81 after visiting Seven Tubs in Wilkes-Barre and pulled into the city because there were cops stationed at intervals on the highway. And MILES  of standstill traffic. It looked like the expressway was shut down.   

My mother instructed me to take a detour, so I pulled into the city- to avoid traffic, which turned out to be "Presidential Traffic." There was a traffic cop who stopped two cars in front of us while the President was rolling thru...  Now we understood the strategically placed police cars along the interstate.

This "bus tour" had little of the fanfare the Prez exhibits at other locales- at least not anything at all like the flashing light circus and endless entourage of secret service agents that accompanied him on his stop at the Henry Ford Museum the year before. 

There was a helicopter for that one. And he repelled down through the roof like that cat-burglar did into the Everhart Museum that one time. Just kidding. About the repelling. I can neither confirm nor deny how he entered the Henry Ford that day. 

As you can see, the Electric City version is low-key. President Obama paid the town a visit, with his trusty side-kick, the Vice-President, along for the ride. You can count the entourage; there's no comparison to the Michigan visit. Maybe because I caught the Presidential visit to Scranton on the back end + it was a different campaign. 

It's pretty cool that the kids have seen a Presidential entourage Comin' at ya Live! in two cities. Please note in the Scranton image set- the Coney Island restaurant. I thought all you Detroiters would appreciate that. The last photo is of The Glider Diner- Scranton's answer to our Coney Islands. The President actually ate here during one of his campaigns. Oddly enough, we had just eaten breakfast [I had Disco Fries + Corned Beef- yes, for bfast @9 a.m.- I'm an early riser] here that same morning the President was in town. Unbelievable but true. [actually- I ate bfast here three days in a row, so it's actually not that odd] 

And I would tell you what I thought about my breakfast at the Glider, but I'm not looking to start a Midwest vs. Northeast battle over breakfast. [but here's a hint as to which place is the 'champine' in this scenario] You remember the outcome of the music industry version of that. And we still have that ongoing family feud between Lafayette and American to contend with. 

In collaboration with Drinks X Design and Airea Studio, Art at Compuware is holding a design exhibition featuring work created by local artists and creatives. 

Thirst Innovation will showcase designs crafted from a single sheet of paper, reworked to create a single drinking vessel. Using imaginatively and skill, artists will use this simple medium and transform it into a completely new element- a cup. 

But wait- There's More! Click 'Read More' to get the full scoop...         ↓↓↓

When I was six, we made an igloo in the yard one snowy winter. It was big enough that four of us could fit inside. We hung photos inside on the walls and I pretended there was a tiny fire where we could roast marshmallows, the swirls of smoke swirling out of the non-existent chimney.  

I don't enjoy spending hours outside in the cold anymore, especially surrounded by snow. But I still love igloos. So yesterday, as the snow fell outside, we had an awesome time making an igloo inside. 

But wait- There's More! Click 'Read More' to get play-by-play instructions   ↓↓↓

One of my greatest dreams has been to spend an evening at an ice castle.

While driving around Colorado I discovered a postcard in some town I was exploring. It had a drawing of an ice castle on it, with a horse-drawn sleigh in the foreground. The problem was- the ice castle was built in 1887, and had melted that same year.

My love of ice castles has only grown deeper since then, seeping into the everyday life of those who aren't nearly as impressed with the subject  as I am. I make everyone watch documentaries about the "construction of an ice hotel." Repeatedly. 

No one ever wants to go with me on my expeditions. They are usually very specific and not popular with the crowd. [for example: a trip to New Mexico to recreate Ansel Adams' Moonrise over Hernandez. Yes- I totally did it. By myself. [And got yelled at by a guy with a shotgun- story some other time]  

This icy adventure to Quebec was no exception- nobody wanted to go. Except- guess what? Now I found that I could actually force someone to accompany me on my adventures- because now I had a child. How awesome is that! I was smart enough to leave the baby with my mom. 

So- yes. I brought a kindergartner with me to sleep on a block of ice.  To say it was cold would be the understatement of the century. My dream of sleeping in an ice castle had come true! But I really began questioning how this had ever made its way to the top of the list. 

But wait- There's More! Click 'Read More' to hear the unexpected outcome ↓↓↓

Ta-da! The punk from Punxsutawney saw his shadow this morning. Where does that leave us? With six more weeks of Winter, of course. This should come as no surprise since March 20 is the actual first day of spring, so really- it's going to be almost seven more weeks until spring. It's the same every year. I still love Punxsutawney Phil  + his taciturn predictions.