Sunday I returned from a trip up north I took to help my parents move out of the house they sold. I was gone for less than two weeks, but it didn’t seem I was gone too terribly long because I was so busy helping my parents get settled into their new place. I don’t think Paul fared quite as well. He’s very happy to have me back home. Mostly because with me here he doesn’t have to cook for himself or do nearly as many chores. I think he did remarkably well for himself while I was away. When I came home, the house was clean, some much needed yard work had been done, and he’d even gone out and bought groceries.
Luckily my trip to Michigan didn’t involve only hard work. We managed to find time to do things away from the new duplex. The highlight was the trip we took into Flint. I know Flint isn’t much of a day trip, but a few days earlier I had read an article in the local paper about an M.C. Escher exhibit that was opening the next day at the Flint Institute of Art. The exhibit was nice. There were 80 different works on display including my favorite print. We met up with Leatha and Carl there. I think part of the fun was listening to my dad, aunt, and uncle discuss the different prints that were hanging. The three of them were not as familiar with Escher’s work as my mother and I were. It was particularly interesting listening to them discover just what was impossible about the impossible structures. I also enjoyed revisiting the rest of the museum. I had been the the Flint Institute of Art about 13 years earlier, and it’s changed a lot since then. So much so that I didn’t recognize it until I worked my way back to a few of the older galleries.
I also ate pretty atrociously while I was gone. I’ve gotten so used to preparing most of my own meals that all the dining out was a little rough and probably awful for me. I ate a blizzard on 3 different occasions while I was there. Partially because the DQ here is so awful we never bother going but mostly because my mom is such and enabler. (I think all mom’s are, it must be part of the job description.)
My parents did manage to take me me to a few places I’d never been before. There was a barbecue place called Smokey Bones that was pretty good. Although I wish I had ordered what my mom had gotten instead of what I chose. My food wasn’t bad or anything, hers just looked so much better.
We also went to a Lebanese restaurant. I have never had middle eastern food before. It wasn’t quite what I was expecting. I tried a variety of things and discovered that hummus, tahini and baba ganoush are all pretty nasty. The falafel and the tabooli were a little bit of wonderful. The stuffed grape leaves were okay, although the grape leaves were a bit strong, and the spinach in the spinach pie was overcooked or something. I’m glad for the experience though.
Mostly I’m glad to be home, with all the comforts it provides.