Brief outline of events from Monday to Wednesday - Flint and Detroit

Monday 6th August

Sloan Museum - We visited Flint's Cultural Center and the Sloan Museum. The Sloan contains exhibits documenting the history of the area; its native American days, the lumber trade and the development of the automobile industry. Unfortunately, the state has been hard hit by a falling demand for locally made cars (apparently, more people are now buying into non-American products).

Buick Gallery and Research Center - A large collection of vintage American vehicles and cars with bonnets as long the Nile. Gareth, I have photos that will drive you wild.

Cody's Friends - Monday evening we met up with one of Cody's closest school friends at a local bar in Flushing (I had Guinness - what else). Kyle is looking to train as a social worker in the Flint area and I could certainly see why he and Cody click. I was also encouraged to talk at length about England, which I'm always happy to do, and Kyle is now working on his Mancunian accent (oh boy!). If he's looking for a challenge I'll have to introduce him to the Geordies!!!
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Tuesday 7th August

We got off to a slightly later start than hoped for but we eventually decided that we would take a trip across to Detroit to see one or two museums, although we weren't certain which one we'd visit first; the decision was made for us when we got off the freeway and found ourselves closest to the Motown Museum. The museum is contained within two houses, where many of the Motown label records were recorded. It was a relatively short tour but with some interesting artifacts along the way. "The" white glove and hat worn by Michael Jackson were displayed in a secure glass container (after some smart Alec had stolen them, signed the guest register on the way out and returned with the item after a reward was offered). I found myself in an embarrassing predicament when I semi-volunteered to be one of The Supremes and was then asked to sing and dance, at which point it dawned on me that I do not possess the ability to sing AND dance (given that I do not possess the skill to do either of these in isolation with any real pizazz) at the same time.

Once we had finished at the Motown Centre we were low on time for visiting another museum, so Cody gave me a drive-through tour of downtown Detroit. I loved the skyline of the city and on reaching the Renaissance Centre Cody pointed out a white building, not more than a couple of miles away I'm guessing, on Canadian soil - in fact we drove right past the "Tunnel to Canada".
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Wednesday 8th August

Back to Detroit. Say, 2 hour drive. This time we pulled up at the Henry Ford Museum. The complex is huge, which forced us to make a choice between the exhibits centre and Greenfield Village; we chose the exhibits, due to the roasting heat outside and the refreshing air con inside. In fact, the air conditioning was so efficient that I had goose pimples by the end of the visit. There was so much to see in the museum that it's difficult to write about it all but we stood next to the JFK car, took a seat on the Rosa Parks bus (on the seat behind Rosa Parks) and, last but by no means least, posed next to a Wiener van.

Unitarian Universalism

Sunday 5th August

Sunday morning took us to the Flint Unitarian Universalist Church, where Cody is pianist for August. From what I understand, Unitarian Universalists are a non-denominational group of people who have come from all religions (although some are raised as UU's) and walks of life. Emphasis is placed on asking your own questions and not following a specific text.

I have always enjoyed the quiet thinking time that walking into an old church can offer but, as an agnostic, I have always felt uncomfortable in Christian church services and have struggled to understand many of the teachings of Christianity but the UU's are a very warm bunch, focused on "serving" other people in the most compassionate way possible and ensuring that everyone feels welcome - atheists, agnostics, visiting Brits, GLBT's. It gave me the contemplation time I needed, without the pressure of having to believe what the person next to me and the person beside them believes. Pleasant new experience!

Flushing and Flint

Thursday 2nd - Friday 3rd August

Once we had been greeted at the airport by Cody's Mum we picked up our baggage (which we weren't that confident about seeing again when it didn't appear for some time) and went for a meal at Bob Evans's, where I met Cody's Grandma Coyne and Aunt Georgia (and, as expected, both kind and welcoming people).

Flushing and Flint
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Flushing is roughly 75 minutes north of Detroit, on the lower Peninsula of Michigan State. The landscape is relatively flat but very beautiful. I was struck by the sheer amount of space, between houses, in peoples' gardens (in many cases one garden merging into another) and in public areas. The air feels fresh and the lack of street lights results in darker, clearer nights and a better night's sleep. __________________________________________________

When we arrived in Flushing we were greeted by flower pots decorated with both stars and stripes and the Union Jack (or is it the Union Flag?!), which Shannie had placed on her porch. What is really noticeable here is an open pride in the national flag - there are flag's everywhere, on buildings, porches, trains...EVERYWHERE!

Friday, Cody took me for a drive (it was nice to be driven around for a change and I'm sure it was a relief for Cody to drive on the "correct" side of the road again). I was fascinated by the multi-coloured wooden houses (this seems to be the most common style of housing in non-city areas) and the mail boxes planted along one side of the road... And did you know that the postal vans have their steering wheel on the right (as of British) side of the vehicle so that mail can be placed in the boxes quickly and without having to dismount!?! This seems very efficient in my opinion. We stopped off at Cody's High School for a few moments but I'll get more of a chance to experience the school in a week or so, when I teach at the band camps. There are some really beautiful wooded areas around Flushing too and the difference in tree species is quite noticeable. Friday evening, Cody's Mum took us to see a film, Hairspray, at the local cinema - definitely worth the trip out of an evening and, guess what, cinemas are just like they are in England ;-) .