Tini Bikini Building ~ 4/23/15

The day started with another tour of the soon to be purchased ex-Tini Bikini Bar, which was to become the new home of Heartside Ministry & Art Studio (that did not happen).

I hadn't been in the basement yet due to the dark and lack of flashlights. And here it is - eww!

The main floor and the two upper floors looked the same other than water damage that occurred over the winter.

And repairs of the front from the driving-into-the-window-incident last year revealed original tiling and a painted over tin ceiling.

The musty smell and bad atmosphere were palpable to everyone.

Heartside Ministry never bought the building and as of December 2023 the building is still vacant.

Tini Bikini Photos to date

Smokey and Spring ~ 4/18/15

We finally hit the 70s and no Michigander would have been caught dead inside today.  A little yard work was in order and then relaxing with Smokey who is all about relaxing.

It finally got a little warm for this fat cat and she had to find shade.

She later joined me for a little reading and appreciated the newly cleaned out birdbaths.

It's staying light so wonderfully long now and I like to take a pass through the yard and the edge of the woods to take photos in the setting light. Hyacinths and forsythia are joining the daffodil party, and what could be better than flowers, happy cats, and happy people in this long-awaited happy spring. Cheers!

 

Random Moments of a Day ~ 4/16/15

I love my job. But having said that, I really love my days off.  The work/off ratio is 3:2 so those two days are treasures. And today was no exception. After lounging about drinking tea, reading the news, and doing laundry, I met my son for lunch at Murphy's Family Restaurant that we found by driving down Lake Michigan Drive looking for a restaurant we'd hadn't already been to.

It was old timey dining at its best. The waitresses knew the customers and my son was the youngest person there by decades. The breakfasts were fine and just what you would expect in a small town, family-owned place.

A stop at Mejjers to pick up a few things found no carts available and a suited employee on the phone trying to find out what went amiss.

Some photos from the road gave me men not working and smart phones at bus stops.

Back home the cheery daffodils called to me for more photos and I took these laying down on the driveway. It's not so easy getting up so appreciate the angles :-)

And the lovely Smokey is always around to keep me company. Cheers to enjoying the random moments of each day, wherever you are!

 

Daffadowndilly ~ 4/12/15

The title is credited to Nathaniel Hawthorn but the poem is uncredited, other than to Mother Goose. Slight variations exist but here's the one that makes the most sense rhythmically:

Daffadowndilly

Has come up to town,

In a yellow petticoat

And a pretty green gown.

Today was the first day the daffodils bloomed in my yard so daffadowndilly cheers to you all!

 

Finally Signs of Spring ~ April 6 - 11, 2015

It's been a long time coming. Winter wasn't as bad as last year but this spring has been cold. Finally we got a little break and the crocus responded.

Smokey, as per usual, likes to walk into the picture :-)

And fat cat Ali was enjoying a little sun.

But the crocus ruled the day.

A few days later, a constant rain & slowly increasing temperatures caused a deep fog.

It also afforded some nice photo opportunities.

And today we hit 60 degrees on a very sunny day. The birds can now be heard singing constantly and this titmouse stopped by for a quick bath.

More flowers are joining or priming to become part of the panoply of spring.

And we're all happy about that, even if you're on the outside looking in.