I keep having to remind myself that really it isn't spring yet. Whenever I begin to get lulled by the beautiful sunshine and the fifty degree weather I have to remind myself of March 21st two years ago when we signed for this house in the middle of a snow storm and ended up stuck in Ann Arbor and staying with my parents. It was fun, but definitely a Michigan style spring. I am expecting at least one more of those episodes yet this year.

But still there are signs of spring all around us. At the library last Friday we were treated to a special "farm animals" story time, followed by a chance to touch and feed a variety of baby farm animals. What could possibly say spring more than bottle feeding a baby goat?

Maybe tiny peeping baby ducks?

How about maple syrup? On Saturday morning after swim class Jon took Calvin to a  special Parks and Rec presentation on maple syrup. Yummy. Calvin got a chance to crank the tap into the tree and also to taste some freshly made syrup.

Definitely signs of spring everywhere, even if we are in for at least one more snow.

It had been quite a while since I ventured into Detroit proper. In fact, I can't really remember the last time I was there, other than that I'm pretty sure it was before Calvin. There are lots of reasons to go to the Detroit and when I was in college I made it to the big city at least once a year, if not for a Lion's game, then maybe the Tigers, if not for a stage play, then maybe a musical performance, and the one event that kept us returning every frigid January was the North American International Auto Show.

Now, I could swear that the last time I went to the show was, well, not all that long ago, but if that were true, then Jon would remember having gone and he swears up and down that he has never been before this year, so that would mean that this was my first visit to that illustrious event in at least nine years. Nine years??? That's not possible, we're not that old, are we? At least we're not old enough to remember cars like this one that greeted us when we walked in the door.

On the other hand, there's nothing quite like seeing your firstborn climb into the driver's seat of a car to make you feel ancient, right? I can't tell you exactly what car he's sitting in here, but there's also a good shot of him sitting in a Corvette convertible.

The thing that most caught my attention this year was the very toned down atmosphere of the usually elaborate event. In comparison to years past (be those ever so long ago) it seemed that fewer representatives were breathing down your throat, far fewer elaborate stages were set, and exponentially fewer of those gratuitous, and often undesired, booklets were being shoved in your face. I can only imagine why (oh so tongue in cheek), and these seemed like vast improvements to me. It's hard to say which is the "greener" improvement, the paring down of printed materials, the decrease in materials used for elaborate but worthless displays, or the greater emphasis put on greener vehicles; the whole downstairs this year was dedicated to a test drive track for electric vehicles, and it was decorated with what seemed to be entirely reusable resources (as in still potted trees and plants).

A good time was had, in between chasing the quick little three year old who was intrigued by everything, that is. Between boxy cars displayed in boxes, trucks hung from the ceiling, and working engines displayed in cases...

his little legs just could not carry him fast enough to see it all, which was good because that way we were able to keep up.

I think his favorite thing about the whole trip, though, was the ride we took on the People Mover over to Greektown and back. The kid does love trains, and this is about the closest he's come to one since riding the El in Chicago while visiting Uncle Curtis (which makes Uncle Curtis, who also gave him train stuff for Christmas, a very popular fellow).

A quick tour on the People Mover is a great way to not really see Detroit. The only part of that tour that really caught our attention, besides decrepit buildings of course, was the view over the river into Windsor. And any trip that results in a stop at a little bakery for ice cream and mini mouse cakes is a winner in my book, although I don't recommend ever eating at the Parthenon for any reason whatsoever, even for the flaming cheese.

And on the way out we stepped back into the show for one last view of those last classy cars: My favorite, the Morgan, and everyone else's favorite... Mercedes anyone? All I can see is the Delorian from Back to the Future; it's those darn gull-wing doors.

If you don't know what that is, it's a movie. And not just any movie, but a 3-D movie. And not just any 3-D movie, but a phenomenal must-see beautiful glorious 3-D movie. A few weeks ago I had seen the title written several places and wasn't sure exactly what people were discussing, I was that off the grid, and if Curtis hadn't been in town over the holiday, and been so thrilled with his first viewing of the movie that he expounded vehemently on its multitude of charms and virtually goaded us into going, I'm not sure we would have gone, and that would most certainly have been a mistake. I have heard Curtis refer to the epic film as the Star Wars of our generation, and for all the camp and glory he just might be right. One thing is absolutely sure, this is an event as much as it is a movie; the audience, myself included, clapped at the end of the nearly three hour long film, and it wasn't even an opening night showing.

I loved it. We loved it. If we can find it in a nearby IMAX we will be going to see it again (and maybe even if we can't). This is the film of all films. Enough said.

Tomorrow is the day the milkman cometh, so today is the day we broke out the mixer and all sorts of other baking implements and set to work on a few batches of sugar and ginger bread cookies. I probably said this last year, too, but doing this always renews my sense of respect for those people who make and decorate Christmas cookies that are either a) beautiful and error-less, b) turned out in high quantities, or c) all of the above. It is a fun activity, though.

Our little village loves Christmas. All cities have their different way of celebrating the season. Dexter's version includes a weekend of sales, ice sculptures, reindeer, bazaars, tree lighting, feasts, and Santas. Last year we participated in all of the above, but this year the events were all scheduled for one day, and that day just happened to be Sinterklaasavond, so this year we were limited to the bazaars, the library book sale, and Santas.

Calvin thought breakfast with Santa at the Lighthouse Cafe was the bee's knees. What can be better than enjoying pancakes with blueberries and OJ while the big man in red asks you what you want for Chrismtas and continually lets out a jubliant "ho ho ho"? Jon and I enjoyed coffee and a rare meal of adult conversation, since the kid was so taken with watching St. Nick.

Breakfast energied us for the rush at the library book sale. Have I previously mentioned how fantastic our library book sales are? Well, forget it if I did. We don't need any more visitors—we'd like to keep all the books to ourselves. This trip supplied us with a few more classics (Portrait of a Lady! It's within the next few on my to read list, too) and the obligatory handful of children's books (when I picked Calvin up from his afternoon class last week his teacher mentioned to me how very obvious it was that he adores books—I was proud).

The book sale stop got us in the mood for shopping, so after that we hit up the three Christmas bazaars—the Girl Scouts (got a great handmade ornament), the senior center (got a few dandy flea market type items), and the musem (got some great hand mades). This was actually our first trip into the Dexter museum, and I'm intrigued enough to add it to our "must do in 2010" list. All the antiques (old fashioneds, according to Calvin) were pushed out of the way to make room for the various sale tables (hand mades and baked goods), and for Santa and Mrs. Claus (really, Mrs. Clause in a rather short and flirty claus outfit complete with tights and elf shoes). Calvin's second visit (of the day) with the man in red went equally as well as the first. He didn't want to leave.

All that shopping left us just hungry enough to hit up the Koney Island on the way home for their lunch with Santa event. That made Santa number three, and the activity never got old. Last year Calvin's first Santa visit was in the Dexter Gazebo, and we hadn't prepared him for the inevitable "what do you want?" quesiton. He answered with "an African wild dog" last year. This year we were just as lax in our preparation, but Calvin was equal to the task on his own—he had an entire list that he rattled off, clearly and precisely, to each and every Santa, and while the items may not have remained in the same order, they were all there. It also happens to be the same list that he worked out when talking to his grandmother about it a few weeks ago. There is something to be said for cosnistency, and for a good memory.