From a Distance....

Al and I played border crossers yesterday, and heading into scenic Windsor, Ontario to spend our incredible shrinking American Dollar (Old Currency-1.50 Canadian Dollar to every American Dollar; New Currency- 1.05 Canadian to every American Dollar). Like all good border towns, there's the good side and the bad side. Good side: Detroit, from across the river, looks like a shining beacon of all things light and good (See Photo 1). Bad side: Once into Detroit proper and out of the central district, you wish it was more "Canadian" (See photo 2), as decay, vacant lots, and mid-day hookers on Woodward Ave. make you think about 3rd world-isms and how rust belt border cities like Detroit make you think that we're the Jaurez in this El Paso/Jaurez border town. Lest you think I'm not pro-Detroit, as all Native residence of the Metro-Detroit-Area (MDA for those in the know) are, I still see hope amongst the ruins. And, like my mom, my pop, and every native Detroiter I know, I too say, "Detroit's really coming around!" and mean it. Distance has a way of making everything possible.

Sister City to Sister City, in search of a road more easily travelled

Still in Detroit, I've extended my family time by a couple of days. Had a terrific 4th of July Celebration with the Macro-Family and have visited the beach in Cananda (eh!) with nuclear folkies and Nephew Alexander, new love of my life. Whillst postponing my return to scenic New Jersey (Al and I look at our forthcoming 11 hour drive back to NJ with a healthy amount of inertia), I met up with fellow Fulbrighter (nee, JFMF'er) , Maureen, in the City that Hikone Dreams, Ann Arbor. After eating dinner, Mo and I, chaperoned by the intrepid Al, visited Hikone street (pronounced HI-Cone) in a no-so-scenic area of Ann Arbor. Ok, it was beyond not-so-scenic, as it was a dead-end street of a public housing project (as in ghetto). In all fairness to Ann Arbor, it was mighty swell of them to name a street after their amorous sister, Hikone, but sheeze, man, if the town leaders of Ann Arbor only knew how much Hikone extolled the virtues and scenic beauty of its sister in Michigan, they might have located it in a more scenic, less sketchy area of GO BLUE's home town. Al and I will make the long journey back to NJ on Friday, almost 5 days later and 10 lbs. heavier than expected.

When in Detroit....

After leaving New Jersey before 4am on Sunday morning, Al and I made it to scenic Detroit by 1 in the afternoon.The 24 hour turn around has got my head turning around and made me subject to waves of uncharacteristic fatigue. Once we entered the front door of mom and pop's, we were greeted by mom and pop who bore OODLES of cousa (small zucchini-like squash filled with rice and meat and cooked in a tomato sauce), summer fruit (apricots, plums, nectarines), and promises of grilled meat (fish free and loving it!!). Still jet-lagged and exhausted, I needed to break for a rest every 2 hours or so, to lounge in a mom-induced haze of laziness and gastric fulfillment . Since Sunday, I've eaten excessive amounts of fruit, lamb chops, chicken schwarma(marinated spit-roasted chicken served in toasted pita with garlic sauce and pickle) , and Mom's Kufta (ground spiced meat, grilled on a stick served with yogurt and pita). I'm terrified of stepping on mom's new bathroom scale for fear that my "eat everything you see!" diet isn't working towards a svelter figure.The grande family will celebrate the 4th of July-Lebanese-American Style which wouldn't be complete without my pop's babyback ribs, slow grilled for 1 3/4 hours, and mom's grapeleaves stuffed with ground round and rice and cooked in salty/lemony concoction. Albino, mom, and I stuffed these yesterday after mom made an enormous blueberry pie and before the giant vat of American-style potato salad was made. We topped off our "Christmas in July" cooking fiesta by making Duncan Heins cupcakes with processed frosting for Alexander, my 2 3/4 year old nephew. Mom was just as thrilled as I was to be making box cake mix and we decorated the cupcakes with feeling, vigor, and sprinkles. We were not disappointed by Alexander's reaction who would have eaten the entirety of the cupcake tree for dinner, had he not been pursuaded otherwise.