Grand Weekend ...

in Grand Rapids. The Missus and I went north this past weekend to Michigan. We left Friday morning and stopped for lunch and pie at Crane's Pie Pantry. If you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you know that I'm a big fan of pie. And since finding a decent slice of pie while traveling is becoming harder all the time, a detour to Crane's is well worth the trip. The main reason for our trip to Grand Rapids, however, wasn't just for pie but the PBR Bull Riding event on Saturday night.

The cowboys put on a good show. It was televised on Sunday night, so we got to watch it when we got home but it also set the schedule for the events on Saturday night with TV time outs and all that. They provided some real good entertainment during the breaks in the action and along with the bull riding, it was a nice way to spend an evening. 

Having boxed, played a little hockey and crashed a few two wheelers over the years, I'm familiar with getting banged around but there's no way in hell I'd ever consider bull riding. Those boys are the real deal. One tough bunch. But unlike a lot of professional athletes, they were all lined up against the fence signing autographs after the show with smiles on their faces and thanking the fans for coming out.  

We went to the President Ford Museum Saturday morning. The Missus and I have been to quite a few of the Presidential Museums/libraries/homes over the years and have been meaning to get to this one for quite some time.

It's a nice building and grounds and admission was free due to the Art Prize show that was going on in the town over the weekend. Ford was president at a difficult time in American history and never seemed to get a lot of respect while in office but he wasn't afraid to make the tough decisions. He was an excellent athlete in his day and he had a commendable service record while in the Navy. He had what it takes to do the job, just like those bull riders do. I think as the years pass and history puts things in perspective, Gerald Ford will be remembered as the right man for the right time even though he wasn't elected to office and he served less than four years.

While we were driving around we came across a gas station featuring $1.99 /per gallon regular.

They had a pretty good line of people waiting, as you might expect, but the promotion didn't last too long. It was back up to over three dollars later in the day.

All in all, a good time was had by all. The weather was terrific, the rodeo was too. Spent some quality with the Missus and all was right with the world. Now it's back to the old grind of having to work a couple of days per week.