Tuesday seems to be Detroit day lately, and it's working out well. Crossing the border both ways is quick and easy, and the cafes and pubs are never busy. Until baseball season begins. This was Deb's first trip over in a long time, following my solo trip last Tuesday. She had some certificates awaiting her at the mailbox, from a film festival in California. We brought the car to Fairlane Carwash in Dearborn, and it got the works. A detailed cleaning, which takes about half an hour, for $25, plus a $5 tip. The car looks brand new--they do all the glass, inside and out, vacuum, clean the floor mats, the upholstery, the tires, the rims, and of course the main body and underbody, which gets rid of all the salt from over the winter. Thursday morning it goes in to see our local mechanic, to have the brakes inspected. The joys of car ownership are there, but they cost money. However, having only one vehicle now has helped out a lot. Must take good care of it.
For lunch we finally made it to Chili Mustard Onions, a fast food-like vegan place. We have tried before, but there was nowhere to park. Today we actually got into the parking lot! And when we did park one time previously, down the street, we couldn't even get in the door. Today it was busy, but we got a table right away. I had a seitan gyros, while Deb had a quorn something or other that she really liked. They also have vegan desserts, but we had no room.
Then it was off to 8 Degrees Plato, one of my favourite places to sip ales. I had four samples, totalling about 12 oz, and they were excellent. There was a cider, a Belgian, and two stouts, one with "spices" and one with cinnamon. I also bought a 6-pack of Bells Light Hearted Ale, a 3.7% IPA that I have been wanting to try at home. Soon I will.
Next stop was the DIA, where I had more time to see the Flemish and Dutch print and drawing show, and Deb was also able to make its acquaintance. I am still amazed by the Rembrandt etchings, all done by his hand, including the printing. Most are very small, but loom large in the mind. His landscapes are among the finest ever created, so simple and yet so engaging. And his tiny self-portrait, one of three the museum owns, is a marvel in itself, and would be enough on its own to tell us that this is a major artistic soul. He dresses himself in the style of Raphael, connecting himself with the great artists of the Italian Renaissance, 100 years earlier.
Self Portrait In A Velvet Cap With Plume, 1638, Rembrandt. Etching, black ink, paper.
6" x 4". Detroit Institute of Arts.
Detail of above.
Further detail of above.
The Goldweigher's Field, 1651, Rembrandt. Etching and drypoint, black ink, paper. 5" x 12".
Detroit Institute of Arts.
Detail of above, central area.
Detail, right side.
A few more things from that exhibit will be shown in future blogs, including at least one more by Rembrandt. After we left the museum, we went to (another) new cafe. Last week I went to a new one called Ochre Bakery. Today's was called Bicycle Cafe, which is a bike repair shop and a very cool little cafe, in an up and coming neighbourhood of Detroit not far from Wayne State University. The pour overs were fantastic. Deb had an Ethiopian one, and mine was Colombian, both roasted locally. There was also vegan parfait, and vegan snack bars. Another wonderful day, brought to us by the folks who are making Detroit happen, all over.
In television news, we got a new digital TV antennae, and subscribed to our 3rd paid channel. We now get and pay for Prime, Criterion, and Britbox. The latter is the newest one to enter our viewing room, filled with BBC and ITV series. They have all the classic Dr. Who episodes, and we also began to watch the 2nd season of Blandings, and we saw the first two episodes of Upstart Crow, which seems to be pretty decent, in the tradition of Black Adder. As far as the new antennae goes, it picks up over 30 local channels (Detroit/Toledo, and our lone Canadian channel from Windsor), and gives a very high quality picture.
Mapman Mike
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