Greenery in the Grand Garden

I saw this sign as I was taking an afternoon walk a couple of months ago. I happened near the MGM Grand Casino in Downtown Detroit, and saw this sign. The Greening of Detroit and the MGM Grand are teaming up to plant flowers and all sorts of greenery in a lot near the casino. This was located near the Parking deck for the casino. I think that it'll be really nice to see the "Grand Garden" when it "Blooms" next year. It's especially nice to see that little Robin there, especially in these cold-weather months. It makes me hopeful that the Spring will be here before we know it.

Parade PhotoBlog

Here are some of my pictures that I took during the Thanksgiving Parade. Hope you enjoy them

Here are some old Model T's in the Parade from Greenfield Village. They followed the Absopure truck, which was an older model, itself.
This penguin is always one of my favorite balloons (one of my favorite animals is a Penguin, the other is a Tiger). This is the "Hob Nobble Gobble" balloon. The Hob Nobble Gobble is a fancy party before the parade for all the sponsors and benefactors (in other words, for those who paid a whole bunch of money) of the parade . The sign ahead of it thanks all the sponsors for their contributions
This float is new. It's from Flame Heating and Cooling here in the Metro Detroit area. It has a pig sliding down a slide in nice weather around the back, while another pig is shoveling snow up front at the "Hog Heaven" house. This reminds us all to check our heating and cooling systems before it gets too hot or cold, and you need your heat or air conditioning the most.
The Jolly Ol' Elf himself, Santa Claus, for the kiddos. He always receives the key to the city by the mayor each year.

Seeing Pink Elephants (in a good way)

Here is one of my pictures from the Thanksgiving Parade on Thursday, which was a good time as it always is. This ballon is called, appropriately enough, "Elephante". It was a student design a few years back, and has been a mainstay in the parade since then. My favorite parts of the parade were all the bands (I don't have a favorite, all of them did well), the Big Head Corps, and the Mid-American Pom-Pon team, which has been one of my longest running favorites. Everyone liked the parade, even though it rained before the parade started. How has your Thanksgiving Weekend been so far? I have been spending time with my family, and doing some shopping for Black Friday. Hope the rest of your weekend is fine and dandy.

YouTube Friday: Cyber Monday deals

Here's hoping your Thanksgiving went well, and your "Black Friday" shopping went okay, as well.I decided to take a little break from Blogging for the American Thanksgiving Holidays. Today's YouTube Friday segment for the week, which is from WOODTV8's Channel, is about "Cyber Monday" deals, in which people go on the internet to look f0r deals on different items. I heard a report on the radio about the amount of productivity lost in the workplace on "Cyber Monday", and about how many employers allow their employees to go online to look for deals. I hope you find what all you are looking for this holiday season

PartnerShops

I'm Reading more about Ben and Jerry's PartnerShops, which are ice cream shops owned by charities that help young people obtain valuable job experience that will help them in the long run. There are numerous Partnershops around the Country that are run by different charities to help out. This is the Partnershop in Downtown Detroit, and it's been doing a good job since they opened in 2005. I stop in here on occasion to get some Ice Cream when they are open, but I haven't been in a while, though. If there is a PartnerShop in your city or town, make sure you go to patronize it, and help young people get that job experience.

Historic Anniversary: JFK'S ASSASSINATION (NBC-TV COVERAGE)(PART 1)

Today marks the 47th anniversary of the assassination of President Kennedy. The President and the First Lady were in Dallas, Texas at the time, and were riding through downtown Dallas with the Governor and First Lady of Texas in a motorcade when Lee Harvey Oswald shot at the president from the Book Depository located nearby. Many people remember where they were when they heard the news. The nation was in shock after the news broke, and mourned in a respectful manner in the days, weeks, and months afterwards. My parents remembered where they were when they heard the news. My late mom was a teenager at the time, and she heard the news on her way home from an after-school activity. She had told me she didn't believe it at first, but when she arrived home, she saw the news of the assassination on Television. My dad was in his early 20s at the time, and he remembers the the news cutting into regularly scheduled programs on TV and the radio with the news and updates throughout the day. They both remembered the funeral service and the viewing in the Capitol Rotunda. I remember going to Washington DC with my Middle School in the late '90s, and one of the sites we visited was Arlington Cemetery. We visited the Kennedy gravesite, which is located there.

Detroit Pavers

I've noticed these Detroit grids around downtown the past couple of years. They have an aerial plan of the Downtown area of Detroit, and the different nicknames for Detroit (with Dee-Troit being my favorite). These were placed around the downtown streets to beautify the area, because people are beginning to come downtown more often to live, work, and play ( going to bars, clubs, sporting events, etc). I think that these are a cool and interesting touch to downtown. What do you all think of them?