Saying Good-Bye To Summer

The summer of 2008 provided so much to be thankful for, that I felt it very important to find a creative and fun way to say good bye to s'mores, ice cream, long summer days, mosquito's and everything else we experienced.


After Jenn and I put our heads together, the summer finale was to go like this: A Downtown Detroit "Staycation". For those unfamiliar with "staycation" it is a replacement for the escape word "vacation" - where we stay instead of vacate. We used up some of my Marriott points and enjoyed ourselves for 2 nights on the 61st floor of the beautiful Renaissance Center - the world headquarters of the General Motors Company - on Jefferson in downtown Detroit.





















As you can tell from the pictures, at this height, we had a wonderful chance to see Belle Isle (additionally,this was the weekend where the Gran Prix was back in Detroit!), and even wake one morning to find ourselves sleeping above the clouds!

As we meandered through our day, we toured the lower level of the Ren-Cen and gazed at all the cars of yester-year, including this 1930's eara Cadillac. We also enjoyed the sounds of the Detroit Jazz Festival that was in town for the weekend, and the unforgettable and ever-impressive Detroit Institute of Arts. Unfortunately, we couldn't take pictures inside this beautiful structure, but hopefully these exterior photos will wet your pallete with the "Paris of the West" architecture.
































Later Friday night, we closed the evening with a ride on the people-mover and a nice walk along the river front overlooking Canada.


























Our Saturday was filled with eating lunch the "Garden Bowl"- argued as the oldest operating bowling alley in the country, then following that with a splash in the fountain across the street on the river.
































Our weekend finale came with a fancy dinner at the Seldom Blues Restaurant - which had been Aurora's idea. She had been asking for several months now to go to a "fancy" dinner, so she could dress up and see what it would be like. I must say, that for the late night that it was, these kids were amazingly well-behaved. So much so, that 4 other couples came to us and made wonderful comments about their manners. Beyond that, we were treated to a table-side serenade by the live jazz band in house. What a treat!

From reflecting on this passed weekend, one thing I've learned is that Detroit really is a beautiful city. Many people see it as having a bad reputation, and truthfully they are right. Detroit has hurt a lot of people, and equally, a lot of people have hurt Detroit. From spending my entire 30 years of life in Metro-Detroit (16 years inside the city proper - including now) I do have quiote a bond with this piece of real-estate. It has made amazing contributions to the world of technology, and family. It has a number of assets that are second to none, and a life that [I beleibve] will rise again from the ashes of neglect. On a personal note, one thing very obvious to me was tremendous growth between ethnic relationships: Blacks & Whites & Hispanics & Arab's comming together - overcoming racial differences. This was very very evident and makes me proud to still live in this city. We have a long way to go, but with the Grace of God through Jesus Christ, there is no doubt peace can overcome chaos. I hope that through seeing this, and reading these thoughts, you too might take some time and visit this city. Let me know how I can help :)

From that, the Gelletly-5 says good-bye to another amazing summer. And, hello to school, autumn, and all the wonderful things ahead of us. Peace to you this fall!

The Pinery 2008

We've Arrived!

We've accomplished another adventure of the Pinery! This year, our success was carefully delivered by an immense amount of preplanning, which began in March of this year - which is when we had to make the reservations for plot number 1152 in the Burley camp. If you are unfamiliar with the Pinery, it sits about 165 miles Northeast of Detroit in Ontario Canada - on the eastern shore of Lake Huron. We left home on August 3rd and arrived about 2.5 hours later.

Upon our arrival, watches, cell phones, and blackberry's were deactivated (for the most part) so a carefree living environment could begin. We slept in, ate when we pleased, swam in the most beautiful of all Great Lake beaches, ate s'mores every night, had ice-cream at the camp store, raced through the sand dunes, and were dazzled by, constellations, shooting stars, distant man-made satellites and alien aircraft (just kidding).

This being our 4th year visiting the Pinery, we were accompanied by 3 other families, and met up with 1 other family that happened to be there the same week as us. This part of the trip is certainly memorable for the kids, since they have the opportunity to enjoy the time with their friends, and simply explore things that would otherwise be off limits.

We visited the nature center for the first time and learned about the native species of the area, and also how much of the landscape resembles the savannas of Africa.

We capped off the trip by taking a different route home and crossing back into the U.S. by way of a ferry boat. We did this last year, but unfortunately we were completely blinded by the absolute downpour we experienced, that the memories for the kids all but faded. This time, however, we crossed the river as dry as could be - even though threatening weather loomed about. It was quite interesting for the kids to comprehend driving the van onto a boat, then traveling over the St. Clair river - and in all fairness, it does seem odd to take up close pictures of the water, from the dashboard! But even more surprising to see tractors coming the other way :)

We arrived home Saturday August 9th at about 5:45pm. Weary from travel, and weary from a long adventure. We began "waking up" the house by plugging in the t.v., radio, computers, stove, and all the other appliances and changed into more comfortable clothing. A good time was indeed had by all, and the memory will be with us again...until the next years camping trip. Maybe somewhere different? Anything is possible.

Here are a few other pictures of the trip. Enjoy!

Wife & Kids:

Community Building of the Sand Fort:

Kids on a Log:

The Gang:

Nature Center:

A visionary:

A Princess:

A Smile:

Until next time, enjoy the show :)

-T

Welcome to the "First Ever..."

Welcome!

At the behest of family (and some friends) I've escaped my normal Xanga routine and created a new site for the experiences of my own family. At times it is hard to imagine that I've actually grown into an adult and "created" my own family. Sobering moments, such as these, arrive when I take a vacation with them, walk into a restaurant, or simply say their good night prayers. At these times, I am reminded that this small family is the very result of my actions, my ideals, my hopes and of course my own dreams.

When alone, I sometimes wonder about my ancestors like James Francis Gelletly who immigrated from Edinburgh Scotland, to London England, to Baltimore Maryland USA, as a silver chaser - then later started his own farm. He, the very first Gelletly in in the USA. Or even Dora Gelletly Ogle (1892-1944) who was a founding mother of the National Women's Party and how she helped build the foundation for women's rights. I sometimes think about how these amazing people took huge leaps of faith to change the course of their own lives, as well as the lives of those around them. Ultimately, and though I was not part of their immediate foreground, these changes affected me, my mental processes, and ultimately the make up of who I am. So as I carry on my life, and my experiences, I've learned to appreciate the struggles that my foremothers and forefathers have endured, so I could live this amazing life with a beautiful bride, and three blessed children.

As you begin reading about my adventures, hurts, dilemmas, smiles, and tears, I welcome your thoughts, and experiences. It is sure to be an interesting ride. I wonder What James and Dora might be thinking if they were alive today reading these posts?

-T