Weekend of Walking

We continued to have a great weekend with Sara. The weather cooperated and we were able to be outside for a lot of it. The temps were a little cool, but they didn't keep us from sitting outside for lunch on Saturday, or walking around downtown on Sunday. It was just right for exploring Ann Arbor in the spring. Something I love to do, but this year I haven't taken the time to do it. That was another good thing about Sara coming - I was able to slow down and take in the scenery. Scenery like this:

This is probably one of my favorite things to see in spring. New leaves that have just unfurled from their buds, with a bright green color that just screams, "We're new! Look at us! We're so glad to be here!"

We were told on Saturday when we went for a walk to steer clear of the diag (the main part of U-M's campus). But after a visit with Anne and Matt and the kids, we took it as a challenge. We wanted to see what all the hullabaloo was about.

You see, it was graduation weekend last weekend. But because the stadium is currently under construction, graduation was not held there. It was big news when it was decided. Students complained. It was on the front page of the paper. How did the university respond? They threw 1.8 million toward the effort to have it on the diag (normally it costs about 400,000 at the stadium). Here's how it looked (these were taken after the graduation took place):

In this last picture you can see the plastic tiles that they put down over the grassy parts and near the trees. I guess this made it easier to walk with heels on, or easier to get solid footing. I'm glad they had good weather, because otherwise it would've been a muddy mess!

Sara and I were able to walk through the diag, take some pictures, and walk downtown to a restaurant. Stein joined us there for some food and drinks. We followed it up with a nap, a movie (Freedom Writers - how appropriate for 2 teachers!), snacks, and a good night's sleep. Sunday we went for a run (after Sara insisted - ugh, I'm out of shape) in the morning, made breakfast, walked around downtown to look in a few shops, and then we went to the airport. A great weekend with a great friend.