July 23 - Meetcha at the Big Boy... and other fine Detroit establishments!

JULY 23

Wendy, Ken and I were hungry. It wasn't just me this time. We are in Metro Detroit, we've done the coneys already - where can we go now? I suggested the Big Boy we passed in Livonia. I saw The Boy (as I used to call him) as we drove past on the way to the gas station because the car was hungry. It took me back to the days when little Frannie and I used to go - with Bert and Ernie (the other Ernie in her life) - to another Livonia Big Boy. I asked Wendy if we could go there, and she asked Ken, and he said yes because he wanted a Big Boy. He wanted one because he hadn't had one in 37 years. Then Wendy said she wanted a Slim Jim. It made me think. I wonder if Slim Jim makes Big Boy feel pudgy. And I wonder if Slim Jim ever flirts with Big Boy's girlfriend Polly...

I was so excited to see The Boy again! He came over to our table, and we played a game of hide and seek with Wendy and Ken. I could not stop GIGGLING! Then I got to use some of the coloring skills I learned with Shayna and Seth yesterday. They have these cool placemats that have some boring words on one side and all sorts of fun things to do on the other. I worked on the maze for a couple of minutes, but it was too hard. I decided to color all over the place! WHAT FUN!

 

Our waitress - Audrey - was super-duper nice! She had such a friendly smile. She even let me sit on her tray and pretend that I was Slim Jim. On the way out, we stopped so I could visit with The Boy. When they say he's the Big Boy, they MEAN it! He's HUGE! He was very friendly and smiled a lot - I'm not sure if he remembered me or not, but he sure is very hospitable. He let me sit on his shoulders, and I felt GIANT! People passing by couldn't hardly tell that I was up there holding on for dear life! By the way, it's not a real hamburger that he is holding. I thought you might want to know.

    

Okay. I know you know that I'm stuffed, and that I am a sock monkey and I should always be stuffed. Wendy and Ken keep complaining that they are stuffed on this vacation, and I think they don't realize that this is a choice that they are making. They are not really stuffed - they just can't stop eating! After some more visiting with family, we headed out to West Bloomfield to Deli Unique, to meet up with cousins Mindy and Howard. Howard said he doesn't like sock monkeys very much, and that he was going to leave because I was at the table. Turns out that he was just joking... I think. Anyway, I shared a Deli Unique Deluxe #8 sandwich with Wendy. It was HUMONGOUS! I'm glad she shared the pickle with me. Mindy is a good sharer, too. She let me drink some of her ice tea. It really hit the spot, because I was pretty thirsty after that corned beef! On the way out, Howard and I read the big menu board. I have a lot of ideas now of what I can get to eat the next time I'm at the Deli!

  

The night was still young, but Mindy had to go home. I was really sad, because she's really fun to be with and she said she was going to teach me to tap dance. Howard suggested we go to Roosevelt's in Farmington Hills to shoot some pool. My disappointment about Mindy having to leave almost disappeared with this exciting news! This was going to be SO fun! I really loved floating around in Aunt Charlotte's pool the other day, and this would be even better since it was getting dark and I have never been in a pool at night time (because that's when I'm usually sleeping). 

Well, it turns out that Howard had a different kind of pool in mind. He gave me a cue (I kept calling it a stick), and I said I'd sit this out for a bit to see how they play it. When I decided it was time to learn, Howard and Ken showed me how to line up the cue with the balls. My arms are a little short, so I got to use another cue - but this one had a thingy on the end that looked like Shayna's tiara. It was SO amazing! I have to admit, I wasn't half bad! 

  

My favorite thing about Roosevelt's was that I got to meet some more cute girls. Carrie, the waitress, held me up so that I could watch sports on the TV. Then I saw a bunch of very happy ladies, and they let me be in their group shot. They were having a reunion of some buddies from Mercy Class of '91. They were really very adorable, and I tried to smile really big like them for the picture.

 

What a happy end to a very filling and fulfilling day! I started out the day as Slim Jim and ended it as Minnesota Fats! Does it get any better?