StringGrrl sees the World

This past week I went on a short vacation with my family and my new friend FlatSally. Flat Sally is a first grader at Richard Elementary in Grosse Pointe Farms, MI. She was easy to travel with since like me she is very flat and quite small. Alger Falls, Just outside Munising Laughing Whitefish Falls, Lake Superior National Lakeshore Lake Michigan and "Big Mack", just off US2 Mackinaw Bridge from Michilimakinac Park Lower Falls at Taquamenon View Flat Sally adventures MI UP 2011 in a larger map Search for Travel Deals

StringGirl stops by to greet the US Fish and Wildlife conservation officer as he sets traps to stem the spawning run of the sea lamprey from the Gitch. The USFW officers set the traps hoping to reduce the population of the invasive species.   With the Miners Castle in the Background, StringGirl poses with her sis. This April day the temperature hovered only just above freezing.     The Bridalveil Falls in the distance as the sun comes out. Close-up shows the falls cascading down from a corona of ice still shrouding the falls apex.  A crawfish washed up on the shore just in time for a "lobster" dinner for the little girl with String clothes.  The two rock hounds search the shores of the Gitch for Agates and other mineralogical finds.

The Pictured Rocks National seashore features some of the most beautiful scenery in Michigan (imho). So it was a great pleasure to spend "so-called Spring" Break up in da Yoopee. While the weather was not ideal for time spent on the Gitch (Gitchigumee is the Native name for the largest of the Great Lakes). Looking toward the Bridal Veil falls From the beach looking toward Castle Rock Castle Rock seen from the observation deck Flat Sally, a first grader at Ricard Elementary in Grosse Pointe Farms

Lake superior in the springtime looks no warmer than a winter frost. However stringgirl braves the cold for the beautiful beaches and scenic views  The beach at WhitefishPoint was a veritable treasure trove of rocks.  Ice formations still cling to the pier on this Late April afternoon.  The light at Whitefish point keeps a vigil over the dangerous waters of the Gitch lest another ship meet the fate of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

StringGirl and her new pal Flat sally out in the snow this fine "spring" morning

Felix decides to don his indian clothes as he recollects his recent trip to India. StringGirl poses with him on the porch of his flat that he shares with Barbara.

GeoCaching is a global game for users of GPS devices. A global treasure hunt with millions of hidden locations, and a multinational following. www.geocaching.com  is where you can go to play as well. I have placed my first in Zurich. It is a mystery cache, so the players will have to locate clues along the way to solve a puzzle for the location. View Larger Map  Puls ? How many films play here? View Larger Map Did you take a tram to EscherWyss? Which one? View Larger Map How many containers tall is the Freitag tower? this is just one of their locations,  AKT Get GeoCaching swag: travel bugs GPS units Super magnets Search for Travel Deals What does the cache look like? Maybe one more hint . an obscure view standing near the cache.

A fine weekend start in Zurich. Friday afternoon and sunny and warm. Les Halles is a "gastropub" in Zurich Kreis 5 set in a former bike repair shop near technopark. Good beer to drink in house and many take away as well. The shop has a small "boutique collection" of pantry items for consumption at home as well. A patio on each side of the building ensures sunny seats for post work apero. So, cheers to all. Hope you had a good day a work, but if not at leadt start the weekend well.

Stringgirl visits cache in zurich

The extra two seconds it takes to smile and offer kindness to your customers often goes unnoticed. But failure to do so always gets our goat. Today let's decide to reward those positive interactions with customer service. Fuad and Cane provided another great example of positive and genuinely welcoming service, that I could have easily let transparently float past me. Delta as a company does something that I haven't seen enough. They encouraged me to look for and reward exemplary customer service. Each year I get 5 "mydeltarewards" vouchers that give me a chance to note and reward great customer service. My question to Delta is: why are medallion members the only ones who you encourage to look for this?

StringGirl gets set to rack up another few thousand miles and gets a smile and great service from Delta red jacket Cane and gate agent Fuad. They helps us lock up the entire row on the long flight from DTW to AMS. Thanks for the great service fellas and I hope those" mydeltarewards" help out. The smiles made our evening.

Wayne State University is located in the heart of Detroit. And has been a major university/college since its founding in 1868 as a medical college. Spending Saturday at Wayne State U. With 7th grade girls learning about the opportunities. That open up in the world of STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics) to young women as they enter adolescence. The GO-GIRL (Gaining Options- Girls Investigate Real Life) program was something we tried this year. It has spread over several months worth of Saturdays from 9-2:30 allowing our eldest daughter to explore a bit more about STEM and college as well. So far she and her classmates have designed, created and published an internet survey, toured the school of Pharmacology, explored campus, and been able to meet kids from other Socio-Economic backgrounds (actually as far as diversity goes my daughter and maybe only 3-6 others are the non-African-Americans. Otherwise the group is VERY HOMOGENEOUS). The program is free and open t...

StringGirl takes the hyperpuppy out to school. Trying not to get eaten....