White River Light Station, 6199 Murray Rd, Whitehall MI

This picturesque light house was built in 1875, deactivated in 1960, and opened as a museum in 1970. It was not open on the day of our visit so we appreciated it from the outside.

We took a walk down along the channel to check out the waves on Lake Michigan,

and were surprised to find the bones of an old ship lying on the beach.

The ship has apparently been buried in the sand for decades and makes its occasional appearance (1942 and 1974, previously). Shipwreck experts cannot agree on whether the remains are the 1878 Woodruff or the 1882 Contest. Either way, it's pretty cool to see.

The very first lightkeeper here was Captain William Robinson III and he remained there until his death in 1919 (ghost and haunting stories abound). We paid our respects to him in the nearby Mouth Cemetery.

More photos from Mouth Cemetery

Next time we hope to view the museum artifacts and climb the tower of this beautiful, historic light station.

 

The Heidelberg Project, 3600 Heidelberg, Detroit

We went to Detroit for a weekend a few years ago and walked through this outdoor art environment. And it is stunning and amazing. People either love it or hate it but no one is indifferent. Regardless of your view, it is an important statement about abandoned neighborhoods. Back in 1986, artist Tyree Guyton found his old neighborhood in shambles and littered with drug dealers.

He started cleaning up the vacant lots, turning them into art projects. Empty houses became sculptures. The creation continued to grow and here is where it stood as of about five years ago.

It is fascinating to walk up and down these few blocks and appreciate the creativity and humor that went into it all with found objects.

Love it or hate it, the neighborhood has been transformed by people reclaiming it in their own way. Detroit fights back.

Hitsville, U.S.A. ~ Detroit, Michigan

On January 12, 1959, Berry Gordy opened Motown Records here where it remained until 1972. Motown relocated to LA but this property was maintained and Esther Gordy opened the Motown Museum in 1985. In 2014, I made my first visit to Hitsville. This little place is so chockful of musical history, it's almost overwhelming. 

Timed guided tours are the only way you can see the museum. Lots of people just stop by the building for a photo.

We were able to buy tickets for a later tour and returned in a few hours. No photos are allowed anywhere inside the museum and our group was pretty much rushed through the galleries (photos, record albums, Supremes' dresses, shoes, and wigs; hat and glove from Michael Jackson) with no time to reading the interesting things posted. We did have time, however, for our guide to banter with people in our group, to sing short Motown solos, and make us sing with him in the echo chamber 😏

He made sure that no one lingered behind and herded us quite effectively. Someone asked if he could go back to view the exhibits again and our guide said no. It would be great to be able to tour this place without a controlling guide and maybe it's loosened up since 2014. (Update: when the museum reopens summer of 2022, indoor photos will be permitted.)

So it's impossible to take it all in within the time allotted. From the galleries, we moved into what was Barry Gordy's apartment when Gordy first opened the studio. It's frozen in time with his kitchen table serving as his early shipping department. But the best part of this tour was standing inside Studio A where the great recordings were made. Pictures of Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, and many more hang on the walls. The original piano and drums are still there along with the cords hanging down for the microphones. I couldn't take my own photos but, naturally, there are photos on the internet (next four photos). The 1877 Steinway was restored due to a visit by Paul McCartney some years ago and his funding of the project. We had to stand on the blue carpet and sing "My Girl" with our guide. Ok, that was pretty cool 😊

Being back in the area in 2016, we did a quick stop by. Someday, I would love to tour the museum again to experience more of this rich musical history.