Thursday, August 01, 2013

Detroit! (part 3)

Here are two amazing suits of armor that we saw at the art museum:



Detroit also has an excellent Children's Museum, and I think you can tell what's important to local culture by the content of their children's museum. The Austin Children's Museum is all about technology, but the Detroit museum is all about manufacturing and engineering.

Example: an exhibit about a tunnel boring machine.


And this (there's some very, very cool stuff in this picture, so click on it for a larger look):


On early, early Saturday morning, we headed for the airport. Walking in from the parking lot, we crammed ourselves and a billion bags related to hockey into an elevator. Just as the doors were closing, a middle-aged man pushing an elderly man in a wheelchair jammed in with us.

The younger man had a fireman's mustache, and his skin was pock-marked and weathered. He had on a short-sleeve dress shirt, opened at at least one button too far, and wore a gold chain around his neck. As soon as the doors closed, I could smell the cigarette smoke.

The fellow in the wheelchair looked to be in his 70s, and carried a small suitcase on his lap. I could hear the soft click and whoosh of an oxygen machine, even though I couldn't see it, and I realized he had emphysema.

After a few seconds, Gloria said, "So, where are you gentlemen headed?"

I thought there were two possible answers: the hospital or Florida.

Instead, the old man croaked, "Vegas."

He didn't say another word.

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