My Grandfather, Merchant Marine.

Back in March, my grandfather brought his old military uniform to a family function to show everyone. He was going to be donating it to a local museum and wanted us to be able to see it before he dropped it off later that week. He was part of the United States Merchant Marines right at the end of World War II. He was on a ship that was picking up unused armaments from the war. The ship took a full trip around the world during his tour.

I took the opportunity to take some pictures of him and the items he would be donating and wanted to share it with you as well. I'm incredibly proud of my grandfather for serving our country and I want to thank everyone who has served or is currently serving.

This is an emblem on the side of the uniform.

The uniform hanging with his hat and some documentation for the museum where it will be displayed.

Here's my grandfather with his uniform.

He also had his original dog tags that he would be donating.

This is something my grandfather had put together to
explain the different awards and bars on his uniform.

Happy Little Inchworm

While we were camping, I found a little inchworm. My wife took the opportunity to take a video of it and my son decided to cheer the little guy on. I can hear how cute my son thinks the inchworm is in the pitch and tone of his voice. I laugh every time I watch it.

Here's a still shot of the little guy before the video was shot. My thumb took the focus on this one.

Back from Camping

Well, we made it through the 3 day weekend. It was a very relaxing time and the kids had an absolute blast. We met my sister-in-law and her kids half way at Circle B Campground in Angola, IN. We had never been to this campground before, but we we were very happy with how nice it was. It was a little chilly and overcast most of the weekend, especially with the breeze coming off the lake, but I would much rather have that than 90 degrees and no shade.

Here's a few pics from the trip. Enjoy!

This was the view from our campsite, right on Hogback Lake.

There's our tent and clothesline. The beach and docks are in the background.

You can't do camping without some baked beans in a skillet over the fire. 

Here was our mascot for the weekend. Meet Mr. Inch Worm.

Our fire pit that kept us warm during the evening hours.

Here's my attempt to get a picture of the supermoon on Saturday. It was covered by clouds most of the early evening, so I couldn't get a picture until the clouds cleared out.

This was our first night. Full moon over Hogback Lake.

A Camping We Will Go

My wife and I are going to take the kids camping this weekend. I'm glad it's going to be a warmer weekend. It might even be warm enough to go swimming, but we'll wait and see. We've embraced the whole camping thing and have a pretty size-able inventory of camping gear.

Here's some pictures from our first camping trip last year with our boys. It was one of the hottest weekends of the year, but we still had a blast.

Did I tell you it was extremely hot with no breeze? This was my attempt to cool down.

Chillin' out at the fire pit.

Late night fire chats.

The mud pit. Yes, our kids made it into the pit and back again.

Pictures of Downtown Detroit

I started working in downtown Detroit at the end of March. I have been taking some pictures of downtown and I'd like to share some of those pics with you. Most of the pics were taken with my iPhone using Path. I hope you enjoy them!

Taken in Campus Martius Park, looking towards the Detroit Financial District.

A look at the Ren Cen from Campus Martius Park.

Tiger's Opening Day 2012 from the 12th floor of the Compuware Building. Comerica Park can be seen in the distance.

Another view of Comerica Park on Tiger's Opening Day 2012 from the 12th floor of the Compuware Building.

View of Comerica Park from the 15th floor of the Compuware Building.

Stopped at a light on Grand River Avenue, headed downtown.

Looking at the Ren Cen from one of the 12th floor balconies of the Compuware Building.

Looking east from the 12th floor balcony of the Compuware Building. Greektown Casino Hotel can be seen in the distance.