Alice Makes Dinner and We Visit the Botanical Gardens

Saturday Dinner at Alice’s

Alice cooked chicken and vegetables for a delicious dinner. Ice cream bars for dessert.

At the Botanical Gardens

One Sandhill Crane was wading in the pond.
Michigan is now home to around 25,000 cranes, with many more present during migration.
Cranes were almost extinct 60 years ago, with a dramatic turnaround in the 1970s.

Spring flowers were beautiful.

A sale of garden plants was taking place in one of the greenhouses.

We didn’t want to plant sneezeweed, but it’s a great plant name.

Random Mona Find

 Blog post © 2026 mae sander

Spring; Birds, School Picnics, Fun Menus

A robin is nesting next to our porch.

 At the Highlands Amusement Park

A Google trip back to the end of May when I was in elementary school

Our big school event at the end of May up to sixth grade
was always held at the Forest Park Highlands, a big amusement park.
Each clild received several tickets for the most popular rides.
I rarely went on the Ferris Wheel. Too scary!

I was happier on the merry-go-round. (Note the murals on the center post. Shared with Sami.)

The roller coaster really challenged me. I never liked heights or fast downward motion!

Those who love the rollercoaster would wave their arms during descent.
The one or two times I was convinced to take this ride, I hid my eys.

My mother and my two aunts always accompanied us to the school picnic.
They brought lunch for us to eat, always including strawberries and pineapple in a jar.

All photos of the old Forest Park Highlands as well as of the fruit salad are from google image searches. A huge fire destroyed all the rides in the early 1960s, and it’s now the site of a community college. I wonder if anyone remembers it at all!

What we are eating this week

Lettuce topped with a cheeseburger and chilli.

Bagels with smoked salmon, hummus, and cream cheese. Also cherries.

Chicken on the barbcue.

Dinner with friends.

Blog post © 2026 mae sander

To be shared with other blogs.

Sourdough

  

“The starter greeted me like a puppy, yapping and leaping, excited to be alive.”
A quote from Robin Sloan’s Sourdough.
Len’s starter is better behaved than the starter in the novel, which is very naughty.

Len’s bread made a few years ago — he makes it often, and will bake it this afternoon.

I’m rereading Robin Sloan’s novel just for fun.
While Len bakes for our coming guests.

Good bread for sale in Ann Arbor: including sourdough loaves at Zingerman’s Bakehouse

A Few Classic Foods

 Classic Cinnamon Rolls

Len made them on Saturday. We enjoyed them for afternoon tea and for breakfast.
I find it amusing that the spiral design on the plate looks like the spiral on the roll.

Classic Pommes à l’Huile

French-style oil and vinegar potato salad is another classic dish that we love.
I’ve blogged about this often — especially when I make Salade Niçoise in which it is a key feature.
Tonight we ate it as a side dish with shrimp.

Classic Shrimp Scampi

Recipe from New York Times Cooking

Ingredients ready to cook. Cooking only takes a few minutes.

Saturday Lunch at Everest Sherpa Restaurant

The owner of Everest Sherpa restaurant is from Nepal, and the decor includes photos
of the Himalayas and of famous mountain climbers. The restaurant serves Nepalese and Indian cuisine.
The founding owner of the restaurant was one of the first to climb Everest.

Crispy dumplings called MoMo.

Curried chicken served with rice. The restaurant offers a wide variety of dishes.

Photos © 2026 mae sander

Peonies and Rhododendrons at the Arb

Crowds of viewers at the Nichols Arboretum Peony Garden this morning.
I’ve posted photos of the peonies in many previous years. They are always wonderful.

This year our visit is early enough that we could also enjoy the rhododendrons that grow at the garden.

“The University of Michigan's Nichols Arboretum, known as ‘The Arb,’ is a 128-acre natural area in Ann Arbor featuring diverse plant collections, trails along the Huron River, and the renowned W. E. Upjohn Peony Garden with North America's largest heirloom peony collection.”

Photos © mae sander 2026

Friday Wrap-Up

 Unfinished Books This Week

I’m not making much progress on this book —
I might switch to another one!

Also read part of this book. I hope to do better next week!

What We Have Been Eating

Rhubarb sauce — a spring favorite!

 

We decided to make this Israeli specialty for lunch one day, as I noted in an earlier blog post.

I had the Greek salad. My friend Elaine had a bacon & egg sandwich.
Nothing was exceptionally good. The fries were served cold.
Note to self and Elaine: eat lunch elsewhere.

I met my friend Abby at the Argus cafe for coffee and a long conversation.
I also bought the rhubarb here. Argus has two store fronts in one block,
one with coffee and the other with farmers’ produce on consignment.

Along the Huron River

Little goslings are cute, but unfortunately they grow up to be geese. Filthy creatures!

Graffiti along the river walk. For Sami’s murals and graffiti.

Further down the river: a mallard duck inspects a swan’s nest.

Photos © 2026 mae sander

Shared with Eileen’s critters and with Deb’s Sunday Salon