Two Girls, a Pie, and an Art Fair Place

You know what's fun? Art fairs. Art fairs are fun...especially when they're gigantic and located in really cool downtown areas. You know what else is cool? Ann Arbor. And Ann Arbor just happened to have four art fairs (combined into one huge event) last weekend.

I spent last Thursday afternoon at the Ann Arbor Art Fair with my friend, Renee, who apparently enjoys outdoor festivals as much as I do. After a slight interstate detour around the 12 Oaks/Farmington Hills area (neither of us happens to be very good with directions, and it just so happens that I was navigating), we finally made it to U-of-M town, where streets of drool-worthy arts and crafts were waiting for us and our wallets. Now, I can't recall a time when I actually bought something from an arts and crafts show, but I was determined to take home a souvenir or two by the end of the day.

Well, the whole "buying something" thing didn't happen. I suppose I'm way too good at reasoning with myself when it comes to whether I need something or not. Renee, however, got a couple new gems and I got to window shop for a few hours. To be honest, some of the best pieces were completely impractical, anyway. For instance, there was this very amazing, very large sculpture of a woman, just asking to reside in a museum somewhere. The thing is, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have known where to put her once I got home. Oh, and she cost $25,000. Not exactly a candidate for a spontaneous, afternoon purchase.

My other favorite was a tiny, adorable, clay turtle. It was undoubtedly created to be loved by all of my heart and soul, but sadly, I decided to pass. Maybe next time, little buddy...maybe next time.

Eventually, Renee and I wandered past a little alleyway, which I had seen a few times on separate trips to Ann Arbor. The alley was covered with artwork and graffiti of all kinds, and even had a little poetry scattered within its walls. I had never been by during the day, so I decided to take a minute to enjoy the view. Not necessarily a nook you want to wander into at night, but it's definitely worth checking out if you ever find yourself wandering around downtown Ann Arbor and haven't yet seen it.

At some point, we ran across the Grand Traverse Pie Company, a sister bakery to one I wanted to visit . Ann Arbor may not be as dominated by cherries as more northern Michigan cities, but that didn't stop Renee and me from partaking in some delicious cherry pie. I just zoned out for a few minutes and pretended that I was sitting in a cafe at a northern beach. Good enough for me.

The moral of today's story: Take time to appreciate the finer things in life. Whether that means scouting out artwork or gobbling up fruit-filled pastry, well...that's totally up to you.