Mystery Hill, Irish Hills, MI

So, I'm supposed to have a post related to "Ireland, Irish, Wearin O' the Green, etc" because it's St. Patrick's Day this weekend.  But I don't have any St. Patrick's Day cards, so I'm reduced to posting this card for the Mystery Hill roadside attraction in IRISH HILLS, Michigan.  

Close enough.

At Mystery Hill, according to their website, "See many astonishing things that seem to defy the laws of nature. Here the law of gravity seems to have gone berserk and your sense of balance is entirely upset. Many theories have been offered such as earthquakes, magnetized mineral deposits, fallen meteorites, deflections of gravitational force and many others."  Of course, the actual theory is that the site is an optical illusion, but suspend your disbelief and enjoy!  And while you're there, visit the gift shop, where "unique rocks can be purchased by the bag."

For 12 minutes that you'll never get back, see this video tour of the place, half in English and half in Hindi, by a big fan.  It's worth viewing for the astounding enthusiasm of the tour guide alone.

Smorgasbord

Where are we going for dinner tonight?  How about The Stockholm restaurant in Detroit?  Opened in 1939, this was a family restaurant featuring a Swedish Smorgasbord, a buffet table laden with the delicious food you see here.  The restaurant was one of Detroit's finest, and it was open until 1962.  Then, the place was sold, and a Playboy Club opened up in the same location.  Now?  There's a windowless brick building on the site that houses telecommunications equipment.

For more about Swedish cooking click here.

Harps on the Beach

Interlochen Arts Camp (formerly the National Music Camp) is an annual summer camp for approximately 2,500 students ages 8 to 18. It was founded in 1928 by the late Dr. Joseph E. Maddy as the National High School Orchestra Camp. Today, students participate in music, theatre, dance, visual arts, creative writing, or motion picture arts. Camp admission is competitive, and auditions are required in most cases.

Alumni include Josh Groban, Ed Helms, Norah Jones and Peter Yarrow.  Alumni also include the 5 young ladies above, attending "Beach Harp" class (or is that B-Sharp class?)

Fiddling Around

The owners of this Natchez, Mississippi motor court weren't fiddlin' around when they decided to name their place the "Stradivari." The shape of the sign says it all, although violins have a longer neck in proportion to the body than the one here. Anyway, we have to give them some credit for their creativity in branding!

A Postcard Mystery

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Here's a view of the Kalamazoo, Michigan Courthouse, postmarked 1907. The message from the sender writes a short message to Ralph, ending with the cryptic sentence: "I am awfully glad Mary kept her promise." OK, help me solve the mystery. What was the promise Mary kept?

50,000 Employees

The largest group photo I've ever seen -- 50,000 employees of the Ford Motor Company. Can you beat that?