Four Days of Independence

I know most people only celebrate Independence Day on July 4th, but for me, once July starts, I can't stop celebrating independence until the fireworks are over. That's why I headed up to Riley's (my girlfriend, for those who don't know) parent's lake house this past week to make sure I celebrated my four days of independence to the max.

Riley lives in Chicago, but she and her family spend about half the summer at their lake house in Shelby, Michigan about two hours north of here. I've had the pleasure of spending many a beautiful day there over the past two summers!

The Cooks are right by Lake Michigan and enjoy a spectacular view

My massive catch

This most recent trip was an especially eventful one for me. First, I got to witness the The Blues Brothers for the first time (I thought it was great, especially as a Chicago lover). Next, I had the pleasure of visiting the the Country Dairy, a wonderful dairy farm in New Era, Michigan. All their dairy products come straight from their own cows, and boy do they have a lot of dairy products. In addition to the obvious ice cream, you can get unlimited refills of chocolate or skim milk for 1$ and order from a number of cheesy entrees that come with a side of cheese curds. Riley's mom, Sharon, remarked that the whole experience felt a bit more Wisconsiny than Michigany, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I think I am still moving some of those dairy products through my system though. Because it was a little rainy, Riley and I headed over to the Muskegon Museum of Art. I was incredibly impressed by this small museum's deep collection. Of particular interest was the 85th annual Regional Exhibition, showcasing fascinating art from all across Michigan. Riley and I spent an hour and half in there and didn't even get through half the museum! If you have the chance to go, I'd say it's well worth the 7$ admission (5$ if you're a student).

Riley provided an artful interpretation of one of the pieces we saw at the Muskegon Museum of Art

But this was only the tip of the iceberg for my celebration of us not being Britain. I went fishing with Riley and her younger brother and expert fisherman, Leo. I managed to reel in my second fish ever, a twelve inch bass. This was a big improvement on my first catch, a small bluegill. At this rate, I'll be catching a pike in no time! My 4th of July dinner was an all-American experience with ribs and corn (the bok choy salad that Riley and I prepared aside). Riley's dad, Chris, spent much of the day preparing ribs with his own special recipe, and was kind enough to share a few tips with me. Needless to say, they were delicious, with the meat falling right off the bone and into my mouth.

After the ribs came the most freedomful experience of the whole week: the Shelby Township firework show. This "show" consisted of every person in Shelby who had some fireworks going to the public dock by Stony Lake and setting them off. I'm sure that the legalization of big fireworks in Michigan helped make the show especially spectacular, but Riley assured me that the huge rockets were common even before the law changed. I was deeply impressed by the display that I saw. It was fun to sit at the edge of the lake and witness the fireworks being set off all around the area. I thought that the show was especially American because it involved a bunch of individuals coming together to independently set off their fireworks in a display that ends up enriching the community, calling into question the notion that fireworks are public goods.

One of the many fireworks set off by the good people of Shelby, despite being a non-excludable good. 

As always, Riley and her family were fun and gracious hosts. I can't wait to visit the Cook Cottage again!