Ambling In Ann Arbor

Hello! Made a brief stop in Ann Arbor today after a visit in the region to visit relatives. Ann Arbor is a really cool town and though there's lots to see and do there, we always seem to end up visiting its Kerrytown area. 

The Sunday artisans market (held in the farmers market space) was in full swing, with people offering baked goods, jewelry, soaps, hand-knit items and more. What caught my eye was the vendor selling wooden fairy doors:

Fairy doors have become popular in Ann Arbor; in fact, I saw a poster with photos of fairy doors in the area for sale in a nearby shop, Found. 

I'm not a woodworker, but I appreciated the colorful whimsy of these creations! Was sorely tempted to buy one, and seeing these doors also gave me the itch to go home and make some miniature dolls that would go along with the scale of the doors. That is a true compliment to an artisan, when their work inspires creativity in others!

I also liked that the doors' crafter, Robert W. Simmons, calls himself a "master tinker" on his business card! 

If you'd like to learn more about Mr. Simmons and his works, go HERE.

One of my favorite stores in Kerrytown is Found - lots of vintage items for crafting - photos, flashcards, children's games, that sort of thing (the shop carries new decorative items as well, plus repurposed wares such as rings shaped from old spoons). Found was having a Memorial Day weekend sale, so I took advantage of the savings to buy a small bagful of vintage buttons. The buttons were in a bucket, sold by the scoopful, so I could pick out just the buttons I wanted.  Never can have too many red buttons, I've learned (Christmas and Valentine's Day), so that's what I mostly picked out.

Found's website is HERE.

Kerrytown is also home to Zingerman's Deli, which is nationally-known. Their sandwiches are excellent, but today my husband suggested going to their nearby restaurant, Zingerman's Roadhouse. Like the deli, the roadhouse is not exactly inexpensive, but it's fun to go there once in awhile. 

Seen while waiting for a table at Zingerman's Roadhouse:

The Camp Bacon event is fast approaching - May 30th-June 2nd. Zingerman's May/June newsletter devoted six full pages to this extravaganza - including 27 ways that the Zingerman's folks like to use bacon. I learned quite a bit from that particular write-up, like the existence of British Bacon Buttys (a sandwich) and Hungarian bacon roasts (instead of roasting hot dogs, thick pieces of bacon are roasted over a fire). 

And Zingerman's, being the purveyors of meticulously-sourced foodstuffs, sells the particular bacons suited for those British or Hungarian bacon treats - along with several other bacons! They really take this stuff seriously!

I've greatly enjoyed one of the bacon varieties, the Arkansas Peppered, in a Zingerman's Deli sandwich, but since we were at the roadhouse today, I had a nice whitefish Po'Boy with Cajun-flavored fries instead. 

Didn't think to take a pic of my sandwich, but instead took some photos of the salt and pepper shaker collection displayed in some glass cases near the roadhouse's restrooms: 

Not sure what sort of vegetable this is supposed to be. Any guesses?

Also am not sure why someone would have wanted a memento of the notorious Alcatraz prison, but there you go!

There were dozens and dozens of salt and pepper shaker sets on display - a fun look. 

Zingerman's Roadhouse info can be found HERE.

Zingerman's also runs several other businesses besides the deli and the roadhouse - they also make their own cheeses, bread, candy bars, gelatos, roast their own coffee, do catering, business training sessions, have a space for special events, and who knows what else. 

My husband and I have joked that maybe one day Ann Arbor will be renamed Zingerman's - or maybe the local university will be called the University of Zingerman's!