Camp Papa Grammy
My Friends, Two Carryout Joints, Sly & The Family Stone, Javier Báez, Watch Out Below
Welcome to my weekly newsletter. This issue includes six scenes from Camp Papa Grammy, Fredrik Backman’s latest novel, lunch and dinner at carryout joints, the Stone siblings’ band, another Tiger who is back on top after dropping to the depths, and a sign with potentially disastrous consequences. I hope you like the picks and pics.
Last week was the inaugural Camp Papa Grammy, which meant that Barb and I had two of our four grandchildren stay with us for a full week. Roger was here from Sunday to Tuesday and then flew home to Maryland, returning with Cristi on Friday. On Saturday we all went to the Tigers game (a bummer: an 11-1 loss to the Reds) and we celebrated Father’s Day Sunday morning before they drove home.
I caught two performances on Thursday. Traverse City’s The Accidentals headlined the weekly Sonic Lunch and John Bommarito’s friend Adam Plomaritas was the featured singer at Solos on Center Street in downtown Northville that evening.
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Fave Five 141: Camp Papa Grammy
Backman’s Book (My Friends), Two Carryout Joints (Miny’s, China King), Sly Stone & Siblings (Sly & The Family Stone), Slick Shortstop (Javier Báez), and Watch Out Below.
Fave Five List: Six Scenes from Camp Papa Grammy
We planned a full slate of activities for Sommer and Kieran last week. Here are the highlights.
Going on a boat ride on the Island Queen on Kent Lake
Trying all of the rides at Twelve Oaks Mall
Swimming at Northville Swim Club three times
Riding a horse at Maybury Stables
Climbing and swinging at multiple playgrounds
Enjoying frozen custard with sprinkles at Custard Time
Book Best Bet
After finishing a previous Backman novel, I ordered his latest one to be delivered on the day of its release. It has the usual quirky characters, false foreshadowing, and hyperbole (e.g., she rolled her eyes so hard she nearly got a concussion). It’s another gem.
From Amazon: Fredrik Backman returns with an unforgettably funny, deeply moving tale of four teenagers whose friendship creates a bond so powerful that it changes a complete stranger’s life twenty-five years later.
Most people don’t even notice them—three tiny figures sitting at the end of a long pier in the corner of one of the most famous paintings in the world. Most people think it’s just a depiction of the sea. But Louisa, an aspiring artist herself, knows otherwise, and she is determined to find out the story of these three enigmatic figures.
Twenty-five years earlier, in a distant seaside town, a group of teenagers find refuge from their bruising home lives by spending long summer days on an abandoned pier, telling silly jokes, sharing secrets, and committing small acts of rebellion. These lost souls find in each other a reason to get up each morning, a reason to dream, a reason to love.
Out of that summer emerges a transcendent work of art, a painting that will unexpectedly be placed into eighteen-year-old Louisa’s care. She embarks on a surprise-filled cross-country journey to learn how the painting came to be and to decide what to do with it. The closer she gets to the painting’s birthplace, the more nervous she becomes about what she’ll find. Louisa is proof that happy endings don’t always take the form we expect in this stunning testament to the transformative, timeless power of friendship and art.
Restaurant Recommendations
Two Carryout Joints
I had lunch in Ann Arbor and dinner in Novi at restaurants that primarily do carryout business. I carried out at the first but we were able to dine in at the second.
Miny’s Mexican Restaurant 1141 Broadway St, Ann Arbor, MI 48105
After meeting Mike Posner at the first Sonic Lunch of the summer, I headed over here to try the new Ann Arbor location of an Ypsilanti favorite. There was nowhere to sit, so I drove home and devoured three tacos. The fillings were generous, the flavors were very good, and the three salsas were excellent.
Taco Asada
Taco Carnitas
Taco Pastor
China King 47770 Grand River Ave., Novi, MI 48374
Barb and I went here with Roger, Sommer, and Kieran for dinner the day they arrived. The food was freshly prepared, tasty, and very reasonable (see prices below). The sweet and sour sauce was on point.
Egg Roll (Chicken) $1.85
Shrimp Egg Roll $1.95
Crab Rangoon (8 pcs) $6.25
Hot and Sour Soup (M) $3.25
House Special Fried Rice: Pork, Chicken, Shrimp Mix (M) $6.00
Moo Shu Pork with White Rice and 5 Pancakes $11.55
Sweet and Sour Chicken with White Rice and Sweet & Sour Sauce on the side (M) $7.95
Sesame Chicken with White Rice: Chunks of crispy chicken cooked with sweet and red sauce, garnished with sesame seeds and broccoli (M) $9.95
Marvelous Musicians
Sly Stone passed away on June 9. I first heard "Dance to the Music" in 1969 on the jukebox that was installed in the cafeteria at Tenafly High School. It was loud enough that I could hear the bass part in a classroom well down the hall from the cafeteria.
From Wikipedia: Sly and the Family Stone was an American band from San Francisco. Active from 1966 to 1983, it was pivotal in the development of funk, soul, rock, and psychedelic music. Its core line-up was led by singer-songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist Sly Stone, and included Stone's brother and singer/guitarist Freddie Stone, sister and singer/keyboardist Rose Stone, trumpeter Cynthia Robinson, drummer Greg Errico, saxophonist Jerry Martini, and bassist Larry Graham. It was the first major American rock group to have a racially integrated, male and female lineup.
Formed in 1966, the group's music synthesized a variety of disparate musical genres to help pioneer the emerging "psychedelic soul" sound. They released a series of Top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hits such as "Dance to the Music" (1968), "Everyday People" (1968), and "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" (1969), as well as critically acclaimed albums such as Stand! (1969), which combined pop sensibility with social commentary. In the 1970s, it transitioned into a darker and less commercial funk sound on releases such as There's a Riot Goin' On (1971) and Fresh (1973), proving as influential as their early work. By 1975, drug problems and interpersonal clashes led to dissolution, though Sly continued to record and tour with a new rotating lineup under the name "Sly and the Family Stone" until drug problems forced his effective retirement in 1987.
The work of Sly and the Family Stone greatly influenced the sound of subsequent American funk, pop, soul, R&B, and hip hop music. Music critic Joel Selvin wrote, "there are two types of black music: black music before Sly Stone, and black music after Sly Stone". In 2010, they were ranked 43rd in Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, and three of their albums are included on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.
Sylvester Stewart (born March 15, 1943 in Denton, Texas; died June 9, 2025 in Los Angeles), better known by his stage name Sly Stone, was an American musician, songwriter, and record producer who is most famous for his role as frontman for Sly & the Family Stone, playing a critical role in the development of funk with his pioneering fusion of soul, rock, psychedelia, and gospel in the 1960s and 1970s.
Dance to the Music
Everyday People
Family Affair
My Playlist
Sports Star
In the last issue I featured Spencer Torkelson, who bounced back from almost being cut to leading the league in homers and RBI this season. This week’s Tiger has come back from even further depths, having been viewed by most Detroit fans as a major free agent signing bust. Many thought he should have been bought out of his big and lengthy contract, but he is now another incredible comeback story.
Javy underwent surgery and missed the playoffs last year. He has recovered so well that he appears to have returned to his previous All-Star form when he was with the Cubs. When the Tigers were severely short of outfielders to start this season, he took over center field, a position had never played before in the majors, and performed splendidly there. He is also playing third base, a position that needs to be permanently filled on the Tigers. As the Tigers continue having the best record in baseball, Javy is one of the many reasons for their success this year.
'He's incredible': Tigers' Báez celebrates milestone with two homers vs. Pirates by Chris McCosky of The Detroit News
"I don't know how many guys on the anniversary of 10 years of service time can go out and have a game like that," manager AJ Hinch said. "Just remarkable." Báez launched two homers to push the Tigers past the Pittsburgh Pirates, 7-3, at Comerica Park. “He’s really embracing Detroit and trying to help us win.”
Báez, 32, is enjoying a renaissance this season. He’s hitting .289 with an .798 OPS. His first homer was off a lefty Tuesday. The second one was a bonus. As was his single in the second and his patented, quick grab and tag of catcher Dillon Dingler’s throw to nab Alexander Canario trying to steal second in the third.
From Wikipedia: Ednel Javier "Javy" Báez (born December 1, 1992 in Bayamón, Puerto Rico), nicknamed "El Mago" (Spanish for "the Magician"), is a Puerto Rican professional baseball utility player for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets. On the international level, he represents the Puerto Rican national team.
Born in Puerto Rico, Báez attended high school in Jacksonville, Florida. The Cubs selected Báez with the ninth overall selection of the 2011 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut in 2014 and played for the Cubs for eight years before he was traded to the Mets in 2021. After the 2021 season, he entered free agency where he then signed a six-year contract with the Tigers.
Báez was named the National League Championship Series co-MVP alongside left-handed starter Jon Lester as the Cubs clinched their 2016 National League pennant en route to winning the 2016 World Series. He is a two-time All-Star, as well as a Gold Glove Award, and Silver Slugger Award winner. He is also the cover athlete for MLB The Show 20.
Javier Báez's three-hit, two-home run performance
Javy Báez is BACK!
Picture Pun
Cleanup on Floor 5.
