My sister, my parents, and I were all born in Washtenaw County.
We ended up settling in the Chelsea area near my father’s parents, but my mom grew up in Saline and Ann Arbor.
Her parents had a number of houses because her dad was a prominent land developer at the time. He started out with a simple landscaping business when he dropped out of school at the University of Michigan. He was inspired to go into architecture school after witnessing the gorgeous Japanese buildings while he was there briefly at the very end of World War II. While my grandfather never became an architect like he expected, he did become a landscape artist and created many amazing works in the process. He did all of the development work along Huron River Drive and Huron Parkway, as well as building Gallup Park. These days I like to walk down to the Huron River from my apartment off Geddes Road so I can enjoy a joint along the river banks. I can look southward along the river coastline to see the work my grandfather completed nearly 50 years ago. While Ann Arbor is also my home, I have a strong personal connection to this city because of my family’s role in its development. I cannot divorce myself from this region because my family’s sweat and tears were instrumental in much of the road and land development throughout the city and Washtenaw County. While I enjoy my joints in nature, I can feel pride for what my family did to create these outdoor spaces.