With packaged bottles clanking rhythmically along, generously acquired from the Cleveland-based Great Lakes Brewing Company, we arrived at my home in Ann Arbor just after sunset on Tuesday, June 20 th. Little did we know that the Big Green Bus’ second appearance on Newport Creek would prove to be so wonderfully eventful.

Despite our communal sleep deprivation, the lasting effects of graduation and Bonnaroo, many bussers found themselves strangely awake around 5:30AM as cracks of thunder rumbled above. My mom Deb roused some of us to move the bus so the local fire department could get closer to the neighbor’s lightning stuck home as flames emanated from the roof. Fortunately, no one was hurt. The bus, however, flustered the media considerably in what came to be the Big Green Bus’ very first 6 AM event!

Throughout the day, thunderstorms continued to tease the day’s activities, eventually culminating in the cancellation of the Bus’s appearance at the Ann Arbor Summer Festival (thank you to Kelly Dylla for helping us out!). Nonetheless, the bussers were able to keep busy. Most of the crew had the pleasure of enjoying Pete and Ari’s generosity, enjoying lunch at Zingerman’s Roadhouse; Zingerman’s is one of Ann Arbor ’s most popular and delicious establishments. Then, while most caught up on e-mails and ransacked the local thrift store, Mikey and Brian kindly sacrificed much of the afternoon to get an oil change in Jackson and meet with a group from Saginaw , Michigan who are hoping to facilitate change on a veggie-powered project of their own.

Late in the afternoon, the group reconvened at the house where we entertained the idea of adding a disco ball to the Bus’s interior ambiance, at the surprisingly convincing prompting of May cousins Billy and Bobbie, ages 8 and 6. The canceled nighttime event turned out to be a blessing in disguise, allowing the first truly relaxing night of the trip. My parents continued to spoil us with comfort, conversation and laughter. Yet the night was not over. As we sat down to the Forrest’s mom’s famed barbecue chicken recipe (and delicious tequila lime blackbean sausages from Whole Foods, thank you), the neighborhood suffered a brown-out. The candlelit dinner that followed coupled with the sounds of steady rain and made our stay in Ann Arbor an immediate favorite! Thanks to the May family for such a comfortable stay! Leaving bright and early for Chicago to meet with the Lt. Governor, Pat Quinn, tomorrow…

- Elliott