313 DAY

It is 313 Day! I've had lots of memorable experiences in the City of Detroit with my kids ranging from attending the commissioning ceremony of a naval warship to seeing life size dinosaurs romp through Little Caesars Arena. Going to see Aladdin at the Detroit Opera House with my daughter and the Pistons play a basketball game with my son were some special one-on-one times with each of my children. 

One of our favorite days spent downtown was the Star Wars adventure we had at the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Michigan Science Museum. Today seemed like a good day to reminiscence about past experiences at these museums which are two of our favorite places to spend time at in Detroit and look forward to having new experiences there as we hopefully all begin to move on beyond the pandemic that has isolated us for so long.

We've visited the Michigan Science Center on a number of occasions to have fun with their extensive collection of interactive science exhibits, watch super-sized movies in the state's only IMAX dome theater, and check out visiting traveling exhibits like Toytopia and Titanic: The Artifact Collection. It is always a blast and we are looking forward to getting back there to play around in their new Ames Room optical illusion experience. Ever wonder how they made the regular-sized men playing Hobbits look small in scenes standing next to characters whose actors in real life are similar height to them? This special effects demonstration will shed some light on that!

My family has also missed our outings to the Detroit Institute of Arts. From wonderful interactions with volunteer docents to geeking out over a collection of rare baseball cards we've had a lot of entertaining and educational experiences over the years visiting this museum. Plus going to see the shiny suits of armor at the DIA never gets old! And of course we'll never forget going to the special Star Wars exhibit the museum hosted!

I want to get back down there before June 27, 2021 to explore their temporary exhibit Detroit Style: Car Design in the Motor City, 1950–2020 which concludes this summer. It highlights the artistry involved within the automotive industry when it comes to car design. This gallery includes 12 real cars that showcase significant design elements that have been parked inside the museum. I absolutely want to get a close up look at Detroit Style.

With the 313 in mind, for those of you not from the D that is the area code for the City, have to give a plug to the limited time exhibit Russ Marshall: Detroit Photographs, 1958-2008 which features 90 black and white pictures by the photographer featuring a unique perspective of the people and places of Detroit from streetscape imagery. Take a walk through 50 years of Detroit history by experiencing this collection of Russ Marshall photographs.

Also coming up in 2022 will be a special Van Gogh exhibit. The Detroit Institute of Arts was the first American museum to purchase a work of art by this now renowned artist. 2022 marks the 100th anniversary of the DIA adding Vincent van Gogh's Self-Portrait to its collection. In commemoration, the museum will display alongside Self Portrait more than fifty other Van Gogh paintings, drawing and sketches on loan from collectors and museums from around the world. Something to look forward to as hopefully the pandemic comes to  closure.

What are some of your favorite places in the 313? Do you have a favorite restaurant, park or other spot that you frequent or have fond memories of visiting? There is a lot to discover in the D!

WHO IS SAURON

When you think of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings novels or the movies based upon them by Peter Jackson the first things that probably come to mind are hobbits, dwarves and wizards. Did you know though that the Lord of the Rings that these books and movies are titled after is actually the villain of the story. A devilish character known as Sauron.

In the lore Tolkien established for his fantasy world the land of Middle-Earth and all the life within it were created by an omniscient and omnipotent creator called Eru Ilúvatar. Acting as emissaries for the mysterious Ilúvatar with the inhabitants of Middle-Earth were demi-god creatures with magical powers known as Valars. One of these Valars was named Sauron.

Sauron had the ability to take any shape he desired and was charming and friendly to the elves, men and dwarves living within Middle-Earth. But like the Norse god Loki, Sauron was a trickster. He desired to trick all of the Free Peoples into being enslaved to him.

Sauron imbued his essence into a number of magical rings that were gifted to the rulers of the kingdoms of mankind, dwarves and elves. These Rings of Power were tied to the One Ring that Sauron crafted for himself giving him mind control power over the wearers of the other rings. Sauron instilled so much of his magical essence into the One Ring that it became a conduit enhancing his supernatural powers. Similar to the Horcrux used in Harry Potter stories by the villain Voldemort, the One Ring essentially made Sauron immortal unless it would be destroyed which then would deplete the demi-god's powers.

As the populations Sauron attempted to enslave rose up against him, a great war took place pitting the orcs, goblins, and other monsters the demi-god commanded against the Free Peoples of Middle-Earth. This culminated in a battle where in the midst of fighting, the Sauron's finger wearing the One Ring was cut from his hand. Sauron fled the battlefield and went into hiding greatly weakened by the loss of his ring. The ring was lost after that battle but not destroyed!

Sauron began rebuilding his armies and sending minions out looking for the ring so he could restore his power. As Sauron's dark presence began impacting Middle-Earth again, Eru Ilúvatar sent five Valars, in the form of human wizards, to stand up against him and side with the Free Peoples. These included two blue wizards who vanished without a trace, the white wizard Saruman, who became corrupted by Sauron, the brown wizard Rhosgobel and Gandolf the Grey. The Valars Gandolf and Rhosgobel eventually assisted in destroying the One Ring with the help of some Hobbits thus vanquishing Sauron. 

Sauron's army utilizes the image of a fiery eye as it emblem in symbolism of the demi-god's intent to rule anything he sees before him in Middle-Earth. The character is also depicted as a fiery eye floating in the air above his Mordor fortress. This floating eye is the magical ability of Sauron to look out from his fortress to see what is going on throughout Middle-Earth because having lost the One Ring his physical form is too weak to risk venturing out. Reunited with the One Ring though, Sauron would regain his ability to have powerful corporeal form as he did before his finger was cut off in battle.

You can bring the devilish Sauron to life without having to find the lost One Ring. Imagine your own Lord of the Rings adventures with BendyFigs from The Noble Collection. The BendyFigs action figure of Sauron stands approximately 7 inches tall and comes with a display stand. Sauron is posable due to a wire frame hidden with its rubbery body. This officially licensed Lord of the Rings toy also comes with a weapon as an accessory.

Other Lord of the Rings figures that you can bend and pose in different positions from Noble Toys include Frodo the Hobbit, Gandalf the Wizard, and Gollum. Go to noblecollection.com to get yourself some BendyFigs.