Card Show/Vacation post

I apologize for the long post, but I promise I have cards and fun pictures!
We got back from our vacation in Michigan last night around 12:30AM, and I got some much needed sleep, mowed the grass, and then got right to work taking pictures of cards so I could make this post.
I had a great vacation, went to many places I remembered as a kid but hadn't been to in around 25 years, and got a ton of cards.
It started 2 Saturdays ago when I went to the local card show in the morning. I looked around for the table that had some nice '90's and '00's cards last time, but they weren't there, so I made my way to the first table, which happened to be the one of the guy who started the whole show. I thanked him for starting the whole thing, and purchased a few cards. Then, I found a table near the right corner which I saw last show. They had a few cards I purchased, and then I made my way around the rest of the show. I didn't see many dime or quarter boxes. A number had dollar boxes, but it was mainly vintage and newer stuff, as well as all of the rookies and game-used. I found a table near the end that had a binder full of in-person autographs, and I probably shouldn't have went to it and spent so much, but I made out with some nice autographs for my Favorite Player Collection. I made my way backwards around the show, and found a table with some game-used cards, and I got a few from that guy. After that, my budget was pretty much spent, and I made my way back to the right corner. There was a lady who I thought had a box of newer Bowman cards, so I searched it for Tigers, Rays, and Reds. "What? Reds? Are you collecting Reds?", you say. No. I just was looking for cards of Reds guys who I could hopefully get signed at the Tigers/Reds game I would be going to on the 1st. As I was looking through the box, I saw some Topps Traded sets, and asked how much. The lady said 5 bucks each, and I asked her if she had any more. She said she hadn't gotten everything layed out, and she pulled out a few more, and a few random boxes sets. I got the '87, '88, and '89 Topps Traded sets from her, as well as a T&M Sports Senior League set. When I went to pay, it turned out the loose Bowman cards I got were from the table next to her. I wish they would do a better job at separating everything.
Here are some pictures of what I got.

 There are the boxes sets. For some reason, the '87 box is lost, but believe me, I have the set.

 Random Tigers I got, including a Sparky Anderson autographed '96 Upper Deck checklist.

 Rays cards. I love the Iwamura jersey, as he caught the ball for the final out that sent the Rays to the World Series in 2008.

 Some nice pickups for my Favorite Player Collection. I had autographs of Andruw Jones and Randall Simon that I sold a few years ago, so I was glad to add new ones, as well as getting a jersey card of Eric Thames. I haven't seen many on COMC last year, and the few that were had price tags that were a little high for me.

 Highlight cards, including a sweet Jaret Wright autographed card. His cards were on fire at one point. I need to get a rookie of him.

 Speaking of rookies, the Traded set had tons of rookie cards that I didn't have. Aside from the Traded sets, I picked up a Jim Rice rookie, a Maddux Leaf rookie, and some '18 Bowman's of Hunter Greene and Jordan Hicks.

 This brings it down to the random cards. I found a Dan Jansen jersey card, which I though was cool. There was also a '93 Topps BlackGold winner card. I have a few, but I need to pick up the whole 'winner' set (A, B, C, D, A/B, C/D, A/B/C/D, I think that's how it worked). Also got a Black Gold McGwire single, and some '18 Bowman Chrome Reds.

 After the show, we drove a few hours outside of Louisville, and Sunday drove to Louisville to see the slugger museum. I got a picture in the front with the giant bat, but I think it is on my wife's phone. We took the tour, and although many of the machines weren't running, we did see many of them at work. We couldn't take pictures, but I swear I saw an order sheet for Jose Peraza of the Reds by one of the machines where they engrave the names into the bats. At the end of the tour, I asked if I could have one of the ends of the bats that helps it stay on the machine before being discarded. They were happy to give me one, and it is going straight to my man-cave/garage.

We then went to the John Ball Zoo, a place I had went to many times when I was a child. They have a statue that I have pictures of me climbing on when I was around 6, and then again at 22. I don't know where they are, but I promise. My wife was nice enough to let me hold my son Kyler at top, take a picture, and get him down. 

There was also a penguin statue that I took a picture with as a 22 year old. Here is the 35 me. 

And 22 me.  

 I think the 35 me has less hair, but I like where my life is now with the family and everything. 

The zoo apparently had scheduled that day as a giveaway day where lots of organizations came and set up tables and gave stuff away. I was lucky enough to get a fidget spinner, and some stuff for Kyler, including sidewalk chalk and some coloring books. We also found out that the zoo was having an appearance by Daniel Tiger, who is the star of Kyler's favorite TV show. We waited for a good 1 1/2 hours in the 87 degree heat so we could get a picture. I feel sorry for the guy in the suit. 

On Wednesday, we took the drive to Detroit from Grand Rapids, and saw my Tigers in their home ballpark. Finally after 35 years. The stadium was in a crappy part of Detroit (what part isn't?), but it was magnificent. Probably my 2nd favorite ballpark of all the ones I have been to. The list would probably go something like this:

1. Fenway Park

2. Comerica Park

3. Miller Park

4. Minute Maid Park

5. Tropicana Field

6. Kauffman Stadium

7. Turner Field

8. Shea Stadium

9. Comiskey Park (or whatever the White Sox are calling it now)

We didn't get any autographs (not even from Paws the mascot, who I only saw once on the field and never in the stands). It was ok. I got to see my Tigers get a win at home. 

The rest of the trip consisted of a wedding, seeing some old places I had been to, and that was about it. One of the highlights was getting a picture of Kyler, myself, my dad, and my grandpa together. 4 generations of DeJong's. We took some better ones, but this was the only one I could find on my phone. 

Along the way, we stopped at a Target, and I got me some Michigan baseball cards. They weren't good. I got a pack of BLB, as well as a 4-pack Topps Chrome hanger. I got a Ray and Tiger out of the Chrome pack, and a Corey Kluber Leader card for my PC out of the BLB pack. Among the Refractors, I really only am happy with pulling the Crawford Insert and the Pujols. I also got Whitecaps and Tigers schedules at some point on the trip. Don't know how the Garrett and Winkler FishFractors and Bowman Kingery got on the picture, but they were from the card show.

It was a great trip. It was a looooooooong drive, but I feel relaxed, and I was happy every day that I was there, and came away with some great cards and memories. I saved the best for last. For every Major League game that I go to in a different park, I get a card of the stadium, and write the date, and who came to the game with me. I have also been doing it for Kyler, and putting them in a little 80-card binder for him, along with the ticket stub. Here is Kyler's Comerica Park card with a ticket from the game.  

 Thanks for reading this long post. Hopefully things will get back in the normal swing in a few days, and I can get back to doing a few customs.
-Jeremy