Travels in the USA: Is our journey the destination?

Here we are in America, travelling around with no plan, no agenda, no pre-planned route. How does it all work?

We are Jacksons...

To tell you the truth I have no idea. It's disconcerting, a little worrying and at times very unnerving. But if we just let ourselves go with the flow and stop worrying about how things will turn out, things do turn out - and usually very well indeed. It shouldn't work - but it does. Maybe it's just because we're receptive to whatever turns up - possibly even grateful. But it doesn't seem that way - something else seems to be at work.

...and I lived near Brighton. The omens are good.

Today was a very good example of how it all happens.

We went to Detroit to see the Ford Museum, and didn't feel like hanging around afterwards. We saw Grand Rapids on the map, and because we liked the name, we came here. On arrival it's onto the net to research what is here that might be of interest to us.

So, what is there in Grand Rapids?

Well it's where ex President Gerald Ford came from. So he has a museum here of course. We're not great fans…

Then there is the Meijer Garden and Sculpture Park.

"The what?" you say - "Never heard of them!"

Well, neither had we, but seeing as there's so much lovely mown grass in America, we missed the flowers of England. So we reckoned it was worthy of investigation.

And, as I was explaining at the beginning of this blog, we ended up having a very pleasant surprise.

Mr Frederik Meijer. A volunteer guide told us he was a very nice man.

Frederik Meijer was a wealthy local businessman who liked sculptures and art. And, because he could afford it, he could buy some of the best. In his advancing years he was asked if he would sponsor these gardens to show his beloved sculptures in, and he agreed - as long as the gardens and sculptures complemented each other.

Sadly he passed away late last year, but what a legacy he left.

If you have to have concrete, why not pretend it's a tree?

We thought the whole place was a delight. Say what you like about the Americans, but when they want to get something done it happens. Walking round the convoluted route, it was obvious that much thought and care had been spent placing every item as there was a delightful surprise round every green bend.

Antony Gormley keeps popping up everywhere. Is one missing from the Liverpool mud?

Another thing we loved; there was unmown grass. If it was mown we could walk on it - unmown keep off! What a subversion of the American obsession.

Now my one neuron has a friend - courtesy of Roxy Paine.

Twenty years ago there was nothing here. Thirteen years ago the sculpture park wasn't even started.

Now this kiss is the real thing. Thank you Rodin.

When we drove to Grand Rapids we had no idea that the following day we'd be inspecting works by Rodin, Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth and Elizabeth Frink - as well as the more contemporary David Nash.