It’s been eight years since we took a short trip to the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village in suburban Detroit. I was looking at the images I made during that visit recently and was reminded that hats played a part.

Such as the Hello Kitty cap, probably bought in Japan, and probably around the house even now. In the background is Greenfield Village’s Herschell-Spillman Carousel, which the girls were waiting to ride.

The museum says, ” Built in 1913, this ‘menagerie’ carousel’s hand-carved animals include storks, goats, zebras, dogs, and even a frog. Although its original location is uncertain, this carousel operated in Spokane, Washington, from 1923 to 1961.”

This colorful cap is definitely still around the house.

I bought it from a street vendor in Bangkok for a few baht and wore it frequently in the tropics, less frequently in the hot sun of temperate summers. The day we visited the Henry Ford, if I remember right, was fairly hot and Lilly must have borrowed the cap from me.

One of the many 19th-century retailers moved to the site of Greenfield Village was a hat shop, where you could try on hats.

Just women’s hats, I think. If there had been a men’s bowler available, say, I would have tried it on.