Magical Michigan

               Wedding bells are in the air, so we are off to Michigan for Lauren's wedding.

  Best way to start a trip in the summer when you are leaving from London is with a Pimms. Delicious! This thing is easy to drink, too easy. I was going to buy a 5th of Pimms but decided I would have it drunk before I got to Traverse so I took the road of better judgement.

We arrived at Hendricks in the woods on the beautiful shores of Grand Traverse Bay at 3 in the morning. I got the graveyard shift but it was worth it. We fell into bed with the sound of the bell bouy off the point dinging regularly. Kind of annoying but interesting. Not being able to sleep much I was up for the sunrise. Spectacular, then there was yoga and a skinny dip in the bay.

We had many boats to choose from. Kirk saw the Hobie and he was bound and determined to get it sailing. After hunting through bits and pieces of all the other boats, Nick, Gus and Kirk hoisted the mast up. The boat was over 50 years old so it seemed a little questionable.

Out for a sail the boys went and the wind died, luckily they had remembered a paddle.  Cheryl's speed boat was also out of order as it ran out of gas half way to Sutton's Bay and had to be rescued. The boys arrived back at the house just in time to head out to GTYC for the Wet Wednesday Night Races.  Saw all the old gang and had a great get together and dinner at the club.

Gus, Ania and Nick decided to take the Hobie out for a spin the next day. Well things did not go as well. The wind was a little brisky and there was a bit of chop, the boat was moving well and got out near the middle of the bay. They were not out for more than 15 minutes and Kirk saw from shore the mast fall down. The hull ended up in two pieces and still floated, and Ania had the quote of the day   “ Is anything broken?” to Gus’s reply “What do you think?”. No one was hurt and all made it back to shore.

                                           More water toys kept showing up and we tried them all.

                     Cousins found the Swedes and headed for a pre-nuptial party at the lake house.

                                                    The sunrises never disappointed.

                                     Had a BBQ for the family and a bonfire to top it off.

                                                  Everyone cleaned up nice for the wedding. 

                                 Lauren was a beautiful bride and the ceremony very special.

                        This trip to Michigan felt like a place that existed only in the overlapping of 

                                                   air and water, light and time. Magic……

Chicago, Cloud Gate, Hamilton, Baseball and Stuff Mart

Cloud Gate

We have returned to the land of big and plenty. I forgot how big everything and everyone is in the USA. 

Our hotel room is bigger than our total square footage of our house. It also had a jacuzzi in the room. I could walk through the room without asking Kirk to move. Heaven! Then the breakfast, OMG! Eggs, sausages, bacon, waffles, yogurt, bagels, Krispy Cremes, muffins, coffee, juices, cereal,  bananas and apples. The endless breakfast bar, all you could eat. Yes, I could not resist the waffles, they were fresh, you made them right there. I would make one to share with Kirk and before I could stop him he was making another one. More food than any person should eat in one sitting. Thank god we only stayed a week or we would of ended up being big and plenty. 

                              Gus would be in pig heaven. 

The roads are just as congested as the UK but twice as big and more construction if you can believe that.  But Chicago is always in transition and construction when it comes to roads. 

I have not driven a car in so long that it was strange to have to get in the car to go anywhere and no where was close.  Could not walk to pub or coffee house. 

We had a wonder evening with Petra and family. So great to see them and Naperville. What a cute town they live in. 

We hit all the highlights.  Went to Windy City baseball game. It was 2 dollar Tuesday, what a deal. I even got to go out on third base and play Hi Lo where I won $20. Could not have been more fun. And best of all, got a picture with Boomer the mascot.

Downtown Chicago still amazes me. I love walking under Cloud Gate and then walking on water at the water towers. Had lunch at Paneras , finally a place that sells salads with not beets in them. Then sure as shootin’ the rain came down in buckets. Just to remind us of home sweet home, England. 

The Chicago Institute of Art was overwhelming as usual. We saw the Chagall stain glass window very different from the Chagall in the church at Zurich. This one told the story of the USA.

My favourite as usual was a Monet waves breaking on the beach. 

Monet

                                               Mary Cassat

                                                          

We took an audio tour of Hamilton era art in the American section. My favourite was a bronzed freed slave. Very moving. 

Then just by accident I was browsing the theatre tickets and found Hamilton tickets for under $100 a piece. Could not believe my luck. It was at the CIVI Theater in downtown Chicago. Our lucky day. What a moving show. Need to read the book now and watch it about 5 more times to catch all the nuances. Absolutely loved it. 

Did successfully get my drivers licences in Indiana and surprised all my old dear friends at Purdue. Was so fun to drop in on them, that was a shocker. 

                                             I even got to visit my piano.

We went on a tour of the Grosse Point Light house. I could not believe it was on this side of Lake Michigan because I thought that Grosse Ppint was near Detroit. Which it is. We had to go see this to make sure I was not loosing my mind.  And sure enough right beside Northwestern University was the lighthouse. Very stately and majestic. 

Now I remember one of the reasons we moved. Getting anywhere from anywhere is a freeway nightmare of a drive. Especially in a big city. I do not miss that. 

Since this occurred over Mothers Day the kids got me a Spa day. Facial, massage and foot wrap, could not of been nicer. 

We managed to go to one more baseball game at the Boomers, but it was rained out cold and windy. 

We finished the trip at a Stuff Mart. Was amazing to walk into one of these and even if it was a superstore I knew where everything was. Picked up those rare items I can not find in the UK. Knee sox, nail polishing 4 grain stick, docker /pants/trousers and fathead sunglasses for Kirk.  (Pants - that word gets me in more trouble than not in the UK, it means underwear, they always get a good laugh out of that. I once wrote an email to send out about everyone needing to wear pants in the clean room, as we were having some women visit, you could imagine the flack I got on that one!)

I found the Chicos and the Apple stores seemed to crop up on nearly every corner. It was dangerous because everywhere I would go there was another Chicos store, to much fun was had. I got all my essentials I can never find in the UK and we headed back home to the doggies in the UK. 

Heading back across the pond. Cheers !