Best Memorial Day Weekend Ever

As part of our 60th birthdays, the kids arranged a Chicago trip for all of us. It turned out fantastic, and I will commemorate it here with a few highlights.

Our place. (On the near north side, just off the lake shore)

First dinner together at Minnies

Everything is served "mini", and you order in groups of three, so you can get quite a variety of tastes, and flavors.

On the "el" train to downtown.

In Grant Park.

Waiting to get into the Aquarium.

The Aquarium was great. It was just redesigned with little kids in mind.

Being a penquin

A visit to nearby Wrigley Field. (Ryan and I switched hats)

There were many more things, such as the Museum of Science and Industry, an eight mile run, great food, getting to meet friends of Cayle and Tracy, quality time together as a family, and good conversations. The trip created some wonderful memories that will last forever.

The Woodland Garden

On the north side of the house (shady side) we have some native plants that are doing well. Here is a look at some of them.

The Trillium

The May Apple

Twinleaf (Jeffersonisa) This came from the Monticello Gardens-a ancestor of a plant Thomas Jefferson planted.

The fern forest

The emerging huge Jack in the Pulpit we brought with us from Okemos

Columbine-the state flower of Colorado

Out of control already-the Wisteria is headed for the roof and and under the shutters.

Out of control #2-We have trimmed this thing twice already.

Let us finish with the newly arrived plants for the flower boxes in front.

The Sand Point Sand Bar

The beach at Sand Point near Munising is one of our favorite places. It is usually the first place we visit on every trip.

Last September the sand bar which usually requires a dramatic, and cold swim to reach was actually connected to the shore line.

It allowed us to walk out onto the sand bar, and therefore out into the bay.

Leslie kept going, and it appears she is almost to Grand Island.

Last week we returned, and our first stop was once again Sand Point.

But the sand bar is no longer connected, and is once again out in the bay.

The founding members of the "Sand Point Fan Club."

Glimmer....Glimmer......

The combination of sunshine and wind were creating quite a pretty glimmer on Powell Lake, and we tried to capture it with the camera, not too successfully.

A few more attempts.

The new deck glass railing. The wood is seasoned now, so we plan to paint it to match on the next trip up.

Musical Progression

When I was a child it was 78 rpm recordings with such hits as "Peter, Please it's Pancakes", and "The Carrot Seed."

Then it was the 45 rpm singles, and the rock and roll hits of the 60's.

This was followed by college, and The Beach Boys, and The Beatles, and the 33 and 1/3 rpm on vinyl.

Things remained that way for quite a while, until the wonderful cassette tapes, and portable players came along.

Then compact discs, or CD's made rewinding obsolete.

Then I entered the digital world with my first IPod.

And that is how things have remained, until yesterday when Leslie became technologically cool with her Sansa Clip mp3 player.

Mulchkin Land

We spent the weekend moving mulch.

We had six yards delivered, and spread it three inches deep on all four sides of the house.


It took a lot of full wheelbarrows to empty that pile!


Here are some more scenes from around the house.


Let us finish with some "shooting stars". These are my favorite spring flowers in the yard. They remind me of the Rocky Mountains.