A Midwest Summer: Part 1

  { Potawatomi Historic Inn }

I was lucky enough to spend almost two weeks at the very end of summer. It was the perfect way to finish out this busy summer. Although I didn't get to enjoy a full summer (thanks to an extended Eastern European trip), the short-lived warm summer days were filled with family, friends, and lots of lazing around. Our first stop was Angola, Indiana were we spent lakeside with Alan's family - boat rides on the lake, moonlit walks, sandcastles, hiking, and bike rides.

{ Picture perfect summer clouds }

{ Sandcastles }

A Midwest Summer: Part 2

The second part of the trip was all about the sites of Lake Michigan. Saugatuck is  a quaint beach town all about handcrafted salt water taffy, old fashioned ice cream, and fudge (yes, I did indulge - a lot).  Saugatuck comes complete with an old school diner/general store, soda jerk and soda pop! Right outside of Saugatuck is the buried city of Singapore which is now made up of massive sandunes. To get to the beautiful beaches of Lake Michigan, you hike through a sandy forest and finally make your way to a secluded oasis.  We stumbled upon a fawn and doe, just a few feet away on our hike to the beach (this sighting made the 2-mile worthwhile).  We finally called it a day (literally) in South Haven with a warm sunset. I even got to see the first addition to a SFR Alan worked on in the early days of his career.

Identity Crisis in Eastern Europe

So everyone in Eastern Europe thought I was either Spanish or Italian and would greet me with "Hola" or "Ciao".  Even when I responded in American English I was greeted with more Spanish and Italian. I gave up so I decided to dress the part :) Hola, Ciao and Donatella Versace-esque sunglasses!

Vienna: At Night

Here's the last in a series of beautiful cities at night: Vienna. Here are some pictures I took after enjoying a unique concert with the Hofburg Orchestra at the Hofburg Palace.  I was expecting a typical (and stuffy) performance, but this orchestra was anything but boring. The Hofburg Orchestra was the funniest, most entertaining, and most talented orchestra I have seen.  Here are some snapshots of the Hofburg Palace, City Hall (yes, it looks like a Castle), and the Neu Palace/National Library as we strolled through Vienna while enjoying ice cream (of course).