April, me and Robin on the train

 Robin, me and April 

 The Palmer House ... very swish

 the ceiling was magnificent

 there were some questionable people loitering by the lifts hehehe

 I may not be able to afford to stay here but I can pretend that I can

 Dick Blick's ... two floors of art supplies ... TWO FLOORS ... heaven

 time for coffee ... I had chai latte

 This sculpture in Millennium Park is called Cloud Gate but its affectionately called the bean ... where's Uta

 I love how the bean reflects its surroundings

 some of the city scape

 This is the Jay Pritsker Pavilion. Robin and I saw a live band there later in the evening. 

 another view of the pavilion 

 this is a stainless steel bridge in Millennium Park 

 it winds its way across the park

Lake Michigan from Lake Shore Drive

 Buckingham Fountain

 love my friends

 loved this statue of a Native American ... bowman

 the fire escapes are just like in the movies

 there was a Lichtnestein retrospective on in the Art Institute and Robin and I loved it!!!

 the entrance to the Art Institute of Chicago has a couple of Leo's guarding it

 The Crown Fountain has faces projected on them. Sometimes they squirt water from their mouths.

 ALL the kids had fun splashing in the water of the fountain

 we had lunch at the Park Cafe where I left my mark

 it wasn't me officer

 Robin wanted me to try the deep dish pizza that Chicago is famous for. It was a 45 minute wait to get in so we amused ourselves in a nearby bar with $4 Margaritas while we waited

Our last stop before heading back on the last train was the Hancock building where you can see all the lights of Chicago. Breathtaking and so so huge. On the left you can see Navy Pier.

South Haven & April's Family Birthday Party

I am a little behind on my blog posts as so much is happening at once. This is from last Sunday. Elena, Sylvia and I were leaving Michigan and heading back to Illinois. Jake, Nick and the girls (the doggies) headed home but we were going site seeing (which really means shopping). We didn't even make it back to Illinois on Saturday but stayed in a hotel in Benton Harbor. South Haven was the last town we were stopping at and it had the quaintest little clothing store called Renaissance & Papyrus. Not only were the clothes exquisite but it had the most adorable garden out back that will surely turn up in my paintings.

Of course we spent too long shopping and were running late. I had to be at April's at a certain time as we were going to her granddaughter's 7th birthday party. When we finally arrived back in Illinois and at April's I finally got to meet Henri. I fell in love instantly.

It was a warm day and the kids at the birthday party had fun under the sprinkler and sliding along the Slip & Slide.

 April and me

 the kids lining up for a turn hitting the pinjada

 the pinjada was a giant cupcake

 a really quick dive to the ground when the pinjada finally broke and the lollies fell

 the birthday cake

meet Shelby

I will post my adventures in downtown Chicago and meeting my friend Laura soon.

Update Soon

I have been so busy seeing so many new things there has been no time to update my adventure on my blog. I am still alive and having so much fun. More to follow soon ...

Kayaking on Pentwater River

Jake took me kayaking today. The place we are staying in had a couple of kayaks in the basement. There is nothing quite like it. Its so peaceful and you get to see places you wouldn't normally see. I was worried I might get my camera wet so I didn't take it. There were beautiful water lilies with yellow flowers. I stayed among them a little too long and lost sight of Jake who was paddling up ahead. I saw what I thought was a piece of drift wood so I paddled off to investigate it. As I got closer it moved!!! It was a turtle just getting some air. It was fabulous to see ... the shell was about the size of a dinner plate. Seeing that made me so happy I welled up with tears. Elena calls me chiona which she tells me means cry baby hehehe.

 This is what I see when I lay in bed

 kayaks are in the truck woohoo

 wearing a life jacket like I was asked to (that means "told")

bliss

 I was so happy today I thought I would burst

 cool huh???

 Elena bought me an American flag, ready for the 4th of July

 I had to decorate the dinner table with it hehehe

end of the day Jake lent me his winter work shirt called a carhartt

(I always get cold ... not like summer back home)

Sight Seeing in Ludington Michigan

 I just can't help photographing the treasures

 This would look so good outside my studio

 me

 my hosts, Jake and Elena ... aren't they cute

 the fire hydrants are short and fat hehehe

 the Ludington Lighthouse

 me ... again

 gotta love that peeling paint and the text

 back to Pentwater for lunch

 Elena and her son Nicholas ... rare to get a photo of him ... he won't let you

 hehehe loved this sign on the Tiki Bar

back at the cabin for a camp fire

when it got dark the woods came alive with fireflies .... they look like fairies

my first s'more

biscuit/piece of chocolate/marshmallow toasted on the fire/another biscuit

the hot gooey marshmallow melts the chocolate and everything oozes

Summer

I realised something today. I love summer! I have come to the conclusion that I must find the means to never go through another winter again. Who likes being cold??? Oh yeah, Elena's sister Sylvia. She is not keen on any sort of heat. I do try to tell her that its not hot ... she should try a summer in Australia then she would know what hot is. The shops here are so highly air conditioned that I get goose bumps the second I enter the door. I guess its just what you're used to.The temperature reached somewhere between 92F and 94F which with my mathematical brain I convert to 33C to 34.5C. A nice day especially when most of the day is spent on the shore of Lake Michigan but I am told it was hot hehehe.

The day begins with Jake cooking breakfast. When he says there's ham and eggs for breakfast he ain't kidding. Have you ever seen a ham steak that big???

 Eggs sunny side up with runny yolks to dip the ham and toast into

Want some??? There is always enough to go around.

 

 Then its down to the lake. Here's Sylvia getting sand in her bits hehehe.

 Elena having fun.

 Here's Sylvia and Nick trying to help Elena. There was much screaming and laughing.

 The waves kept pushing Sylvia over and she ended up with gravel rash on her knees.

 Some time out of the water and Elena created a sand mermaid.

 Sylvia trying to get Elena into the deeper water but the waves had other ideas.

 Finally!!!

 This will be another painting I am sure!!!! I love this pink chair!!!