Looking Back at our Vacation: Blue Lake, MN

It's going to take a while to sort through all the photos but we will have happy memories of the Minnesota leg of our summer vacation for years to come. Paul and Carol were such gracious hosts, the Bergland "Blue Lake B&B (and Lunch, Dinner, and Snacks In-between)" was the perfect place to complete our city & country vacation (the guest house, our home during the visit, is pictured above)! Even though the weather was unseasonably cool (in the high 60s/low 70s in mid-July!) they kept us entertained, extremely well-fed, and pleasantly relaxed for a wonderful time that ended too quickly. The weather cooperated on our last day there - mid-80s and perfect for kayaking, jet skiing, and cruising the lake!

Home, Sweet Home

As wonderful as our vacation was, it was great to fly into LAX last night and be back in SoCal again! We rode the Roadrunner Shuttle up the coast and through Malibu Canyon as the sun was setting and it clarified just how beautiful our part of the world is. As the driver said when he picked us up, he was taking us back to paradise!
We got home right around 10 pm and Bob Cat was there to welcome us. It was so warm while we were gone that the moss and algae (that I had thinned out the day before we left town) had grown so much that you could barely hear the waterfall! This morning, I thinned it all out again and enjoyed seeing that along with the algae, the cannas, peacock orchids, and begonias had also taken off!

The Real Vacation Has Begun!

The ALA conference was great but the schedule and travel between our hotel, the convention center, and the outlying hotel events was exhausting. The real vacation began yesterday afternoon. Tom took me around to all the outdoor places he explored while I was at the conference - music, sun, sculptures, etc. We finished the night with a marvelous meal at Morton's - genuine prime Midwest filet mignon with all the trimmings! Today we took the bus down to Hyde Park and saw the Harry Potter exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry. Thursday afternoon we check out and fly up to Minnesota for a long weekend with Paul and Carol at their cabin outside of Minneapolis. (photos to follow)

Cheers to Chicago

This town is so much fun! We got here Thursday evening and have been thoroughly enjoying our visit.We took the CTA train to Wrigley Field and went to a Cubs/Cardinals game Friday afternoon. After a brief rain, the sky turned blue and beautiful. We left in the 8th inning (Cardinals 8, Cubs 3) in order to make the YALSA Happy Hour and Fashion Show at the Westin, the first event before ALA really got started on Saturday. Our first dinner was just a few blocks from our hotel, the Elephant and Castle, a place we discovered on our first trip to Chicago.ALA was hectic but full of informative sessions and interesting and inspirational author talks. Lots of rushing back and forth between events in hotels on the Loop and events in the convention center but well worth the time. Tom spent most days exploring on his own but also attended some of the author talks and readings and Exhibit Hall events with his guest pass. With restaurants open late and mild summer nights past midnight, we found plenty of time to enjoy the city after ALA was over each night. Will post photo links after we get back.

Summer is Official!

The Summer Solstice occured at 12:46 a.m. CDT. This is the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere and marks the Sun's northernmost point in the sky.