I have taken a break from my blog for a few months and now that we are on our way south again I have the urge to get back into the habit of recording our adventures.
The last part of the summer and early fall was spent finishing up the boat projects on Bob’s list and visiting the rest of my family. My first trip was to Chicago and South Bend where I visited my daughter Rachel, her boyfriend Juan, and his daughter Liliana in their new apartment in Oak Park, Illinois. Oak Park is just outside the city limits of Chicago and is a quick train ride to downtown. It is a quiet, clean, walkable and safe neighborhood where Juan and Rachel can walk Lili to school everyday. Rachel and I walked and biked around the neighborhood eating lunch out at great restaurants and visiting the large conservatory.
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| Rachel is in front of one of a beautiful flowering tree in the conservatory. |
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| The size of the koi in the pond of the tropical section of the conservatory was impressive. |
From Chicago, I took the South Shore train to South Bend for a few days to spend time with my daughter Grace and her boyfriend Ben. They have moved into a house and are in the process of decorating it. We shared several meals together the best of which was the one Ben prepared on my last night there. Got to love those fried pickles!
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| Here is the happy couple. |
I was able to spend many hours with Jessica while I was in Baltimore sewing and visiting a Fabric Mart in Pennsylvania. She and I have created several outfits this summer. We also spent a day visiting my sister Nancy and her husband Aldo on a Sunday afternoon.
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| We enjoyed Aldo’s turkey subs for a late lunch and spent the afternoon talking and laughing about life. This is Nancy, Jessica, and Aldo from left to right. |
Bob and I were able to share several meals with Jessica and Joe both in Baltimore and Annapolis.
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| We went to a taco restaurant with Jess and Joe our first night back in Baltimore. The food and company were outstanding. |
I was also able to attend two concerts where Jess and Joe were featured performers.
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| Jess and Joe are pictured here with the additional performers at a Baltimore Musicals performance in August. Jess is in the center and Joe is on the far right. By the way Jess is wearing a dress she created for herself. |
My three sisters and I all got together at Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania in early October. We seldom get to visit with each other without our extended families around and it was great catching up with each other. Longwood Gardens of course is magnificent and we got to see the afternoon fountain display that coordinates the “dancing” water fountains with music. It was extraordinary.
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| Lunch at the Longwood Gardens Restaurant was delicious, especially the cream of mushroom soup. |
My last visit of the fall was to my dear friend Claire’s in Sarasota. I wanted to be there to help with her transition from rehabilitation to home. Fortunately, I was there to assist her husband Fred with a visit to the emergency room and a stay in the hospital. They are considering moving into assisted living and I toured a few places to help with the process.
Now that I'm all caught up with my last two months we were in Anchorage Marina in Baltimore, I can write about our second trip south. My next blog post will cover our trip down the Chesapeake Bay and the first few days on the ICW (Intracoastal Water Way).
Thank you for reading my blog.
