Dana Daily

This morning Seelos had a breakfast and program for the parents. Seth wasn't fully awake yet, I don't think, and was overwhelmed by all the extra people and activity. However, he participated by going through the hand motions of the songs even though he didn't sing a note. He enjoyed a donut and fruit salad afterward, and then we headed home. I took a picture on his first day of school, and one on his last. I don't know why I hadn't expected much change, but I didn't. In the first, he was still so thin and almost gaunt looking from that awful virus/vomiting he dealt with in August into September. He looks a lot better now, even if he didn't appear to be happy to have his picture taken.

Something Sal and I have discussed for a couple summers now was purchasing an outdoor dining table. Seth and I love to eat outside, and we bit the bullet a couple weekends ago with a major shopping spree at Lowe's. Our order was delivered today so we set it up for this evening. One thing that isn't finished yet, is the privacy fence panel that will be placed between the patio and the street. We enjoyed our meal outside, but felt quite exposed given our proximity to the side street which has heavy foot traffic in the evening as people walk the neighborhood. We did put an umbrella up over the table as well, but decided that ultimately we'd like a three season room, or at least a covered patio. We shall see. Once Seth is out of preschool and happily enrolled in public school, we'll have more funds for such things. We all agreed though, that outdoor dining is where its at.

I was so very spoiled this Mother's Day. Sal really makes an effort for the holidays, and I truly appreciate it. He gave me an Edible Arrangements bouquet, which all 5 of us devoured, and a dozen roses. The kids gave me a whole bag full of little goodies, placements of the United States, a flamingo plant holder for the mantle, flamingo dish towels, my favorite candies, and a beautiful card. We went to the Square Cafe for breakfast, and as always, the lemon ricotta pancakes were delicious.

We have a six hour drive home, but first, Indiana Dunes National Park! The newest park in the national park system, just included in February of this year. I wish we could have spent a full day here, but we got some sightseeing done in the limited time we did have. Incidentally, today is Junior Ranger Day. At the ranger station we received the junior ranger booklet for Seth to complete. He was able to identify animals that make this area home, and match them to their tracks. He did really well with this activity. He also put on a puppet show for us. The ranger suggested we start at the Chellberg Farm . This area was settled by Swedish immigrants in the 1800s, and this land/farm was purchased by, who else, but the Chellberg's in 1869. Seth saw cows, pigs, and chickens. We didn't linger here since you can see animals anywhere, and the home itself wasn't open for the season yet. From the farm we drove through the Century of Progress homes which were built for the 1933 C...

We had a quick breakfast at the hotel, and then hit a Walmart across the street for some New Glarus (Spotted Cow) beer. It seemed weird buying beer at 10am, but at least we weren't drinking. The 1.5 hours from Beloit to Chicago, was the shortest leg of our trip. After freezing at the Twins game two nights prior, we weren't looking forward to a repeat, but. . . The Windy City  sure lived up to its name. We might have paid $60 for parking at Wrigley Field, but it was worth it. We were a few steps from the stadium, and not blocked in. Because this was an afternoon game, meaning the sun was out, AND it wasn't raining, it didn't feel as cold. The wind just never stopped though. We made it 6 innings and then decided it was time to exit. In what turned out to be a debacle, we decided to take Seth to the bean at Millennium Park. It took us forever to get there because of traffic, and then instead of just parking on the street, we opted for a parking garage. We checked o...

We wanted to explore Minneapolis a little before heading toward home, so we asked the hotel about walking to Hell's Kitchen. It's a restaurant we first heard of on Ali Khan's Cheap Eats . As it turns out Hell's Kitchen is just a couple blocks from the Best Western, so we set out. I ordered a lemonberry ricotta pancake, but it did not measure up to ones you can buy at home at the Square Cafe. However, the bacon was out of this world. It tasted like meat, and not bacon at all. We asked the waiter about it, and he said it's delivered from a farm in northern Iowa. We ordered Seth a Minne-Sota pancake, but he wasn't impressed. Sal had a stack of pancakes and bacon as well. After breakfast we had a list of a few sites to see - the Spoon Bridge, St. Anthony Falls, and the Mississippi River National Park and Recreation Area (MRNPRA), which is actually located in St. Paul. The Spoon Bridge was a fun photo op, and there were other statues/art in the area. St. Anthon...

The Field of Dreams movie site is somewhere Sal talked about visiting even when we were still dating. It was fun to finally make it out here. I saw the movie one time, and while it was okay, the details didn't stay with me for long, nor do I get all the hype surrounding it. As a result, when we were talking about visiting, I told Sal he could take the house tour and Seth and I would just hang out outside - playing on the ball field, taking a walk around the grounds. Well, wouldn't you know, it was raining and cold when we arrived so all three of us ended up on the tour. It was interesting. Sal loved being there and seeing all of this first hand. I found some minor details interesting - like why this farm was chosen out of hundreds to be the site of this movie.  We had hotel reservations at the Best Western Plus Normandy Inn in Minneapolis, which was just over a 4 hour drive away, so we got back on the road as scheduled about 11am. We stopped at a random Subway for...