If It's Good Enough for Guy...

     I know we haven't had our weekly #wackywednesdaywanderings yet. But we had a fun #sillysaturdaysoiree so we need to tell you about it. We typically have our oldest granddaughter with us on Saturday evenings so these don't happen often. While we missed having our sweet girl, we had a fun evening planned.
     Our adventure was to take place at 9:00, which left us time to grab a bite to eat on our way. Drew had a place in mind but didn't tell me. He put the location in his GPS and we headed off. We ended up in Goshen, Indiana at a place we had originally seen on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. We have driven past many times and kept saying we wanted to check it out sometime.
     It doesn't look like much from the outside. The building is small and there is not a parking lot. But South Side Soda Shop is so worth the stop! You can either park along the street or across the street in the school parking lot when school isn't in session. When we walked in, we were greeted with an old-style diner, complete with the little Formica tables with the stainless steel trim and red vinyl seats. You would think you'd open a tiny menu and see a few different burgers listed along with maybe a salad or two and a chicken tender basket. Let me just tell you that, when our server came to the table and asked if we'd like to know the specials, she rattled off a list of 5 special salads, 4 or 5 special sandwiches, a couple special soups and several special entrees that sounded like plates you would expect to find in a large fancy restaurant. We both took awhile to choose our meal because there were so many choices. We settled on a burger that came on English muffin bread. Oh my goodness! I've got to tell you that was the most amazing bread I think I've ever eaten! The burger was delicious, the fries were great and the onion rings we shared as an appetizer were fantastic! You can see the kitchen from where we sat and it's not much bigger than a little galley-style kitchen on a small houseboat. But the incredible plates of food that come out of it could put many restaurants with large kitchens to shame. We certainly weren't disappointed we stopped in...and even took pie home for dessert, which was very delicious when we got home late that night.

     Now it was on to our big adventure for the night! Having gone to Ride the Dixie a couple times this season, we knew that they offered a more romantic twilight ride on Saturday nights at 9:00. Rather than playing the usual recording of historical information about the lake and surrounding area, they play romantic music and you go around the lake while watching the sunset. Being a couple that enjoys watching sunsets together, we knew this was something we wanted to do. When the line formed to board the boat, we were surprised to see that several families had brought children on this "romantic" boat ride. Our personal suggestion would be that you should leave your children with a sitter anytime you're doing something labeled as "romantic." But to each his own. We've always sat on the upper level of the boat which provides a great view. However, the line was quite long when we got ready to join our fellow passengers and everyone seemed to make a beeline for the stairs. So we settled for a seat on the lower level and were not at all disappointed. There are a couple small tables with chairs as well as long benches along the windows of the boat. We had a great view of the lake and the beautiful sunset. An added benefit was being about five feet away from the small concession stand with popcorn that seemed to call out to us. (They also have candy bars and cans of soda available.) Captain Grant and his First-mate Ben took us on a very nice five-mile cruise around the lake while Jody made some delicious popcorn for the masses. It made for a very late night as the boat ride ended a little after 10:30, we arrived home about midnight and went to bed after 1:00 Sunday morning. But it was worth it! Yes, I regretted the short night on Sunday as I was tired and cranky. But the memories we made will be ones I'll carry for the rest of my life. May we never grown weary of adventuring together. 

We Can See Chicago!

     You've heard the saying, "Go west, young man!" Yesterday, that saying was changed to "Go west, middle-aged couple!" The beauty of traveling west is that if you go far enough, there's a time difference. Our destination is an hour behind us so we got to sleep in before starting our #wackywednesdaywanderings this week. We got ourselves around and headed out.
     When we take our weekly trips, we typically have one particular place that we want to go and then find other things in the area we'd like to do. So, we had a plan in place in Michigan City, Indiana for the day. When Drew did a Google search for things to do in Michigan City, he found Friendship Botanic Gardens. We headed there first. We've been to several gardens on our adventures this summer so we were excited to visit another one. However, when we got there, we found out it was going to cost $16 for the two of us to go through and see the flowers (the Trip Advisor on a Google search will typically indicate any cost but this one didn't. It appeared to be free). We try hard to make our trips as low-cost as possible and usually just need to pay for gas, a meal and perhaps an entry to our main place. There was no way we were willing to pay $16 to see flowers when we've visited many gardens for nothing. So, we headed off to our next location.
     Just around the corner from our main destination for the day is the Lubeznik Center for the Arts. Their current exhibit is called "The Chicago Imagists". They have two floors of art that shows the imagination of many different artists from the past and present. It didn't take much more than 30 minutes to walk through and see the art displays. From the size of the building, I would have thought it would have taken a lot longer. But for the cost of admission (it was free) we certainly couldn't complain. There were many fun and interesting pieces on display. If you're in the area looking for something to do, I recommend you check this place out. 
     Our next stop was the main destination for the day. We made the short drive from the Center for the Arts to Washington Park Beach. The weather was absolutely perfect so I was surprised to see how empty the parking lot was. But, we found a parking spot, unloaded what we wanted on the beach and headed off. Here's where the title of this blog post comes in. When the conditions are just right, you can "see" Chicago from across the lake. It's an optical illusion caused by the reflection of the city skyline on the lake. We've been to Michigan City several times and know we can't always see it. I get a little too excited when we can. This time, it was the best view we've ever had! We found a spot on the beach where Drew had a nice spot to sit on a concrete ledge and I could lay my towel out. He took lots of photos while I went for a little dip in the lake. After a bit of time in the water, I went back to our little spot and laid in the sun awhile while chatting with my husband. After awhile, I went back in the lake for a bit before changing back into my clothes. I think lighthouses must have some sort of magnet in them as I'm always drawn to them. So, I took a walk down the pier and got some more photos of the Chicago skyline. Now, let me just tell you that there have been quite a few drownings this summer at this particular beach. Let me state this plainly - the Great Lakes are called that for a very good reason. If you respect them, you'll be just fine. If the lake is angry, leave it alone. OK, I'll get off my soapbox now. The bathhouse leaves a bit to be desired but I love the fact that there are so many areas to sit while still giving you a great view of the lake, lighthouse...and Chicago!
     After being out in the sun for a length of time, we were ready for lunch...and iced tea! Drew looked to see what restaurants were in town and we settled on a place called  Memo's. It's a cute little American-Mexican restaurant wedged in the middle of a little strip mall. We both chose a burger which came with fries and soup. The chicken and dumpling soup had us wanting to lick the bowl. The burgers were delicious as well! Of course, being a restaurant with authentic Mexican food, I had to try out a taco since I'm trying to find the perfect taco. Their tacos quickly became my second favorite, just barely out of being tied for first place. The meat was perfectly cooked, there was a nice layer of chopped onion and a beautiful covering of fresh cilantro. There was just a bit too much filling for the tortilla but a fork took care of that. The salsa seemed more like a spicy tomato sauce rather than a chunky salsa like I prefer, which is what kept it at my second favorite. If you're in Michigan City, we highly recommend you check this place out. Ask for Dani to be your server. She's amazing!
     With extremely full tummies, we headed off for more adventure. Drew wanted to make a stop to check out a place we had seen many billboards for. So we drove a short distance away to CDO Tobacconist to see if any cigars caught his eye. It didn't take any cigars to draw him in. The large walk-in humidor did the trick. He chose a couple that struck his fancy and we headed off down the road. (Just for the record, I love the smell of his cigars and love the fact that it's such an easy way for him to relax. Besides that, his doctor said that one a day is perfectly fine for him!)
     We must have been determined to visit a garden during this trip because we were drawn to Brincka Cross Gardens. We weren't at all disappointed. There were more walking trails than either of us were up to this trip. But this is definitely a spot we'd recommend and will visit again. Next trip to the area, we'll go there first! It's so peaceful and inviting. There are many different species of plants and flowers to enjoy. The trails are well maintained and easy to walk. There are also places to sit and relax along the way.
     Following our little walk in the gardens, we headed to Indiana Dunes National Park. When we pulled into the parking lot by the beach, we (probably more I than we) were ecstatic to see that the Chicago skyline view was much more prominent here than it had been in Michigan City! But I had a particular mission in mind when I knew we were going to this particular park - climbing to the top of the dune! According to my doctor, this isn't something I am able to do. Perhaps he needs to learn to change his wording from "can't do" to "shouldn't do" because I'm always going to prove that I CAN do these things even if I really shouldn't. My incredibly patient husband stayed by the beach while I went and proudly climbed to the top of the dune. I'm certain he was shaking his head at me just a bit. When I came back down, I went to stick my feet in the lake and get some more pictures of Chicago. The beach is very well maintained and, even though it was super packed, there was plenty of space to walk and I didn't feel like I was invading anyone's space. The park also has a camping area and many walking trails. It's a beautiful little gem right in our backyard...and only $7 for Indiana residents to get in for the day!
     No #wackywednesdaywanderings is complete without ice cream. Drew picked a little spot and got the GPS going. We ended up in Chesterton, Indiana at Dog Days Ice Cream Parlor. First, let me say that downtown Chesterton is just so cute! Lots of old brownstone storefronts and such a quaint feeling when walking down the street. They have two large cases of ice cream to choose from. They'll let you sample anything you'd like before making your choice. We each got a nice big scoop of ice cream in a waffle cone and sat to enjoy our treat. It was a fun little place to visit. It gets two thumbs up from both of us!
     We drove to nearby Valparaiso so I could see the University as I had never seen it. We also wanted to stop in at Casey's for a quick bathroom break and fresh iced tea for the drive home. We enjoyed a nice country drive on the way home and could literally sing, "Country road, take me home" as we traveled. John Denver would have been so proud.
     It's so hard to believe that we only have two more trips left before I go back to teaching. I'm so thankful that, even though these full-day adventures will be put on hold until next summer, there is plenty of adventure in our hearts. If I were to go back to school tomorrow, I have plenty of memories to last until next summer. But I'm so thankful that we have more memories to add. Until next week...

   

Treasures in a Small Town

     I always see social media posts of people leaving this area to go to Florida, California, Chicago, etc for vacation. So many think that this area has nothing to offer. Our #wackywednesdaywanderings have proven that theory wrong over and over again. We have yet to drive more than two hours from home to find fun things to do. This week was no exception.
     A trip to Amish country was on tap for our journey. We packed a cooler fill of ice and headed off to Shipshewana and Middlebury for the day. For starters, we went to the furthest east point on our list. This took us to Shipshewana Lake Park. It's a peaceful little spot with a great view of the lake. There was a nice picnic table where we could sit a bit. They have a small playground and a little picnic pavilion as well. While we were there, we saw a butterfly, dragonfly and two herons. With this stop, there will officially only be one of our excursions this summer that didn't include a stop at a lake. The last three all involve lake stops.
     Next up was our true reason for having Middlebury on the list of places to go this summer. Heritage Ridge Creamery may well be the best place in this area to buy cheese. They have samples of all their cheeses so you can try them before you buy them. There are so many delicious kind to choose from, it's always hard to decide. They also have many different candies, snacks, jellies and jams to choose from, along with kitchen gadgets and little souvenirs to remember your trip. Their prices are great, too! We filled our cooler with 6 different kinds of cheese and were on our way.
     Our next stop for the day was Miller's Cider Mill. While it's not currently apple cider season, the young lady whose family owns and operates this mill was very happy to show us around the mill while telling us how cider and apple butter are made. You can even pick apples and take them there to have your own cider made. Her father has a small museum which displays artifacts from the area that have been collected over the years. You can walk along the Little Elkhart River, where you can also fish if you'd like. It's a great little spot and a hidden gem so close to home.
     After spending time outside on such a hot day, it was time for lunch to cool off before another outdoor stop. We headed back into downtown Middlebury to eat at Village Inn. Any restaurant that has tater tots on the menu is ok in my book. They also serve breakfast all day. We had a nice filling lunch and a big glass of iced tea while we relaxed and cooled off awhile. The service was great and the company was even better. After lunch, we went across the street to check out the Middlebury Mercantile. We looked around Legacy Furniture and I got a cup of  delicious iced coffee at The Legendary Grind.
     We headed off just north of downtown to Krider Gardens. Krider Nurseries had a garden display at the 1933-1934 Chicago World's Fair. The almost 2 1/2 acre garden is on land donated to the town in 1993 and the garden was dedicated in 1995. There are so many flowers to see and there are even places to relax along the way. There is a windmill and some giant toadstool statues that were on display at the Fair also. It's a great place to take photos, enjoy a relaxing walk and see some beautiful flowers. It sure was hot out there but there was a breeze once in awhile so it made it tolerable. Who walks a 2.4 acre garden when it's 100° out? We do! It was well worth it!
     Just around the corner from the Gardens is a cute little antique mall. Old Creamery Antiques is a treasure trove of literally a little bit of everything. Room after room filled with all sorts of antiques at reasonable prices. I'm 99.9% sure we didn't even see everything they have to offer. After sitting in the car to cool off a bit, we headed off for our last Middlebury destination. Forks County Line Store is so well worth the drive to Middlebury. We had heard about it but never been there to check it out. We were able to get lots of snacks to keep on hand for the grandkids. In fact, we got three different snacks totaling 22 bags for just $3.00! We left with 7 bags of food for under $25.00. If you're in the area, you simply must check this place out! We'll be making the trip there again...and then stopping for more cheese. 🤣
     With it being warm and humid out all day, we figured ice cream was the perfect way to end our day. We decided to make a stop someplace we've heard a lot about but never visited. We made the drive to Goshen and stopped at The Chief. They have a nice area of picnic tables under some shade trees. But we chose to sit in the air-conditioned car to eat our delicious ice cream in waffle cones. It was a perfect end to a fantastic day!
     Only three more trips left for the summer. It's hard to believe our time is dwindling down so quickly. Please be sure to subscribe to our blog as I will continue posting throughout the school year.

Familiarity Can Be Adventurous

     June 19, we returned from out trip to Holland and Grand Haven, Michigan. That evening, we pulled our next destination out of the bowl for the following week. Little did we know that we would wait three weeks before we got to make that trip. While we were able to have two fun trips in between, yesterday was the one we had been waiting on.
     Once again, this trip was appropriate to have an extra passenger with us for the day. Our destination was the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo. We had postponed last week because the forecast was calling for a high of 85° and a 20% chance of rain. God decided to give us a little treat this week with a high of 92° and a 40% chance of rain. But we had arranged to have Clara mid-week for the second week in a row. So we really needed to make this trip happen. We got up bright and early to prepare for the two-hour drive to Fort Wayne. A later start would have been nice as Clara, and as a result we, hadn't slept well the night before. But we were meeting Drew's dad, stepmom, sister and nieces.
     This week's trip was all about familiarity. We were returning to the city where we started. We had some nostalgic stops to make but first, a stop at the zoo. Even though Clara happily walked all of Potawatomi Zoo last week, the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo is much larger and her little legs weren't going to make it all around the zoo. After getting into the zoo, we stopped to rent a wagon. (they have single and double strollers available also. But we decided a wagon would give her a little more freedom to get out and explore things up close.) She climbed in and off we went.
     I love the layout of this particular zoo! It's easy to start at the beginning, wind your way through the paths and see everything along the way. There were a couple areas we intentionally left out because the day was getting long, Clara was getting tired and we were getting hot. The nice thing was, they were animals she had seen last week and wasn't overly impressed by. After hearing the lions roar last week, Clara was a little perturbed that this lion was just sleeping. She kept yelling, "Wake up!" at him but it didn't work.
     All of the rides at the zoo require tokens that cost $1.00 each and are available at token machines right by each ride area. She was able to ride everything but the African Safari sky ride (we'll do that one next year!). I was able to take her on all the rides she asked to go on as they either only charged for anyone over two or didn't charge for adults accompanying children under two. She wanted to ride the train, log ride, carousel and also a pony! She loved the first two, wasn't overly crazy about the carousel and enjoyed the pony ride once she got going. She wasn't too sure at first. But Sparky (the pony she chose) walked nice a slow. I'm not sure she was ready to bid Sparky farewell at the end of the ride, but we had more to do.
     Another thing I like about this zoo is the fact that they have misters that give you a nice cool mist for some relief from the heat as you walk around the zoo. There are also lots of benches, many of which are under nice shade trees. There is an air conditioned building in the Indonesian Rain Forest area as well as the Australian Outback. So there are ways to beat the heat along the way. There are also plenty of places to get cold drinks along the way. In fact, if you but a collectible cup, you can have it refilled for $.99 at any of the refreshment stands.
     We had brought a picnic lunch but there are no longer picnic tables available. So, with no place to eat lunch and the in-laws gone, we were on our own for lunch. We opted to find someplace cool to relax and get something to eat. Not too far from the zoo is a Skyline Chili. Drew had never eaten there before. We had a delicious lunch, got cooled off and rested our feet awhile. Great service, delicious food and all three of us ate for under $20.00! Can't beat that!

1st date started here

We first met at Bonaventure Hall

     After lunch, we went on our little nostalgic tour of Fort Wayne. We stopped by University of Saint Francis to get see the dorm where we met each other for the first time, went to the former campus of Taylor University Fort Wayne where Drew picked me up for our first date over a year later and past our first home together. It was fun to see what places are still open, what has been rebuilt or remodeled and just reminisce about "old" times.

Our 1st home - upstairs left side

     We had one more treat planned for Clara. It wasn't new for us as we had just been there a couple weeks prior. But we were sure she would enjoy it. We made the trip to North Webster to ride the Dixie. It was a beautiful night for a paddle boat ride and the boat was much less crowded than the last time. Clara loved it! Captain Ron made sure to let everyone on the boat know that it was her first ride and she got to help steer the boat for a bit. It was great!
     After our boat ride, Clara and I dipped our toes into Webster Lake before loading up in the car for the drive home. We had a late lunch so supper wasn't needed at that point. We picked up a Happy Meal for her to eat in the car and headed towards South Bend to drop her off so she could tell her stories of the day to Mommy, Daddy and Baby Sister. We saw a beautiful sunset on our drive home! After a long day of travel in the heat, it was sure good to be home! Only four more #wackywednesdaywanderings left before I return to school. Summer break is quickly fading! It's a good thing our sense of adventure isn't!

Life's a Zoo!

     For the second week in a row plans got delayed. So we're still waiting to do what we picked out of the bowl after our day in Holland. We'll get to that next week. But for this week, we needed to come up with an alternative plan that was one of our places to go as we're running out of Wednesdays. It was decided we'd stick close to home.
     This week's #wackywednesdaywanderings had a special twist...we added Clara to our day. For those of you who don't know, Clara is our 22-month-old granddaughter. Our plan for the day was a perfect fit for this little girl. She spent the night with us Tuesday so we could start our day together on Wednesday right from the beginning.
     We started out with a stop at our favorite local restaurant for breakfast. Bravo Cafe serves delicious food no matter what meal you're looking for. If you leave there hungry, it's your own fault as they give big plates of food for very reasonable prices. After having our eggs, hash browns and toast we headed west for the first part of our adventure.
     Last summer, we took 10-month-old Clara to the zoo. She sat in her stroller staring straight ahead. She didn't understand what we were doing or pay any attention to the animals we tried pointing out to her. We decided this summer we should try the zoo again. She's much more observant and loves to explore and learn new things. So this was the perfect time.
     We arrived at Potawatomi Zoo and made our way to the front gate. There is construction going on in several places at the zoo, but it really doesn't deter from your visit, with the exception of some animals not being available. Most of the animals we saw were very active! In fact, the lions roared for the first time I remember hearing and we got to heard the flamingos "chirp" which was pretty cool. Clara loved looking at the animals and wasn't afraid of any of them, although she didn't want to try feeding any of them. She loved looking at the tigers and got a big laugh when we looked at the "big cows" (the bison)! When the alpacas walked away from her, she said, "Come here, baby!"  She and Drew both walked the entire zoo! That's a huge deal because, last year when we went to the zoo, Drew had to stop halfway through and wait for the rest of us to finish. Clara and I rode the zoo train, which only costs $2.00 for anyone over three. It's not a very long ride and you don't really see many animals, which was disappointing. But she enjoyed it. All in all, it was a fun trip to the zoo.
     Being so close to home, it's not always easy to find someplace new to eat. Besides, with our pint-sized companion, we felt it best to go someplace we know she likes. We settled on Chick-fil-A which is always a hit with Clara. We love going there because the staff is always so friendly and goes above the call of duty to make our time there fun. We're sad that they're closed for about 8 weeks now, so we were happy we had a chance to go in and say good-bye to people who have become our friends. We'll anxiously await their grand re-opening this fall.
     We planned to go to Bremen for the farmer's market but it was too early. So we headed over to University Park Mall so Clara could play in the little play area. In the corridor outside Barnes and Noble is a nice little area with benches for adults to relax while their little ones play. Clara spent some time climbing and running around that little area. While we were there, we got a text that Clara needed to go back home so she could do something with her parents. So, we sadly drove her to where we needed to and our time with her came to an end. At that point, we decided to just go home.
     After being at home for awhile, we decided to make the drive to Bremen to check out the farmer's market and see what things they had this time around. We were impressed with their small, but fun market our first week of the summer. Sadly, due to the holiday week, many of the vendors didn't attend the market this week so we only spent a few minutes there. We wanted to find something to eat but nothing in Bremen was open at that point. We drove across US 6 to Nappanee and didn't find anything there to eat. We even checked out Wakarusa on our way back home and still found nothing. We drove home and decided to order something online and have it delivered. We placed an order from Beef 'O' Brady's and let DineIn do the driving. In about an hour, we had a delicious dinner delivered right to our door while we watched a movie. We had never eaten at Beef 'O' Brady's before so that was nice. As a side note: the new Baywatch with Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron is a good movie!
     So, as you see, this week wasn't our "normal" #wackywednesdaywandering. It didn't go exactly as planned but it worked out fine, even though it didn't always feel like it was fine. Stay tuned next week to see what fun we've been waiting for.