Looking Back and Ending Summer

     Before I jump into this week's #wackywednesdaywanderings, I need to step back a couple days because I forgot to blog about a little adventure we had Sunday afternoon. Clara has an extreme love for trains. She gets excited when she sees any type of train but she especially like steam engines. We found that out when Drew was showing her videos online. With this incredible love for steam engines, we only had one choice - to take her to Hesston Steam Museum to ride a train pulled by a steam engine. There are three trains you can ride - a full size locomotive, a medium size train like you might find at the zoo or an amusement park and a small 1/8 scale hobby train. There are old train cars and steam-powered steamrollers along with other old steam-powered equipment to look at. There's also an old-fashioned soda fountain. Admission to the grounds was free and there was no charge for Clara to ride the train. So for the cost of $10, all three of us had a nice little train ride and made the day of an almost-2-year-old...her Bapa was pretty excited, too! Check their website to plan your own trip. It's worth the drive!

     This brings us to our final #wackywednesdaywanderings of Summer 2019. New Buffalo, Michigan was the last place in the bowl. However, we talked about it and decided that New Buffalo didn't really have a whole lot to offer other than a beach and the lake. There aren't many seating areas and, when I was there Saturday, the beach and lake area seemed dirtier than normal. So we decided it was fitting to go back to where we started this summer. Of course, we had to put a little twist on it so it was a little different than before.

     We tried to start our day at Union Pier Beach but it's not easy to get to. You park along a gravel road and walk from there to the beach. Not knowing how far of a walk it is to the beach, it wasn't something we could try because I didn't know if Drew could make it there or back. So we left there and headed to Weko Beach. We've heard good things about it so were optimistic. We're not swimmers or sunbathers. So the $10 entrance fee was a bit much. We go to the beach so I can take photos, walk along the shore, stick my feet in the water and get some sand between my toes. Drew likes to watch people and take photos. I will say there are a lot of nice seating areas. Drew had his choice of benches where he still had a great view. I climbed the steps to the top of both dunes along the lake and got some beautiful views. However, walking the shore was tough because it was more small rocks than soft sand like other Lake Michigan beaches. They have nice bathrooms with a changing table. All in all, I would say there are nice things about Weko Beach, but not enough for me to find the $10 fee worthwhile. 

     We headed north toward Saint Joseph and decided to find lunch first. We pretty much always eat at the same place, which we love. But we decided to find something different this time. On Niles Ave, just before you get into the quaint little part of Saint Joseph along the lake shore is a restaurant in a small strip mall. Dino's may not look like anything special from the outside. But when you walk in, you're greeted by a nice little place with friendly staff (the hostess didn't seem thrilled to be at work but you'll have that). It's owned by a Greek man, which means you get plenty of food to eat! The meals come with soup or salad and potato. We ate a delicious meal which would fuel us for the rest of the day. (In fact, when we got home quite a few hours later, we still weren't hungry). 

     We headed into Saint Joseph for two reasons - 1. the beach and 2. my annual tradition of a new coffee mug for school that I purchase at the end of the summer. Our first stop was I Love St. Joe. This is my favorite shop in town and I get sad every October when I go in to say goodbye to these people who have become my friends (they winter in Florida). We went in so I could purchase my new mug for this school year and Drew left with a new hat to protect his sensitive head. Next stop was the beach. Perhaps it's because this was the very first #wackywednesdaywanderings ever but this remains one of my favorite places to spend time. The beach is always well combed which means it's easy to walk as you don't have to keep watching for rocks, glass, trash, etc. Even when the beach is crowded, it's easy to navigate and find a spot of land to call you own if you want to sit or lay in the sand. However, I typically only set up shop when I have Clara with me. This trip was all about photos and a relaxing walk. Drew found his favorite spot to sit and take photos while I walked and took photos. I walked the length of the beach and then down the pier. It was relaxing as usual and I got a lot of great photos. I met up with Drew at the top of the bluff and we got some more photos while visiting with a family there from Chicago. We always seem to meet someone new every time we go. Now it was time to head off to our next stop. 

     We needed something to drink so we stopped at Shell Gas. It was a small convenience store but the bathrooms were clean and the employees were friendly. I grabbed our drinks and we headed towards the Interstate. Before we got to our next destination, we made a quick stop at Meijer because, when gas is over $2.70 a gallon at home and you find it for $2.39, you stop and fill up! OK, now we're finally going to get to our next stop, which is literally right around the corner. South Haven is a cute little town with a very nice beach. The parking lot isn't super big so if you find a spot, take it! There's a minimum $10 parking fee, but with plenty of seating areas, the pier to walk and the channel to see boats come in and out makes it worthwhile. I love the fact that they have nice tables right along the edge of the beach so Drew had a great place to sit. I walked the pier and took photos of the lighthouse then spent some time at the edge of the lake, enjoying time with my feet in the water and walked through the sand to add a little more to the sand between my toes. I sat at the table with Drew for awhile before we decided to head out. When we pulled in, there was something that looked like a pirate ship coming down the channel. I was busy trying to get our parking ticket so Drew got some photos of it. But we really wanted to get a better look at it. We knew it had to be in the marina somewhere. So we drove around until we found where it was at, found a parking spot and got some great photos. We realized there is so much more to see in South Haven so we'll need to make another trip in the future. While looking for the pirate ship, we discovered the way to North Beach as well. The bad thing is, the parking fee for South Beach does not cover North Beach as well. So I suggest choosing a beach and sticking with it. I wouldn't recommend one over the other as they're both very nice beaches, but South Beach has more seating areas and a bigger playground for the kiddos, plus the pier is at South Beach. 

     We made a quick stop at Biggby before we headed out of town for one more stop. Drew loves their avocado banana berry freeze and I love their cold brew coffee. I might even like it a little better than Starbucks. I love when my husband types in "ice cream" near whatever particular town he chooses and being a good stopping point because it gets us to someplace like Frosty Boy. Very cute little place with a walk-up window, drive-thru and indoor seating that serves delicious ice cream. The ingredients are clearly listed, which is great if you have someone with food allergies. We sat and enjoyed our ice cream cones before heading back towards home. 

     We went across the street to Casey's to get iced tea but left without any as it wasn't any good. The employee working seemed more interested in talking to her friend than doing her job, the restrooms were a mess and we gave up. We followed GPS which took us on a beautiful country drive towards home. It's hard to believe that our #wackywednesdaywanderings have come to an end for another summer. Without our second income this summer, we weren't sure these adventures would be possible. But God saw fit to bless us with enough to pay our bills, buy groceries, go on our adventures, and still be able to help family at various times. It's been an amazing summer! I'm anxious to go back to school but will look forward to more adventures. I'm confident we won't wait until summer 2020 to do more adventuring. Stay tuned to see what things we do when we're both working full time and trying to keep up with family along the way. We look forward to sharing memories we make through the next 9 months (no - not THAT kind of 9 months!), what's happening in my classroom and on our corner of the world. Just because I go back to work next week doesn't mean this blog takes a vacation. After all, our nest remains empty and our hearts remain full. 

Celebrations, Sightseeing and Silliness

     Summertime is quickly dwindling. It's hard to believe we went on our next to last trip this week. This week, our travels took us to the city where Drew was born and raised. The perfect part was the fact that our #wackywednesdaywanderings would put us in town to celebrate his Mom's 75th birthday. Of course, our day would be filled with so much more!
     We arrived at my mother-in-law's house to take her out for lunch. We visited for a bit before heading off to the restaurant of her choice. Drew was thrilled to know she had picked the place he loves to go...Nick's Kitchen. He says they have the best pork tenderloins! After a delicious lunch, we went across the street to a used book store that also has many record albums for sale. Drew could have easily gotten lost in Turn the Page Books and Music but only spent a short time looking around, picked an album he wanted and we headed back to my mother-in-law's to visit for awhile. One of his Aunts came to spend some time visiting as well, which was very nice since we don't get to see his side of the family often.
     After saying our goodbyes for the day, we headed out for our adventure. We had a couple places on our list that we wanted to visit while we were in town. Our first stop was Lake Clare. It's a lovely little spot where you can sit by the peaceful lake or even go to the fitness park on the edge of the lake and get a good workout. The best part is...IT'S FREE! Gotta love that kind of admission fee. On our way to our next stop, we took some photos of the old Erie Railroad bridge over the Little Wabash river. It's a part of the Erie Rail Trail and a beautifully redone piece of history. There is a nice little park there where  your kiddos can run and play.
     At this point of the day, I was ready for a good cup of coffee. My sweet husband knows I like to try new coffee shops when we travel so he looked to find a good one. He succeeded admirably in finding an outstanding one! Cafe of Hope is a beautiful little place inside Life Church. They have protein shakes, non-coffee drinks, many different hot and iced coffee drinks as well as some sandwiches. There is plenty of seating area and they offer complimentary WiFi. In the corner of the Cafe is a nice display of hand-crafted work created by people with disabilities. It's their way of earning an income and helps teach them independence. I talked my sweet husband in to buying me a "Lake Bum" wooden sign and a new water glass for school that says "Peace, love and sandy feet" on it. Hey, it helps people be successful!
     As if seeing one lake wasn't fantastic, Drew took me to see a second lake. Roush Lake is a 900-acre lake with multiple access points providing plenty of opportunity for fishing, boating, swimming and relaxing. We stopped at several of the points around to lake to get views from different spots. Kil-So-Quah State Recreation Area was one of the places we stopped. It has a large camping area, area for hunting and hiking trails. There is also a very nice play area for children. I even found a tiny beach area there near the boat launch!
     One of our favorite spots in town is Sunken Gardens. (Information about this beautiful park can be found here). We're typically able to walk through the winding paths and look at many beautiful flowers. However, due to large amounts of rain earlier in the summer, the ponds throughout the park have flooded and created one large pond in the middle. The flowers are all under water as are the stone paths. I was still able to walk around one section to get to the other side which opens to a set of old stone steps to get to the upper level at Memorial Park. If you get a chance, go check out Sunken Gardens at Christmastime! It's outstanding! Drew had me hooked on this place the first time he ever took me to see his family. Huntington really has a lot of parks to enjoy. If you dig in, you'll find lots of beautiful hidden gems.
     We made a stop at Casey's to get iced tea before going in search of ice cream. There are some places I went to with friends when I was going to college in Fort Wayne. Powers, Coney Island and Zesto's. There's now a Zesto's in Huntington. (Check out their Facebook page here). Our hearts and tummies full, we headed towards home. But Drew had one more  surprise stop to make that he knew I'd enjoy.
     He got his GPS set and I heard it say "Getting directions to Hanging Rock Road." Well, that sounded intriguing to me! I asked him if where we were headed was as cool as the name of the road it was on. He explained that this site contains a large exposed section of coral reef dating back 400 million years to when Indiana was covered by a shallow sea. Legend is that an Indian maiden plunged off the top of Hanging Rock when the Indian brave she loved fell to his death. I mean, a love story literally to death, 400 million year old rock, so much history in one little three-acre spot...what's not to love? Of course, I was wearing flip flops so couldn't get too close to the rock and get a better view. That'll have to wait for another trip. New mission: buy a pair of tennis shoes or hiking boots to keep in the car.
     On our way home from Hanging Rock, we stopped at Arby's in Wabash to get something to eat on the way home. First off, let me tell you that it felt like a sauna when we walked in. The thermostat showed it was 85° inside the restaurant. Yikes! We ordered our food and Drew went outside where it was cooler. I waited inside for close to ten minutes for our food. Considering the fact we were the only customers who had ordered, that was too long for fast food. Once I got our food, we made our way to the car and started down the road. Within seconds of pulling out of the parking lot, we had the opportunity to meet a very nice gentleman with pretty lights on top of his car. Yes, I got pulled over because, in my frustration at the heat and long wait at Arby's, I had forgotten to turn my lights on so he pulled me over due to not having tail lights on. Thankfully, he only gave me a warning and sent us on our way. It certainly wasn't how we planned to end our day. But at least the rest of the drive home was uneventful. One more #wackywednesdaywanderings to go for Summer 2019. There will still be plenty of adventure in store for us but it'll be a little different...until next summer!