Vacation So Far...

Well, this morning I'm actually writing to you from Sioux Falls, SD. We are going to see the Falls here that the whole town was basically built around in 1856 and then we're heading on to The Corn Palace, Badlands NP and Mount Rushmore. I will post pictures of these on my next update.

But I wanted to post just a little info on where we've been so far... We're off to a crazy busy start. I can't believe all the really neat things we have already saw just in our first 4 or 5 days. Note: You can click on any of the photos for a larger view of it if you'd like.

Our first stop was in Indianapolis to say "Hi" to one of my four little brothers who I hadn't seen in a couple years... It was a pleasant little visit... And let's just say he's not so "little" anymore. He's all grown up!!! He has one daughter and another child on the way soon... I'm so proud of him. Here's a couple photos of us.


Then, we were in Chicago for 3 days and I know that the major belief for the reason it is called the "Windy City" has to do with politics, but it sure does get a lot of wind there, too. I was surprised especially in the evenings. I do believe that any of the four reasons it received it's nickname could be true. You can find out more information here about the 4 main beliefs of this particular nickname. Another nickname is "The Second City"... The term for the most part has to do with its history. It is second both in population and in cultural influence to New York City (although Los Angeles did overtake Chicago in becoming truly the second-largest city back in the 1980's). The nickname may also refer to the "second city" emerging out of the ruins from the Great Chicago Fire in 1871. Chicago still to this day remains an important cultural and business capital in the United States. I found the history of the fire so intriguing as we learned about it on a "free walking tour" provided by the "Chicago Architecture Foundation". Our guide wouldn't even allow us to tip her. This tour was truly the most interesting and educational to me... Our guide was so personable and friendly. There was so much we learned about Chicago... that we really hope to get to visit again... at least for another 4 day weekend. The cultural arts alone are worth a visit to this amazing city... One of what I thought was the most interesting pieces of artwork around town was what they call "The Bean". It is said that the artist actually modeled it after "mercury". Here are two photos: (1) an outside view (2) from underneath - more or less an inside view.


The modern day gargoyle was pretty cool...

and the "Navy Pier" is a must see... and the food at Bubba Gumps was great!



I cannot forget to mention "The Magnificent Mile" if you like to shop!!!

We also went up in the John Hancock Building to "The Hancock Observatory" the last morning we were there. We had heard from my brother and several locals that if you were going to have to do one or the other that the view from the Hancock Observatory was the best... but... if you wanted to go in the tallest of the two you should go to the Sears Tower. So we chose the best view option. Here is a photo of the two buildings that I took of the skyline... and also some photos from the top. The photo of the two buildings was taken from the Museum of Science and Industry Area... The others were taken on our visit to The Hancock Observatory.



It was very hot during our visit. There were so many people everywhere we went. I think mainly it had to do with the fact that unknowingly we showed up smack dab in the middle of "The Taste of Chicago" Event... The most exciting thing about this was the fact that this was the 3rd time by freak coincidence that we were able to see Phil Vassar in concert for free at a major 4th of July event. They say the third times a charm, right??? And this tour was the very first that he sold CD's and came out to sign them after the concert. We bought two -- one for my sister since she was the one who had got us into his concert in Hot Springs, AR in 2005. The first time we saw him was in Nashville, TN on the Riverfront in 2004. The second was at Magic Springs Amusement Park in Hot Springs, AR... We have secretly become Phil Vassar Groupies... I am attaching a photo of this years 2006 Chicago concert... and a couple of scrapbook pages I did from last years 2005 and one last one of Nashville 2004. The crazy thing was that we were in 3 different states at 3 different times with no previous knowledge of the concerts and it was Phil... how freaky is that??? A total trip...


(Chicago 2006) and (Nashville, TN 2004)

(Magic Springs, Hot Springs, AR 2005)

Anyways, I guess that's enough about our 3 day Chicago visit and the start of our vacation...

The last thing we've done during the first several days was to stop in Mitchell, WI for the CowParade Wisconsin 2006. This was a pretty interesting event. I couldn't believe some of the work these artist put into this project. Downtown Mitchell its' self was a nice cozy place to visit. We enjoyed the stop over for the afternoon, trying to find as many of the herd of cattle that had been let loose to roam the streets of Mitchell. We only saw about 1/2 of them. These were a few of our favorites.





I will update you again as we have time or when we are able to use a wireless connection. We will be camping a lot this trip so it will depend on how the Campgrounds are set up if we can get on the Internet to do this. I hope you enjoy the account of our vacation this year as much as we're enjoying being on it!

Until Later, Shawna

Please Note: All photos in this post are owned and the copyright belongs to me, my husband, or my family as the original photographers. Thanks so much for visiting!