Once in Cornwall we saw our Grandmother and Linnea. They were going to be leaving on a super-special surprise birthday trip for Grandma the next day so we wanted to see them before they went. We caught up a little bit (both had read the journal and seen the pics up so far so that made it easier). Then they took us to lunch at Woody’s which is a place that had delicious food that they get from local sources. We ordered sandwiches and shakes, Aunt Laura’s treat (thanks again!). The food was awesome, even with a misunderstanding. We all ordered and then went to sit near the window to wait for it. They said that when it was ready they’d let us know. I guess for some reason they thought that we were doing pick-up and let our food sit to the side. Eventually we went up to see what was happening because it looked like everyone around us had gotten their food including people that had came afterwards. They informed us that it had been there for awhile, so it was a bit cold when we ate it, but still delicious. And luckily the milkshakes were still cold, so they were great as well. Between the two things everyone was full and happy.
When we got back to the house Caleb Dan and I laid down for a nap. Caleb was out in the yard and Dan and I set up our bed (mats and sleeping bag) on the back screen porch. It was a great temperature and a beautiful day which made for very nice napping. Dan and I woke up when Linnea and Laura got home a little after 5 and then Caleb came in a little bit later.
That evening we had a delicious grilled dinner on the back porch with the Mowats and then hung out and watched the Sox vs. Yankees game. Unfortunately this one went pretty badly for the sox so it wasn’t a lot of fun watching it with Yankees fans. Yes, Linnea, we’re talking about you!
After the game we went to bed. In the morning we had breakfast and said our goodbyes. We ended up getting out at a good time, though not quite as early as we had though. The drive to Andover was a pretty good one. The only part that wasn’t was getting onto and the beginning of the Masspike. I was driving… so wasn’t really appreciating the traffic. It’s annoying that a car on the side of the road doing nothing in particular can back up traffic for miles. That and getting into the tolls which I think was also due to bad driving. People finally realize that they have to be on the other side of the highway just before they get there. Anyway, that’s all for my rant on bad drivers…
We got back to MA safe and sound and the car held up just fine. We ended up returning it on Monday morning just to make sure we were there and didn’t get charged extra for anything that we shouldn’t have.
So there you have it. Thank you for following along with us. I think that soon we will start an Australia blog. We’ll post the address on facebook/here when that happens. And I can’t promise that we’ll update as often but you can check and see what we’re up to. See you there!
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Epic Drive
Though this may be boring there really isn’t too much to say about this one. We started around 10pm from Grand Rapids, MI with a destination of Cornwall, NY. We had the back seat set up so one person could lay across the whole thing. We had whoever was going to drive next back there. It wasn’t a bad set-up and we made it to Cornwall early afternoon the next day (which included a couple stops for gas and quick food).
Last Grand Rapids Day
Once we found out that Josh didn’t have his classes we decided that a good plan for the day would be to check out the Meijer Gardens. We headed over to Meijer (the food store) and got some delicious lunchy things (cheese, bread, meat). When we got there we sat outside at one of the picnic tables and enjoyed our feast (which we also supplemented with things we had left over at josh’s house).
Josh had two free tickets to the gardens which Caleb and Dan used and then Josh and I used our college ID’s to get the student discount. Yes, I still have my UMass ID and they don’t have an expiration date on there so it comes in handy sometimes. The gardens were awesome. Part botanical garden part sculpture garden. We checked out the plants first inside, then went into the children’s garden, then went to see the sculptures. All were pretty awesome.
We spent a few hours there and saw probably ½- 2/3 of it. There was a really awesome greenhouse which was a butterfly exhibit which we were catching the tail end of, so there weren’t a ton of butterflies but it was this very tall glassed-in area filled with a rainforest complete with waterfalls and a little creek.
At some point we decided that we should probably go onto the next place as we needed to be leaving that night and still had a lot to do. Josh took us over to the Calvin College campus where he showed us around the different buildings and places where he used to live and had classes. We also sat in the big cheese which was a must-do. Josh had to get his running shoes from someone who he had called a couple times but hadn’t been able to get in touch with. Luckily on the way back to the car we happened to bump into her, almost literally. She was coming out of a building as we were walking by it.
From the campus tour we went into Grand Rapids to check out a special that Josh had heard about. It was at a placed called the Hop Cat and it was burger and a beer for $6. I didn’t expect too much but it turned out to be a great meal. Big delicious hamburgers, really good and unique beers and “crack fries” (The fries so good that you’ll steal a VCR to get them). It was awesome and you could get any Wisconsin beer which gave you a lot to choose from. Then, after 6pm they had a beer special where they had 2 choices which were $3 each. The guys each got a special as well and I tried a bit of each. I was driving and the first beer seemed strong so I didn’t really want to have a second one that soon.
From Hop Cat we went back to Josh’s house to get our stuff packed. It didn’t take too long as we had tried to keep it all together. It was getting later, though.
Our last order of business in Grand Rapids was to see the wildlife reserve where Josh works. We got there with some daylight still left (which was good because it closes at dusk). Our walk included standing on a floating platform, standing on a deck with a cowbird baby under it and then going to a super-secret place where only authorized personnel is allowed. Dan and I were wearing flip flops while Josh and Caleb had sneakers on. Because of this Josh was hesitant to take us there but we decided we’d go for it and just turn back if it got too difficult. The way brought us over path of increasingly smaller logs half-submerged in a swamp. It was a lot of fun, I think we all like that kind of things and our destination was pretty awesome. We ended at a tower which seemed fairly sound with a rickety ladder which we really hoped would hold up to all of us going up and down it. We made it, though. Once we got up there we all sat on top of the platform and looked over the wetland. In a nearby tree there was a sleepy raccoon chattering at us. He was pretty cute but unfortunately hard to get a picture of in the dusk with the camera that I had with me. We also saw a muskrat swimming around to complete our animal experience.
When we got out again it was officially dark. We went with Josh over to the campus center to get a cup of coffee. Well, I got a cup, nobody else wanted one for whatever reason. But it was a free cup that Josh had a coupon for. And you couldn’t be a Calvin student so he wasn’t able to use it. After the coffee we said our goodbyes and Josh went to study and we started our epic drive. It was sad saying bye to Josh but hopefully we’ll see him soon (and in Australia!).
Josh had two free tickets to the gardens which Caleb and Dan used and then Josh and I used our college ID’s to get the student discount. Yes, I still have my UMass ID and they don’t have an expiration date on there so it comes in handy sometimes. The gardens were awesome. Part botanical garden part sculpture garden. We checked out the plants first inside, then went into the children’s garden, then went to see the sculptures. All were pretty awesome.
We spent a few hours there and saw probably ½- 2/3 of it. There was a really awesome greenhouse which was a butterfly exhibit which we were catching the tail end of, so there weren’t a ton of butterflies but it was this very tall glassed-in area filled with a rainforest complete with waterfalls and a little creek.
At some point we decided that we should probably go onto the next place as we needed to be leaving that night and still had a lot to do. Josh took us over to the Calvin College campus where he showed us around the different buildings and places where he used to live and had classes. We also sat in the big cheese which was a must-do. Josh had to get his running shoes from someone who he had called a couple times but hadn’t been able to get in touch with. Luckily on the way back to the car we happened to bump into her, almost literally. She was coming out of a building as we were walking by it.
From the campus tour we went into Grand Rapids to check out a special that Josh had heard about. It was at a placed called the Hop Cat and it was burger and a beer for $6. I didn’t expect too much but it turned out to be a great meal. Big delicious hamburgers, really good and unique beers and “crack fries” (The fries so good that you’ll steal a VCR to get them). It was awesome and you could get any Wisconsin beer which gave you a lot to choose from. Then, after 6pm they had a beer special where they had 2 choices which were $3 each. The guys each got a special as well and I tried a bit of each. I was driving and the first beer seemed strong so I didn’t really want to have a second one that soon.
From Hop Cat we went back to Josh’s house to get our stuff packed. It didn’t take too long as we had tried to keep it all together. It was getting later, though.
Our last order of business in Grand Rapids was to see the wildlife reserve where Josh works. We got there with some daylight still left (which was good because it closes at dusk). Our walk included standing on a floating platform, standing on a deck with a cowbird baby under it and then going to a super-secret place where only authorized personnel is allowed. Dan and I were wearing flip flops while Josh and Caleb had sneakers on. Because of this Josh was hesitant to take us there but we decided we’d go for it and just turn back if it got too difficult. The way brought us over path of increasingly smaller logs half-submerged in a swamp. It was a lot of fun, I think we all like that kind of things and our destination was pretty awesome. We ended at a tower which seemed fairly sound with a rickety ladder which we really hoped would hold up to all of us going up and down it. We made it, though. Once we got up there we all sat on top of the platform and looked over the wetland. In a nearby tree there was a sleepy raccoon chattering at us. He was pretty cute but unfortunately hard to get a picture of in the dusk with the camera that I had with me. We also saw a muskrat swimming around to complete our animal experience.
When we got out again it was officially dark. We went with Josh over to the campus center to get a cup of coffee. Well, I got a cup, nobody else wanted one for whatever reason. But it was a free cup that Josh had a coupon for. And you couldn’t be a Calvin student so he wasn’t able to use it. After the coffee we said our goodbyes and Josh went to study and we started our epic drive. It was sad saying bye to Josh but hopefully we’ll see him soon (and in Australia!).
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Cinco de Mayo
So the next morning Josh had a couple classes. We spend the morning relaxing and Dan cooked up the burrito mix so we’d have it ready. When Josh got home we started on the Coronas. One nice thing about hanging out over the course of the day is that you can have a few beers but not be drunk. So we hung out, ate food and dip and listened to Spanish music. We started with chips, salsa and guacamole. An aside about the guacamole: It was a mix we got as part of a wedding present, just add avocado. It was AMAZING. I would highly recommend it to people. Unfortunately I can’t remember the brand at the moment, but probably the best guacamole I’ve had. It helped that the avocados were huge and ripe as well.
Mid-afternoon we borrowed bikes and went for a bike ride down to a lake whose name I don’t remember at the moment either. Meade maybe? We had 4 bikes, 2 of which were perfect, one which was way too big for anyone, and one which didn’t have a seat. I had Josh’s bike at first which was too big for me but then swapped with Caleb who had Tim’s bike where you could adjust the seat height without and allen key. Josh started out on no seat and Dan on Zach’s bike and then they switchen on the ride home. We threw a Frisbee and football at the park and then sat around in the sunshine on a beautiful day. On the way back we got Jersey Junction ice cream, which was great. Dan and I split a banana split, which is something he’s been wanting all trip.
That evening we grilled at ate burritos and made horchata. That was a pretty awesome idea that Josh had that turned out great! It is a rice/almost/vanilla drink that we had in Mexico. When we went to Harvest Hands to help out one day of the week they’d take us to a place to get aguas frescas. The Horchata was the special/unique flavor. It consided of blending rice, almonds and cinnamon then stirring that powder into water. From there we strained the mixture (took a long time) through an old shirt. We didn’t have cheesecloth and tried using a coffee filter but nothing was going through that at all. The whole process was fairly time-consuming but very well worth it. After it was all finally strained we added more water, sugar and vanilla and it was done! The by-product we mixed in with honey, cranberries and chocolate chips and made cookies out of. The horchata was perfect. We had it with our meal which we ate out on the front porch. It tasted just like I remembered and is this awesomely slightly sweet and refreshing unique drink. At some point Zack and Andy came home and got to partake in our Mexican feast. An interesting thing that we learned (thank you Wikipedia) is that most of mexico doesn’t even celebrate cinco de mayo and it’s not their independence day. It is more like St Patrick’s day where Americans use it as an excuse to celebrate.
That evening Josh took a break to do more schoolwork (very enterprising of him) before we hung out and played queens. We taught Dan who ended up liking it. The loser of each round had to take a shot of tequila. Again we were hanging out in the attic for awhile until everyone was too tired to carry on.
Josh was supposed to have 2 classes the next morning so he got up early and went into school only to find out that they were both cancelled. One he had already known about but had forgotten, the other the professor was sick. It was great! So he came home much earlier than expected and we had the whole day to hang out. Which was great especially for us because we won’t be seeing him again before we go. But hopefully he’ll be able to come visit us in Australia. He’s the only family member who hasn’t been there yet! And I think he’d like it. And he’s awesome so if he did come visit it would be a lot of fun.
Grand Rapids
The drive back to Grand Rapids wasn’t too bad. We went to Josh’s house where he finished up a presentation that he had been working on and had to give in a class that night. We dropped Josh off at campus and then left to go explore Grand Rapids.
The city of Grand Rapids was nice. It was great because it’s not very large and easy to get around. We parked just outside the city center on a side street and walked in from there. For dinner we stopped by the Pita House and got some delicious pitas which we took across the street to Rosa Parks circle. We sat on the grass along the side and watched people setting up a band. We learned from Josh that it was going to be swing dancing. After eating and sitting around for a few minute we decided to head on towards the river.
The river had a few (grand) rapids which were basically where the water dropped slightly across the whole river. On one side there was a walk down at river level and on the other the Gerald Ford museum (Gerald Ford eaten by wolves today, senselessly, we showed Dan that clip later on) and a grassy park with some interesting things in it. There were a lot of sculptures, which I love because they’re fun to look at and even more fun to take pictures of. Some of them were a group of people who I think were on strike, an Indian with a peace pipe, an astronaut and a huge button (which we got on and in)! From there we walked along that side of the river and made our way to the dancing which was in full swing. It was great how many people were out there dancing away. All ages and all abilities. Some people were great, others were just having a great time. The band was pretty good as well. It was nice to sit in the grass again and watch and listen. The last dance we saw before we left was a line dance. Dan was blown away by the fact that everyone knew the steps. We learned from Josh later that a lot of Calvin students go to the dancing every week so I wouldn’t be surprised if most of the people that were there went all the time.
Before it was time to get Josh we wanted to do some shopping as well. Using our trusty GPS we asked him where the closest Meijer was. This is a huge food-everything story kind of like a super walmart but apparently they do good things in the community and treat their workers well. Dan and I went in while Caleb stayed in the car. We bough everything we could possibly want/need for the next day’s cinco de mayo celebrations. Things for vegetarian burritos, cheese, avocado, salsa, chips, corona, tequila, limes, etc etc. Needless to say we ended up leaving Josh with a lot of food but he’s a college student so he assured us that he’d eat it. We also ended up leaving a lot of our food that we brought on the trip with us and bought along the way for camping. He was pretty sure it would get eaten. Which is nice for use because then it would be appreciated and not go to waste.
By the time we got out of the store it was much later than we realized and we arrived at Calvin a couple minutes after Josh had gotten out of class. We went back to his place and hung out in the attic for awhile before heading to bed.
Their attic is awesome it used to be full of junk but they cleaned it all out (Caleb was actually there for the original beginning of the cleaning). It is funny because the door to the attic stairs is through the bathroom. It’s ok when you’re coming from downstairs but when you’re coming out of the attic you have to make sure you enter cautiously so as not to disturb anyone who may be using the bathroom. In the attic they have a bunch of blacklights and things to react to them (paint, easter eggs, fishing line dipped in blacklight paint). They did a great job with the decorating. By one set of windows there is a hammock which was my favorite place to be up there, but a bit anti-social as it was away from the rest of the seating. The other area had speakers mounted to the ceiling as well as further away connected up to an amp/record player (except the record player needed a cord which we didn’t have so we didn’t get it working). There is also a sitting area with a couple couches and coffee table. It’s a great open space as well. Just generally cool.
The city of Grand Rapids was nice. It was great because it’s not very large and easy to get around. We parked just outside the city center on a side street and walked in from there. For dinner we stopped by the Pita House and got some delicious pitas which we took across the street to Rosa Parks circle. We sat on the grass along the side and watched people setting up a band. We learned from Josh that it was going to be swing dancing. After eating and sitting around for a few minute we decided to head on towards the river.
The river had a few (grand) rapids which were basically where the water dropped slightly across the whole river. On one side there was a walk down at river level and on the other the Gerald Ford museum (Gerald Ford eaten by wolves today, senselessly, we showed Dan that clip later on) and a grassy park with some interesting things in it. There were a lot of sculptures, which I love because they’re fun to look at and even more fun to take pictures of. Some of them were a group of people who I think were on strike, an Indian with a peace pipe, an astronaut and a huge button (which we got on and in)! From there we walked along that side of the river and made our way to the dancing which was in full swing. It was great how many people were out there dancing away. All ages and all abilities. Some people were great, others were just having a great time. The band was pretty good as well. It was nice to sit in the grass again and watch and listen. The last dance we saw before we left was a line dance. Dan was blown away by the fact that everyone knew the steps. We learned from Josh later that a lot of Calvin students go to the dancing every week so I wouldn’t be surprised if most of the people that were there went all the time.
Before it was time to get Josh we wanted to do some shopping as well. Using our trusty GPS we asked him where the closest Meijer was. This is a huge food-everything story kind of like a super walmart but apparently they do good things in the community and treat their workers well. Dan and I went in while Caleb stayed in the car. We bough everything we could possibly want/need for the next day’s cinco de mayo celebrations. Things for vegetarian burritos, cheese, avocado, salsa, chips, corona, tequila, limes, etc etc. Needless to say we ended up leaving Josh with a lot of food but he’s a college student so he assured us that he’d eat it. We also ended up leaving a lot of our food that we brought on the trip with us and bought along the way for camping. He was pretty sure it would get eaten. Which is nice for use because then it would be appreciated and not go to waste.
By the time we got out of the store it was much later than we realized and we arrived at Calvin a couple minutes after Josh had gotten out of class. We went back to his place and hung out in the attic for awhile before heading to bed.
Their attic is awesome it used to be full of junk but they cleaned it all out (Caleb was actually there for the original beginning of the cleaning). It is funny because the door to the attic stairs is through the bathroom. It’s ok when you’re coming from downstairs but when you’re coming out of the attic you have to make sure you enter cautiously so as not to disturb anyone who may be using the bathroom. In the attic they have a bunch of blacklights and things to react to them (paint, easter eggs, fishing line dipped in blacklight paint). They did a great job with the decorating. By one set of windows there is a hammock which was my favorite place to be up there, but a bit anti-social as it was away from the rest of the seating. The other area had speakers mounted to the ceiling as well as further away connected up to an amp/record player (except the record player needed a cord which we didn’t have so we didn’t get it working). There is also a sitting area with a couple couches and coffee table. It’s a great open space as well. Just generally cool.
Chicago
We met Josh in Chicago. It took us a few hours to get there with the inevitable traffic. Our hotel turned out to be right off Miracle Mile, which was nice. We only had one bed in the room so Dan and I checked in and then we parked the car in a nearby garage to go and explore the city. We were worried about getting all 4 of us into the room that night when we wanted to be asleep. The only way up to the rooms was directly past the reception desk in what seemed like a small hotel but was actually normal sized I’m sure.
We started by walking up Michigan Ave towards Millenium park. We walked past the river and to the bean. Which was really cool. We took the obligatory bean pics (coming soon) and walked around the rest of the park which was really nice.
From there we walked a bit further south to Buckingham fountain which gets bigger every hourish for an indeterminate amount of time. We saw it get big which Josh said he hadn’t seen before. We bough an older copy of the onion from a homeless guy who wanted donations which turned out to be a good purchase. There was a “what’s on” section which we used to try and find some music for later on.
We got some ice cream in the park which I’m sure had inflated prices because of it’s location right next to the fountain but it was great. Finally we got our ice cream!!
From the park we crossed the street over to Lake Michigan and walked along the water to Navy Pier. Navy pier was full of stained glass and geese. One goose, to be exact. He was behind a little fence (he had put himself there) and was quite brave because of it. He would stick his neck out looking for food (we found out he doesn’t eat tic-tacs though he’s willing to give them a few tries). The stained glass was inside in an exhibit hall. Some of it was pretty cool. So we walked the length of the pier outside then back inside, stopping for some Goose Island 312 wheat beer, which was tasty and refreshing. It was also our first beer with a legal Josh! Funnily enough he didn’t get carded that time or any of the others that I was with him in Chicago.
On our way to Gino’s east we walked along the lake where we found a beach. The day was nice but not hot enough for a swim and the water was cool. It would be a great place to swim in the summer, though I wonder how clean it is. Beach on one side, skyscrapers on the other.
Gino’s was delicious. We decided on that over Giordano’s because it’s “the original”. The inside was black chalkboardesque walls full of graffiti. Graffiti was encouraged everywhere but a couple places where they specifically had signs that said no. We sat up on the second level and ordered a pitcher.
We agonized over the menu for awhile and eventually ordered an appetizer to share while our pizza was being made. Our waiter quickly told us we had ordered the worst thing on the menu so we reconsidered and he was happy with our second choice of spinach and artichoke dip (pretty much always a good choice). The pizza was half pepperoni and half Gino’s supreme. It was amazing. And personally I didn’t need the appetizer, beer and 2 pieces of deep dish. I tried my best on it and ended up ending my night. Between the 4 of us we did manage to finish it all, which I thought was quite a feat.
From there we walked, trying to figure out where we wanted to go for music. We ended up at the fanciest McDonalds in the world. We originally went in just to use the bathroom but ended up going upstairs where we found a great little spot. There were cozy leather chairs set in their own section with jazz playing. That seemed like a good place to continue our plan of action and we got some coffees to combat the lethargy brought on by a ton of food.
From there I flaked out and went back to the hotel to put up pics and update things while the guys went out to find music. I felt bad being lame but I was exhausted and detrimentally full.
Here’s Dan now to write about what came next:
We took a train across town to the colourful area of the city, right next to the Cubs stadium. The first pub (called “Cubby’s) had some really loud and interesting rock. After one song we decided to venture elsewhere. After walking for what seemed like a long way and encountering some interesting characters we decided on a bar with a hockey game on. The Chicago Blackhawks were beating some other team so the bar was very lively and in good spirits. After paying too much for some pretty wild beer we decided to move on. We passed a small bar with a sign on the sidewalk saying “Hamm $1”. We decided this was probably a beer so we went in to find out. On entering the all but empty bar I asked the bar tender what Hamm was like. He informed me it was a dollar so I ordered three. We sat on the in their outside area in the thick heavy smell of baked ham. We weren’t sure whether the smell was coming from our beers or whether it was totally unrelated. After there we headed back towards the train station. We soon found ourselves at another bar that had $3 dollar draft beers and great mash-up music playing (Girl Talk). We sat in the big window overlooking the street and watched out over the nightlife for a while before catching the train back the area the hotel was in. We discussed strategy for sneaking Josh and Caleb into the room. It turned out that there wasn’t anyone at the desk as so it was a moot point.
The next morning for brunch we decided to go to Hot Doug’s. This is a hot dog place that Caleb had heard about and it was definitely a good choice. It wasn’t anywhere near where we were staying so we went on our way out of the city. We got there around 10:20 and it turns out they don’t open until 10:30. When we got there there was already a line of people waiting for them to open. I don’t think I’ve ever stood in line waiting for a restaurant to open. Once the doors did open they had a steady stream of people the whole time we were there with a line out the door. I guess that’s how it always is according to the girl that was bringing the hot dogs out to tables. Caleb started with 2 dogs and the rest of us started with one. I got chicken and gouda smoked hot dog with some sort of cubed cheese on top and some mustardy sauce. They were all very interesting like that. Caleb got a classic Chicago one as well which Dan and I went back for to split. Josh ended up with 2 veggie dogs of which he saved half of one for later.
Madison, WI
So Madison was awesome. Lee got us to Mark and Missy’s house early afternoon. We pulled up to Mark sitting on the front steps in his farmer hat and open shirt playing his guitar. Nice entrance ☺ They have a great place, 2 bedroom, lots of space and a great deck where we sat around for a bit, drank lemonade and talked.
Destination number 1 was the garden via the lake. We walked to the lake which was just a couple blocks away. I guess there are festivals in the different neighborhoods and one is held right there. It had a volleyball net and a great grassy area around the side. Perfect for hanging out or throwing a disc.
Next off to the garden to sow some maize. The garden was awesome. There were already about 8 people there working at different parts. We helped Mark plant his cornfield (his goal is to be able to stand in the middle of it and look out once the corn is grown). There were already 2 rows in so we helped with the other 2 rows. After that we sat around and chatted. It’s a great atmosphere with a bunch of cool people. There was a dog as well, Ruby the part coonhound. Before we left we picked a bunch of greens that Cindy recommended. Dandelion green, some garlicy/oniony/chivy things, some kale and a few others who I would recognize but whose names I can’t remember.
From there we went back to the house to drop off the greens then over to the market to get food for our feast. We came away with salad stuff, cheese, beer and every type of interesting sausage that they had. This all went back to their house across the street where we started the fires. One a campfire and the other the grill. We marinated portabella mushrooms and those went on first. We ate them with cheese because they were too hot to pick up on their own. They were amazing. Next all the sausages and chicken went on. Caleb and I continued the cooking while Dan and Mark went upstairs and had a really good jam.
We had quite the feast complete with interesting beers from the beer cave. Jess from downstairs had been at the garden earlier as well and picked a bunch of rhubarb. She made an amazing rhubarb crisp that even those who didn’t like rhubarb liked. Personally Dan and I are huge rhubarb fans, so that made it even better. We sat around in their living room with the intention of getting ice cream at some point but alas it wasn’t to be. By the time we thought about it the place was closed. Mark’s friend came over and we went out to a nearby bar while Missy did some studying. She had been gone all day doing work for the end of the semester. She had a little bit more to do so we got out of her hair. We had some interesting beers that we hadn’t tried before and mostly had the bar to ourselves. The night ended not too long after we got back.
The next morning we got up early and luckily got to say bye before we headed off to Chicago.
Destination number 1 was the garden via the lake. We walked to the lake which was just a couple blocks away. I guess there are festivals in the different neighborhoods and one is held right there. It had a volleyball net and a great grassy area around the side. Perfect for hanging out or throwing a disc.
Next off to the garden to sow some maize. The garden was awesome. There were already about 8 people there working at different parts. We helped Mark plant his cornfield (his goal is to be able to stand in the middle of it and look out once the corn is grown). There were already 2 rows in so we helped with the other 2 rows. After that we sat around and chatted. It’s a great atmosphere with a bunch of cool people. There was a dog as well, Ruby the part coonhound. Before we left we picked a bunch of greens that Cindy recommended. Dandelion green, some garlicy/oniony/chivy things, some kale and a few others who I would recognize but whose names I can’t remember.
From there we went back to the house to drop off the greens then over to the market to get food for our feast. We came away with salad stuff, cheese, beer and every type of interesting sausage that they had. This all went back to their house across the street where we started the fires. One a campfire and the other the grill. We marinated portabella mushrooms and those went on first. We ate them with cheese because they were too hot to pick up on their own. They were amazing. Next all the sausages and chicken went on. Caleb and I continued the cooking while Dan and Mark went upstairs and had a really good jam.
We had quite the feast complete with interesting beers from the beer cave. Jess from downstairs had been at the garden earlier as well and picked a bunch of rhubarb. She made an amazing rhubarb crisp that even those who didn’t like rhubarb liked. Personally Dan and I are huge rhubarb fans, so that made it even better. We sat around in their living room with the intention of getting ice cream at some point but alas it wasn’t to be. By the time we thought about it the place was closed. Mark’s friend came over and we went out to a nearby bar while Missy did some studying. She had been gone all day doing work for the end of the semester. She had a little bit more to do so we got out of her hair. We had some interesting beers that we hadn’t tried before and mostly had the bar to ourselves. The night ended not too long after we got back.
The next morning we got up early and luckily got to say bye before we headed off to Chicago.
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