July 2013

We celebrated the 4^th by having ribs, but not at the Ribfest. I think we got them at Trader Joe’s. We cooked them on the grill. We enjoyed the warm weather by riding our scooters downtown and dining out of doors. We hit the usual spots, i.e. Lou Malnati’s for crustless pizza, Potters for the Christmas Burrito, Jimmy’s and Quigleys Irish Pub with Tinker (they allow dogs on the patio).

We continued to work on the house the whole time. We had a home inspection and fixed the few things he suggested. We had the furnaces cleaned. Had the windows washed. We tested for Radon. Put a fresh coat of paint on the garage, basement stairs and the work shop floor. We contacted a realtor and listed the house for sale starting July 22^nd after the Webers visit and while we were in Catawba for the week.

Before the Webers came we took a dry run on the train downtown Chicago. We scouted out what we felt was the best way to see the city. It was a double decker tour bus that you could hop on and off of all day long. Chicago has such a beautiful skyline, especially on a warm sunny day. We enjoyed lunch at Tavern on Rush. We missed the express train coming home so it was a long ride and a later arrival, but the scooters were waiting for us right where we had parked them. We learned a lot and we were much better prepared when the Webers visited.

The Webers arrived on the 15^th and we were excited to see them. (I could stop working on the house!) We had an enjoyable dinner and laid out a plan for our tour of the city the next day. And see the city we did!

We were able to get the express train and so were in the city in just 30 minutes. It was a perfect day. We caught the tour bus right by Union Station at the Sears Tower(Willis Tower) and our first stop was Grant Park. We had to see “the bean”. From there we went north through the “loop” west along the river and then south around Soldiers Field to the Shedd Aquarium. It was nice and cool inside the Shedd. From there we headed north along the Lakeshore Drive to Navy Pier. From the Pier we cruised the “Miracle Mile” up to the famous water tower. We had lunch on Rush Street at Gibson’s Steak House. We made it to the top of the Hancock Building. What a view on a beautiful day! We saw it all and we made the express train home! We were exhausted but had enough energy to phone in a delivery order to the House of Emperor.

We spent the rest of the week in Naperville. We enjoyed going to the Health Club, riding scooters, shopping, the Beach, the Band Concert and all of our favorite restaurants. We had a great week and thoroughly enjoyed showing Webers our Illinois home. We are thrilled they were able to come.

Monday we all climbed in the cars and headed to beautiful Catawba Island, Ohio on Lake Erie. We had told the Webers so much about CIC and were glad they could join us as we visited all of our friends there. As you can see, there are lots of them and we all see each other in beautiful Jupiter, Florida every winter. This is a really fun group.

Besides playing golf and dining at the Clubhouse we took a ferry ride to famous resort village of Put-in-Bay on South Bass Island where we rented a golf cart for six and toured all of the sights. The highlight of the tour was the Perry Monument. Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial was established to honor those who fought in the Battle of Lake Erie, during the War of 1812, and to celebrate the long-lasting peace between Britain, Canada and the U.S. After we toured the Perry Monument we had lunch at the Crews Nest, which is a private club and always a special treat.

CIC is famous for its excellent cusine, good friends, good boating, good golf and gorgeous sunsets! It is always a pleasure to visit. We are so glad we were able to share it with the Webers and thankful for all of our friends there who always welcome us back. They are special people.