A Cowboy Kinda Day

Up at 7 for breakfast, so we could get going on a day of driving that would take us all the way across South Dakota.  Stopped off at an 1880’s Cowboy Town nearby Sioux Falls which was somewhat limited, with some scary automatons including Abraham Lincoln, and although the town captured the desolation is was also a tetanus trap.  Though nice to look at the buffalo too, as well as a nice guy who introduced the place.

I then did my longest drive, most if the way across the state of South Dakota.  Nice and easy!

The next 1880’s town we visited was much better, and we loved dressing up to get into the mood of the place, Penny included.  You could really try to imagine what it would be like to live in one of these frontier outpost towns, with all the basic facilities but no-one else for hundreds of miles around.  Life must have been hard.

Stopped off at uneventful Walldrug to pick up food, as we eventually got to our self-catering cabins in the dark and cold of the Black Hills, a change from the heat of the previous few days.

After sorting out who was sleeping where, there was a quick game of werewolf before bed.

A Gill and Sioux Falls

Had a fantastic hash browns and bacon breakfast, just perfect. 

We picked Matthew Gill up in Winona Minnesota, great to find a familiar face in somewhere so seemingly random.

Stopped off for lunch at the Canadian Honker restaurant in Rochester, because people liked the name.  Met up with the other car at the Spam museum, and we got to have a quick sneak around the shop before it closed.

A long drive later, we arrived in Sioux Falls surrounded by magnificent thunderstorms on all sides.  Scary and spectacularly beautiful all at once, and impossible to catch on camera.  Popped out for a good dinner at Ruby Tuesday’s before bed.

House on the Rock – A Parallel Universe

Never have I been anywhere that is like House on the Rock.  The tour begins with a walk around a house build on a rock with pretty gardens, an indulgent, comfy, dark house that screams out retro charm.  And once you have seen it, you think … ok, that was cool.

But then you are taken round several hours of the most random collection ever, with mechanical musical orchestras, vast collections of toys, games, dollhouses and many other genres, and with set pieces like a giant whale being attacked by a giant squid within a giant warehouse.  Joined with the world’s largest merry-go-round, you have a sensation that you might never leave.

I loved it, though it wasn’t up everybody’s street.

We drove back past Dr Evermore’s Forevertron, but the gates were shut and we could see from peeking over that there wasn’t much to see compared to what we had just been through.

We then headed for Wisconsin Dells, the waterpark capital of Wisconsin, where we all scoffed at the upside-down White House as it rained around us.

After arriving at the motel accommodation, some of us popped off to Walmart so I could get some bits and pieces for Penny, and so Alex could get a Green Bay Packers Cheesehead.

After dinner at the High Rock Rest, most people stayed up for a drink, a chat and a game of ‘I have never’, though I took the chance to go to bed early with Penny.

On the Road Again

A proper American French toast breakfast in a diner-style café near the hotel really cemented where we were, before the 3 of us took a short walking tour around the distinctive architecture of Chicago.  The buildings there are so distinctive, and hark back to a very different time.

The queue was too long for us to get into the Institute of Contemporary Art before we had to meet up with the others, so Charlie missed out on recreating the famous Ferris Bueller scene.

Back to Chicago airport so soon to pick up our 3 hire cars, and we were soon off.  The car formation stayed the same for almost the entirety of the first week, with Family Sundt, James C and Kirsten in our car.

We stopped off at the Historic Auto Museum, where we saw lots of car based recreations of American and world history, from the Back to the Future Delorian to a gruesome JFK exhibit.

We arrived at the House on the Rock Inn quite late, rushed out for breakfast, and some of us splashed around the fantastic hotel pool and hot tub (including submarine and waterslide) before bed.

My Kind of Town, Chicago

A pretty uneventful flight with Virgin got us to Chicago, on the flight was Family Sundt, Mink, Dave, Katie, Dave and Anca.  Penny did have a baby seat, but didn’t particularly like it.  So we didn’t really sleep, and had to power through when we arrived.

The hotel was grand and enormous, and best of all contained our travelling companions who had arrived in Chicago earlier – Andrew, Alex, Kirsten, James and some Petchells.

We had to dash straight off to our posh anniversary dinner on the 95^th floor of the John Hancock building, The Signature Room.  Andrew kindly  was treating us to the meal, and also looked after Penny (who apparently could not resist falling asleep at about 7pm, which was 1am her time).

The restaurant was amazing, with delicious food and incredible views when the thick clouds gave way.

Tiredness kicked in with avengence when darkness fell, so we headed back to the hotel.  Penny and I had a few fun hours in the lobby in the middle of the night as we battled jetlag, but as she slept 7-2 and 4-7 it could have been a lot worse.

News

Ok, so my bloggy slackness has not only been about being busy over the summer ... the buzz of the Olympics and the craziness of Fish's volunteering and shift work.

We are expecting another baby.  Yay!

I am sure I have felt sicker and more tired than last time, though with Penny running around that is no surprise.  And, although I am still having trouble choosing what to eat and finding the time and energy to exercise, I am feeling a bit better now I am 14 weeks.

And we have a busy couple of weeks ahead!

The Busyness of Summer

Wow, a whole month since my last update!

Well, it has rained ... a lot!  Festivals are being cancelled, and concern is now awash (excuse the pun) around whether the Olympics will be rained off.

We had a fantastic week in Greece, and last weekend went to the brilliant wedding of Norris and Liam, in Wiltshire.  Such a magical weekend.

I thought that once I went back to work, the blog would be less baby-related and that I would be back to my usual balanced individuality again (especially with blog posts).  However, what has happened is that in real life I am indeed feeling more like my old self (and not just Penny's entourage), but being a full-time worker bee and a parent just doesn't leave much time for blogging (shock).

So, I guess my entries will just be more occasional from now on, especially over this busy summer we are having.  

Summer Ahoy!

Managed to sleep through the football on Friday at Andrew's, well, at least the bit where England were losing.

Then lots of fun at Matilda's 4th birthday party on Sat, seems like a group of 4 year old little girls dressed as princesses are a force to be reckoned with!

Then popped round to Norris', as we had a car and could drop off a few wedding bits and pieces, and also hung out with tea and pizza ... joy!

And I had a blissfully productive AND restful day on Sunday while Charlie cycled to Brighton with Daniel.  Had fun with Penny at the Hive with Andrew, as she is learning to give PROPER cuddles ... yay!  Oh, and apparently the Hive is closing.  Bit sad, though I guess they were not the speediest at bringing brunch.

The Middle of Summer

Wow, where does the time go?

Ok, so I had a chill out after Norris' hen, and we looked forward to our week off for the jubilee.  But on the Friday before that historical week, Penny started wheezing so we had an unfortunate 24 hours in hospital.  But after a chest X-ray, many nebulisers, and having been sent home with an inhaler and steroids, all was well after a few days.

So we had a lovely day in Battersea for the Jubilee, with Sundts and Keats.  And then we had a restful week off work, seeing various family members and catching up on life.  Both of us got some writing done, and we were happy to get back to work on the Monday.

All topped off by a quiz win for Onward Quizteam Soldiers at the Vauxhall Griffin pub quiz on Tues 11th ... yay!