Lose Ends

3500 Miles - 23 days and we feel in many ways like we are just getting started! There have only been a couple of days that we feel we have driven longer than we wanted - Jon says the motor home is so easy to drive that he takes short naps as he's going along! We took a little time to reflect on favorite things this morning. Favorite meal? Michaels in Rochester, MN. We had our first Walleye - Michaels is a very old Greek restaurant (family owned for three generations) in the heart of downtown. Jon's three highlights are - everything about the Black Hills, Mackinac Island, and he says "I really liked Chicago" The buildings, the water, Shoreline park, the museums - hmmm I'd say we are having a great time. As for me? I still think of those leopard boots in Wall, SD at Wall drug - that pretty much says it all!

The picture of the doorway is in Mackinac - I just thought it wa picturesque - it is the main entrance to one of the old houses - a side entry filled with red geraniums. Jon keeps telling me to document the fall color but of course that would be impossible - so the tree is one of the first nice contrasts that we saw in Northern Illinois.

Two other things worth noting: the Great lakes are great! Water water everywhere - they always look like the ocean - I know the facts are that they were formed by the ice age but I say God must have really enjoyed creating these huge bodies of water for our pleasure.
Much of their shorelines are filled with residential homes - people with huge yards - one can't help wondering about the summer fun and their winter weather.

Secondly, we keep remarking on a big difference between the West and everything East of South Dakota. The whole land is under cultivation. There are not vast empty expanses of desert or mountains. There is farm after farm after farm.  Everyone seems to have a red barn (I have always loved red barns), nice looking large homes (usually old) and the crops look mostly to be corn and soybeans. Here's another thing we keep laughing about - in regular residential areas peoples yards are usually minimum of an acre - sometimes they look larger). WE think their prized possesion must be their riding lawn mower. They look beautiful and everything is still very green. Also remember they don't have to water their lawn - right? Because they are so large almost no one has a fence makes it all very beautiful to look at. Big homes, large lawns and no fences - who came up with the idea of large home on tiny lots and lots of fences? Crazy huh?

Finally, Jake needs to know that Scruffy is our mascot. Many "old people" have their dogs
traveling with them and if they are small they sit up in the window. We are so glad that
we fit in because of Scruffy. Thanks Jake for sharing him with us - their will be more pics of
him along the way. Love to all. TTFN