Here I am!

Well, I certainly had no intention of taking the summer off from blogging, but I guess I did. It's been a very busy summer, and I suppose that explains it. Funny, though, it didn't seem all that busy, really. Still, the fact remains that it's been about nine weeks since I last wrote here. Much to my surprise. Miss me?

One of the main things I did was go on vacation with Kathy. We traveled to the Midwest (Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin). The weather was surprisingly mild; in fact, it was hotter and more humid when we came back to Seattle than it had been in the Midwest. (The photos below are all by me, by the way).

My son and his wife (and their cats) live in Ann Arbor.

We visited the beautiful arboretum attached to the university.





We also all love cemeteries, and there's one right near the arboretum.

And celebrated Mitchell's birthday. (Hey, it's not every kid that gets the gift of British duct tape!)

We spent a day at the Detroit Institute of Art and their astonishing collection.

Detail of Diego Rivera mural at the Detroit Institute of Art

Chagal window at the Art Institute

We visited friends in Evanston and spent a day in Chicago, mostly at the Art Institute.

Carl the Wonder Dog

Chicago reflected in "The Bean"

We also went to the gorgeous Chicago Botanic Gardens.

Botanic Gardens

And visited the campus of the University of Wisconsin.

We did much else and visited with many, many friends and family members. We visited two cemeteries, three college campuses, five museums, two natural preserves, one state capital, and Mars Cheese Castle (twice). On one day we drove through four states. We had a lovely time. Thanks for asking.