Michigan City, Indiana

We managed to get some touristy things done while here in Michigan City.  Situated on the southern most end of Lake Michigan, it is a comfortable town, spread out, we see lots of people who are not fancy (rich), just normal every day folks from all walks of life.  We drove to the beach (about 5 miles from our campground) and spent an afternoon wandering along the beach, walking as far as we could on their pier (waves were crashing and we did not want to get wet), and then went over to the original lighthouse that guided ships in from Chicago.

Michigan City beach - their famous pier almost in center of photo
Looking west - can't see Chicago

Looking east

Marina behind the dunes of the beach 

Can barely make out the dunes above the break wall

Surfer dude

Very distinctive marks

Very pretty day, lots of seagulls flying around, people laying on the beach and also swimming.  I have no idea if the water was cold but it could not be as cold as Lake Superior.  As we looked to the west we could see the steel mills' smoke stacks bellowing out.  I thought we were looking at Gary, Indiana but in reality which we found out a few days later, it was Burns Harbor steel mills and further west was Gary's steel mills.

Lighthouse at tree line, beyond dunes is the marina

We could see the sand dunes just west of the cooling tower for Michigan City's water treatment plant.  No, it is not a nuclear plant, just a big honker of a tower to cool the water before discharging back into the lake.

After visiting the beach we went to Dairy Queen to get a treat since the lighthouse was not open yet - and this trip is turning out to be very expensive for me.  For the last couple of weeks, when I bit down on the left side, I noticed that my bite was off - if that can be?  Well, what was happening is that my cap was coming loose, beginning to get dislodged, and when we were at Dairy Queen - I almost swallowed the cap - it had come loose.  Bummer.  Thankfully no pain, just a big gap where the tooth was.  Okay, put the tooth in my purse, and traveled back to the lighthouse which was only about 2 miles from the DQ.

Huh!

Progress, terrible.

Heading up to see the light

Extremely narrow staircase

View from the top, looking out to the lake

The lighthouse was a cute place, learned some of the history of the area, about shipwrecks, etc.  Climbed up to the tower where the lens is located (not a functional one since the pier is now the light that guides the boats in). At the top of the tower we could look out and see to the lake.  From the upstairs we heard the horn sound for the lifting bridge to allow a large sailboat to head up stream (it is a creek, not a river).

Guess with all the shipwrecks need lighthouses!

A biggun sailboat!

I remember these from my childhood, just did not know they were called
witch balls

Cleveland follows us everywhere

Learned about this disaster, how very sad 

Whole families wiped out from this disaster

Nice day (but not for my mouth).  When we got back to the RV I Googled dentists in the Wisconsin Dells area and found a dentist that could take me next Wednesday.  Thank goodness!

We Are Off Again, Goodbye Cleveland

The stay at Timber Ridge was a lot of fun, saw almost all our family on both sides, visited with great many friends, and of course did revisit many places we had called home for the last 17 years we had stayed in a sticks-and-bricks home. Some members of both sides of our families we got to spend a number of times with, nice.  Our stomping grounds were in a town west of Cleveland called Vermilion, and our place is right on Lake Erie.  Beach, pool, marina, lovely view of the Lake, but we had decided this past March when our renters informed us they were moving, to sell it.

What an amazing journey that was to get the place ready to sell.  They moved out the beginning of April, we busted butt to get it ready to be shown which took until May 3rd, and got an offer that we still don't know if it's going or not as of today.  Very stressful selling a home - once this one goes, either now or later - never again!

We did manage to do some fun things during our 6 week stay.  Such as visit the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Natural History Museum of Cleveland, drove around downtown Cleveland and were shocked at the changes - that town is really growing and changing!  With all the visiting with people we did, we both saw where we went to high school, saw where we both went to college, sat for a spell at the marina where we had our sailboat anchored, tooled around parts of the city that we spent our lives tooling around in.  So much has changed - amazing.

Okay - same I 90 that runs from NYC to Seattle!

We also get to some of the best restaurants we ever ate at - one of them El Grande Patron in Sandusky where our friends Gustavo and Lupita are owners.  They are the epitome of the American Dream - come to the US, get citizenship, start a family, own a business that is very successful, teach their children the value of money and what hard work can do - just super folk.  Was so great to visit with Gustavo.

Last time to see this on a roadsigns - our stomping grounds

The Chrysler plant that I sold steel to (my old days at steel mill)

Crossed over the Maumee River near Toledo

And also a dinky little take out place in Vermilion that serves Chinese food.  Delicious (get to have it tonight for dinner!! - got carry out yesterday).  And was  treated to Jack's Deli in Beachwood - I think the best deli food I have had ever.  And then there were some that we had gone to in the past and what a disappointment!

12th state we have entered this summer

Saw where our RV is made in Elkhart, IN

Had visited the RV Museum in the past

Plant after plant after plant of RVs, pontoon boats, trailers, etc.

We got some casual walks in - places we had liked to visit in the past like Old Woman's Creek in Huron which is a National Esturary, Sheldon Marsh which is located right on Lake Erie that was once the road to Cedar Point.

Time to play again, hello summer 2017 again

But time to fly.  We have to be in Lake Delton, Wisconsin (west of Madison) by the 28th for a big family wedding and as the saying goes - get out of Dodge.  This morning we packed up, drugged up Buddy with his new medicine (he did good - only barfed once during the 6 hours on the road), and went westbound on the Ohio Turnpike and when we crossed into Indiana - it was like a huge weight was lifted off our shoulders.  So now we are in Michigan City which is right on Lake Michigan at the bottom of the lake, will be here to re-learn living in an RV, doing some sight seeing, just getting back into the flow of living on the run.

Pache's collection of bottle tops - he only gets one at a time

Buddy and Pache have become the best of buddies.  We are so overjoyed that they get along together, sometimes we have to spray them with water because they get so crazy in their playing.  Pache has a fetish for bottle tops.  Can't bring out a bottle of water to drink - he gets in your lap and bites at the top until you relent to give it to him.  Here is the collection of tops since we left.  And yes, we still play fetch with him - through the top, he runs gets it, brings it back and drops it on the small foot stool for you to throw again.  Wants this for hours.  We have to stop because our arm is sore from throwing.  He's a hoot.  And Buddy - still loves playing shuffle-cat.  This is a morning ritual with him - loves to be shoved along the floor.  Silly boy.

That's my baby boy, Buddy!

Very Busy!

Can't believe we have been here at Timber Ridge for 22 days - we have only had 2 down days where nothing has been planned.  So what have we been doing?  Back and forth to the house to try to make it more sellable, fixing burnt out lights, getting landscaping done, doing spot cleaning, changing out a faucet that was not working.  Anything and everything within our power to make it 'nice' for someone to move into.  And while there, we spent time with our dear friend Ducky, having a glass of wine and watching the sun set over Lake Erie.  She also hosted a nice little get together with some folks and we had a nice time catching up with Bob and Kathleen and Jane.

View of our place, landscaping done, looks much better

Lets in more light with bushes cut back

Will miss this wonderful view of Lake Erie

Looking west - sunset is coming

Docks, pool, beach - will miss it

We have also been visiting with family.  Picnic hosted by our niece Jennifer which had most of my side of the family, was great catching up with them.  We also attended a 90th birthday party for Dave's sister-in-law/Mom and also saw almost everyone on Dave's side of the family.  And then there were small gatherings of friends and family, either we driving to them or they coming by the RV to visit. Traveled to Mansfield to catch up with Dave's son, Dennis and his wife Meg.  And traveled back and forth to the east side of Cleveland as well as to Sandusky to the west to visit more family members.

I did a quick visit to a dentist - had cracked a filling about second week in May and was waiting to get  before I got it taken care of.  One day we spent driving around an area we had had our eye on years ago to possibly by a lakeside home - in Bayview.  So we traveled back there to see the home we put a bid on and said we had made the right decision to be in the present home.

A cute community we had looked at buying a home prior to our current one

Wanted a home on the water

Sandusky Bay - Cedar Point to right 

Black beaks and black legs - wonder what kind?

One home had these wild turkeys resting on front lawn

I love the water

One day we walked one of the favorite places, Sheldon Marsh, which is in the next town of Huron.  Lovely time there.  And of course, visiting some of the restaurants and places we liked to shop at and mentally checking off - okay, not the same, glad we visited but done.

Did not know this

Algae a'blooming!

Beyond the tree line was Lake Erie

This comerant could care less - did not fly away

Went through this hole to the private beach

Beach belongs to Sawmill Creek Resort

Almost to the lake

This Great Blue Heron looked really odd - never saw one sunning itself 

At the beach - looking across at Cedar Point

Heron got spooked by these little ducky babies

So pretty - looking across to Canada - Middle Bass Island

We still have a lot to do, have dinners to attend, family still to meet up with, so we think we have at least another 10 more days before we head out.  The worst part about being here?  The temperature has been hovering in the high 80's with at least 80% humidity.  We are struggling!  And no, we have not put the A/C on when we go away, just fans running.  The campground has lost power a couple of times and we would have fried the cats if the windows were shut.