Around Lake Michigan
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Before I begin, I want to thank Carol Gerst for her help in filling in some of
my gaps. She sent me several pictures and I will identify them with an
*(asterisk) as we go along.
On Saturday we spent a night near the Atlanta airport. Because of the September 11 tragedy, we weren't sure how long it would take to board our plane and we had an early flight. We were suprised at the ease of getting to our plane and we arrived in Milwaukee in time to spend some time in the city. Unfortunately, some of the things we wanted to see were closed out of season on Sunday but we had a wonderful buffet lunch at Mader's German Restaurant. A roll of film with some of these pictures is currently missing but hopefully they will turn up eventually. I do have some pictures of Milwaukee taken with on another film.
The tour on Sunday night October 7, 2001 started with a dessert gathering at the hotel. Each person (couple) introduced themselves and told about their backgrounds, families and some brought things typical of their home places. One man brought popcorn which came in handy one night when we decided not to have supper.
Much of the trip we had cloudy weather and I didn't feel the pictures would come out very well so I didn't take as many of them as I would have liked. So, I asked the people who were with us to send any pictures they would like to see on this site. Unfortunately, I only received pictures from Carol but they really helped.
After a stop at a O & H Danish Bakery in Racine with sample of kringles and other pastries we went on to Chicago and a cruise on the river to the lake and views of the Chicago skyline. Lunch was at the Chicago Board of Trade where we had a quick course on the workings of the trading floor.
Next it was off to Quail Ridge Herb and Perennial Farm in La Porte, Indiana. Paul Bartholomew* told us a great deal about his unusual business and described the many perennials, some of them very rare, that he grows and ships all over the country. The brochure states that they are "Creators of Distinctive Landscapes and Beautiful Gardens"..."Everything from the Design to the Details". We are fortunate to have had the opportunity to tour the gardens since Paul said he will not be continuing after 2002.
