A Much Needed Getaway

August 16, 2007 · Filed under Life

Everyone knows how valuable time away can be, but over the past couple years I have had my nose pressed firmly to the grindstone, without much more then a stolen weekend here and there to decompress.

A couple weeks ago, after much planning and a lot of re-scheduling (even two days before leaving I was unsure if I’d be able to pull it off) I packed up the kids and hit the road.

 First stop, Savanna, IL.

That’s the view of the Mississippi from my mother-in-law’s backyard. Not too shabby. To bad the industry in Savanna consists in incarceration (there’s a state of the art maximum security prison just down the road) and a proposed ethanol plant.  When local residents showed up to discuss the refinery’s environmental impact they were told by a representative of the plant that they would wake every morning to the small of fresh baked bread.

No lie.

Then on to Chicago for a week’s stay in Oak Park and a full schedule of family, revelry, and museums.

The Bean at Millennium Park

The Eel. He lives in The Big Tank at The Shedd Aquarium

He’s got to be 50 years old. Absolutely massive.

Picasso and The Kids

Kids with my sister at The Zoo

Museum of Science and Industry

We milked it.

Then wrapped things up with three days in Wisconsin Dells

A bit ‘decadent’ for me, but like I said, I haven’t gotten out in a while.

 Got back yesterday, and rode my bike to the office today. I’m feeling a bit frazzled, but it’s great to be back, which means the vacation must have worked.