Adventures in India

November 21, 2018 by Patricia Farmar

We spent 16 days in India and went to 9 different areas. Did I mention that India is a very large country? The 7th largest country in the world and a population of more than 1.7 billion! We started in the northern part in the capitol city of Delhi and then went west, central and east. We didn’t get into the south which we were told is another whole trip that hopefully someday I will return to see. We took 3 flights, 2 trains and numerous bus rides to get to these areas after arriving in Delhi, and saw more than I could cover in an entire book let alone a blog. So this post might be a two cup of coffee long post or better yet a large glass of wine! Thanks for coming along!

A common question I have been asked is how long a flight is it to India - so let me start there. It’s LONG! I flew first to Chicago and spent the night. Then we boarded an Emirates flight from Chicago to Dubai - that was 12 and a half hours long getting there and 14 and a half on the return. Then from Dubai to Delhi is 3 hours going and 4 hours on the return. The good news is that Emirates is an excellent airline - this was my first time to fly with them and it was impressive. Even in economy the seats are bigger and there is more leg room. The food is good and it seems they are offering you something frequently. In fact they give you a little zipper clutch that has comfy socks, a sleep mask, toothbrush and toothpaste and a set of stickers to put on your seat to instruct them if you would like to be woken for food or just left to sleep. A nice option on such a long flight. We just spent a few hours in Dubai on our layover and didn’t leave the airport but the airport is very fancy. Lots of great places to eat and beautiful restrooms and lounge areas. And definitely great people watching!

Our super fun flight attendant Jay! Do Cindy and I look excited? We are!

So here goes! Going to do my best to cover our itinerary and hit the highlights of each spot.

Delhi -

Delhi is the capital of India and its big. We got there very early in the morning and instead of going to bed we hired a driver and headed out to see a few sites. First up the Lotus Temple.

A marvel in white marble built in the shape of a lotus flower. Surrounded by 9 pools of water.

Next Humayun’s Tomb. Built in 1565 for the Mughal Emperor it is now a UNESCO Heritage site.

It was a large property with multiple tomb’s and beautiful gardens.

Qutub Minar which is a 5 story tower and surrounding area built in the 12th century. Also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The iron pole in the bottom right picture is a mystery. Forged more than 1600 years ago and nearly 24 feet tall and weighing more than 6 tons, it should have fallen to dust and blown away long ago. It doesn’t even have any major traces of rust so scientists continue to debate its mystery.

We also took a rickshaw ride to explore Old Delhi - the original Delhi which is over 400 years old. The traffic was total insanity and there are no cars or buses allowed. It was all motorbikes, rickshaws, carts, cows and people. All kinds of little shops and street vendors selling pineapple, kiwi, figs, live chickens, goats, clothing, shoes, tires, toys, ceramic pots etc. There were massive jumbles of electrical wires wound around telephone poles - clearly not up to code😂

One of the few McDonalds we saw but they of course don’t sell hamburgers. They sell veggie burgers, chicken wraps and fish. It seemed to be pretty popular.

Udaipur -

We flew from Delhi to Udaipur which is located south and west of Delhi. Considered to be the gateway to Rajasthan which is an area (kind of like a state within India) known for its palaces and forts. There are 37 different “states” within India and they each have their own capital. Udaipur was beautiful! We stayed in an amazing hotel which was in a refurbished 107 year old palace overlooking a gorgeous lake.

The pictures don’t do it justice - it was incredible!

We took a boat ride around Lake Pichola and saw numerous palaces and stopped at an island to explore one of the summer palaces of the royal family called Jagmandir.

Greeted by a row of Ganesh elephants continuing to bring us good luck. Spectacular gardens and a perfect place to watch the sunset on the water.

The next day we took a stroll through town to reach the City Palace which we had seen from the lake the night before.

So many spectacular details throughout the palace. Lots of jewels used to decorate the walls and courtyards.

Bottom right was the royal swing. Used according to folklore for some royal monkey business!

Jaipur -

We went by bus to Jaipur which is the capital city of Rajasthan. It is often referred to as The Pink City because the surrounding wall and all the buildings are a pink salmon color. The bus ride was interesting as it was very rural and we saw lots of locals working by hand in their fields, carrying water on their heads and children playing. There was lots to see in Jaipur. First up Hawa Mahal. Note the pink salmon color of the facade. Hawa Mahal was a palace built with 953 windows so all the ladies of the court could look out onto the street but not be seen.

Next up another City Palace. This place was huge and had three different main buildings to tour.

Colorful outfits for the guards in pink.

Amber Fort another UNESCO World Heritage Site and India’s former seat of power. People used to arrive on elephants and you can still do that if you had time.

Below Amber Fort and heading up via a crazy Jeep ride.

So much detail in the interior rooms with silver and gold. Multiple temples and courtyards. We were there for quite a few hours as there was so much to see.

Another really unique place we toured was Jantar Mantar. It is an astronomical observatory built in 1726 by Sawai Jai Singh who was fascinated by astronomy.

Behind me is the largest ever sundial! That’s just half of it - the other half is on the left side of the giant staircase.

We had a unique opportunity that night to have dinner with a local family in their home. Really a trip highlight for me. They were warm and welcoming to their beautiful home along with their darling daughters. They did a cooking demonstration for us and shared their traditions and culture. The girls did some traditional dancing for us and some of us even joined in to learn.

Top right is a special Diwali dessert called Jalebi. Looked like a lot of work to me but it was very sweet and delicious. The bottom left is a little temple in their back yard where they meditate and do yoga.

Ranthambore National Park -

One of the many truly memorable parts of the trip was to Ranthambore Tiger Reserve. We’re hoping to spot a Royal Bengal tiger or two on our safaris - and our Ganesh brought us the luck we needed to accomplish this! We were staying at a place called Juna Mahal, and Ajay was very vague as to what kind of accommodations they would be. Cindy convinced me that we would be staying in glorified tents and I made up my mind to take whatever came right in stride. Much to all our surprise Juna Mahal was a palatial resort that just blew us away.

Top right is the door to our suite. Loved our massive lock and gorgeous pool!

We checked in, ate lunch and changed to head out on safari number one. Even if we didn’t see any tigers they promised us lots of other wildlife. We saw tons of monkeys, all different kinds of deer, alligators and too many exotic birds to count. And yes we saw a huge tiger! There is a great preservation effort happening in India to protect the tigers, so absolutely no hunting is allowed anywhere and if caught the penalty is severe. To say we were all excited is an understatement. It was truly a thrill. The next morning we were out early to try and see more animals and succeeded again in seeing a tiger. This one was a female so quite a bit smaller but she was on the move. Not running but just walking through the woods and so graceful.

Top right is a canter which is like a large open Jeep. Bottom left Cindy and I right after we saw lion number 1 - otherwise known as Male 57. All the tigers in the reserve are catalogued by their size and features.

Top 2 are Male 57 and bottom is the female named Arrowhead. The male had massive paws! Probably weighed about 800 pounds.

In the afternoon Cindy and I took a walk back into the little village to take some pictures. The majority of people and children we encountered were friendly and didn’t mind us taking pictures. The two pictures on the right side are a couple of locals cutting branches from a tree to feed the goat herd.

Middle picture on the left is a dung hut.

Agra -

We left Ranthambore early the next morning and took the train to the closest town to Agra where our bus met us to take us the rest of the way. Agra is where the Taj Mahal is located, and we were all very excited to check that off our bucket list. The Taj Mahal is one of the 7 wonders of the modern world and in my opinion the ultimate symbol of love. It was built as a tomb and expression of love by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan for his wife Mumtaz Mahal in the 17th century. It took 22 years to build and 20,000 men. While it always looks magnificant in pictures they really don’t do it justice. Up close you see the intricate marble carvings all inset with precious stones.

You do get to go inside to see her tomb, and the tomb of the King off to the left. They say during the monsoon the water drips from the ceiling onto her tomb and it has been impossible to correct this problem. It doesn’t drip anywhere else so I guess they really are tears.

Every colored piece is a gemstone that was first carved into the marble and then hand cut to fit perfectly.

Cindy and I from what is called the Lady Diana bench. Not created for Lady Diana but she was photographed sitting on it when she visited and has since become the Lady Diana bench. A perfect vantage point!

The Taj Mahal is not the only thing to see in Agra. There is also the huge Agra Fort which was the seat of the Mughal Empire.

We took a tour and it was amazing. It’s also where the Emperor that had the Taj Mahal built was imprisoned the last 9 years of his life by his son that overthrew him. They could make a movie out of this story! But his son wasn’t totally heartless. The Emperor could stand on his balcony and see the Taj Mahal even though he couldn’t visit it.

The bottom right picture is of the apartments that housed the women who lived behind each door specifically for the “entertainment” of the imprisoned Emperor.

Orchha -

We took another train from Agra to Orchha where a new bus met us. We stopped in the town of Orchha to see the ancient Cenotaphs. They are in the early stages of renovation because they are thousands of years old, and are basically tombs or monuments erected to honor people whose remains are buried elsewhere or have been moved.

The best part of our stop in Orchha was seeing many of the locals at the river that runs through town bathing and washing their clothing in anticipation of Diwali. Diwali which is the Festival of Lights is a time of birth and renewal. Out with the old and in with the new. So everything must be cleaned and if possible painted and refurbished. No one in town has running water so the river is where the cleaning happens, and the people were friendly and willing to engage with us and have their pictures taken.

We stopped at an old hunting lodge along the river for lunch and the people were so nice. The gentleman in the top left greeted us by ringing the bell, a traditional greeting in that area. The woman in the middle was helping to build a patio along the river by carrying cement on her head. And the sweet man on the left showed us proudly to the river after lunch and picked each of the ladies some beautiful local flowers.

Khajuraho -

After a crazy 4 hour bus ride we made it to Khajuraho - another UNESCO World Heritage Site because of it’s group of ancient temples. The temples are often referred to as the “erotic” temples because of some of the carvings, but the guide was quick to point out they are only 2 to 3% of the total amount of carvings. The temples are thousands of years old and the quality is incredible!

Going to just let these next pictures speak for themselves! No comment!

The amount of carvings on each temple is mind blowing. You could spend weeks examining each one in detail. I just thought this next picture turned out cool.

Inside one of the temples - an ancient ladder.

Varanasi -

Heading to our last spot - but such an important one in the Hindu religion. We flew from Khajuraho to Varanasi which is located on the eastern side of India. It is the most sacred Hindu city, like the Vatican to Christians and Mecca to Muslims. The River Ganges flows through it, and is known for the Ghats - the banks of the river where people ritually cleanse themselves of their sins and burn the bodies of the deceased. We had two opportunities to experience these very moving rituals - evening and sunrise. Every single night of the year a ceremony occurs that is attended by thousands of people called Ganga Aarti. It is a spiritually uplifting ceremony to honor the River Goddess Ganga and fire and smoke and chanting all occur to name just a few.

We watched it from a boat out on the river.

It goes on for quite awhile and you can purchase these small votives to light and send out to float on the river. You do it in honor of a loved one that has passed and you can also make a wish.

We did go to the area on the river where they burn the bodies and that was really an experience I’ll never forget. In the Hindu religion the bodies must be cremated within 48 hours of passing, and there is a lot of rituals as to how the body is prepared and who lights the fire and can be present. For obvious reasons they ask that no photos be taken and I of course obliged.

We were up early the next morning which was actually Diwali to see the sunrise on the Ganges, again from a boat. We got another opportunity to light votives and how cute is this little guy selling them?

There were lots of people bathing in the river to spiritually cleanse their sins.

When I say there is always something interesting to see in India I am not kidding! Here are pictures of two Sadhus - people that shun all comforts in life and cover themselves in ash. The man on the right in the middle is kind of like a priest that will bless you and pray over you, and the bottom picture of the woman selling sticks is to use as toothbrushes - and we saw people using them! Incredible India!

Sarnath -

Lastly we made a trip to Sarnath which is a town right by Varanasi where Buddha gave his first sermon to his first 5 disciples. There is a beautiful temple there now along with statues to commemorate this sermon under the tree.

Whew! This took me almost as much time to put together as taking the trip! But it helped me relive every incredible moment. I have one more post I want to write about the Artisans of India that we were fortunate enough to visit - so check back soon for that if you are interested.

Namaste🙏🏻

Incredible India!

November 14, 2018 by Patricia Farmar

We all have events in our lives that change us. Having children, running a marathon, losing loved ones and now visiting India are a few of the big ones for me. India was everything and more that I expected. It is overwhelming and awesome. It’s people and noise and smells and history and chaos and something to see every minute of every day. I want to capture it all and remember it forever and do it justice so I’m feeling a little overwhelmed. I’m also dealing with a 10 and a half hour time change so that might be why I’m feeling overwhelmed! So I think I’ll just dive in and see where this goes.

First off a general framework of the trip. My dear and adventurous friend Cindy and I decided after much input from friends that had been to India that going as part of a group was the best idea. That was reinforced to us just about every day of our trip. I’m very comfortable going most places on my own but India is a different situation. Just getting from place to place could be overwhelming and as two women traveling safety was important to us. So we joined a tour put together by Collette and it was wonderful. Their groups tend to be smaller and that gives you a lot more flexibility to do some things that a larger group couldn’t do. Our group was a total of 12 people and a guide, which was pretty much perfect.

Let me introduce you to our new travel friends!

Starting at the top left and going clockwise: Sylvia & Howard (Raj) from Wales, Vince & Donna from Florida, Annie & Vic from Florida, Maureen & Bruce from Michigan, and Claire & Gary from New Jersey.

A great group of very seasoned travelers! They have been everywhere and then some. When we asked how this trip compared to their others the most common response was that India would be the most challenging to explain to people, and that makes total sense to me now, but I’ll try my best.

We had a great guide. Our fearless and amazing leader Ajay! He gave 200% everyday to make sure things went as well and smoothly as possible. He was unbelievably knowledgeable and did his best to not only give us so much information, but to help us understand the culture and history too. He has a deep love and respect for his country and admiration for what they have accomplished in the short span of 70 years of being a democracy. And now I do too!

Ajay! Smart, funny, energetic and organized. We couldn’t ask for a better leader.

And last but far from least is my amazing travel companion, fellow adventurer and dear friend Cindy. I can’t think of a better person to have had this adventure with!

Traffic -

In a nutshell it’s insanity. They drive on the left side - somewhat. Usually it seems they drive down the middle of the road except where it’s super congested which is most of the time and then everyone just drives anywhere they want honking their horn the entire time. And when I say traffic that includes cars, buses, motorbikes, trucks, rickshaws, tuk tuks, bikes, donkey carts, camel carts, horse carts, people with hand carts, cows, goats, dogs, pigs and people walking. Even in the largest cities I don’t recall ever seeing a traffic light or even a stop sign. At times it’s total grid lock but the most amazing thing is that no one ever gets angry or yells at anyone. No road rage. And even though there is a constant sound of horns it’s not in anger. It’s more of just letting you know they are next to you or behind you. I’ll never forget one four hour bus ride we were on between cities where our driver was driving down the middle of the road with vehicles coming right at us and vehicles passing us on the right and cows sitting in the middle of the road and he was honking his horn the entire time. We were hanging on with both hands and I remember thinking it was like being on the Indiana Jones ride at Disney for 4 hours! Exciting! And more than a little terrifying!

Top right is a tuk tuk. Bottom left is a family of 4 on a motorbike. The record was a family of 5 on a bike! Bottom right is Cindy and I in a rickshaw.

Animals -

Are there really animals wandering all over India? Actually yes there are! The first couple of days I was mesmerized by every cow I saw, but then I just got used to it. Upon returning to the states I kind of miss it. Not only cows everywhere, but goats, pigs, dogs, donkeys, camels, monkeys and quite a few rats😳 We asked Ajay about why cows in particular are so revered, and he explained that cows are really essential to the existence of the people. Not so much as a god but more as a mother, so they are really protected and given free rein of the land. They seemed to love sitting either right on the road or very close to it and he told us that a study was done as to why that is, and they determined that the cows get high off the fumes, so they are basically stoned😂 That explains why they are so mellow.

The school kids all wear uniforms. And yes we even saw elephants!

Food -

Normally when I travel I write and post about a lot of food that I’m eating. Well that will not be the case this time. I expected to be eating a lot of Indian food - cause I’m in India! But the reality of eating Indian food morning noon and night was more than I could take. I like Indian food in moderation but not for three meals a day! I’m sure it’s my fault and my palate is just not sophisticated enough to discern the subtle differences of curry dishes - because it all tasted the same to me. And it all looked the same to me. I thought about posting the same picture ten times but that would be disrespectful. You can pretty much count on getting Naan bread, rice, lentils which is called dal, either chicken, mutton or goat in a curry sauce, and maybe some potatoes. That’s for breakfast too, although luckily we were staying at very nice hotels and they would make us eggs for breakfast if we wanted. I wanted!

We went to lots of really pretty restaurants, many of them in beautiful outdoor gardens. And we ate Indian food there😊

We went to a Tandori restaurant and had food on skewers. That was different and tasty!

Our last night in Varanasi where we were learning about Buddhism we went to a beautiful restaurant that served a satvik menu. Satvik means pure and is food without onion, garlic or meat. Buddhists try to live with moderation in everything so this diet is meant to not cause anger (from onions) or garlic which is an aphrodisiac. Lots of vegetables so I really liked it. Plus it was so cool how they served it in separate little dishes.

I can’t begin to tell you what everything was but I liked at least 70% of it.

We discovered one of our hotels had pizza - it was like a lottery win! It tasted like the best pizza ever. Claire who was in our group never travels without Lipton cup of soup and she was nice enough to share with Cindy and I. That was delicious, and now I’ll never travel without it either. Cindy brought Halloween candy and I will confess to eating a Reese’s peanut butter cup for dinner on more than one occasion. I didn’t go to India thinking it was going to be a great culinary experience so it was really all fine. But in that respect at least I’m glad to be back home eating salads! The good news is that we didn’t get sick. Delhy belly is pretty common but we were very careful eating only cooked food and drinking bottled water. Success!

People -

They were incredible! Almost everyone we met was so nice and really went out of their way to do what they could for us. When I was in Europe recently I wrote about how many times we had been told NO. India was the exact opposite. Anything you asked them the answer was always Why Not? And they tried to make it happen. They were warm and welcoming. When we asked if we could take their pictures they always said yes with a smile. I love how they wear such colorful clothing. They said it makes them happy. It made me happy too. The children especially are so beautiful and sweet. They are all very family oriented - living usually with multiple generations in one home.

I felt like a Martian with my blond hair. People asked to take pictures with me often, and I said Why Not?

Of all the amazing things I saw in India I think what I will remember most is the gentleness and sweetness of the people.

Religion -

I learned a lot about religion - mainly Hinduism and Buddhism. Yoga too. That’s kind of a religion in India - literally everyone does it as part of their day. Maybe that’s why they are all so patient and calm. We got to take a yoga class early one morning with a great teacher outside overlooking a beautiful lake. Cindy and I were the only ones that showed up for it so it was really a private class - amazing!

I learned a lot about the gods in Hinduism - Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver, Shiva the transformer and my favorite Ganesh, the god of good fortune and remover of obstacles.

Ganesh - always symbolized by the elephant.

We also went to were Buddhism began in Sarnath. The site where Buddha gave his first sermon.

And we got to be there for Diwali- the Festival of Lights. It would be the equivalent of our Christmas with the exchange of gifts and everything strung with lights, and lots of fireworks - or as they call them - crackers. Ajay bought a bunch of crackers for us to shoot off that night so we could be a part of the celebration - he was so great about extra things to make the experience great. When we were riding the train a few days before Diwali everyone we talked to was heading home to be with their family.

Beautiful flower arrangements made with all petals. These guys worked on this at our hotel for hours!

Another post coming soon where I’m planning to share some of the highlights of each place we visited. Each was so unique - from Royal Bengal tiger sightings to the Taj Mahal. Check back soon for more about incredible India!

Illinois Valley - Where it began!

October 19, 2018 by Patricia Farmar

The Illinois Valley was a great place to grow up! At the time I didn’t appreciate it but the older I got the more I realized how lucky we were. For starters, I think it’s just beautiful. Sitting along the Illinois River and having access to not one but two amazing state parks, a great public high school, and true middle class values and caring friends and neighbors. So it’s no surprise to me that I have stayed in touch and treasure the lifelong friendships of my high school girlfriends. We have been getting together once a year for a long weekend or even sometimes a week for too many years to count. It’s always something I really look forward to and it never disappoints. We don’t always return to our hometown but this year we did and it couldn’t have been more relaxing or fun. We found a great loft to rent on Airbnb right in downtown LaSalle, and the location was perfect. Downtown LaSalle is now a very cool place - good restaurants and some great stores. Shout out to Sasso’s which has a little bit of everything but all awesome!

Here are just a few of the highlights. The focus of the trip is really about being together to share our lives and support each other through good times and not so good, so we are less concerned with what we are doing than who we are doing it with. We started off with a bang though when Liz surprised us by hopping a plane from LA and showing up the first night, right when we were lamenting that she wasn’t going to be able to join us this year. I think they heard our screams when she showed up all the way to the west end of Peru! Excellent job Liz! It is never as much fun if anyone is missing!

We decided a walk all over town sounded like a great idea the first morning, something when we lived here we never would have thought possible. So first stop was our beautiful LaSalle Peru High School - truly a timeless building and one of the prettiest I have ever seen. Christie informed us that it had just undergone a huge internal renovation bringing it up to current and future standards of excellence.

We had envisioned going in and walking the halls but in this new day and age security is tight and for good reasons, so that didn’t happen. But it was still fun to peek through the windows and reminisce about our fun times there. We also had and still have the most incredible football stadium built by the WPA more than 80 years ago. I have been to a lot of small colleges that don’t have stadiums as grand as ours so we stopped by there too.

The grounds crew was working on it so they let us in and took our picture.

Then we continued on our walk to our most favorite hangout all through high school. The Igloo drive-in at the west end of Peru. We were there almost every Friday night post games, and when we could drive we always drove through looking to see who else was there. Too bad we didn’t have much money to buy food because the food is great! Did someone say lunch?

A booth of course! And pork tenderloin sandwiches and fries for all! Even better than I remembered.

It snowed on our way! We have a history of bringing the cold and snowy weather when we get together. It happened last year in Lake Tahoe in September, but that didn’t stop us. We walked back to the loft and browsed in some of the cool shops in downtown LaSalle on our way.

Dinner reservations at a fairly new restaurant downtown called The Study . It was nice that we were close enough to just walk. No need for a designated driver!

Not too exciting on the outside but really cute inside.

I was lazy on this trip or maybe just having too much fun because I didn’t remember to take pictures of the food. They had an extensive menu and I went with the salmon. Never a bad choice😊

The next morning Liz and Julie and I wanted to go hiking at Starved Rock State Park. It’s the largest park in Illinois and so beautiful in every season, but fall is particularly magnificent with the changing of the leaves. It gets very crowded so I took a lot of grief by insisting we arrive early to beat the crowds. Ok I was at least half right. By the time we left the parking lot was jammed and there was an actual backup of people on some of the trails. By getting there early we had most of the canyons to ourselves! But I admit we could have arrived 30 minutes later and still been good. If you would like to read more about the history of Starved Rock just go to the Archive on my blog and read the post dated November 11, 2016 for more details. It’s pretty interesting.

Between the three of us we took a ton of pictures, one more beautiful than the next, but here are some of my favorites.

It’s a huge park and has so many beautiful canyons. We actually didn’t go up to Starved Rock and went to some of the more remote spots and it was totally worth it.

We were there about 3 hours and it was so much fun. We heard a rumor that starting next year you are going to need a reservation to enter the park on a weekend because of the crowds, so I would check the website before you head down. And to think growing up there it was usually so empty you felt like you had the place to yourselves!

Another great spot for dinner Saturday night is The Uptown Grill, also in downtown LaSalle. A must stop every time I’m there. The food is great but a reservation is essential as I’m not the only one that thinks it’s great.

Flaming cheese for the table and the amazing Whitefish in parchment paper for me. I order it 100% of the time and am never disappointed.

Saying goodbye as we were all leaving the Loft.

Another fun trip with lots of laughs and great memories. I love these ladies and am so blessed to have shared so many great years of supporting each other. The Best is Yet to Be!

Here’s a sneak peak of my next trip which is right around the corner.

India here I come! It’s been high on my list for a number of years now, so my good friend Cindy and I are doing it. I have been vaccinated for just about every possible thing, I purchased rupees, have my Malaria prophylactic in hand, passport, Visa, head scarf, plenty of antibacterial and bringing an open mind. I have been told repeatedly by those who have been to be prepared to be shocked and amazed. As per usual I have been reading a lot both as far as travel advice and also stories that take place there to get a better understanding of the culture. But I’ve also been told you can’t really prepare for everything we will experience and see. We’re traveling light and because of the world we live in today you can’t bring anything larger than a cellphone in the cabin of the plane, so I won’t be blogging as I had planned while on the trip. But I will post a bit on Facebook and Instagram and do a full post or two or three when I return. Namaste!

Chicago.....again😊

October 18, 2018 by Patricia Farmar

Just a quick visit to Chicago before heading to the Illinois Valley for my high school girlfriends annual reunion. And can you really visit Chicago too many times? There is always so much to do so I don’t think so.

We lucked out and it was a spectacular fall day, so Keeley and I joined her sister-in-law Laura, her husband Brad and their adorable new baby Owen for a visit to the Field Museum. I hadn’t been there since my kids were little so expected a dusty old museum with lots of stuffed animals. Interesting of course but nothing to get excited about. I was totally wrong. Wow! They have totally renovated the museum and it was awesome! So much to do and see!

There is a new dinosaur there taking top honors called Maximo and he has booted Sue from the prime location because he’s bigger. Sue will return in a new location soon we were told.

Keeley showing how wide Maximo is. Laura, Brad and Owen taking it all in.

I thought you said this would be fun?!?!

When you buy your entry ticket you have to select how many special exhibits you want to see and also movies. Lots to choose from. Mummies, Antarctic Dinosaurs, the Underground Adventure, China and more.

Keeley is in the Underground Adventure where they “shrink” humans and you go underground and see what’s under the soil.

We were there for at least three hours and still had so much more to see. Definitely worth a visit if you’re in Chicago.

Next up seeing Hamilton again with Keeley. Her first time my second. I loved it as much if not more the second time. It moves so fast and the lyrics are intricate so I picked up things this time around that I missed the first. And Keeley loved it! We ate before the show at a restaurant I really like that is close called The Gage. I was there a couple of times in July and it was just as good this time.

We shared a cheese plate, chicken and roasted pear salad, and a butterscotch budino with caramel topping. All delicious.

The next morning Laura joined Keeley and I for brunch at the gorgeous 3 Arts Cafe in the Restoration Hardware store on Dearborn St. It is the prettiest place for brunch - just stating that claim and daring you not to agree.

We’re celebrating Keeley’s birthday so wine of course.

Eggs with Creme fraiche and avocado, bacon and an almond croissant. We shared it all.

Restoration Hardware is lots of fun to browse in - especially the kids and teens floor.

Princess Laura and Princess Keeley having a tea party. This is my future grand daughters room.

I dropped off the ladies and headed down to Michigan Ave for a quick stop at my favorite store for basic clothing - Uniqlo. Got a down vest I have been eyeing and headed to meet my friend Julie at D4 Irish Pub for happy hour. Sorry I have no pics☹️Too busy catching up with Julie but they have a really great happy hour. And the location is close to Michigan Ave so worth a stop if you’re in the area.

Now I’m off to where it all began.....the beautiful Illinois Valley!

Run Keeley Run!

October 10, 2018 by Patricia Farmar

Race Day! The real reason for our trip is that Keeley was running her first marathon. The Twin Cities race is well known and considered to be the prettiest urban marathon in the country, and it lived up to the hype. A beautiful course through pretty neighborhoods, parks and around lakes. And fantastic spectator support. The marathon is on Sunday, but there is a 5K and 10K on Saturday, and a 10 mile race that starts an hour earlier on Sunday, so basically no overlapping at all with the marathon. Keeley was excited and nervous which is understandable, but she had done such a great job of training I had no doubt she would be fine. Our friend Deidre from KC came up for the weekend to see family and join us in cheering Keeley on which gave us a cheering section of 3 to support her. We had our signs and cowbell ready, and thanks to Matt a plan to get around the course and see her hopefully 4 times during the race to cheer her on and make sure she had what she needed. Not knowing the city proved to be a little challenging in getting around, but with Matt’s great ability to nanvigate and the use of Uber, buses, the metro and walk/running 6 miles we made it!

Keeley at miles 11 and 23. Strong and smiling the whole way!

Finisher!

She did it! 26.2 and not even breathing hard!

Thanks to Deidre for making the trip up and running around with us. Keeley said it made a big difference to her to have the support. She said the spectators were incredible! Entire neighborhoods out to show support and offer the runners whatever they needed. So proud of my daughter! Five months of training and dedication paying off.

They finished right in front of the capital in St Paul.

We took the metro back to Minneapolis and found a great spot for a late brunch. Just looked on Yelp for a recommendation close and the Mercury Dining and Rail was excellent.

We all went with an egg brunch option and all delicious.

Keeley got to pick what she wanted for the remainder of the day and after a shower and brief rest no surprise she picked breweries. First stop Finnegans.

Can you see that the beer taps are shamrocks? Love that!

We were relaxing at Finnegans and out of the corner of my eye I spotted them wheeling in the biggest pumpkin I had ever laid eyes on, so of course we asked for a closer look. They took us in the brewery room and my eyes had not played tricks on me. Check this out!

They are going to hollow it out, fill it with 7 barrels of beer and yeast and let it ferment. Then they will add cinnamon and some other spices and brew and serve. They said unlike a regular pumpkin these huge ones are almost hollow and probably only contain 30 seeds. That definitely made me feel like it was fall.

Town Hall Brewery was our last stop. Beer and dinner. I had the walleye tacos - a Minnesota favorite!

We had a great time in the Twin Cities. It was really so different than what I had expected. Not sure what I expected, but it wasn’t this awesome area with so much to do, so many great restaurants and so much natural beauty with all the lakes and parks. People couldn’t have been friendlier or nicer. I am already trying to figure out when I can go back. Not winter but I bet the summers are amazing.

Next up heading straight to Chicago for a few days and then BiG adventure coming very soon!