Holiday in the USA

Why opt for an exotic far-away destination, when you have so much to discover in the country where you live?! Exactly our thoughts so this year we decided to explore a part of the USA and we ended up planning a real road trip. After all, the text "Cross Country" on Staszek's car is there for a purpose and still had to be proven. Via Wisconsin and Minnesota, we went to the Badlands in South-Dakota. The Blackhills with Mount Rushmore and then just over the border to the Devil's Tower in Wyoming. Then on to the other side of the State for Yellowstone NP, where the largest concentration of geysers in the world can be admired, and Tetons NP. While in the area, we spent one night in the town of Aspen, Colorado, and then proceeded to Rocky Mountains NP, where you can really feel the altitude. On our way back we also spent a short time in Boulder, a great university town, and Denver, where we spent the night in a most amazing B&B. This was really the time of year to go to these national parks and enjoy nature: fall was beginning to show with all the colourful leaves on the trees and the tons of people that visit this region during the summer had gone. Over 4000 miles, 900 pictures and 8 states later, we came home. It was a great, highly recommendable trip.

More guests

With our first visitors gone, the next guests presented themselves a week later: Staszek's parents. For them it was going to be a 'working holiday' because they were going to be catsitters, too, since it was time for our holiday so everything fell into place. Apart from the activities described under the previous posting, we visited the Baha'i House of Worship in Wilmette again, the only drive-in hotdog restaurant in Chicago, explored the Polish neighborhood in Chicago, went to the Shedd Aquarium, the Botanical Gardens and of course to Starbucks, which is where you can get the only decent bucket of coffee outside your own home. The month went fast and now they are back in Holland with a good impression of our life here in Mundelein.

Winter in Mundelein!

It was on October 12 that winter started in Mundelein this year. A few flakes of snow were falling down in the morning, soon there were more and more until it almost seemed like a little snow storm. The world was white for a while, but when the sun came out, the snow did not stand a chance and winter was over by noon.