Friday, August 10, 2012

on the road...


We are on our annual going-home, our all-day ride in the car north.  One of my favorite parts are the Indiana windmills (sometimes it's the Illinois windmills - depends on how we're going, but WOW).  This time the story (Skellig, by David Almond) had to pause at Ani's request for a rousing round:  
Come to the top of the path in the garden, there you'll see the mill! 
Look how the sail's now turning up so fast on yonder hill a-and fa-alling
down again and down again, it never does stand still!
 


We came to Sheboygan first, around Indianapolis, through Gary Indiana, Gary Indiana, Gary Indiana, let me say it once again (there is a lot of intermittent singing in our car), through Chicago and Milwaukee.  I get a little moony over the old industrial structures near Gary, and going into South Chicago. Don't know what it is, but I love it enough to take some fuzzy shots from the car as it speeds along...




Yeah, fuzzy. But I love them. Even the water tower.


We were met with rain, which feels glorious, and a band concert in a soft drizzle. We were so happy.



Here's Morfar, the star of the baritone section of the Sheboygan Pops Concert Band. We danced, we sang, we applauded. Eliza kept saying, "We're here! I'm so glad we're here." 

*****************

The rain continued into our first day, so we headed to the John Michael Kohler Arts Center where we figured the girls might last half an hour with all of their energy, but we were there for 2 hours, happy, curious, inspired.  There were so many wonderful exhibits there - like the Optic Nerve by Carol Prusa - but you'll have to go and look at their website to see photos of them.  I took photos of the only art I was allowed to:


It was amazing.  
 


 I know - you're wondering if toilets are the only thing I can find to photograph in Sheboygan.  But really, wouldn't you be tempted, with toilets like these?






Are you still with me? How's a girl to choose?






Yes, there were 5 bathrooms and I took photos in every one, casing the joint for, um, users, of course.


Tell me something about yourself that I don't already know
 



 

Oh yes, and there was a hot-dang art studio available for anyone (though it was populated mostly by the young'uns), outfitted with materials inspired by the current exhibits.  Eliza could have stayed there all day long...
 




...and home for lunch and naps and dollhouse play and checkers and dinner, complete with blueberry pie, with Great Grandma. 


Pretty promising first day of our vacation... 

4 comments:

Kerry said...

Who knew that toilets could be that much fun? Wow! And the tiles! So cool.

I didn't know morfar played baritone; he looks quite spiffy.

Lissa said...

I love seeing the pictures of the Midwest since I haven't been back for a few years. Thanks for sharing your journey.

verdemama said...

I love those photos!

Lori said...

so awesome