Home

We left Galena by 8 a.m. Illinois time this morning.  We decided that we wanted to get an early start as we would have to drive through Chicago to get home.  I am really glad that we did because we hit stopped traffic about 5-6 miles from the Illinois/Indiana line.  Thankfully, Doug has driven this route so many times before he knows how to get around the Region without driving on the interstate.  It was slower than normal because of the stoplights on US 30, but quicker than the heavy traffic we kept seeing our map app.

We decided last night that we wanted to stop in Valparaiso  before we made it home.  They have a miniature golf place that we really like.  We also wanted to try the Barnes & Noble to see if they had the same dinosaur encyclopedia book we found in The Field Museum.  Meg and Cam wanted to eat lunch first at Portillo's.  We had gotten lunch there on Wednesday in DeKalb and they knew this was their last chance to have it in awhile.  Much like the interstate Portillo's was packed, but the service was fast and it was nice to get out of the van for a little while.

Miniature golf was a lot of fun although I believe it was the worst I have ever played.  Cam was close to the lead for most of the round, but the last two holes were killers and he finished in third one stroke behind Meg.  Doug was the winner of the day and I was a distant last.  We were happy to see that Barnes & Noble had Cam's book and it was quite a bit cheaper.  He enjoyed giving us facts on the way home about dinosaurs and early animals.

The rest of the day was pretty quiet.  By the time we got home Cal had already left for work.  He worked last night too and will work Saturday and Sunday.  He still seems to really enjoy it and I am glad that he is busy.  Doug cooked out and we had a bonfire while waiting for Brett to return.  He walked in a parade tonight in Garrett, Indiana in support of one of the congressional candidates in our district.  They had dinner and he really enjoyed being a part of it.

Once Brett arrived we debated going to the fireworks.  No one was too interested, so I watched them out of Meg's window while Meg and Cam caught up with Brett.  Glad he is home.  I love listening to the laughter coming from the basement.