Chris & Holly

In August, Yannie's brother Chris and his wife Holly came to visit us in Chicago. We had fun exploring the city, the zoo, and some other sites around the area.

Yannie and Chris in the Garfield Park Conservatory.


We drove north to Winnetka to see the Bahai temple and had a picnic lunch near the lake.


It was a windy day along Lake Michigan.

Niagara Falls, New York

After exploring Cape Cod for a few days, we drove north to Niagara Falls, New York. We stayed on the Canadian side, but drove to the New York side to visit the park. The falls are pretty amazing and both sides have done a nice job with the parks surrounding the falls. On the US side, the park is really the only thing to see. The rest of Niagara Falls, New York is pretty run down and abandoned.

A view of the falls and the city of Niagara Falls, Ontario


Amazing amounts of water - and this is not even at full force. The dam above the falls controls the flow of water.


Horseshoe Falls, the Canadian side


In the evening, the Canadians have fireworks over the falls


We took a trip to the bottom of the falls. They gave us rain gear and shoes for the very wet trip.




On the bridge to Canada.


Liza steps across the country line into Canada.






Rainbows over the falls.

Cape Cod, Massachusetts

We left on a Friday afternoon, after Yannie was done with work, and drove all night to Cape Cod Massachusetts. It was a long drive! Upon arrival, around 10am the next morning, we crashed at the hotel for a few hours before going to our friend Rick's wedding. It was a nice outdoor ceremony in the quaint town of Orleans, Massachusetts.

Rick waiting for Laura to walk down the aisle.


The crew of us from Connecticut College.

We spent the next few days at the Cape, bike riding, exploring and just enjoying the beach.
The water is freezing cold, but we survived a few swims in the ocean.

The sand dunes at the end of the cape were huge and we found a nice little beach that was more of a local hangout.

Marquette, Michigan

For the 4th of July weekend, we drove up to Marquette on the Upper Penninsula of Michigan. It was an 8 hour trip thanks to Chicago traffic, but was nice to get out of the city and really a treat to see stars again. Here are some shots from our trip.

The harbor and drydock in downtown Marquette


We went out for a bike ride around town and made sure to stop by to see Liza's great-grand parents house. Great Grandpa Toivo built the house that sits next to the University. It's now inhabited by a group of college guys.


Lake Superior



A mother deer and her fawn on Presque Isle


The next day we caught a boat tour along the Pictured Rocks. They are these amazing cliffs that tower over the lake. Water that seeps out of the rocks leaves behind mineral deposits and wonderful colors.



To give you a sense of scale, note the tiny kayakers at the bottom of the cliff.




Yannie on the boat.




First shots of Liza with her haircut! More to come later.

Lubec, Maine

We drove up to Lubec, Maine, set up camp and then did a little exploring. It was a chilly afternoon, but it was such a pleasure to smell the salty sea air and wild roses along the beach.




Planning our hike for the next day.


Shine lighting the campfire for marshmallows.


One of my favorite parts of the trip was eating around the camp fire. Beth toasted bread for breakfast before a long day of hiking.


Breakfast of toast, cheese and canned mackeral.


It was a lovely day for a hike and we chose the coastal trail. After walking through the woods, the trees opened to gorgeous rocky cliffs overlooking the ocean.






After the hike we stopped by Quoddy Head Lighthouse, the easternmost point in the USA.


Back at camp for relaxing by the fire and some tasty campfire stew.



And, more hiking later in the week in Round Pond, Maine