Henry Hays

Henry- we were able to tend him for a few days while Melanie was attending a conference in Jacksonville, Florida

Henry in his car seat on the ride home. We had such a great time with him.

Chicago Day 6 Going home

Ashley and Randy at the underground waiting to board. We rode the train out to the airport. A new experience for us, it worked out great. We had a great time on the vacation. Ashley kept us very busy seeing lots of sights and feeling the vibes of Chicago. Thank you Ashley.

Day 5 Chicago, Sunday

 We drove out and saw the Chicago Illinois Temple.  We rented a car today so we could find some spots outside of downtown.  It reminds me a lot of the Boise Temple.  It is in Glenview a suburb outside of Chicago.

 We attended church in one of the local wards.  We saw to missionaries from our side of the States.  Elder Nilsen from Declo, Idaho and Elder Mortensen was from Utah.  It is always fun to see the missionaries.  I like to send a picture and an email to their parents.

 Busy Day.  We went to the house of Blues for Sunday Brunch.  Believe me their church services are different than ours.  It is always fun to listen to gospel blues.

 We were on an adventure looking for architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright.  Here is his  Robie House.

More fun buildings.

 We took a ride on the subway one last time around the city.  On the "L" it goes up above the street.

The sky was very clear tonight so I got some good pictures of things around town.  (1) Willis (Sears) Tower, (2) One of the first McDonalds and one of the largest (3) Great picture of trees (4) Library at the University of Chicago.

I really do like the city of Chicago.  We have been able to see many wonderful things.  A lot more we could see but they will have to wait until next time.  We fly to Salt Lake City on Monday.

Day 4 Chicago, Bus tour and play

 Today we started with the Double-decker- Hop-on-hop-off City bus tour.  We saw lots of interesting things.  Of course you cannot go to Chicago without buying Garrett popcorn.  Wow all kinds of flavors.

 The Macy's store in Chicago is bigger than the one in New York.  (the people in Chicago say???) The window decorations are amazing.  The pictures do not do them justice, but so fun to see.

 We went to the Museum of Contemporary Art  (MCA)  It was so interesting to see but I must admit I do not understand it at all.

The highlight today was the play, "Fiddler on the Roof" at the Auditorium Theatre.  The theatre was huge and gorgeous and the play was great.  Tevye was great in the play but you cannot beat John Bidwell playing that part.  

Day 3 Chicago Circus and Sights

 We went to the United Center to see the Circus.

 Lots more interesting architecture we have seen in the city.

 We saw the Barnum and Bailey Ringling Brothers Circus.  The elephants were my favorite.  It was an amazing show.  I wished I had my grandkids with me, they would have loved it.

 On the bus ride back we saw the 'threadless' sign and got off the bus to check it out.  It was closed for the day but they guys let us in to check it out anyway.  These are pictures of the show room in the warehouse.  He also let us buy some merchandise.

We did some shopping on 'Black Friday' in downtown Chicago.  The streets were so crowded it was unreal.  I have never been a Black Friday shopper but what can I say.  We found the Loyola University in downtown Chicago also.  Melanie has had a phone interview with them for a job.  We are having a great time.

Day 2 Chicago Thanksgiving Day

One of the most famous things to see in Chicago is "The Bean" actually a sculpture called the 'Cloud  Gate'.  You can see your reflection in it and take your own picture.  So cool.

We did  the Architecture Cruise down the Chicago River.  The designs of the buildings in this town are amazing.  So unique.  

We rode the bus and walked around town and saw lots of sights.  

We walked out to Navy Pier.  It was a little windy and cold but what can you expect from the windy city.  We are having a great time.

We ate lunch on the 96th floor of the John Hancock building.  What a fun place for Thanksgiving lunch.We actually ate Thanksgiving dinner in an Italian Restaurant called Bolari

Day 1 Chicago, Illinois

Randy and Ashley on the airplane ride from Salt Lake City to Chicago. Check-in and the flight went real smooth. That is always good.

We arrived in the dark so we could not see much of the city. But it felt good to be there. I like big cities and all they offer. The adventure will begin tomorrow.

We are staying at this hotel on Harrison street right down town.

Oliver in "Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse"

We drove to Logan to see Oliver in the Children's Theater play Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse. He played the part of Chester. He had so many lines to learn we were so proud of him. It was a great production. Way to go Oliver !!!!!!!

Ashley

Ashley works at Wilson Elementary School for Americore while doing her Masters Degree at Utah State in Logan. She has been working on a clothing drive. Their school collected 1,821 pounds of clothes to share with families in the area. Great job Ashley !!!!!!!!

Quilts Keagan and Holden

Keagan and Holden turn 4 on December 14th. I have been having fun making them some birthday presents. They both really like "Cars" so I made a blanket and hooded towel with that theme. Also I have been making each of the grand kids an elephant for their birthday.

Hillary and Lily

Hillary and Lily have been for a week. Hillary worked and I was able to play with Lily. What can be better. It was so great having them here.

Lily Barney

Lily and Hillary have been staying here for a week. We have had such a grand time. Lily likes to roll over in the bathtub, and she army crawls every where in the house. She sees a toy and she is after it.

She does not like to smile for the camera , but we did get a few half smiles.

Lily and Kinsley

My 2 granddaughters. Lily 6 months old and Kinsley 10 years old. Grand kids are the best.

Hollywood Cemetery

This cemetery is very famous for all the Confederate soldiers that are buried there.  Also 2 US Presidents are buried there.  It was very interesting to walk through.  

Richmond, Virginia Canal Cruise

We went on a Canal Cruise in Richmond.  We saw the 'Triple Crossing' (The only place in the United States where 3 train tracks crossover each other.)  There are several locks on the canal to rise from the canal, to the James River, to the ocean for shipping supplies.

Dinner on Cary Street

We ate at the Can Can in Cary Town.  It was a fun French Restaurant with lots of ambiance.  

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

 Statue outside

 Waterfall

 Degas,  Little Ballerina

 A whole section on horses,  Max you would have liked that part.

Painting by Rousseau