Brit Gal in the USA

Skywatch Friday

sukie175@hotmail.com (Brit Gal Sarah) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 07:55:00 +0000

'Low flying country clouds!'

Taken this past weekend, whilst geocaching 20 miles north.

Double click to get the full effect

To see more wonderful skies from around the world or to join in, go to the Skywatch site.

British? No explanation needed!

sukie175@hotmail.com (Brit Gal Sarah) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:28:00 +0000

If you're not...well this full name is a very common slang term we use to describe the male appendage!!

Needless to say I had a darn good laugh when I saw this locally, props to the Hubster who spotted it first and was in 'the know'!

Update on my brother

sukie175@hotmail.com (Brit Gal Sarah) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 08:38:00 +0000

First of all thank you to those that have enquired this week, here's the latest.

He returned to his consultant on Friday and they repeated the vision tests. Although he wasn't certain it had himself, his sight has improved a little and he could see a little more on the tests.

The consultant believes that the cause was possibly a small bleed in his brain, possibly due to his high levels of LDL cholesterol. He has been working hard at taking measures to reduce this himself.

So it was agreed he will see his Dr soon to get his LDL level rechecked and determine whether he needs drugs to help, or if it is improving with the changes he has made already. The consultant will see him again in 2 months, unless Andy has any concerns before then.

So the news is much better and we are all hoping the improvement continues steadily.

Chicago - the final day & our tips

sukie175@hotmail.com (Brit Gal Sarah) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 07:13:00 +0000

After our morning spent downtown and at the Sears Tower, we headed out to Navy Pier and for a final boat trip.

Navy Pier is always crowded it seems and it's not somewhere we'd choose to spend alot of time, but there's alot to see and do.

So here are a few travellers tips for Chi-town. You absolutely do not need a car if you are anywhere near the downtown area. Parking is extortionate, there's alot of traffic and Chicago is not a big city to walk or CTA around.

CTA = Chicago Transportation Authority and they run buses and trains everywhere in all directions. Buy a CTA Pass online or on arrival, we got a 7-day one and saved a fortune on cab fares or parking. The buses are clean, excellently routed, easy to navigate and constant, covering the whole city.

Whilst on Navy Pier we visited the free Stained Glass museum, and saw some gorgeous examples, including Tiffany of which we are both big fans.

Our next tip would be to buy a 'Go Chicago' card for all the attractions. We got a 5-day one that cost us $260 but saved us about $200 in entry fees, but you can get them for any number of days. It includes all the major attractions, 6 different boat tours, many bus tours, store discounts and an excellent 'skip the line' feature for the top 5 attractions. This last feature especially was great at the Sears, Hancock and Aquarium, where the lines were long and it was hot.

There is a very nice botanical greenhouse on Navy Pier, that we found to be a real oasis of quiet from the crowds and noise.

Then we headed off on our final boat trip, the Skyline tour, a perfect way to end our holiday and catch the breeze on a hot day.

Here's the 'Tall Ship Windy' pirate tour which we had included, but never made it to this time, but a very picturesque sight.

Plan where you want to go ahead of time, but be prepared to be flexible dependant on weather and weariness. There's just so much to see, that you really need to have a hit list and then go with the flow of what's best each day dependant on the above.

Things we would recommend you do: take the Architectural River Cruise first as it really helps you get your bearings; Millenium Park is a must see; get out on Lake Michigan in a boat for stunning views; get to the Shedd Aquarium; go up the Hancock Tower day and night which we much preferred to the Sears.

Walk as much as you can everywhere, it's the best way to see the city and soak up the atmosphere. Chicago is exceptionally clean around all the sights, you feel safe and the locals are friendly and proud of their city. We got chatting to many of them on the bus (another reason to use it) and they were always keen to give us tips or advice.

The options for eating out are numerous, but we also found it very helpful having a hotel room with a fridge and microwave, as sometimes you're just too tired to eat out. But you can find any type of food you fancy in this town and it's all pretty good.

We ended our Navy Pier tour with a round of minature golf under the Ferris wheel, and some great views across the lake.

One of the things 'the city' does in Chicago, is keep it spotlessly clean and have planted areas in many places. On the Magnifient Mile there are minature gardens laid into the sidewalk!

We ate at one of the cities most popular restaurants on our final night, the Grand Lux Cafe, which happened to be right opposite our hotel. Our concierge gave us his card and not only did we jump the line, but it also got a table overlooking the Magnificent Mile in their rotunda.

It's a wonderful restaurant, with great food and some lovely decor and features. But it was still reasonably priced for an entree and a dessert, which were delicious, we paid $70 including tips.

Now you know where I got the idea for Red Velvet Cake on his birthday, this man never eats dessert, but he just couldn't resist!

We were staying in a very 'nice' neighbourhood, Cartier on the one corner and Burberry on the opposite one. Needless to say, we shopped elsewhere!

And finally choose a well positioned hotel, this was ours, just one block off the centre of the Magnificent Mile. It was surrounded by the really high dollar hotels, but shared their excellent location, if not their nightly rate. We booked it as a flight/hotel package through Expedia.com and it cost us $150 a night, as opposed to the advertised room rate of $470 a night!

The service we received whilst staying there was first class and very friendly, they just couldn't do enough to help. It was spotlessly clean, our room was large, had a microwave and fridge, complimentary bottled water daily, a very comfortable bed and a nice pool area. We would highly recommend this hotel and will stay again if we return.

So that was it, our wonderful holiday to Chicago lived up to all our expectations and exceeded them daily. It is a fabulous city to visit, there's so much to see and do, and we never even made it to a show or jazz club as we were too tired at night. We both loved it's combination of a big bustling city full of culture, with it's beachside location and Lake Michigan really feels like the sea.

We definitely hope to get back there sometime to see the Cubbies and return to some, or catch a few more sights.

Brit Word of the Day

sukie175@hotmail.com (Brit Gal Sarah) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 21:09:00 +0000

Todays BWOTD is a BBC 'Top Gear' fave:

"I'm getting absolutely mullered!"

'Mullered' = beaten to a pulp!

Yep this is when there is absolutely no doubt you have been beaten, or thrashed, by something or someone! It is also a slang term for being very drunk.

My World - Sears Tower

sukie175@hotmail.com (Brit Gal Sarah) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:01:00 +0000

The morning of our last day in Chi-town was spent in part up the Sears Tower, the tallest building in the US.

It was a beautiful day and the views were spectacular. This was looking out to the north, Lincoln Park and Wrigley Field.

Looking south down the shoreline of Lake Michigan, along the Chicago River and across the industrial area.

The Museum Campus to the south east is out on the peninsula. In the foreground the Shedd Aquarium and in the distance the Adler Planetarium and harbour area.

To the East is the lake, Magnificent Mile and the green area just before the lake is Millenium Park.

To the north east on the right is the Trump Tower and on the right is the Hancock Tower, which we preferred to the Sears as it was less crowded.

And how high up were we? Well here's the Hubster holding his GPS to show our altitude above sea level was 1776 feet!

To join in the fun go to My World Tuesday

Chicago Thursday

sukie175@hotmail.com (Brit Gal Sarah) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 08:04:00 +0000

Thursday morning was one of the Hubsters highlights of our holiday, as he got to tour Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs baseball team. For those of you not in the know, the Cubbies are like a less successful version of Man Utd back home. They have a similar history to the club and a legion of lifelong fans, but they have not won their championship for 100 years.

I don't pretend to know the first thing about Baseball and to be perfectly honest, I find it pretty boring. But even I enjoyed this tour and found it interesting. The Hubster is one of their loyal fans and so he was enthralled. One of the things the Cubs are best known for, is the often celebrity led sing-a-long of 'take me out to the ballpark' during the 7th innings stretch.

When we first knew they were going to be out of town the week we were there, he was not sure about doing the tour. But I convinced him it would be very worthwhile, having done a similar tour of Old Trafford and been thrilled myself. It was however hotter than haides the morning we did it, with crazy humidity and the first part was almost like a torture as we sat in the bleachers for a talk!

The humidity under the stadium was unbearable, as they had spent the morning hosing the walkways down! So it was a major relief to get up into the Press Box (despite the climb!) and finally find some kind of breeze. The view from here was great and I advised the Hubster that if we ever come to a game, we need to be either in there or a cheap seat in the shade!

He got to visit the team locker room, where alot of their personal stuff is on display in their lockers. Even I was impressed by how much was shared on the tour and the personal aspects.

Here he is in the home team dugout, waiting to be called into bat!

The last remaining manually operated scoreboard in the league. Apparently on game day, they will have 16 staff inside it making sure everything runs smoothly. The only air-conditioning is the open vents on either end!!

Our tour ended with a few piccies outside, including this one next to the statue of the famous Cubs commentator Harry Carey, he of those glasses!

After the Hubster squeezed in a quick geocache find back at the Museum Campus, we headed to the Chicago Art Institute.

We had a quick look around the new 'Modern' wing, but to be honest we're neither of us big fans of modern art.

So we headed off into the more traditional galleries to see some of the wonders of the art world. Here is Van Gogh's self portrait, it seemed like his eyes followed you wherever you moved!

A fabulous piece of Sevres pottery, of which I have always been a big fan and this vase was huge and so vibrant.

And then we had a gallery of Monet paintings, I could have put in a dozen pictures here, but 'Water Lillies' is my personal favourite. But seeing them close-up we were enthralled by the tiny brushstrokes and luminosity of his colours - just stunning.

This magnificant Indian Chief headress was from the Cheyenne tribe and originated from our neck of the woods.

And finally a beautifully designed English silver art deco rose bowl caught my eye.

We only managed a short visit to the Art Institute after our very energy sapping visit to Wrigley Field. We headed back to our room to finish the pizza pie and have an early night in preparation for our final day.

Caught - Red Pawed!!

sukie175@hotmail.com (Brit Gal Sarah) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 15:27:00 +0000

"Oh look what I found"

And right here is the reason you never leave a glass of unattended drinking water in our home, and then return to drink it!!

Bon-Bon maybe more than a year old now, but her water fixation is still strong and any water in the house is considered fair game!

You can also expect feline company when showering, but I'm not about to publish proof of that particularly odd quirk!

Happy 4th July!

sukie175@hotmail.com (Brit Gal Sarah) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 16:20:00 +0000

Wishing you all a happy & safe Independence Day and yes I do join in the celebrations, despite being a Brit. Although you'd be surprised at how many Americans ask me if we celebrate it too in England! My response is usually "absolutely, we celebrate getting rid of y'all"!

Today we have 'big doings' going on just 25 miles away. A historic day for our little area, as we are visited by a former President here! Yep, George W Bush will be in town later and we won't be there. I'm afraid we're just not that fussed to fight thousands of people, 100 degrees and 50% humidity.

So we are going to go and set a geocache and name it 'Born on the 4th of July', then later visit our towns celebrations. We have a beautiful lake here and our Fire Dept put on one of the best firework displays around over it, so we'll be there at dark. It's rather nice actually to do what we want, as this is our first 4th July without family or guests.

And up top is the Red Velvet Cake (his fave) I made the Hubster for his birthday, made from scratch for the first time and I am NOT a baker, boy it was good :-) We also surprised him with a hamburger grill at our good friends, he had fun.

Enjoy your 4th of July, what are you up to?

Happy Birthday Hubster!

sukie175@hotmail.com (Brit Gal Sarah) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 18:40:00 +0000

The Hubster gains another year of maturity today and like a fine wine, he improves with age.

He is a precious man for many reasons, one of which is his sense of fun and ability to laugh at himself, as demonstrated above!

But he is also not afraid to show his emotions and love for friends and family, another wonderful quality in a man. I wouldn't have moved 4,700 miles for just anybody, but he makes my life worthwhile everyday.

I have a couple of surprises up my sleeve today for him, which I'll share tomorrow. He always says being born on July 3rd is a bit like having a christmas birthday, slightly overshadowed. So I am going to do my best to make him feel special.

Skywatch Friday - Chicago

sukie175@hotmail.com (Brit Gal Sarah) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 18:20:00 +0000

'The spectacular Trump Tower on the Chicago River'

Double click to get the full effect

To see more wonderful skies from around the world or to join in, go to the Skywatch site.

Brit' Word of the Day

sukie175@hotmail.com (Brit Gal Sarah) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:15:00 +0000

Todays BWOTD is a phrase even my gran sometimes uses!

"Will you do that for me?"
"Not on your nelly!"

'Not on your nelly' = a heartfelt 'not likely'

This is just a funny Brit phrase, I have noticed tends to be used more by northerners and the older generation. The younger generation have their own less polite version!

**Chicago holiday posts will return later today with a Chi-town Skywatch, and then continue with the final Thursday/Friday piccies on Monday & Tuesday.**

Chicago, Wednesdays Wonders!

sukie175@hotmail.com (Brit Gal Sarah) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:16:00 +0000

Our Wednesday started with a bus to the museum campus, bringing us in past Soldier Field stadium, a really impressive sight.

We were off to the famous Field Museum of natural history, a big draw and a beautiful classical style building.

It very much reminded me of the Natural History Museum in London, with a similarly impressive grand hall.

The star of this area is undoubtedly 'Sue' the T-Rex, the largest and most complete dinosaur skeleton in the world.

In fact her actual skull weighs so much it's too heavy for the rest of the skeleton! So it is displayed in a seperate case upstairs and a lighter duplicate is on the full skeleton.

We then headed into the exhibit hall of stuffed mammals, some of them were extremely realistic!

These are the infamous 'Lions of Tsavo', two male man-eating lions who killed and ate 140 railworkers around 1900 in Tsavo. Friends had lent us the movie of this true story 'The Ghost in the Darkness' before we visited. We were both surprised at the size of these lions, considering the havoc they wreaked, we expected them to be larger I think.

The view of the main hall from above is impressive and we enjoyed our visit here. However we were a bit tired and there were a few too many noisy children running around, so we moved on!

We escaped to the relative quiet and calm of the Adler Planetarium, as I have never been in a Planetarium before.

We enjoyed the fascinating displays and then caught two of the shows, 'The Night Sky' which really was very interesting, but the dark and warmth made us both nod off for a few minutes quiet kip! We did manage to stay awake through the more action packed 'Cosmic Collisions' though!

The Adler Planetarium has been voted by Chicago residents as having the best skyline view and we concur with their opinion.

After another bus ride back to the hotel, we headed out to a Giordano's, of Chicago Pizza Pie fame.

It was delicious, but extremely filling and we had enough leftover for dinner on Thursday night too!

We decided to walk off dinner with a bit of geocaching and en route we passed the Trump Tower.

We had a quick gander inside this very impressive new skyscraper, it's quite something close up.

Then we followed our GPS directions through a riverside walk with lovely views.

Down the side of the famous Wrigley Building, which has some really beautiful architectural features.

Before arriving at our final destination, another famous Chicago landmark. This was a 'virtual' cache, where you just have to find it and then log a photo of you at it holding your GPS. This was our second find of the night, we finished the trip with five in total.

The we walked back down the Magnificent Mile to the Hancock Tower and ascended once again to see the city lit up at night.

We also had an ulterior motive, to see the Navy Pier fireworks.

After our visit the previous day and wanting to avoid the huge crush on the actual pier, we decided this would be a superb vantage point and we were right.

We were not the only people to think of it, but it never got really crowded and we easily got front row seats for the show.

It was a great decision, we had a drink in the cafe, then had a birds eye view of the wonderful weekly display. It was just a really special highlight of our holiday.

After the show we did a circuit of the tower again to capture the night views. This was looking down on the beach and shoreline.

Looking across the city away from the lake, it was easy to see the block layout.

And finally looking down the Magnificent Mile and across all the skyscrapers, what a view to end our day!

Tomorrow join me to see a highlight of the Hubsters holiday, Wrigley Field home of the Chicago Cubs, a bit like Old Trafford/Anfield if you're a Brit!. Followed by the Art Institute and some of the wonders of the art world, like Monets and Van Goghs close-up.

And in case you are wondering, yes we walked miles everyday and were a little foot weary everynight!

I don't like it but...

sukie175@hotmail.com (Brit Gal Sarah) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 03:11:00 +0000

there just doesn't seem a better way to let people stay up to date with my blog available right now, as most don't use RSS readers.

So after a few nice email requests, I have added 'followers' back onto my blog. But it's outta here the moment something better comes along, or an option without the numbers factor!

Chicago Tuesday - My World

sukie175@hotmail.com (Brit Gal Sarah) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:02:00 +0000

Continuing with the recap of last weeks Chicago holiday.

We headed down the Magnificent Mile past the Water Tower, one of the few old buildings to survive the Great Chicago Fire.

This is the old Pumping Station facing it across the street.

Past another unidentified old building, once again highlighting the contrasts between old and the new here.

Our final destination was the Hancock Tower, to see Chicago from a 1000 ft above.

And it was quite a sight, although a little hazy due to the heat.

Across the bay towards Navy Pier stretching into the lake.

It's easy to spot the hotel pools and swimmers at 1000 ft up!

Navy Pier close-up, even from here the Ferris Wheel looks big!

Looking out across the city, our hotel was somewhere down there. That tall building with 2 antenna is the Sears Tower.

And the stunning view down the shoreline and beach area. A trip up the Hancock Tower is a must, as it's shoreline position is wonderful and we just loved it up there.

Then onto one of the undoubted highlights of our whole visit!

When you come across a joyous scene like this in the midst of a huge busy city, you can't help but smile.

A hi-tech bustling water park, with a distinctly modern art edge!

This adorable little girl was having a ball splashing in the water.

And what a perfect photo opportunity she gave me.

These glass block waterfalls are the reason for all the happiness and joy in this area. Water pours off the top of them, creating actual and visual waterfalls!

They face each other and show the faces of Chicago residents.

Everyone just sits, stands or plays whilst watching the expressions change, as they smile at each other across the space.

And then this happens and everybody laughs, or runs into the plume of water shrieking.

They are just wonderful pieces of interactive art. I have rarely seen any piece of art be the cause of this much happiness and fun, we both just adored them.

'Cloud Gate' is an amazingly stunning and fabulously positioned sculpture, by British artist Annish Kapoor.

It has rapidly become the iconic symbol for Chicago and is lovingly referred to as 'The Bean' by the locals, much to the chagrin of the artist.

It lends itself perfectly to the wacky photo opportunity of course!

On the underside it acts like a kaleidoscope and stays cooler.

Part of the fun is spotting yourself within it, but it also reflects the surrounding skyscrapers beautifully and is just stunning.

The Bean is gorgeous from all angles, but I have to admit this one reminds me a little of a seated butt!!

We strolled back down the Magnificent Mile, crossing the river with it's many tours and enjoying the cooling breeze off the lake.

Past the famous 1940's Farmer and his Daughter statue that pays tribute to the original painting. The Hubster remembers these characters from his youth and so we had to have a picture.

After a quick freshen up, we headed out to meet Expat Mum and her family, the Hubster by now is an old hand at meeting my blog buddies! She very bravely invited us to her home, much to the chagrin of her daughter, who worried we might be homicidal murderers! Do pop over to read her version. But we soon seemed to reassure her and had a delightful time with Toni, her husband and her highly entertaining children.

Us grown-ups then headed over the road to a pub, where we enjoyed a lovely dinner and alot of chatter. It was great to meet up with a fellow expat blogger and once again find much in common. I do however have one bone to pick with them....

Knowing the Hubster is a big Chicago Cubs fan, they presented him with this pair of Harry Carrey spectacles, much to his glee. Needless to say they have been making a few appearances and he keeps threatening to wear them out in public. Toni my friend, you have no idea what you started, as he would just to embarress me!

Tomorrow our tour will continue with the Field Museum, Planetarium, Pizza and fireworks over Navy Pier viewed from the top of the Hancock Tower.

To join in the fun go to My World Tuesday

Chicago - the fun begins

sukie175@hotmail.com (Brit Gal Sarah) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 06:10:00 +0000

We flew in Sunday (21st) from OKC, taking many future Skywatch photo's en route and enjoying an uneventful flight, the best kind!

The first excitement of the trip, me sighting an IKEA store for the first time in four years, ahhh urban civilisation was impending!

Arriving downtown by 10am and checking into our hotel, which was 1 block off the Magnificent Mile and superbly placed. We then spent Sunday walking the immediate area, grabbing a few essentials at Trader Joe's next door, acclimatising and then an early night. Oh and we did squeeze in a little SHOPPING :-) I got a new pair of Nike trainers and the Hubster got to see every Garmin GPS in existence at their flagship store and make a handheld investment. So we are now a family of him, me, 3 cats and 3 Garmin GPS. One for each of them to navigate at home!

Next morning we enjoyed breakfast downtown at a recommended sidewalk eaterie, those Omelets were delicious and before you go "ewwww snot", that's Guacamole in mine!

The Hubster was looking like a local with his 'Chicago Cubs' cap and enjoying traffic watching, a rarity for him. We had pre-purchased a 'Go Chicago' 5 day pass each, which gets you into all the main attractions and to skip the line at the busiest. So we kinda had a plan, although it often changed based on aching feet or heat exposure. We also had 7 day CTA passes, that allowed us unlimited bus and train travel.

We then with trusty map in hand, walked to the Ogden Slip admiring the skyscrapers en route, to catch the Architectural Cruise riverboat.

It was 10am and already very HOT & HUMID, as we set off along the Chicago River through downtown. We were early enough to miss the later crowded tours and had an excellent guide who talked non-stop for an hour and then sang.

This is definitely a neck craning tour, as most of the riverside buildings are stunningly tall. They were really beautiful glinting in the sunlight and it was hard to know where to look!

This was taken at the point where the river splits north and south, we both loved the reflections of one skyscraper in another, just stunning. This building was also curved to follow the bend of the river on this side, but flat on the street side.

The Hubster had taken on the role of videographer for the holiday, and I just left him to it as he does a great job.

One of the stunning things about Chicago is the comparison of the old and new. Here are two of the oldest and most famous buildings, the Wrigley building on the left and the Chicago Tribune on the right.

I was in charge of photography, which is why this is a rare appearance by me in the pictures and will be less with each day. But here I am wearing my dearly departed Ralph Lauren sunglasses I was lamenting the loss of last week!

There's the Sears Tower standing proud, an impressive sight at 1700ft including antenna, although it was pretty hazy weather the first two days.

This petal design skyscraper was very cool. At the very top are apartments, then offices, then this slightly disconcerting car park, then shops and restaurants, and finally boats docked below - a complete lifestyle package!

The Centennial Fountain shoots water into the air every hour, except in the rush hour, when it's considered too much of a distraction to passing traffic !

A final view looking back down the river, the Trump Tower is the tallest blue skyscraper in the middle and a real stunner, The Donald did good with it.

We headed to Navy Pier and jumped on a Water Taxi across Lake Michigan to our next stop. I was happy to be back on water and the lake does a great impression of the sea, it even smells like it!

The view as we left Navy Pier, of the first ever famous Ferris Wheel and some of the cruise boats you can catch from here.

This was where we really began to appreciate the beauty of Chicago, that skyline is just stunning fronting onto the lake.

I was in heaven, I think Brits have water running partially in their veins and this was like a long cool drink after being parched.

The skyline is so interesting to look at, there are so many differing styles of buildings and even the rooflines are eyecatching.

It was seriously hot by now (just before noon) and despite Factor 85 sunscreen, we were both colouring up and glad for a breeze!

These are some very expensive boat berths in the foreground and there were some very ritzy rides out there.

The very impressive sight of the Field Museum from the lake, currently running a big pirates exhibit, hence the external decoration. This area is known as the Museum Campus, due to the presence of 3 big museums on this peninsula of land.

And our next destination was the John G Shedd Aquarium, with over 32,500 animals representing 1,500 species and amazing live coral reefs.

My favourite display was this Jellyfish tank, fab' from the outside!

The coral in the Philippines section was also stunningly beautiful and teeming with brightly coloured reef fish.

The Mick Jagger of the aquatic world! We never saw a dead or sickly looking animal in a single tank, it's quite a place.

I loved these sparkly fishes, until we noticed they were Piranha!

Also thought Mr. Dragon Iguana here was wonderful, strangely I have no fear of these and would have loved to have got up close and personal with him.

This however is another matter and may just be the worlds largest Snapper Turtle, a native to Texas and NW Okieland EEK! A man standing looking at him made us crack up laughing when he spotted it was a 'Texas Snapper Turtle'. His comment "well wouldn't you just know he's from Texas, they always have to go bigger don't they"!

The infinity pool is home to the 'shy' Beluga Whales and has stunning views across the lake towards the Planetarium.

We stopped for a very nice lunch with a view to make you smile.

We also got sight of a local high speed thrill ride, the Seadog.

Then it was back out into the stifling heat and humidity, where we took a few more picturesque shots, what a view!

The Segway Tour is a pretty cool way to see the city we thought.

The 'Tall Ship Windy' setting sail, we did have this included with our 'Go Chicago' card, but decided on other options as I do not have sea-legs, but it was an impressive sight.

A weary and hot walk through lovely Grant Park, to catch the bus back to our part of downtown.

Then a stroll along the Magnificent Mile rounded out our day.

And it seemed only right to enjoy Sushi for supper, after all that water and aquatic activity all day!

The tour continues tomorrow, with the Hancock Tower, Millenium Park and the Bean, and a visit with a fave blogger.

Chicago was a blast!

sukie175@hotmail.com (Brit Gal Sarah) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 03:30:00 +0000

Well we have just spent the past week in the wonderful city of Chicago and we had a BALL!

I am now sorting through hundreds of pictures and preparing a daily recap of our adventures, which will run everyday next week. We got round all the main sites, got to meet another blogger many of you know too, geocached, had great but hot/humid weather and just loved every minute there.

We would both highly recommend a holiday in Chicago, it has so much to offer and is the best of both worlds, a fantastic city next to a beautiful waterfront and a humungous lake.

Join me from Monday to read all about it, and also see the Hubster as never before! I have to say though, there really is 'no place quite like home' and we're happy to be home.

My generations Elvis - RIP

sukie175@hotmail.com (Brit Gal Sarah) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 01:59:00 +0000

It was hard to believe when I first heard the news today shouted across a public restroom, Michael Jackson is dead.

My very first memories of music are of 'I Want You Back' and 'ABC' in 1969 when I was just 3 yrs old, I have always adored his music, it's been the soundtrack of my life. He was 7 yrs older, so his music has just always been there and I am very sad watching the early footage of 'Jacko' tonight.

He may have done some bizarre things over the years, although I always doubted the child abuse myself. But his legacy will be the wonderful music and images of his amazing dancing he leaves behind. 'Off the Wall', 'Thriller' and 'Bad' are still favourite albums that always lift my mood and make me want to dance.

In 1988 I was lucky enough to see him at Wembley Stadium on the 'Bad' tour and it's a night I have never forgotten. Over the years I have seen about 70 top name concerts at huge London venues and some of the legendary names like Madonna, Elton John, George Michael, Tina Turner, Usher, R Kelly, Bon Jovi, Genesis, Rod Stewart, Jay-Z and the amazing Queen. But Michael stood out right at the top of that pile, as a live performer he was unsurpassed, only Freddie Mercury was an equal.

I remember watching the world premiere showing of the 'Thriller' video on MTV and being amazed. Then trying to emulate the moves, especially that cool walking thing with your shoulders with the hands in front! Seeing him Moonwalk on the 'Billie Jean' video, which is my all time fave Jacko track. This would be closely followed by 'Black or White', 'I Want You Back', 'Don't Stop', then 'Thriller' or 'Beat It' - there are almost too many to name in any kind of order!

The hubster and I were in agreement tonight that this is right up there with the untimely deaths of Elvis, Diana and John Lennon, we'll remember where we were when we heard the news. Why do celebrities who are legends in their actual lifetimes, die too soon?!

So what's your favourite Michael Jackson track and were you ever lucky enough to see him live too?

We were also so sad to hear that Farrah Fawcett, one very classy lady, lost her long painful and very brave battle with cancer. What a very sad day this has been.

This won't happen again!

sukie175@hotmail.com (Brit Gal Sarah) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 05:12:00 +0000

For the second time during the almost 4 years I have been here, I have done something really dumb!

On each occasion I went into a big store changing room to try clothes with my sunglasses on my head. On each occasion I laid them down so I could put things over my head. On each occasion I then forgot them as I left the changing room!!

The most depressing part - on each occasion I realised within 5-10 minutes and within that time the sunglasses were basically stolen! Sure they were designer, which makes it even more maddening, but I find it depressing that it seems each time the designer label overcame someone being honest and just handing them in!

Pretty sad reallyand my new ones are cheaper!

Brit' Word of the Day

sukie175@hotmail.com (Brit Gal Sarah) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 07:42:00 +0000

Todays BWOTD is soemthing I haven't done for awhile now!

"The whole day was just a real slog"

'Slog' - hard work

I have no idea of the origin of this popular word, but it's used regularly.

My World

sukie175@hotmail.com (Brit Gal Sarah) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 06:28:00 +0000

This is a very small part of my life now in the USA, but it is without doubt one of my favourite pastimes - sitting on our porch swing!

We just don't seem to have porch swings in the UK, I don't ever remember seeing one, although I am sure there are some around. But over here if you have a porch, then a porch swing seems to be a wonderful tradition that most people embrace.

Ours faces west and gets very hot in the afternoon. But after 7pm as the heat cools and the peace of evening descends, there's just nowhere quiet like it. We enjoy a lovely view up our street and shady privacy provided by the trellis, rose bushes, passion fruit and clematis climbers we put in around it.

We used to have a swing that hung from an A-frame, but now we have modernised and gone with a glider swing which we love.

So there we'll sit, cool drink in hand, discussing our day or plans and just basking in that truly American tradition of 'porch swing culture'. This really is one tradition that needs to cross 'the pond'!

To join in the fun go to My World Tuesday

Brit' Word of the Day

sukie175@hotmail.com (Brit Gal Sarah) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 07:45:00 +0000

I'm back, finally getting my blogging mojo back!

So todays BWOTD is highly appropriate for these times!

"Apparently there are alot less people using the never never"

'The never never' = credit

I have heard this phrase used ever since I can remember.

Better News

sukie175@hotmail.com (Brit Gal Sarah) — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 12:50:00 +0000

Andy saw his consultant again and his field of vision has improved a little, which is good news. The consultant had reviewed all his results and the MRI again and decided it is probably Optical Neuritis causing all the problems. The cause he thinks is due to a very bad bout of flu earlier this year and high LDL cholesterol.

Although there is still a possibility there could be a small tumor, the blood work indicates not and if there is it is benign. So he has been sent home to see how he does for two weeks, work on the LDL and then his vision will be checked again.

So the news is finally more positive and we have all relaxed alot, thank you for all your prayers and well wishes.

Update

sukie175@hotmail.com (Brit Gal Sarah) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:38:00 +0000

The latest is something has shown up on my brother's MRI scan of his brain, right by his optic nerve. They do not know what it is and he is being referred by the current consultant to a consultant Neurologist, who will do another MRI.

He is returning for more tests on his vision tomorrow, as he thinks the other eye is starting to get some feedback too possibly. They are still thinking he has an optical neurosis but it's what is causing it that's unknown. MS has been mentioned but only as a possible maybe, but I know that's worrying him and I have tried to reassure him.

He is very stressed understandably and emotional at times, which is very hard to hear when I'm so far away and can't hug him. I think we are all just totally frazzled with the stress of it all and personally nothing else seems important to me right now.

So I would ask for prayers and thoughts for my little brother, Andy Williams (easy name to remember!) and strength for all those supporting him.

Simply great entertainment!

sukie175@hotmail.com (Brit Gal Sarah) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 10:35:00 +0000

New In Town is one of those movies that ticks/checks all the highly satisfying boxes there are.

It's the latest Renee Zellweger rom-com vehicle and co-stars Harry Connick Jr as her love interest. She is the high powered corporate executive from Miami, sent to frigid Minnesota to oversee the downsizing of a smalltown production plant. Think a seriously skinny (which is aging her badly!) 'Bridget Jones' and you're very close to her character here.

This movie is laugh out loud funny, with a couple of classic one liners and one particular moment of dialogue in the woods that had me in tears it was so funny! The plant workers have that salt of the earth quirky charm and backwoods dry humour that is just perfect. The character development is good and you just can't help rooting for them and growing attached.

Harry Connick Jr plays it understated perfectly as a foil to Rene, and despite a god-awful beard, you can't help finding him attractive. The other lead character in this movie is the weather which is frigid and it's comic potential is played out beautifully. Also be sure to watch the deleted scenes as they're very funny.

We both LOVED this movie, in fact it will be joining our DVD collection as soon as I get to WalMart. You just can't beat a feel good rom-com that's not a chick-flick and makes you laugh out loud, this is a classic.