Flag Day 2011, Valparaiso, IN

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It is Flag Day and I am still in Valparaiso, IN. Tanya informed me that there was a replica of one of our nation’s first official flags being displayed at the Porter County Courthouse, so I took a drive over there to take some photos. I have to admit, I always thought that the first flag had the 13 stars in a circle, but apparently that is not the case. I also thought that the stars had 5 points, but this flag’s stars has 6. After researching this, I discovered that there is some debate as to which way was …

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Photos from New Buffalo and Warren Dunes, MI

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These photos were taken over the course of two days I spent driving around Lake Michigan, in Michigan. After exploring Indiana Dunes I continued on to MI and came to New Buffalo and Warren Dunes State Park. While it was extremely windy and not much of a beach day, Buddy did not seem to mind. He could not get enough of the Warren Dunes State Park. He had so much fun, we had to come back a second day with Tanya. Back to Michigan Photos Back to Michigan Photos

Photos from Indiana Dunes and Lake Michigan

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These are photos from Indiana Dunes and the Lake Michigan shoreline in Indiana. After arriving in Indiana I had to take care of some issues with my laptop (the reason these photos were not put up on the day they were taken). Since I had some time to kill, I decided to take a drive up to Lake Michigan and explore Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Back to Indiana Dunes Photos Back to Indiana Dunes Photos

Dining in Valparaiso, IN

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When I visit Tanya in Valparaiso, there are a couple of restaurants I try to always make time to visit. My favorite restaurant in Valpo has to be Don Quijote Spanish Restaurante. We discovered this gem due to a billboard on the highway claiming it was the only Spanish restaurant in Indiana. I guess a second Spanish restaurant has opened in Indy, so they will have to settle for being the first and, most likely, the best. Elena, one of the owners is very friendly and seems to always hire friendly people as servers. We always enjoy ourselves and having …

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Photos from the Cumberland Loop

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Since I was spending a few days in Valparaiso, Tanya and I took our dogs (Hershey and Buddy) for a couple walks around the Cumberland Loop. The Cumberland Loop is close to downtown Valpo and seems to be a wildlife refuge. To be honest, I am not sure if it is designated as such, but there were plenty of geese and ducks that seem to think it is. Either way, there are a couple different routes you can take and it is quite relaxing and scenic. Back to Cumberland Loop Photos Back to Cumberland Loop Photos

Photos from Springfield, IL

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After crossing the Mississippi, we were in Illinois and within range of Tanya’s home, which I planned on using as a base of operation for the next week or so. We stopped at the Shake & Shake for a quick meal, then headed on to Indiana since it was now to dark to do much in the way of photography. These photos were taken in the Springfield, IL area. Back to Springfield Photos Back to Springfield Photos

Photos from Meramec Caverns

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After what can only be described as a thrilling evening in the Ozarks and southern Missouri, we spent the night in Lebanon, MO. We had found weather or it had found us, I am not sure. The first six photos in this set were taken within ninety seconds. Finding foul weather was going to be easier it seemed. A few miles east of Lebanon was Stanton, home of the Meramec Caverns. I had no idea what to expect, so I asked Tanya to Google it for me. She said it looked like some caves, but had a nice river to …

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Photos from Arkansas and the Ozarks

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Thursday, we woke up somewhere around Oklahoma City. This was day five of our trip and I was contemplating washing the car to attract some rain. I watched the weather channel and their storm chaser was having the same luck as I, so I could not feel too bad. I had to make a decision, go north into Kansas or go northeast into Arkansas and Missouri. The forecast looked a little more promising east but one thing I learned was that they are not very good at forecasting them more than an hour or so ahead of time. We headed …

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Photos from Central Oklahoma and Tulsa

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Leaving New Mexico, we blasted through Texas and into Oklahoma. The panhandle of TX was very dry with many warnings of wildfires. At one point we were leaving Amarillo and noticed a little smoke in a small patch of grass. Within seconds they had a full fledged fire. They could definitely use some rain, which so far, seemed to be avoiding me like the plague. The beginning photos were taken at various stops in Oklahoma on my way east. The photos at Ruby Tuesday and beyond were taken in Tulsa on my home. Back to Oklahoma Photos Back to Oklahoma …

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It is National Doughnut Day

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A couple of months ago I was going through Facebook and noticed the photo of what I would call a designer doughnut. Since I was only readily familiar with one establishment that sold “designer doughnuts,” I asked if my friend had ever visited Psycho Donuts. It was not an unreasonable question since they are located in Northern California as is he. It was not long before someone else joined the discussion and informed me that if I wanted a great doughnut, I had to visit Stan’s Donuts in Santa Clara. Eventually, my friend returned to the discussion and told me …

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