Madeline Shepherd
Touring the Panama Canal on its 100th anniversary
A beautiful vista MarySue encountered on a sojourn this summer
MPCers are serial summer vacationers, and this summer was no exception. The sudden cold snap last week sent us scrambling for our wool socks and heavy sweaters, but summer's not over yet. So without further ado, here's what we MPCers did—and still plan to do—this summer:
My August featured a fun trip every weekend and several memorable hikes in stunning locales, including Lake Superior and Aspen. Before the warmth fades, I'm going to do some more hiking with my family in Forest Preserves that I've long wanted to explore!
This summer, my husband and I became homeowners. A year ago we welcomed our son into our lives, and we decided it was time to put down roots—but where? Several people from various parts of our life said, "You guys should check out Beverly." So we did, and we found a charming community with a stunning housing stock, verdant parks, winding and even hilly streets (hence the official name, Beverly Hills) and people who smiled and stopped us on the street to say hi. What's left to do this summer? Settle in and get comfy.
I finally got to see another one of the Great Lakes! I went camping, or rather yurt-ing, along Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and the Porcupine Mountains State Park along Lake Superior. Before fall sets in, I'm planning a bike ride to the Chicago Botanic Garden in the north suburb of Glencoe.
Madeline's honeymoon to Panama included a trip to the canal.
One of the best things I did this summer was to take a long bike ride along the North Branch trail through the Cook County Forest Preserves to the Chicago Botanic Garden. It was a very pleasant reminder that city living in Chicago doesn't mean giving up access to natural beauty.
I went to Panama for my honeymoon in August. One of the coolest things we did was take a boat tour of the Panama Canal on the day of its 100th anniversary. The whole country was celebrating their prized infrastructure marvel.
Peter brought some cured salmon to the office—it was delicious!
Lake Michigan not only provides drinking water to millions of Chicagoland residents, it is one of our most precious recreational assets too. This summer I had occasion to go salmon fishing in this Great Lake and brought home this doozy. The 20-pound, yard-long King Salmon took over 30 minutes to land. He served 25 people at my daughters 15th birthday party as well. I encourage everyone to get out on the water in some kind of boat and enjoy the serenity and view. Who knows, you may get lucky too!