Amber is the daughter of Connie Edwards, whom we have known since she was a child. Connie became a part of our family when she came to live with us for 2 1/2 years when she was a young woman. Even though she and her husband, Terry, moved to Illinois many years ago, we have always seen their family at least once a year.
On the day following the wedding, we discovered that there is a famous Lipizzan horse farm in northern Illinois where a performance was going to be held that afternoon. After a pretty quick drive across the area, we got to the Tempel Lipizzan Farm in time to witness an amazing show. If Chicago is chosen to hold the 2016 Olympics, this farm will be the site of the equestrian events.
While we were in northern Illinois, Bonnie, Dug, Dugan and Sage were in Wisconsin attending outdoor concerts and camping each night. Amazingly, we made arrangements to meet them near Delavan to have lunch and to go strawberry picking at a place called the "Apple Barn." 
What a fun family adventure that was, and how delicious were those fresh-picked strawberries!When we had filled our basket with bright red strawberries, we headed north in Wisconsin while they headed south to Chicago.
After driving through Milwaukee, Green Bay, and Manitowoc, we called ahead to a bed and breakfast, the White Lace Inn, in Sturgeon Bay and were pleased to find that they had a room available for us.
We wandered through the spacious flower garden and relaxed beside the fishpond in the evening.
We wandered through the spacious flower garden and relaxed beside the fishpond in the evening.We were served a gourmet breakfast the next morning before driving further north along a wooded county road close to Green Bay.
We truly enjoy exploring Door County, one of the most scenic parts of Wisconsin.
When we checked into Trollhaugen, our bed and breakfast for the next two nights, we had a surprise message from our niece, Kristi Tolman, saying that she and her family were also in Ephraim, staying just a short distance from where we were!
When we checked into Trollhaugen, our bed and breakfast for the next two nights, we had a surprise message from our niece, Kristi Tolman, saying that she and her family were also in Ephraim, staying just a short distance from where we were!
We were able to spend some quality time with Kristi, Eric, Michal and Kenna during that afternoon! 
In the evening we were able to get tickets to the American Folklore Theater's 100th anniversary of Peninsula State Park musical--SUNSETS & S'MORES--a fun-filled performance!
In the evening we were able to get tickets to the American Folklore Theater's 100th anniversary of Peninsula State Park musical--SUNSETS & S'MORES--a fun-filled performance!
We were even welcomed into the park by Smokey the Bear!
The next two days were spent simply enjoying the parks, the fantastic scenery, Green Bay, and the specialty foods. In a town called, Sister Bay, we decided to have a Swedish lunch at the famous Al Johnson's Restaurant. We've eaten there each of the three times we have visited Door County, and Dick remembers eating there when his family vacationed in Sister Bay when he was a child. The unique thing about this restaurant is that the roof is covered with grass, and each day several goats are brought there and lifted up to graze on the roof!
Another highlight of our short stay in Ephraim was an evening sunset cruise on a sailboat with red sails.
The sunset on the bay that night was spectacular as our photos show.
The sunset on the bay that night was spectacular as our photos show.
When we left Ephraim on Thursday, driving across the peninsula to the Lake Michigan side, we explored Cana Island and its lighthouse which is still in use. 
As we headed toward Illinois, we stopped one night in Racine before continuing through lots of construction on the roads into Chicago.
This day was our close friend, Cliff Reeder's, 88th birthday, and we wanted to do something special for him; so, we changed our travel plans and drove on to Cincinnati. We celebrated by taking him to dinner at Buckhead, one of our favorite restaurants on the Ohio River.
Afterwards we decided to do something really unique by taking him on one of the scenic "RIDE THE DUCKS" boats on the river.
What a very unique and memorable way to end our vacation and to celebrate with our dear friend.
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