7/20 -7/21/21 The 20th and 21st were travel days from Detroit to Chicago and then to Iowa. We did have the great fortune to catch up with my cousin Peter Grain, his wife Cathy, and their daughter Patti and her husband Nick at Pete's home just west of Chicago. A real surprise was Mary Ellen (Peter's sister/my cousin) and her son Max who traveled 3 hours one way to see us! We haven't seen each other for 30 +/- years, so what a wonderful time catching up. Pete and Cathy prepared wonderful hors d'oeuvres, steak dinner and dessert for everyone. We spent the night at their palatial home, then heading out to the Illinois/Iowa border to track down Wendy's ancestors on the 21st.

On the way to Peter and Cathy's home we did stop at Indiana Dunes on Lake Michigan. We have been to this dual State & National Park once before. This time we headed down to an area we have never seen. The National Park Service in the 30's moved five homes on barges across the lake from Chicago that had been on display at the 1930's World's Fair-Innovation section of the Fair. The challenge was to build homes that the everyday man could afford. Unique materials for the three houses were used, composite materials, porcelain finish, etc. One of the homes was built entirely of cedar logs which is resistant to rot and bugs. The homes are leased to individuals for 99 years with the stipulation that everything above ground has to remain true to its original design. The location right on the blue waters of Lake Michigan is the perfect setting.