In Which I Return from Traveling

I'm back!!!!! Did you miss me? I visited NY, Chicago, and Atlanta. I visited with lots of friends and family, and I had a marvelous time. I had toddlers dive-bombing me, re-learned how to ride a bike (sort of --- I can go forward, but I fall over when I stop), stayed up until all hours talking, ate lots of chocolate, went out to eat, watched chick flicks and silly tv shows, and visited lots of obscure museums. Some Illinois highlights:

The Lizzadro Lapidary Art Museum in Elmhurst, Illinois. Did you know there is a museum dedicated to the lapidary arts? Do you know what the lapidary arts are? It's the art of carving stone, usually semi-precious. There were some amazing ivory and quartz carvings. And the name is really fun to say. It was named after the museum's founder. This is a picture of a really big meteor. Or maybe it's petrified wood. I can't really remember.

The Historic Theater Museum: It was the upstairs hallway of an old historic theater. The actual museum was not impressive, but the theater was rather nice. It is still in operation and shows current movies.

Hiking at Starved Rock State Park in Illinois. It was a muggy day, but the waterfalls were worth seeing. We did a 5 mile hike, or slightly longer, since we missed several branches on the trail. I also didn't get eaten by mosquitoes (though I did in Atlanta. I am still itchy, and my legs look like I am diseased). I didn't know there were actual hills in Illinois, but apparently they were hiding.

In Which I Eat Yoda

This year, for July 4, my sister and I made Star Wars pancakes. The molds are sold at Williams-Sonoma in a set with Yoda, Darth Vader, and a storm trooper. The recipe is delicious. The pancakes come out melt-in-your-mouth light. Last year we blew up marshmallows. I think we are becoming classier each year!