Jun27

Rey Road Trip, Part 2

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Rey Road Trip, Part 2

Under a pale gray sky that had finally cried itself out, we drove from Verona, WI, to Fort Atkinson and the home of Mark and Tara Petruska.

First, we explored the MarTar Manor yard.

The kids enjoyed catching and petting (yep, they said they did) frogs.

I marveled at the garden and Tara’s green thumb, since ours are generally brown. Even our zucchini–ZUCCHINI!–fell prey to powdery mildew, though we got an acceptable crop before then.

I needed a picture with some of the famous lava lamps and records.
We also had to meet the cats, Laverne and Shirley, and Tara (not a cat, but quite lovely despite that.)
A Brandy Old Fashioned was also required. I wore that Parks and Recreation shirt for Mark. Fortunately, he noticed and commented right away.

Very excited for this visit, I contemplated jumping up and down with shrieks of delight when Mark opened the door, or deliberately pushing past him with barely a glance and calling, “Laverne… Shirley…” as though the cats were more important than the humans. The Travel Architect, at our breakfast in MN the day before, had voted for option 2, so I went with that. Sadly, Mark seemed unphased. I guess he really likes his cats too.

We had a great time, with excellent food, drink, and music. An added bonus was some of my kids spotting their first lightning bugs/fireflies on our way out. You can read more about the visit on Mark’s blog, which includes some visual Mark trivia from pictures I had to take, and the story of our Musical Mind Meld Moment, which was awesome.

The next morning, we traveled to Illinois and my third blog buddy meetup in three days and three states. (The Travel Architect suggested I might have set a record.) Weirdly, we went from Fort Atkinson to the home of Vicki Atkinson.

She graciously bestowed upon me signed copies of both her books.

After a great lunch, we got a tour of her beautiful home, and I snuck a little picture of something when she wasn’t looking…

Vicki’s podcasting background wall! I was there, everyone! I saw it! With my own eyes! I was really there!

This also made me miss our mutual blog friend, Wynne, most keenly. If you don’t watch/listen to their podcast, The Heart of the Matter, you ought to. I should give you a sample taste, oh, I don’t know, how about of this one?

Vicki said if the children gave me any trouble on the next leg of driving, I had her permission to “invoke Auntie Vicki.” Oh my goodness, “What a lovely woman,” I thought and is exactly what one of my daughters commented as we drove off. Her husband was quite kind and accommodating, too. 🙂

Our journey next took us through Chicago. I had made tentative plans to meet Nancy the Narrator of my audiobook, who lives in the area, but it took nearly two hours to get past the city. Plus, that storm we had narrowly escaped in Wisconsin was chasing after us again.

This is the only building I photographed in Chicago because I thought it looked cool.

Our next port of call was South Bend, Indiana, the home of another of Hubby’s sisters. We made it inside dry, but as nightfall descended, so did a tornado. The sirens went off again, and everyone headed to the basement. It touched down 20 miles away, so we were okay. It was all very exciting for our children. Since we were safely indoors, I was less freaked out this time.

The next day was calm with the earth newly washed. We were only a few miles from the Michigan border, so we popped over, allowing the kids to cross another state off their list.

Across the border was a greenhouse, so that’s what we visited.

Then we drove to Notre Dame University to meet one of my college friends for a tour. We also, oddly enough, ran into a friend from back home who happened to be visiting at the same time. Small world moment!

For the football fans.
Our guide, pictured, said this mural is called “Touchdown Jesus” and can be seen from the stadium. They made a point to put the jumbotron in a position where it wouldn’t block the view of this building. 😛

The administration building was neat.

Super sad, however, that all that architecture is only painted on. :/
And the church. I couldn’t find the hunchback. Yes, I know. Wrong Notre Dame.
Impressive interior.
Wow.

Next stop: Ohio.

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75 responses »

  3. how very fun, and glad you didn’t get lifted up by the tornado, and glad you did have great visits with laverne and shirley )and tara and mark, and then off to see vicki and her books and wall. notre dame is cool and next time you’re in michigan, pop in!

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  7. A warm and engaging travel narrative that beautifully captures the joy of the journey. Your vivid descriptions and personal encounters make readers feel as though they’re traveling alongside you, discovering memorable places and meaningful moments.

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  10. So much fun…these posts about your fabulous road trip adventures! Thank you again for making the stop in our neck of the woods. A total treat to meet you in person, Ilsa…and your wonderful family. “Auntie Vicki” says hello to all! xoxoxox! 😊💝😊

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  12. You toured my alma mater! The campus is most impressive in springtime when the blooms are at their best but I’m sure it was still beautiful (and tranquil without the students). Hopefully you made it to the Grotto behind Sacred Heart for a candle and a prayer, as well as a view of the nearby lakes. I’m even more hopeful one of your children drank enough of the ND Kool-Aid to consider joining the Irish one day 🙂 Also, this leadoff line: “Under a pale gray sky that had finally cried itself out…” Dang, that’s poetic Ilsa!

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  14. wow – what timing to travel – I saw a lo tof those storms and whew – to imagine your trip in and out of that is crazy. Glad you all stayed safe and I am a little jealous that you were able to meet so many bloggers and in the coming years, it is a goal of mine to try and visit some blog friends too.
    In the meanime, enjoyed seeing the Mar-Tar images and cheers to seeing Doc Vic! xxxx

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  17. Sounds like a lovely trip! Your next stop, Ohio, is where the Fixin’ Leaks ‘n Leeks Team is from originally. We were all born there–and then moved to Washington state in 2016. Where in Ohio are you going?

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  18. Your opening line? Sheer poetry. I’m impressed.

    And I’m glad your kids got to pet our frogs. That must have been almost as cool as seeing their first lightning bugs.

    Thanks again for taking the time to swing by and meet us…though San Diego to here ain’t exactly swinging by. It was great to meet you all, and I hope we have an opportunity to do it again someday!

    (I also assumed Vicki’s brick wall was a Zoom background.)

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  19. Um hello? You’re hitting PA next, right? This is such a great idea. Traveling across the world to visit each and every Wish You Were Here reader! Ha, ha. At the very least, I hope you’re having a reading in each state. Love the blogging get-togethers, Have fun, safe travels.

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      • Nah, I grew up in Central PA — lots of farms and mountains. I live now in Southeastern PA in the far Western Philly burbs. Ha ha, I’m just giving you a hard time. Sounds like you had a wonderful trip. Was this research for the next book? Ha ha.

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      • Ah, dang. That would’ve been a ways out there. But I will keep this in mind! Not book research. Just long overdue family and friend visits. 🙂

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  20. “Wrong Notre Dame” LOL. Nothing like dodging tornadoes as you drive across the country (yeah, I did that and dodged poorly, giving my car hail damage that looked like bullet holes). Looks like an amazing trip!

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    • Ah, dang. Yet another Midwest driving horror story. TTA said she’d never drive through WI again after her horror story of a deer running out from a gully and totally her car. That gave me an added measure of nervousness. Fortunately, no deer, except the ones in Mark’s backyard. Phew.

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  21. What a super fun roadtrip – and the cameo guest appearances by fellow bloggers was a nice surprise! Your summer is off to a super start!

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