BORN TO BE WILD

We left Iowa and headed across Illinois. All these “I” states; what’s up with that? Anyway, I was not on my best behavior. I managed to work the seams of the carrier loose. It wasn’t easy, but if Andy Dufresne (you know, from Shawshank Redemption) can do it, then why shouldn’t a very clever cat manage a great escape. I am, as the song says, “Born to Be Wild.” I was very pleased with myself when I found my freedom. I quickly learned, however, that I didn’t have much of a plan. Not a lot of places to go or hide in the cab of truck. I was swiftly captured by the authorities and returned to my cage. Maybe I am more like Ellis Boyd “Red” Redding who quips, “I don’t think I could make it on the outside, Andy.” Spoiler alert, Red eventually meets up in Mexico with Andy, where they find the ultimate peace and freedom.

We crossed into Indiana, again with the “I” states, and settled in Michigan City, Indiana. We visited the Indiana Dunes National Park and took in the beautiful scenery at Lake Michigan. We stopped to sit by the lake and listen to the waves breaking on the shore. Lake Michigan is so big that it has waves caused by winds that push along the 300-mile-long shoreline. The largest wave on record measured 23 feet! Needless to say, this cat stayed well on shore. MIchiganders have a funny slogan about their lakes, “No Salt. No Sharks.” It’s nice to be here in the summer because the locals say that the winters are pretty brutal.

Our next stop was Niles, Michigan and we took a day trip to a charming beach town, St. Joe’s. The town had beautiful parks and beaches as well as a quaint downtown. While St. Joe’s gets too cold in the winter for these cats, it confirmed that our love of the water, and the need to be near it, is one of those non-negotiables when we choose our permanent home - only in a warmer climate.

We also visited the campus of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana and walked the beautiful grounds. Beautiful landscaping, blue skies, flowers, trees, and large areas of green space made for a peaceful stroll. We saw The Basilica of the Sacred Heart, which is beautiful inside and out. You know that we are huge college football fans, so of course, we strolled around the famous stadium where the Fighting Irish play. We walked past the Dan DeVine gate, the Lou Holtz gate, the Ara Parseghian gate, the Frank Leahy gate, and the Knute Rockne gate. Pretty cool when one program has had so many great coaches. No visit to Notre Dame is complete without a visit to Touchdown Jesus, who watches over his beloved Fighting Irish football team. The mural is officially called “The Word of Life” and the mural was designed to unify the divine and the academics.

We continued our journey to Granger, Indiana where we stayed a while. One of our day trips was to the town of Shipsewana, which is home to a large Amish community. We toured the Menno-Hof Amish and Mennonite Museum where we learned about the Anabaptist movement and the Amish, Mennonite, and Hutterite sects. There are vast differences among the sects, each with its own set of traditions and beliefs. The Amish are known for their artisanship and craftsmanship. For example, we saw beautiful quilts and the museum itself was raised in one week by the Amish with timbers and wooden pegs to hold it all together. We explored the town and saw lots of Amish families travelling by horse and buggy. Some of those buggies could really move!

Nestled within the conservative Amish community, there was an abundance of retail establishments, including the Blue Gate Restaurant and Bakery and the Blue Gate Theatre, which was featuring a Neil Diamond tribute band and a play that told an Amish love story. Something for everyone!

Of course, we wanted to get to Chicago so we took a train, and a bus, and another train to the city. Chicago is a gorgeous city and it was well worth the trip. We had visited Chicago prior to this trip, but a visit to Chicago is always a treat. We visited Millennium Park which features Crown Fountain. The fountain consists of two 50-foot glass block towers at each end of a shallow reflecting pool. Faces of Chicago citizens are depicted on the towers as they watch over children splash in the fountains. We also saw the Bean sculpture. The Bean has a shiny surface which reflects the people moving around the park, the city skyline, and the lights of Michigan Avenue. What a sight! Then we toured the Art Institute of Chicago which houses hundreds of paintings by the Masters. It was a long day, but what a lovely day it was!

I’ve got to mention that we passed through Elkhart, Indiana going and coming from places. We noticed an inordinate number of factories and businessed which were either RV brands or brands that support the RV industry. Come to find out, Elkhart is the RV capital of America. Who knew? In fact, if one is interested, one could go to the RV Hall of Fame and Museum! We saw downtown Elkhart - it was tidy and accommodating with nice farmer’s market along the river.

Anyway, as Andy says, “Get busy living, or get busy dying.”

See you on the outside,

Buster

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