Navy Pier

Bidding a not-so-fond farewell to the Day's Inn, we drove to Chicago. (I say 'we' - I should actually confess that Mr Ruby does all the driving here. In my head, I'm still hugging the left-hand side. It's best not to actually do that if you're at the wheel.)

We spent the day at the Children's Museum at Navy Pier, Chicago. Now, if you're visiting Chicago and you have children with you, I wholeheartedly recommend the Children's Museum. We had such a great day here! The Mouse and TR loved it because it is full of things you can touch, climb on, dig in, splash in, build, create... and it's just great fun! TR loved the Curious George exhibit, the Big Back Yard (all about bugs) and digging for dinosaur bones. The Mouse loved all those too, but I think her best thing was Kid's Town, where she loved playing at being Cinderella in the role-play kitchen. Mr Ruby's favourite exhibit was Waterways, where you can build locks, dams and fountains. The museum was so quiet that we pretty much had the place to ourselves, which allowed greater scope for creating a water-based empire. Here is a montage of pictures of us at the Children's Museum:

Door County to Kenosha

This morning we drove around the Peninsula State Park. We ventured out of the car once, to have a look at Eagle Bluff lighthouse, but it was a bit of a sprint round and a grimace for the obligatory photo:

Oh my - my back is frozen to the brickwork!

Mr Ruby expressed a wish to get out at Eagle Tower, in order to climb to the top, but I forbade it. I'm still feeling guilty about the icecapades.

We stopped once more for lunch at Al Johnson's. The Mouse was delighted with this, as they serve fried eggs. Then we said goodbye to Door County and headed south. Quite a long way south, as it happened, as we made it all the way to Kenosha. Sounds like a slightly chav girl's name, I know, but it's actually a town in southern Wisconsin. Here we stayed in the Day's Inn, which was less your luxury suite and more your scrunty old motel room. Still, even us Rubettes can't live the high-life all the time.

I've decided I like Wisconsin. I've even been practicing my accent: Wis-KHAN-sin. I guess I feel a little bit of a sentimental attachment to the place, as it is, after all, the setting for the very first 'little house' book: Little House in the Big Woods. I did suggest to Mr Ruby that we move there, especially once I learned that we could afford a house with a big ol' kitchen here. However, Mr Ruby reasonably reminded me that he has a job in the UK and not one in Wisconsin. Ever the realist! ;-)

Brrr - it's cold out there!

Oh boy, it was cold on Tuesday. Minus 6 at half-past two in the afternoon. Now that's cold, right? Being so cold, we had to do things the American Way and view pretty much everything from within the confines of our car (a Ford Taurus and not, as Monday's blog entry hinted, a pink shopping trolley).

First of all, we drove north to Sister Bay and Al Johnson's Swedish restaurant. There is quiet a big Scandinavian presence in Door County so there we were, in North America, visiting a Scandinavian long house, complete with turfed roof, browsing imported Swedish handicrafts. Bizarre, eh? The Mouse really enjoyed this, as one of our American Girl purchases was a mini 'Kirsten' doll, who is supposed to be a Swedish immigrant. The Mouse enjoyed showing Kirsten round the shop and asking her, 'Do you recognise this, Kirsten? Do you feel at home?' I had to reply, in my best 'Swedish immigrant, new to America' accent which, as you might imagine, I did sotto voce. TR loved the dala horses and the decorated chair in the lobby:

Suitably fortified and stuffed full of lingonberries and limpa bread, we went to Gill's Rock. It was very icy here and, as the wind whipped up the waters of Lake Michigan, the sea mist froze on pretty much anything it touched. I asked Mr Ruby to take a picture of the icicles, which he dutifully did, but not before slipping on the ice and terrifying the life out of the Mouse and I. I'd like to include a personal apology here, to my mother-in-law. My first thoughts, as my dearly beloved slid across the icy pavement, were, 'Oh my goodness - his mother will never forgive me!' So, Cynthia, he's fine and I'm sorry. Actually, he thought it all a bit of a lark.

Ooh yeah - that's cold!

We then went to Sister Bay to buy provisions and had tea in our room. With the aid of the microwave, I was even able to make us all hot chocolate with marshmallows.

Door County

Sit tight, folks - I'm about to blog at the speed of sound, in order to update you on my thrilling life before I board a plane back home again. (Actually, that's not until tomorrow, but I still feel a needless sense of urgency.)

So, on Monday morning the Rubettes, along with 'Emily' ( read on...) headed north to Wisconsin. Emily, in case you were wondering, is Dr P's Sat Nav. She's set to speak to with an English voice and, apparently, she's called Emily. She's also indispensible! It was quite a long drive to Door County, WI (about 4 hours) but thankfully the Mouse and TR both napped and snacks and story CDs filled in the gaps.

The real reason it took us so long to drive to Wisconsin!

It seemed colder in Wisconsin - certainly they'd had more snow (although still not in the quantities we were hoping for, but never mind). Being America's dairyland there were also a lot of cows to be seen - and a lot of red barns. One thing I've really loved about being over here is that a lot of the architecture makes me feel like I'm in the middle of a big vintage Fisher Price set! The red barns definitely add to that feel.

Once we got to Door County, and Fish Creek in particular, we set about finding some accommodation. Not too hard, as only two establishments were open. We settled on the Applecreek Resort Motel and were given a 'luxury suite' (one of the benefits of holidaying off-season), complete with fireplace. It was a gas fire, so no worries about TR falling into it. You know how, in the UK, you read a cottage holiday description and it says, 'with 'living flame effect' gas fire' and you know that's shorthand for 'some poxy little thing that wouldn't look out of place in your nan's front room'? Well, this was much nicer - looked like a real fire, chucked out loads of heat and had a cover so TR really couldn't get too close - despite his best efforts.

Us on our very own verandah.

The other big deal about the room was that Mr Ruby and I had a fold-down bed. Cool! I felt like someone from a Hanna-Barbera cartoon!

Anyway, my excitement, over being like Hong-Kong Phooey, almost out of the way, we headed out to eat. We settled on the White Gull Inn, being as how it was the only place open, and had the most delicious meal there. Oh my, I am going weak at the knees, just remembering it! I had butternut squash ravioli. Now, banish from your thoughts any lingering nightmares concerning Heinz tinned ravioli, because this nothing like it. Mmmm-mmm-mmmmmMMMM! Mr Ruby had shrimp, TR had a burger (not your McDonalds sponge scourer, but a lovely home-made burger) and the Mouse had sauteed chicken breast. All four diners were greatly taken with their meals.

So that was Monday: a long drive, a delicous meal, a luxury suite and a fold-down bed. Not bad!

Snow storm!

Well, not quite, but it did snow and quite fast, if only briefly.

Yesterday was a catch-up day. Terrier900, the Mouse and I played with the American Girl dolls (a trip to the imaginary beach, in case you were wondering). In the afternoon, Dr X and I took all three children to the park, which is when it started snowing. Actually, 'icing' would be more appropriate, as what fell from the sky and blew around horizontally was not soft and fluffy, like you'd expect snow to be, but kind of sharp and stinging. Quick trip to the park, that was! We all returned home for warming cups of hot chocolate. Even TR tried his first cup of the stuff and was mightily impressed by it, too.

Not much blogging going to happen for a the next few days (LJOP, you will have to fill the vacant hours by booking a real holiday - tee-hee!) as Mr Ruby has got a hire car and we are off to Door County, Wisconsin. Wisconsin proclaims itself as 'America's Dairyland' but don't tell the Mouse and TR. Hopefully we won't have to starve them for the next three days!

See ya soon!

Last Chance Saloon

Oh my - I am walking like John Wayne. Horse riding...ouch.

We had kind of a catch-up day today. The Mouse enjoyed wearing Terrier900's old Snow White costume. She loves all things princess. Red Specs Gal will be pleased to hear that I took a trip into Grayslake and visited 'Purple Moon', which is a beading shop. I didn't buy anything, but I did succumb to the overwhelming urge to stir the beads. I also visited 'Shoo-Fly Quilts' and didn't buy anything there either. I would have liked to though!

This evening we all went into Grayslake for supper at the Last Chance Saloon. The Mouse was very pleased to be eating 'in a real cowboy pub!' Mr Ruby and I had the house specials - he had the ribs and I had a steak - while the Mouse enjoyed spaghetti bolognese. TR just sampled a selection of mine and the Mouse's dinners and washed it down with two pots of Gerber applesauce. I think TR is hoping to survive the entire two weeks on Cheerios, Dr X's pumpkin bread, blueberries and applesauce.

My steak was very good, although I felt rather un-British when I had to recall the waiter and ask him to take him back and cook it a little longer. I ordered the steak described as 'gray, with a thin pink line running through the middle,' but I now realise I should have asked them to cook it to a crisp. The steak that originally showed up was still sporting a bell and munching on grass, I think. I keep telling myself that it is OK to complain here, but it still doesn't feel right! :-)

Speaking of food, the Mouse's soya-free diet has a proved a challenge here. On the plus-side, food labelling regulations are really tight here, so you can tell at a glance if something contains soya. On the downside, it's in everything! Well, almost.

Cutter Billy

Cutter Billy, the man himself.

On Saturday morning, Dr X, Terrier900, the Mouse and I headed out for 'the barn' (British viewers, read 'stables') to visit Dr X's horse, Billy. I'm no expert, but I reckon Billy (full name, Cutter Billy - hence the title) is a very fine horse indeed. He is huge, but very well-mannered and you can sit up on Billy and feel quite at ease.

He was good enough to give rides to the four of us. The Mouse was initially alarmed by being up so high (did I already mention that he is very big?) but she did really well and later told me, 'I felt a bit nervous, but I did it and I like Billy.' The last time I rode a horse was when we were here three years ago, so I was also a little nervous. Plus, the few horse-riding lessons I have had have been in the UK, so riding Western style felt a little different. 'Hold onto the reins with one hand? Whaaaaat?!?' I had a go at walking, jogging, trotting and cantering (I know - Zara Phillips, eat your heart out!). Quite frankly, I didn't have a clue what I was doing and just let Billy get on with it. I wouldn't be quite so happy about that if I didn't feel that I could trust him but, as I say, he's a good horse.

The Mouse and Terrier900 ride Billy.

It hasn't snowed again yet, although it was very cold outside and I didn't really feel warmed through until I'd enjoyed a nice relaxing spa bath, back at the ranch. The Doctors and the Terrier have, I think, four bathrooms, although only two of them have baths in. (You have to call them bathrooms though - the mouse and I have learned that it is bad form over here to request 'the toilet'.) The en-suite has a spa bath, complete with water jets. Very relaxing, although a trifle noisy. If you can imagine taking a bath in a Kenwood Multichef...

Happy Thanksgiving!

OK, so Thanksgiving was on Thursday and I'm typing this on Saturday, but bear with me folks - I gotta have the holiday before I blog it!

We woke up on Thanksgiving morning to snow!! I'm not sure who was more excited - me or the Mouse. After breakfast, Mr Ruby, TR, the Mouse and I all donned our cold weather gear and went for a short walk in the woods. As you can see, Mr Ruby also built a 'snano-man'. (Either that or these are two really enormous children.)

Look really closely - the snowman is there!

Doctors P and X worked really hard to prepare a sumptuous Thanksgiving feast of turkey, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, mashed potato, brussels sprouts, sausage or liver and bacon rolls and gravy, followed by pumpkin pie.

I really like Thanksgiving, and not just because I get to eat a delicious roast turkey meal more than once a year. It is fun to participate in something from outside our usual calendar of celebrations and it's good to somehow sneak yourself into somebody else's traditions. Also, I really, really like pumpkin pie!

In the afternoon, the Mouse and Terrier900 put on a ballet show. The Mouse didn't take too kindly to being choreographed, but she did enjoy dressing up and was pleased to learn a few new dance moves from her cousin.

TR and Nicki eagerly await the opening scene of the Thanksgiving ballet

Just hanging out with the dolls

Not so much to report today, but the girls enjoyed playing with their dolls. As I type, the Mouse and Terrier900 are tucked up in bed, while on the landing, five American Girl dolls are holding some kind of campsite sleepover - must remember not to trip over them on my way to bed!

TR has mainly divided his time between eating Dr X's mighty fine pumpkin bread, and falling over.

This evening, Terrier900 held a 'spa party', for girls only. While Mr Ruby, Dr P and TR look their usual dishevelled selves, the female members of our party are immaculately coiffed and manicured. Mind you, the men have had to endure England's crushing 3-2 defeat at the hands of the Croatian soccer team.

Up until now, I have failed to give you a weather report but I am happy to tell you that, as of this evening, we have snow!!!!!! Not much, admittedly, but it's a start.

Terrier900 reads the Mouse a bedtime story.

Only in America!

Yesterday we all boarded the train at Grayslake and went to Chicago. The Mouse loved the train ride and was actually disappointed when we reached Chicago, over an hour later! It was a double-decker train, so pretty exciting for her. Both Terrier900 and the Mouse were clutching their American Girl dolls in preparation for...

...our visit to American Girl Place. Now, you have to understand that these dolls are a big deal over here and the whole thing is not just about having a doll to play with, but kind of about embracing an outlook on life. As I say, only in America. OK, so now I've made it sound like a cult, whereas in reality the dolls are of a really nice quality and you can buy into the whole lifestyle thing if you want...but the Mouse and Terrier900 just play with them - like you're meant to.

The Mouse and Terrier900 do a bit of window shopping.

Mr Ruby was struck by how 'middle class' it was there - a uniformed doorman greets you as you walk in (no, really!) and the place is full of beautifully dressed little girls in woollen coats, clutching their equally beautifully dressed dolls. Some of the girls were even dressed just like their dolls, which is either weird or cute, depending on your outlook. I had inadvertently dressed the Mouse rather like the prairie homestead doll, but that's just an occupational hazard for her - wardrobe full of hand-me-downs and a mother obsessed with Little House on the Prairie.

Mainly, American Girl Place a big shop, but there is also a doll's hospital, a hair salon for dolls (more on that, later), a restaurant where you can have tea with your doll (they have booster seats for the dolls - no word of a lie!) and a theatre where you can see shows featuring doll characters.

The Mouse already has Felicity, who I believe is the first doll they made. She's one of the historical characters. For some time now, she has had her heart set on acquiring an Elizabeth doll (Felicity's best friend). She is happy for me to report that she now has Elizabeth, as her early Christmas present. I don't think she really relaxed until she knew Elizabeth was safely purchased, such was her excitement.

Once our shopping was done (Dr Tennant, I hope you're impressed) we booked Felicity and Terrier900's Nicki in for their hair salon appointments (Y'know, I can scarcely believe I am typing this!) and then repaired to Borders for our lunch. (Packed lunches, so we had to be a bit furtive about it.) Even the Mouse, who is known for her gallic approach to extending a lunchtime well into the afternoon, ate fairly quickly, for fear of missing Felicity's hair appointment. (Yeah I know - it's like we side-stepped into a parallel universe, isn't it?)

Back at the salon, Felicity and Nicki were sat in little salon chairs, while a guy called Chris sprayed and brushed their hair and then a girl called Amy styled their hair. Both these people were great - chatting to the girls and engaging them in conversation. The Mouse's 'cute British accent' stood her in good stead here.

"Just a little off the back please, Antoine."

We then walked to Millennium Park, where we listened to carol singers under the big silver 'bean' and then had dinner in an English Pub (again - no, really we did!).

A wet and foggy Chicago, reflected in 'the Bean'.

So, there you go - that was our day in Chicago. TR slept through most of the American Girl experience, which was most probably a good thing. However, on the way home, he called me 'Mummy' for the first time. Well, actually it was more like 'uh-ee', but the cockles of my heart were still greatly warmed.

TR learns, early in life, what to do when the women go shopping.

Joke for the day

Q. What do you get if you cross the Atlantic with a baby
A. Not enough sleep, for several nights following!

Other news for today: Terrier900 has her braces fitted. Green and white, if you're interested. Very good they look, too.

Went into Grayslake Village today and did a minimal amount of shopping. Had lunch in 'Grinders', Grayslake's coffee shop.

The Rubettes in downtown Grayslake.

The Mouse did some work in her holiday journal. She also loved playing in the basement, playing 'schools' on the whiteboard and playing the piano.

A short geography lesson

This was our first full day in Grayslake, where we are staying with Mr Ruby's brother Dr P, his good lady wife Dr X, and their daughter Terrier900. I love coming here. The Mouse, despite no longer knowing what time of day it is nor which way is up, has had a wonderful day playing with her cousin, who is almost nine years old and a very good and patient playmate.

This morning, the Mouse, Dr X, Terrier900 and I headed out to 'the barn' to watch Terrier900's riding lesson. Terrier900 got to have her first lesson at riding bareback and the Mouse enjoyed cantering around on her imaginary pony, Jenny. Meanwhile, Mr Ruby, Dr P and TR stayed back at the ranch, doing manly things.

This afternoon, Dr X took all three children to the park, while Mr Ruby tended to some pumpkin bread and Dr P and I went shopping at Jewel-Osco. Tragic geek-housewife confession coming up: I love food shopping when I'm on holiday. Ah - the sights, the sounds, the smell, the food that looks almost like the stuff you buy at home and yet not quite... Mainly, I read labels. The food intolerances mentioned in my previous entry mean that I read a lot of labels. Sad, but true. Anyway, I found the Mouse's favourite brand of Rice milk so she and I are happy. Jewel rules!

Speaking of things which are the same but different, the Mouse was greatly amused by traffic lights today. I think because at home we have them on poles and here they string them across the street on wires. This may have added to her belief, as stated yesterday that, 'We live in England and that is part of the world, but you live in America and that is somewhere completely different, isn't it?' Occasionally I contemplate the idea of home educating but this would clearly be a bad idea for us. On more than one occasion I have tried to teach the Mouse about the world we live in. Not very well, evidently.

OK, Mr Ruby and Dr P's parents should look away now, as today's picture shows Dr P clearing the leaves out of the guttering. It's not for the faint-hearted but does show off-piste use of the leaf-blower. Mr Ruby claims such activities are outside the remit of our travel insurance, so he stayed down on the lawn, in charge of the rake - and the camera.

(Edited your nickname, Terrier900. xx)

Are we there yet?

We are, yes. After our eight hour flight, we arrived in Chicago yesterday evening. Or it may have been the afternoon. None of the Ruby clan are entirely sure what time it is. The Mouse and TR are particularly confused about this.

Our flight was smooth and uneventful, which is exactly how I like my flights to be. The Mouse enjoyed watching Angelina Ballerina and TR mostly enjoyed ripping tissues out of the dispenser in the aeroplane bathroom and bashing on the counter while I changed his nappy.

Now, there is plenty of advice out there on flying with kids, some good, some bad. However, I am here to reassure you that, should you be contemplating the idea, it's not all bad news, so long as you come prepared. My list of flying-essentials would include:

1. Nappies that can also be worn like pants - very handy for standing-up changes. Since airports don't seem to major in changing tables, you will need to get good at these. Also, a standing-up change provides better access to the aforementioned tissue dispensers.

2. The knowledge that those small-screen TVs will occupy a four year old for a surprisingly long length of time.

3. Endless snacks and dinner supplements. This is particularly important if anyone in your party has any kind of food intolerance or allergy. BA are geared-up to deal with all sorts of special dietary requirements, but not if you have any kind of combination of them. The Mouse cannot eat either milk or soya and she is furthermore philosophically opposed to sandwiches with fillings like 'Mushrooms and roasted red onions'. I was able to book a lactose-free meal, but not a soya-free meal (and intolerance to both those things is really very common, so you'd maybe think... but no). You can guess what the most common milk substitute is, can't you? Yep. And what a bummer that is. In an ideal world, I'd be able to book her a lactose and dairy-free meal with child-appeal. In a less than ideal world, I packed a lot of snacks. Which was a Good Thing to Do!!!

So that's my list: three items, over-elaborated.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, we did get the packing done before we left:

Why?

This must be just about the Mouse's favourite word. Just in case you were asking it too, here are some questions and answers for you.

Why is your blog called 'Let's hope it snows'?
Well, for starters, snow is my favourite and my best. I mean - what's not to like about it? - and we get precious little of it, here in the sunny southern climes of the UK. Last time we went to America it snowed, right on Thanksgiving. This time we're all full of hope for a repeat performance. The Mouse is particularly keen on snow.

Why have you given your family such silly names? They're not your real names, right?
How very observant of you! Indeed, they are not our real names. Ruby is my user name in an online forum and I'm married to Mr Ruby so logically... The Mouse happened to look uncannily like a mouse when she was new-born and TR...well, to cut a long story short, it was his nickname when he was still a 'bump'. His dad and uncle (with whom we are going to spend the next two weeks) are big fans of Triumph sports cars, so his nickname is partly in homage to that.

Why are you bothering to record the tedium of your daily life?
Oh, come, come now - you don't mean that... do you? Well, I'm hardly the first to do so, am I? Normally, when we go on holiday I write a travel journal. Writing a blog seemed like the next logical step. Mr Ruby would like to point out that I never finish my travel journals, so you can expect this one to fizzle out after a few days.

Two more sleeps!

Yes, folks - in two more days (or 'sleeps' to use the unit of measurement favoured by my four year old daughter) we'll be leaving Dear Old Blighty and heading for America. 'We', in this instance, refers to our family of four: Mr and Mrs Ruby and the two Rubettes, otherwise known as the Mouse and TR.

Not much left to do now. Well, except maybe pack.