We Bought a Mac!

Yes, our household did get another computer, and that’s just one of the many things that have been going on since the last time either one of us posted 2 months ago. I’d like to say I was writing this blog post on our new Mac, but Cindy’s using it. :)

Although the weather hasn’t been summerlike for most of this year, we’ve almost been too busy to really notice. I won’t even begin to mention everything that’s happened lately, but I’ve been working a second job that has really started to pay off now.  In what little free time we’ve had outside of that, we had to leave town twice for a family emergency, had one closer to home, went downtown to see the fireworks at Grant Park, and went to the 2nd annual Chicago Blackhawks convention at the Hyatt. I wasn’t kidding, busy, busy, busy.

On top of all of that, I managed to find time to launch a new website, Maui by Photo. If you know how much we love Maui, you’ll certainly want to check it out.

Upcoming Stuff
We have sort of a little break right now, but we’re hoping things will pick up again shortly.  Cindy’s birthday is in 2 weeks, so we figuring out what we wanna do for that (I’ll let her fill you in).  After that, we’re targeting a trip to Maui in September for the Maui Photo Festival and Workshops. It’s a 4-day event, but the super low rate on the rooms at the Hyatt are available up to 3 days before and 3 days after, so we’re going to try and stretch it out into a longer trip.  It will be great if we can meet up with some of the folks we met last time, and if airfare dropped a little bit more, we’d be all set.

We’re hoping to have that booked in about 2 weeks, so be sure to see a post here with us kicking our heels in excitement (at least figuratively).

The good news with that trip is that we’ll be spending another anniversary (our 6th) on Maui.  The first anniversary we celebrated there was in ‘07, and there isn’t a better place we’d want to be for it.

More Stuff
After our September trip to Maui, we want to go back to Door County for at least 4 days (more if possible) sometime in October when the leaves are changing their colors in full force. On the getaway front, we’re also trying to save for a trip back to the Door in December as well.  As we learned last winter, there really isn’t much to do when it’s that cold outside and half of the peninsula is the closed, but also as we learned, that’s the point.

I’m also on a new kick to get back to selling my photos again. That’s part of the reason we’re trying to go to the photo festival in September and why I’ve been starting to look into some of the local arts shows in the area. I’ll need to carve out more time to make all that happen, but from what I’ve seen so far, it won’t make me rich but it is definitely doable.

New Blog, Someday
Back to the new website, Maui by Photo, for a second. That was my first blog/website created with WordPress, which is totally awesome.  This blog, and my other existing blogs, are all managed with Blogger, which has it’s pros and cons.  At some point (soon I hope) I’m hoping to migrate over my Maui blog over to WP because it’s getting too big for Blogger, and I want to move this blog over so that I can … well, make it look much better using one of the awesome templates out there.  All I need now is time.

That’s about it for now, since I have other work to do.  Sorry for a lot of text without any photos, but one of us will get back into the habit of blogging here and sharing photos, too.

Thanks,
- Kris

Door County 04/16/09- 04/19/09

First off I can't believe the last time I blogged about something was this very same trip to Door County in December of 2008...... I do apologize for the Cindy, in Kris and Cindy's blog to have neglected the site......

4/16/09

" First of want to send birthday wishes to Kris," We're heading back up to Door County, WI this afternoon for an extended weekend, so I thought I would kick off this mini blog, by saying we're staying at Edge water Resort, in Ephraim this trip, and although we never stayed there before we've driven passed it numerous times...

The town of Ephraim is a picture of classic Door County elegance... While you are staying in Ephraim or driving through, you get a great view of the bay.. Ephraim is a wonderful place to walk along the shoreline, check out the sunset, lady's if you want to pamper yourself has great spa to go to....Spa at Sacred grounds, it's minutes from Peninsula state park.. were you could walk, bike.. or enjoy just enjoy the scenery.

So it is a 4 hour drive from Niles IL to Door County... Drive included bright sunshine, nice weather, listening to the cubs game on the radio.. Kris and I made our traditional stop in Sheybogan, where we stopped at the Starbucks, and even Cold Stone Creamery... We continued on with our journey.. We knew we were going to have a late check in, but we didn't know the lobby closes at 5pm Mon -Thurs.. we arrive at The Edgewater Resort, to find an envelope taped to the lobby door with our last name, on it.. it had our room key and what room we are staying in..

We had a beautiful view overlooking the bay..

Our plan was to get settled in then to go to, Jo Joe's Pizzeria and gelato bar, for dinner, they have awesome, pizza and awesome gelato, drive up to find it closed.. the owners are on vacation from 4/16-4/22, we were going to go eat at the Old English Inn, but it was to formal, so we ended up at Husby's bar& grill. After dinner we came back to the room and, believe it or not we were able to watch the Blackhawks game.

4/17/09...

Good morning, from the beautiful Edgewater Resport, where the sun is shining, blue Sky's, this is were i would say have beautiful view of the bay.. this morning little set back.. work is being done on the resort, aka outside our room so we have a nice view of the trucks and a ladder outside our window....

First thing we did was check in, because we couldn't check in yesterday.. After we checked in our plan was to go into Fish Creek, stop at this deli, pick up some deli sandwiches, then go Peninsula State park. We drive down there and the deli shop is closed, and will re-open on 4/24Th, we would try this other small deli, place we know, the sign said closed, but turns out they are closed for good.. We ended up at the Main Street Market, to pick up deli sandwiches, then we drove to Peninsula State Park...

Peninsula State Park, was established in 1909, it's Wisconsin's most popular camping destination, 8 miles of green bay shoreline, wrap around Northern hardwood forests, wetlands, meadows, and 150ft cliffs.

There were numerous stops, and picture opportunities.. Kris and I climbed 70ft Eagle Tower.. you have great views of the shoreline, and other areas of the park. We stopped and ate lunch at Nicolette Beach. It was a nice day.... nice weather+ nice pictures= able to enjoy the view..

We stopped at Eagle Bluff lighthouse, I sat and enjoyed the view while Kris took some pictures. We spent a good 2 hours in the park.. It was a beautiful day, beautiful day to be walking around the park.

After we left the park, we drove into fish creek, there is this coffee shop I like to go to, we stopped there, then we drove back to our resort.

We went to Moja Rosa's for dinner... little diner with a Hispanic feel to it, but we had Hawaiian Pizza, for dinner, and chips& salsa along with cheesy garlic bread for an appetizer,

After dinner we walked north along the shoreline in front of our resort, took pictures of the beautiful sunset, even though it was little chilly, I still enjoyed the view.

4/18/09.......

Good morning from the Edgewater Resort, where the sun is shining, blue sky's and temps going to be in the upper 60"s It is a beautiful day to go to the spa, and go site seeing..

Going to the spa is how I started my day.. I had a spa session , this morning at The Spa at Sacred Grounds in Ephraim. This is the first time going to there spa. I first heard about the spa when we came in Sept, I even booked the session, then I cancelled, I booked a spa session when we came in December, but I canceled it for a second time. I don't know why I cancelled the sessions but I did... I booked the appointment two weeks before we were going up to Door County, therefore if I wanted to cancel the appointment ( again) it would give me plenty of time. I would definitely go there again, staff is friendly, small and quaint.. Don't get me wrong I enjoyed my one hour facial, and one hour Sundari facial, and I will definitely incorporate in my weekend stays up to Door County, but something was off, I don't know if it was because my last two spa experiences were in Maui... (need I say more))...

After I pampered and embarrassed myself at the spa. Wondering how a person could embarrass themselves at the spa. long story short, my BOA card wouldn't work so Kris had to come in and pay for my spa session. We drove into the town by Bailey's Harbor, and had lunch at Espresso bar, it's a small cafe that overlooks Lake Michigan and other small shops. We sat and enjoyed the nice weather.. although along the Lake Michigan side of Door County it was little cooler..

After Lunch we drove along the harbor.. did some site seeing, drove by Kangaroo Lake, We walked to the Cana Island Lighthouse and enjoyed the view of the light house and scenery along Lake Michigan.. If you like to sit and enjoy the view of the lake, there are some great rocks you can sit on and enjoy the view..

Cana Island Lighthouse... Walk the 50o' rock walk way to Cana Island and its 1869 light house.. The gr0unds are maintained much as the 19th century. The waters surrounding the island were once the scene of numerous shipwreckers'

After spending time in Bailey's harbor' we drove south toward Sturgeon bay, where ate dinner in Downtown Sturgeon bay, even though the shops were closed , and not to many people visiting, because it is still early in the season, things won't open until may 1st it was still nice to walk around. We had dinner at Pudgy Seagull After dinner we drove to our resort.

The best way to cap off a good day, and great weekend is by watching hockey, aka Stanley Cup Conference finals. Boston Bruins Vs Montreal Canadians on TV and listening to the Blackhawks game via Internet. Tomorrow we are leaving it's been a great weekend. the weather was great.

Another Great Weekend in Door County, it was quiet, but we knew that before we planned the weekend getaway. , Most of the shops and restaurant s are closed until may 1st, but the weather has been great. Temps in the upper 60's, great weather for us to go site seeing. Till we come to Door County again.

Where Did March Go?

It’s kind of ironic that I’m starting a blog post with a title saying March is over and we’re getting hit with a snowstorm today. Oh well.

The last time Cindy or I posted here, we were still freshly relaxed from our trip to Maui and busy getting into the spring feeling by doing some cleaning at home. Now, 4 weekends later, so much has gone on that it’s really too much to cover in detail.  In the last few weeks, we’ve:

• Been to a few Hawks games,
• printed out photos from our Maui trip,
• ordered and received our vacation portraits (which we absolutely love),
• another cavity-free trip to the dentist,
• Cindy’s first visit to her new eye doctor,
• celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with some grub at Hackney’s,
• booked our next long weekend in Door County for my birthday in April,
• rocked out (badly) at our second Rockband Nite party,
• budgeted our next trip to Maui for September’s Maui Photo Festival (details soon),
• made it back to Woodfield (aka Swarovski) for the first time since January so Cindy could get her annual member pieces,
• and probably a dozen other things that I’m forgetting right now.

Hawks Games
As mentioned, we did manage to check out a few Hawks game this month. Two, to be exact, and both on the opposite sides of the spectrum. The first was a matinee game against the New York Islanders, a team which has the distinct honor of having the worst record in the league. And the Hawks played like garbage. There were actually people in the rows in front of us that decided to leave early, something we hadn’t seen in the handful of games we’ve been to this year.

The second game, however, was absolutely amazing. It was this past Wednesday against the Western Conference leading San Jose Sharks, and the rematch to the game we saw last year. Not only did we have incredible seats down in section 111, the Hawks played out of their you-know-whats to keep us on the edge of our seats the entire game. When the dust had settled, the Hawks were victorious by a score of 6-5 after needing a shootout to determine the outcome. 

Since we were setting closer for this game, I brought along some of my camera gear and took advantage of the view we had. I think I scored some pretty decent shots, and you can see them for yourself. We currently don’t have tickets for any more regular season games, but there’s always a chance we might grab some last minute. Potential playoff tickets go on sale Tuesday (they haven’t officially clinched anything yet), and we’re also planning on going to the upcoming Bud Light Hockey Night event at Buffalo Wild Wings the following week.

Door County
Well, seeing that it’s already been 4 weeks since our last vacation, we need to get away again. :)  Kidding aside, we’re going to spending my birthday up in Door County this year, as I celebrate turning 25 for the 4th time. This trip, we’re staying in Ephraim, which is just south of where we stayed in Sister Bay last December. We’re sticking with the 4 days weekend plan, leaving on Thursday (after a half-day at the office) and coming home Sunday night. Other than scouting out a few lighthouses, one of the state parks, and a spa day for Cindy, we’re planning to take it pretty slow and enjoy the peace and quiet.

It’s still a little bit chilly this time of year up in northern Wisconsin, but no where near the single digit temps and snow we encountered 4 months ago. From what we’ve been reading, we’re looking at mid-40’s during the day, which isn’t great, but still cool enough to switch on the fireplace and whip up the hot cocoa. May is supposed to be the time of year when everything starts blooming, so we’ll have to keep that in mind for next year.

Maui is Calling
As productive as March has been for everything else, I’m still pretty behind on my photos and website updates from our last trip to Maui. While I’m still working on getting caught up there, we’re already hoping to go back in September for the Maui Photo Festival and Workshops. It’s the first of what is shaping to be an annual event on the Valley Isle where novice and experienced photographers alike can attend workshops and hands-on instruction from professional photographers from around the world. Early registration ends on Tuesday, and I’m hoping to score the discount for that today or tomorrow and then start figuring out the rest of the details.

It’s a four day festival from Sept. 16th-20th, and we’re hoping to make a week out of it by leaving that Tuesday and ultimately arriving home the following Monday. While I’m off shooting and filling my brain (and my memory cards) with all new tips and skills, Cindy should have no problem finding things to do. It’s being held at the Hyatt Regency Maui, which has a HUGE spa and a quaint little stretch of sand along Ka’anapali Beach. It’s still walking distance from Whalers Village, where we always spend time during our annual trips, so it looks like a win-win for both of us. Plus, the 20th is our anniversary, and what better way to spend our anniversary than on Maui (again).

More Updates Soon
Seeing that it’s been almost four weeks in between this and our last post, we’re going to try and do a better job of keeping things updated here. March was such a busy month, but April doesn’t appear to be any less hectic, and once the weather (finally) starts warming up, we’ll be outdoors again and doing all sorts of fun things.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s time to head out and grab some lunch. Where’s my winter coat?

Door County - Dec '08 Photos Posted

What few photos I was able to take from Friday have now been posted.  You can check them out on Flickr at our Door County - Dec '08 photo set.

As we had anticipated, there was quite a bit of snow already on the ground when we arrived. Friday was a very nice day, although it was terribly cold with temps only in the teens. Clear skies and only a brisk wind at times on Friday made for some good shooting conditions.

Saturday, however, was a different story altogether. The winds really picked up, and by Friday evening, it was snowing again. And is snowed all night and much of Saturday morning. It tapered off a little bit in the afternoon, but then the winds picked up. 30+ mph winds with gusts going up to 50 mph!  Bruttle for me to try and stay outside long enough to take more photos.

Anyway, take a peek and let me know what you think.

Door County - Dec 7th, 2008

It has been a nice weekend, even though it has been too cold for my taste. I love being up here, and definitely will come back, but I'm not sure if I will come back to Door County during the winter months. You could tell it is the off season in Door County. I did some Christmas shopping, in Fish Creek, and the shops on Jefferson St in Sturgeon Bay. Had pizza at our favorite pizzeria, did some driving. We drove up to Northport pier where you catch the ferry to Washington Island, and took some photos of the lake and snow covered trees. Drove up to Whitefish Dunes State Park, where Kris was able to take photos. We had brunch at Alexanders in Fish Creek, before going home.

It was nice to get away because looking at our calendar, it is going to be a busy one for the Nelson's until we leave for Maui on 2/15.

Our Travel Music this Trip

Looks like Cindy's got all the daily updates from our Door County trip pretty much covered, so I thought I'd write up a little something about the driving music that we've been listening to for the some 700+ miles in the car when the trip is all said and done.

This trip, I went with a collection of mixes from German DJ and producer Roger Shah, aka DJ Shah, aka Sunlounger. Here are the links to iTunes if you'd like to check any of them out for yourself.

• Magic Island, Music for Balearic People, Vol. 1 & 2 [ iTunes | Armada ]
• Songbook [ iTunes ]
• Sunlounger Sessions [ iTunes | Armada ]
• Sunny Tales [ iTunes | Armada ]
• Another Day on the Terrace [ iTunes | Armada ]

You can read more about Roger Shah on his artists page at Armada Music's website.

These mixes are perhaps the best examples of a sub-genre of dance music known as Balearic Trance that I have been able to find to date. Inspired by the Balearic Islands and the dance party island of Ibiza, this sound has more of an island flavor, even something of a latin scheme at times, which continuing with up-beat tempos that keep your toes tapping and relaxes your soul no matter where you are. All this without putting you to sleep, which is a big help when driving. ;)

As for tunes outside of the car? Well, that's Cindy's area. She gets control of the iPod speakers with her Nano, which covers everything from Lifehouse and Rob Thomas to Nickelback and Scott Stapp. There's also some Natasha Bedingfield, Pink, Jillian Huff, and countless others that I can't even name. She knows them all, though, and since she doesn't mind my driving music, her music at the lodge and at home is fine with me.

Door County - Dec 6th, 2008

Looks like Sister Bay got some snow overnight. I woke up to about an additional 1" of snow on the ground. I thought it was going to be a cold day, even though it is windy outside temp wise it isn't too bad, definitely warmer then it was yesterday. Before going to Sturgeon Bay, we stopped at a store in Fish Creek called Lower Deck, (store is famous for their fleece shirts, sweaters, etc,) and picked up couple more Christmas gifts. It took us about an hour to get to Sturgeon Bay. Once we were in town we walked around the shops on Jefferson St and 3rd Ave. I was able to find something for my uncle at this local winery store called Simon Creek and find a gift at the Door County Confectionery. It was a very successful trip.

After walking around we stopped at the Inn at Cedar Crossing for lunch. After lunch we drove back to the lodge and relaxed. Since I was able finish my Christmas shopping up here, it is a good feeling to say I am finished. Now I just have to address my Christmas cards.

We decided we were going to be in for the night, but before we are in we went to the Sister Bay Bowl and supper club for dinner. Then we came back to the lodge, relaxed and listened to the Hawks vs Red Wings game.

Tomorrow we are leaving, but before we leave we are going to brunch to Alexanders in Fish Creek.

Door County - Dec 5th, 2008

Good morning from the Scandinavian Lodge in Sister Bay, where the sun is shining, but don't let that fool you, the temps are cold.

Today's a day of driving and shopping for Christmas gifts. If you continue to read this you will see if shopping for Christmas gifts was accomplished. Here we go!!!!!

We started the day by driving south on Hwy 57. Now Hwy 57 south is along stretch of highway with some stores and that's about it. We passed Baileys Harbor and some other areas before we stopped at Whitesish Dunes State Park.

Whitefish Dunes State Park is an 863 acre day use. It is a park which offers hiking, and picnicking, in warmer months, and cross country skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling in the winter months. You get beautiful views of Michigan , Clark Bay, and Whitefish Bay (when it is warm enough to hike).

Kris and I thought it would be cool and adventurous to hike along one of trails by the nature center, and shoreline until I said, "it is too cold and windy to do this." so I headed back to the car, but Kris was able to take some photos of the shoreline, and the snow covered trees. Along the state park, we also also stopped at the Cave Point County Park, where Kris was able to take some more photos of the lake and snow covered trees.

We continued to drive north on Hwy 57 toward Fish Creek and Sister Bay. Kris was able to take some more photos. We stopped in Fish Creek and went to the Fish Creek Market to pick up deli sandwiches. After lunch we walked around and looked in couple stores to get ideas on a couple of Christmas gifts. After walking around we stopped at the Blue Horse Cafe and enjoyed White Mocha, and a Hot chocolate, before doing some more driving.

We drove north on Hwy 42 and we stopped at the Ephraim Public Beach and took pictures of the shoreline. Even though it was cold and windy it was nice to take photos of the shoreline and lake when it is just starting to freeze over. Another few weeks there will actually be people swimming in that cold water in the annual polar bear plunge in Jacksonport. I Don't know why anyone would want to do that. I personally haven't seen it, only on the news, but my aunt and uncle come up here every year around New Years, and it is one of the things/events they go to while here.

We continued north on Hwy 42 until we couldn't drive anymore. The road ended at Northport Pier before you got on a ferry and went over to Washington Island. Kris took some more photos. From Sturgeon Bay to Northport it is about a 45 minute drive. We turned around and headed south on 42 through Ellison Bay and other neighboring communities. On the way back we stopped at the Tannenbaum Holiday Shop in Sister Bay and did some Christmas shopping.

We came back to the lodge and relaxed before we went to the Mission Grille in Sister Bay for dinner. Atmosphere outside was cold, windy and snowy but the atmosphere inside the restaurant was casual, but charming, warm and pleasing. It was a perfect end to a perfect day.

Yes I was able to find Christmas gifts for my grandfather and a friend of mine. Tomorrow when we go into Sturgeon Bay, and look in the shops on Jefferson St. I will find something for my uncle and be done with Christmas shopping for 2008.

Door County - Dec 4th, 2008

Before I get started and tell you how our trip is going, my aunt and uncle, and grandparents have been coming up here over 25 years now. They would tell me they are going up to Door County, and for the longest time, I thought it was Doora County, and not Door County. So yes I have been adding an A and saying, "Doora County," I thought that was interesting. Now this is our second trip up here I will make sure I pronounce it correctly.

Kris and I are staying at the "Scandinavian Lodge," located in Sister Bay. The Scandinavian Lodge welcomes you with a rustic, cabin, serene, Scandinavian, historical, romantic feel to the lodge.

Kris and I arrived at the Scandinavia Lodge (with sunny skies, but the cold air to greet us) around, 3:30pm. We stopped at, you ready for this, a Target before we checked in.

I'm going to rewind little bit. We left around 10:30am and the drive was a pleasant one. Sunny skies, cold, with some snow on the ground. It was about 12:15pm when we stopped in Sheboygan to eat lunch. Sheboygan had more snow cover on the ground. Maybe 2-4 inches. I was surprised to see that much snow on the ground. We got back on the road close to 1:00pm, and arrived in Door County about 2:30pm. Like I mentioned earlier we stopped at Target first.

Driving along Hwy 42 and through Egg Harbor, and the other towns was different. There weren't many cars driving along 42 when we were here in September, but the atmosphere was different.

You could tell it is off season, some of the shops and resorts are closed for the season. It's quiet people are not walking around (as much).

Arrived at the Scandinavian Lodge, around 3:30pm Kris and I relaxed, and got settled in before we went driving around town. It was nice to see some of the shops and houses decorated for Christmas. Nice to look at the water and some of the piers and beaches at night. After driving around, we went to this little pizzeria and gelato bar named Jo Joe's we found in Ephraim when we were here in September.

After dinner we came back to the lodge relaxed by the fireplace, with a cappuccino, and listening to my iPod. You could relax at home in front of your own fireplace with a cappuccino, and some music, but I think it's more relaxing, maybe because I think the atmosphere is different.

Even though it is a lot colder, and I can not stand the cold, and their is a quieter atmosphere then when we were up here in September. I think it will be a nice weekend. By the end of the trip I will let you know if I would like to come up here during the winter months again.

Busy Morning

After an amazing Hawks game last night, it's time to finish packing, load the car, and hit the road. We leave in about 2 hours, and I still have a lot to finish up. We're heading up to Door County today for an extended weekend (as if the Thanksgiving weekend wasn't enough) of peace and quiet, and probably our last good chance to relax until all the holiday madness is over.

I hope to be hitting the ice sometime this weekend. Rumor has it there's an outdoor rink near our lodge up in Sister Bay, so that's one of my missions this weekend. Also, they have had just about the same amount of snow so far as we've had, if not a little more. It's about 10°F colder up there, but I'm still hoping to get some great photos of the snow covered landscapes.

I'll do my best to post daily updates and a few photos while we're away, so stay tuned if you'd like to follow along.

Gotta run...

Welcome Home Hawks

As the days come and go, we keep crossing things off of our busy calendar. Today, we welcome back the Chicago Blackhawks to the United Center after spending the last 3 weeks on the road while the circus was in town. We were at their last home game all the way back on 11/20 as I mentioned here, so we're looking forward to seeing them again.

And, of course, all the talk about winter over the past few days is going to make it a little more challenging. It's around Noon right now, and although the skies are somewhat clear at the moment, there's a storm not that far West of us that's expected to hit within the next few hours. Starting as rain, turning into a rain/snow mix, and then probably all snow by the end of the evening.  Expected accumulation of 2-4 inches.

With us going to the Hawks game tonight, the timing couldn't be worse.  It's a 7:30pm start, and we like to get their early to find better parking, grab some overpriced food, and get comfy in our 300 level seats. Given normal traffic, we'd probably leave for the UC around 6:30pm, but today we're thinking it's going to be more like 5:30pm.  But first, I have to get home from work, which by leaving at 3pm and assuming the storm is well underway, should take 60-90 minutes.  Ouch.

But we're used to it, so we suck it up, bundle up, and make the best of it.  We're hockey fans, for crying out loud, and aside from those locos sitting shirtless at Soldiers Fields in the middle of December, hockey fans are pretty darn tough.

The Hawks have been doing pretty good this year, although there is always room for improvement. They're 2nd in their division behind Detroit (duh) and have a record of 10-6-6 about a quarter into the season. The Western Conference is pretty tough this year, too, and the Hawks are currently 7th in the West. The last home game we saw was in November where they gave up a heartbreaker to the league's best San Jose Sharks.  But tonight it's Anahiem we're up against, who beat us by a slim 1-0 margin last Friday in California. The Ducks are currently 3rd in the conference, so it should be a tough fight.

Tomorrow

Hopefully we'll be leaving the United Center with a win tonight, but we're also pretty sure the drive home will be a mess, even if the storm is done by then. We have to get up early tomorrow because we're leaving for Door County, WI around 9am. They've been getting more snow up north than I had originally read, so I'm hoping it's going to look pretty beautiful up there.  We can't wait.

Anyway, Go Hawks!

Next Door County Trip - Dec. 4th

After nearly adding another Maui trip for the first week of December, Cindy and I decided to stick with the original plan of going back to Door County for the weekend.  After our first trip in September for our anniversary, we knew we'd be going back often.

Last time we stayed in Sturgeon Bay along the water at the Westwoord Shores Waterfront Resort.  It was a lovely resort and we really enjoyed it there.  We did want to mix it up a little bit, though, for going in December.  This time, we're going to try out the Scandinavian Lodge in Sister Bay, which is further north on the penninsula.  One of the reasons I wanted to try out Sister Bay this time was because I was reading up on one of the skating rinks in the area, so I though it'd be fun to get back on the ice for a little bit while we're there.

We're anticipating there being at least some snow by the first week of December in Door County (which is actually only 4 weeks away if you can believe it).  Not entirely sure what that means in terms of being mobile and driving around as much as we did in September, but it will fun to see.  I'm a big fan of winter and snow, while Cindy prefers more of the sun and sand (which I admit, I'm quite fond of, too).  Yet, just in our initial experience with all the greenery and open areas throughout the county in the middle of September as the leaves just started to change, we have visions of a true winter wonderland for this trip.  We can't wait.

I posted photos and details from our first trip over at my photography site and am really looking forward to getting some great photos of winter to add to the list.  Also, I'm hoping for at least one starry night like we had on our last trip.  Besides a blizzard, some nice, cold, dry air in the winter can mean no clouds, and from the looks of things, I'll only be dealing with a half-moon that week. 

But winter nights plus no clouds usually equals cold (see, winter nights + no clouds = cold), so I'll need to prepare for that aspect of it, too.  I was outside last February in Chicago taking photos of the lunar eclipse with my Canon and my telephoto lens, and it was a frosty 4 degrees below zero!!!  Luckily, I was near the door of our parking garage and was able to sneak out for a few shots, battle the wind chill for a few seconds, and then jump back inside to warm up.  That doesn't work for 15-30 second exposures for shooting the stars, however.  I get cold just thinking about it.

As for plans once we're there, we haven't really made any as of yet.  We'll probably talk more about before the Thanksgiving holiday and read up on the anticipated weather as it gets closer.  Barring a full out snowstorm, all odds are good that we'll have another good time no matter what.  It could be worse, we could be working instead. :)

A Quick Update

Just wanted to post a quick mid-week update. Cindy and I were invited to the Wolves game last Sunday by her aunt and uncle, who won a suite at the Allstate Arena for a game. It was against the Rockford Ice Hogs, which is the AHL affiliate for the Blackhawks, so we were torn. Actually, we weren't because we were routing for Rockford (sorry guys). They ended up winning in an 8-round shootout, which was the first shootout we have seen like. That was cool.

I tried my best to take photos with my new camera, but we almost directly behind the goal, so I had the protective netting above the class to content with. I managed to sneak over to one of the adjacent sections for the 2nd period and tried to get some good photos. I'll be posting them over on Flickr and blogging at photonelly.com sometime this week.

Travel plans are coming along, and we're hoping to have good news on our next Maui trip in the coming weeks. Sooner than that, we're heading out to South Bend, IN to visit one of Cindy's friends and looking to spend another weekend in Door County, WI the first week of December. More details as things get closer.

Aside from that, just working through the week and trying to play catch-up with a lot of little things in my spare time (like blogging).

That's all for now.

Mahalo.

Hockey's Back, More Door County, and Closer to Maui

Aloha,

It's only been a few weeks since we came back from Door County and my last post here, but it seems like forever. It has been a very crazy and stressful last few weeks for me, but it looks like it's starting to calm down again, even if only for a little bit.

Hockey's Back
Cindy and I are so excited that it's hockey season once again, and routing for the Blackhawks this season is getting rather popular. Cindy and mom are still bummed about the Savard thing, though. It seems like it was a difficult choice to say the least, but if it truly is what's best for the team, we'll be happy when they're winning.

We all went to our first Hawks game this season, and it was a blast. It was a Buy One Get One offer, so the seats were up in the 300s at the United Center, yet surprisingly they were great seats. Too high up for my camera, but from a fans perspective, you could see everything. They ended up getting their first win of the season, beating Phoenix 4-1 in a exciting and physical battle. We have Wolves tickets with Cindy's aunt and uncle for the 26th, and then it's back to looking for Hawks tickets.

More Door County

I mentioned it's only been a few weeks since Door County, but with all the stress and chaos going on in our lives right now, we're ready to get away again.  Right now, we're thinking the first week of December for a Thursday-Sunday trip, and looking to stay in either Fish Creek or Ephriam this time.  We'll probably start looking next week, and maybe take a peak at what the weather is historically like in early December (read "how much snow").  It will be fun to get away again, and hopefully I won't have to spend my mornings working this time. It will also be easier to find something now that we have a good idea of where everything is now.

Closer to Maui

We'll, it's just about 4 months until we leave for our next planned Maui trip, and we're getting pretty anxious to be back on the warm sands of Ka'anapali.  We had a good talk with my aunt earlier in the week (at the hockey game of all places) about using their timeshare in West Maui for our trip.  At first, we brushed off the idea of not staying at the Sheraton again this year, but after some discussion and the fact that it would save us tons of money, we reconsidered.  We hoping to find out today more details about the timeshare and what the availability looks like for the two weeks we want to be in Maui.

That said, we could have our lodging booked this weekend!!!  I've been watching airfare with Kayak and it seems to be fluxating just a little, but if that ends up being the most expensive part of our booking, than I'll be pretty darn happy.

Well, that's the short and sweet of it right now, without all the crazy stuff going on.  As mentioned, I'm hoping to have good news on the Maui trip, so if you hear me screaming for joy, you know why. :)

Mahalo,

Kris

Door County Photos Posted

After only being back a week from our first trip to Door County, I was able to get our photos uploaded to Flickr, which you can view here.

There aren't any photo titles or descriptions yet, nor are any of these posted to the photo map yet, either. That will be something I hope to accomplish over the next few days. In the meantime, you can still browse through and match them up according to our period Door County posts at the blog here.

Mahalo for now,
Kris.

Door County: Day 3

Saturday was already going to be the highlight of our trip, seeing that it was our anniversary and the whole reason we took the weekend off and came out to Door County, so Sunday was just going to be for relaxing and carefree. The game plan for Day 3 was going to be Sunday Brunch, a few hours at the Spa for Cindy, going to one of the state parks and having a nice dinner. Well, we ended up having brunch, and that was about it.

Cindy decided to cancel her plans at the spa for Sunday, so that freed up sometime in the afternoon and allowed her to take her time in the morning getting ready for brunch. We went to the Inn at Cedar Crossing in downtown Sturgeon Bay for brunch, which was a nice little diner where we happened to get a good table right next to the window. The first thing we noticed, while not associated with brunch, was that Sunday during football season in Wisconsin meant EVERYONE was wearing green. It didn't seem to matter about the whole Brett Farve thing (which is still a sore subject to some), anyone and everyone that was a true fan was wearing their green and gold. Yikes.

Back to brunch, Cindy and I were both spying the pancakes on the menu; her, the traditional buttermilk pancakes, and I just had to have the cherry ones. We hadn't really associated why 2 pancakes alone had cost about $8 until they were brought to the table. Wow, these things were bigger than the plate itself! They were really good, though, but we just couldn't finish them. The portions aside, it was a very lovely meal.

So, with our stomachs full, we decided to start walking (something we did a lot of) and after a trip around town, we jumped in the car and headed north on 42 towards Ephraim. We wanted to check out one of the state parks, Peninsula State Park to be exact, that we had seen on the map to see how the bike trail was and whether or not there was enough good pavement for me to rollerblade on. We were disappointed, though, that when we pulled up to the entrance, that you had to pay to enter. That sort of caught us off guard, so we turned around and kept driving.

Along our drive, we made more than a few stops and detours, checking for different views of the bay and finding a few shops to look around. We must have killed a good 3 hours before Cindy finally dozed off and I was just driving to drive. I kept heading north until I found myself near Northport, which on Hwy 42, is the last area before the ferry dock to Washington Island. What was great about Hwy 42 in Northport was that is was very curvy and empty, not another car on the road.

While the road wasn't as winding and curvy as the Road to Hana, which of course we had to joke about, it was still fun and I just may have kicked it up a little bit above the speed limit (don't tell anyone, ok?). I had guessed that it would have had a different path back once we reached the ferry dock, but to my excitement, it was a dead end. So, I got to drive the same road again, this time going the other direction. It was a small thrill, but at that point, it wasn't going to take much to keep me entertained.

On the way back from Northport, we stopped at quite a few different points just to pull over, walk around, take photos and browse through some of the stores. We stopped at Sarah's Snack Shop (although the kid behind the counter didn't look like a Sarah, but it was Sunday), and Cindy picked up her Door County sweatshirt and half an egg sandwich while I enjoyed a strawberry and banana smoothie for lunch.

As we made our way back South, one stop at a time, we hit a coffee shop for Cindy, found a nice park to relax in, and saw some leather jackets that were very nice, but cost about $1,400 dollars. That part was a little crazy. As we spent the day just wandering and enjoying the fact that we didn't have any plans, we decided on a finding a place to pick up dinner and just eat at the resort. We found a small deli in Egg Harbor where we grabbed some sandwiches and that was that.

We were both pretty tired from all the fresh air, and also the fact that I was still getting up at 5am (not going to go there). The Packers game wasn't until 7:15pm, although you wouldn't know it by what we saw so early in the morning. I, however, was pretty much down for the count by 9 o'clock and I don't think Cindy was that far behind me.

Looking back at what we had planned to do and what actually did, they were pretty far apart. We still enjoyed ourselves, though, and for our last full day in Door County, it left a very nice impression.

Door County: Day 2

Our second day in Door County marked our 5 year anniversary, so it was going to be special no matter what we did.

A first morning in Door County was a little gray, which we later realized was the same for the other days, too. It almost looks like a dense fog outside until at least 9am or later. No worries, though, as we didn't make it out the door until about 10:30am. We headed into town for the annual Harvest Moon Festival in downtown Sturgeon Bay. It featured an antique car show, music, and local merchants with tents all along 3rd Ave. We walked around for about an hour or so, checked out a few shops and grabbed a bite to eat while we were there.

Later in the afternoon, we decided to drive up north again along Hwy 42 and, since we sort of knew where we were headed this time, were able to pay more attention to the scenery instead of the map. It almost seemed like in just 24 hours, the leaves on all the trees along the road had started to change colors, with a few oranges and reds here and there. It is probably more likekly that we just hadn't paid attention to them yesterday, but it was still a pleasant surprise. We initially were headed up to Fish Creek to check out the bike trails at the Peninsula State Park, but we were getting a little hungry and decided to turn back and head for dinner.

For our anniversary dinner, we chose Stone Harbor right on the waterfront in Sturgeon Bay. There was a wedding at the resort (the 3rd one we saw that day), but we still had enough room at the restaurant for a quiet and lovely dinner. In celebration of our anniversary, we just had to have the tiramisu for desert, as we did as part of our reception 5 years ago.

Of course, after a full dinner and a piece of tiramisu large enough for 4 people to share, we had to walk it off. If was just before sunset, although you couldn't really tell because of all the overcast and clouds in the sky. We walked along 1st and 2nd avenues downtown, and crossed over the drawbridge at Michigan Ave. As we were walking, we had to keep an eye on the time because we had 8pm reservations for an hour long carriage ride nearby.

At around 7:30pm, we decided to head on over and start our carriage ride early. By this time, it was just about completely dark, and Cindy was really excited when she saw the horse. The two carriages were parked next to each other, and our horse and the one next to it seemed like they were having a conversation. We got on board, and away we went. It was a little chilly, and even though there was just two us in a carriage that seats 6, it felt like we were going pretty slow.

Neither one of us was sure where we would be riding for an entire hour since the area was realtively small, but we ended up going along the bay and through some peaceful residential areas over the course of the tour. Everything was so quiet and calm, along the bay and listening to the water. There lights lit up the shore across the water and with no other traffic or commotion aside from the sound of the horse's hooves hitting the payment, it was like we were the only ones on the planet. Very nice.

By the time we came back to the resort, it was around 9pm and we were pretty exhausted (as I imagine the horse was, too). The clouds that had lingered throughout the sky most of the day continued their dominance at night, so the amazing display of stars we saw on Friday was nowhere to be seen.

While it would be hard to compare this anniversary to last year's, it was still very special and memorable. 5 years of marriage in the book, and it still seems like it was only yesterday...

Door County: Day 1

I thought I would take a moment to recap some of the activities of yesterday, our arrival and first day in Door County, WI.

The drive up was rather smooth and uneventful. It looks like we mostly caught the tail end of construction season as there were only a few congested spots and one extended detour. With only one stop in Sheboygan for lunch and Starbucks, we made it up here in pretty good time.

We starting at the Westwood Shores Waterfront Resort in Sturgeon Bay, and our suite is right on the water and has a stunning view of the bay. It is a little reminiscent of our view of Maui, but obviously that's not an equal comparison. ;) We already have some photos that we're hoping to have posted later today.

Once we were situated and mostly unpacked, and after a little meal planning, we decided to head out north and start getting our bearings. After a beautiful and solitary drive (there were literally no other car on the road), we found our way through Egg Harbor, Fish Creek and then up to Ephraim. We had a taste for pizza and ended up at Joe Jo's Pizza & Gelato in Ephraim. The pizza was good (had to get the pineapple, of course), but the Gelato was an excellent way to finish off the meal. I went with the Cherry, which tasted just like the Cherry Starbursts, and Cindy chose the German Chocolate. Wish we could take more of that home.

After dinner, we drove back south down 57, which went through Baileys Harbor and a few smaller areas. It was getting dark fast, so as we went farther, it was harder to read some of the signs. We made it back to Sturgeon Bay and went into the Business District. By this time, much of the stores were closed, but now we know where most everything is. :)

One stop at Walmart and we were back towards the resort. Even though it had been dark for over an hour by then, we didn't realize all the stars over our heads until we got out of the car and Cindy noticed it. I had hoped the stargazing would be better up here, and even brought all my gear. It was just, up to that point, it hadn't entered my mind that evening.

But, once we say how beautiful the sky was, it was only 15 minutes before we were down by the water, binoculars, camera, and tripod in hand, ready to take in the show. I wasn't out there too long, but still managed to get some decent photos (we looked at them on the TV in our suite last night). I had perfect views of the Jupiter and the Big Dipper, just to name a few. While I was able to get the entire dipper in a single frame, it came out more blurier than I had hoped. Tonight, I fix that.

For only being in Door County for about 6 hours yesterday, we still managed to fill up a day's worth. Today is our 5th Anniversary, so we have even more fun stuff to do. With that said, I'm going to shut down the laptop and head on out and enjoy day 2.

Mahalo,
Kris.

Rain, rain, and more rain

Boy, it seems like we're getting all the rain that we where missing this summer just in this past week along. Now, I know I can't complain because of all the hurricane activity along the East Coast and the Gulf this past month or two. That certainly puts things into perspective.

It is the weekend, finally, and after my first full week of my new early morning hours, I feel pretty happy with the change and how my body has responded to it rather quickly. To keep in that habit, at least for the time being, the concept of sleeping in on the weekends now means 6:30am instead of 5:00am during the week. Doesn't sound that much better, does it?

With summer winding down, there are fewer opportunities for us to get out on the bike trails and, for me at least, strap on the rollerblades for a few hours. We originally were going to have a picnic at the forest preserves today with a few friends from work, but that's obviously not going to happen. I actually didn't get a chance to skate at all this week, but I'll spare the details on that. Cindy and I are heading out to Schaumburg today to go to dinner for my aunt's birthday, and had planned to spend time on the trails at Busse Woods before that, but that's not going to happen either.

Aside from the weather, this time next week we'll be in Door County, WI for the first time, and we're looking forward to that. I just ordered a new camera from Amazon for the trip, and it should be here by Tuesday just in time. I'm looking forward to taking lots of photos and trying it out, as well as just relaxing and soaking up the not-so-hectic life for 4 days. Hopefully it will help hold us over until our Maui trip in February, or at least until the holiday time off for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Don't know if I'll be posting here again before our trip next weekend, but I'll try to make a point of blogging about our activities while we're there.

Mahalo.

One Week to Door County

It's getting to that time of year where the temperature starts to drop (it was almost 40 degrees last night), the leaves are starting to change, and the days just seem to be getting shorter.

It was almost 5 years ago when Cindy and I were married, and with just one week left to our anniversary, we are looking forward to our first trip up to Door County. We leave on the 19th for a four hour road trip up north to Sturgeon Bay, where we'll be staying for 4 days and 3 nights at the Westwood Shores Resort right on the water. We were referred this resort by Cindy's aunt and uncle, so we have it on a good authority that it will be very nice, indeed.

We originally wanted to do a cruise for our anniversary, perhaps going back to the Bahamas again, but budgets and airfare just weren't accommodating. In any case, we're looking forward to the long weekend.


The only other change possibly worth noting is the adjustment I'm making to my work/life schedule. For the past week, I've been getting up earlier and earlier (currently at 5am) so I can make it to the office by 7am. As such, I'm able to get more work done and be out of the office by 4pm at the latest. This has been giving me plenty of extra time in the afternoon to do more than I could before, when I wasn't getting home until 7pm.

It's been an adjustment, but so far, I'm liking the benefits.


Back to Door County, I just ordered a new point-and-shoot camera, the Canon PowerShot SD890 IS, to take with on the trip. Now I just need to tell Cindy that I bought it. :)