Summer Field Trips

Now that we are at the “official” end of summer (and by the way, I think school should not start till after Labor Day like when I was a kid) we have reviewed our “Field Trip” list. Each June, sitting on the porch on one of those warm breezy nights when summer is beckoning us, we draw up the things we would like to do in the three months that are before us. This year’s list included:


1) Train ride and dinner to Two Brothers Brewery in Aurora.

2) Pedway tour that I saw advertised in the “On the Go” section of the Trib.

3) Farnsworth House in Plainfield – the Mies van der Rohr Glass House.

4) foot detox at The Salt Cave.

5) Milwaukee boat brewery tour that I read about in the June issue of Cooking Light.



Haven’t done the train ride yet, but we did look at the schedule. It appears that we would have to drink about three hours worth of Prairie Path beer should we decide to train and dine there – and that’s the weekday schedule. There is still time, however in September for that adventure.

Have not taken the pedway tour but I think it still sounds cool. There are a few offerings and it looks like the one that costs about $20 is worth it, as the tour guide is also a bit of a historian.

Still need to get uptown for the foot detox. Just putting my feet into cool water and sitting there for a half an hour sounds heavenly.

We did go to the Farnsworth House on a gorgeous Thursday for the two hour tour. Plainfield is a trek and it took a good hour and fifteen minutes to get there. There is a movie that is shown prior to the tour so you get a bit of the history. The story of the house and of Dr. Farnsworth, her relationship with Mies and the actual building of the house are fascinating. We had a very good docent who gave a great tour and answered any and all questions.

Finally, the boat brewery tour was a blast! I read about it in Cooking Light magazine in a small section about gastronomy in the Midwest. Tours are arranged by Riverwalk Boat Tours phone number 414-283-9999, www.riverwalkboats.com. For $30 a person, you have a 4-hour combined tour and boat trip along the Milwaukee River. We started the day at Lakeshore Brewery where we were treated to a very fun, alive tour for about forty-five minutes. Upon arrival at each brewery, each participant gets 2 tickets for 2 beers per stop. We also each got an orange 12-oz cup. So, you get 2 12-oz beers per stop times 3 equals 6 regular sized beers! (Plan to stay overnight, we didn’t so I could not imbibe as much as I would have liked).

There are about 50 people in the group. After the first tour – we got to taste some of their specialty beer as well during the tour from a tapper installed in the basement – I think it was 8.6 percent – we boarded the pontoon and went to Milwaukee Ale House. There was a short talk there, describing the beers. The actual brewing occurs at a warehouse a few blocks from the Ale House.

Since this was our first time on a tour like this, we were not sure about eating lunch or if we could even get food along the way. At the Ale House, we got 2 tickets once again and also had a leisurely hour to spend eating and drinking as it is a full serve restaurant. The final stop was Rock Bottom Brewery – again 2 tickets and a full menu. We met some people from Boston and talked Hawks, Patriots, Bears. Also the tour guide was sitting with us. We commented on the amount of BEER on this tour and she laughed and said when people first come on board, they want to know if they can buy more tickets for beer. She quipped, “Believe me, you won’t need more tickets.”

We arrived back at Lakeshore Brewery at 5:30, a four hour tour. It was a delightful day, made even better by perfect weather and great company….oh and good, oh so good, beer. Riverwalk Boats offers a few different types of tours; my son told me he attended a bachelor party on a tour. Fun, but Sunday afternoon is probably free from that type of party. The tours start up in May. It’s a great way to spend a Sunday or if you are heading up to Milwaukee for a couple of days, this is a fun way to see the riverfront. Enjoy - !

The Salt Cave

There was considerable buzz when the advertisement went up for the Salt Cave on La Grange Road. When I walked by and saw the sign, I thought it was going to be a seafood restaurant...not so far-fetched since we don't have one and restaurants are opening and moving all the time.

But the Salt Cave turned out to be just that:  a salt cave. Fortunately, a friend enlightened me and told me it was a meditative experience and is relaxing, you sit and think, pray or just enjoy the quiet...and the healing air.

Then my husband got me a gift certificate for Mother's Day. He ventured in there on an open house and thought it was really cool. He tried to describe it to me, adding there are various treatments, and so gave me enough leeway to choose what I would like. Along with the gift certificate came a nylon bag with beautiful coral colored salt crystals.

I stopped in on a Friday afternoon with the work week behind me. Ah, I thought now I can relax.

The first thing that I noticed was the lovely pinkish lamps and crystals displayed everywhere. And the fragrance, it was lovely. Just enough to appeal to the senses without bombarding them.

After an introduction of each of the treatments, I decided on the Aqua Float.

There is a human-sized box in the room that you climb onto. A board is just below the top of this "box" and the attendant covers you with a sheet, then a plastic blanket that is filled with gussets that will eventually fill up with water. The attendant indicates that you will hear some gurgling, as that is the water filling up in the pockets.

You then are lowered very slightly and the water flows around you, gently massaging your neck and back. You are fully clothed and protected with the plastic covering. I expected the water to be cool, but it is body temperature. I thought I might get hot or claustrophic, but neither happened.

During the last 5-7 minutes, the water waves around your feet. It is not hard jets like a whirlpool, but rather gentle waves. I asked if anyone falls asleep and the attendant told me yes, but mostly people say it is like lying on a beach, watching no kids, just noting the sounds around you but not listening to anything in particular. It is much like that, when your body is carved perfectly into the sand and you drift off with the sounds of the afternoon. I think I did fall asleep for a bit, though.

I love the Aqua Float - I felt very relaxed and sat for a minute in a chair in the room and had a bottle of water. The room is very soothing with dimmed lighting and music and it all smells so good. Definitely a treat -

30 minutes and $30.00
8 S La Grange Rd., 708-482-2505 www.primaloceanssaltcave.com

The Cat's Meow

When my friend’s mother, Betty fell about a year ago and no one was able to get to her without breaking down the door, my friend and her sister decided to not only have keys made for their mom’s place, but also to enroll their mom in a “Help! I’ve fallen and can’t get up” service so that she could summon help if needed. Of course, the mom did not want this extra attention and figured that things were fine as they were, but the daughters won out.




One daughter got married in December and the newlyweds left on a long-awaited honeymoon this past week. Grandma Betty was delegated to take care of the bride’s cat, Socks. Socks is a very social cat and acclimated easily to her new temporary home.



On Tuesday, Betty awoke in the middle of the night to three paramedics standing over her. She was a little taken aback, what was going on?



The dispatcher relayed the story: When the help call came in, she could hear only meowing that got louder and louder. No human sounds, just cat sounds.



It turned out that Socks had hit the alarm on the bracelet while Betty was asleep and was holding a conversation with the dispatcher. It was later revealed that Socks had in fact summoned the service three times previously, but it was during Betty’s waking hours and Betty assured the dispatcher that she was all right, that the cat had “accidentally” triggered the alarm.



Socks must have become lonely in the night…..

Reading in the new age

I love to read - I love everything about reading from the feel of the book, the paper, the typeface and I even like bookmarks. I heard all the buzz about electronic reading devices - how it's so great not to have to lug a book around; there is the dictionary feature built in so you can look up a word right then and there. And I even heard from a librarian about how much she loved her new Kindle.

So, when my son was going Christmas shopping this year, he called and said that his girlfriend really likes to read books and he was thinking of getting her a Kindle. He asked my opinion.

"Well, I really like to read books too and I would not like a Kindle."

He responded, "Well, too bad. That's what I got you. Get with the times, Ma."

One of the reasons I did not want a Kindle or a Nook was that you had to buy books when the devices first came out. I am a library patron; I buy one or two books a year for myself and I will buy books as gifts. But I would rather wait weeks for a bestseller rather than shelling out $20+ for a book that I will read only once.

When libraries introduced electronic books to patrons, I was a bit intrigued and relaxed a bit in my opinion of Kindles and Nooks. When I opened my Christmas present, surprise surprise, I got a Nook. I was further intrigued and loved the spiffy purple cover for it. I looked at the instructions on the library website for Media on Demand, and thought I had better go to the library to get a demo.

I went to La Grange Park Library and up to the reference desk, where all the librarians are more than willing to help you set up and get going. And it takes all of five minutes to get up to speed. I downloaded a book - a Lee Child Jack Reacher adventure and I was on my way.

And though I am not ready to pitch my bookmarks, I have to admit - I LOVE my Nook.....and this from a staunch non-believer.