Episode 26: June 2007
Highlights of the month include:
• Day trip to Saugatuck, Michigan
• MS 150 bike ride for charity
• Neal’s birthday weekend
• Weekend at the Taste of Chicago
June was yet another adventure-filled month in the Shorg household. It began with a weekend at home. We drove two hours south to a suburb of Detroit to have lunch with some of Neal’s friends who went to the same business school as him. It was great to see Paul, Shalaka, Wendy, and the newest member of the King family, baby Mallory. On arriving back in Midland, we visited the local art fair that showcased craftsman from all around Michigan. The heat, however, restricted the amount of time we spent outside. The following day, we invited a few friends over to join us for a casual barbeque lunch. I spent a few days of the following week in Texas before getting back in time to celebrate our friend, Patty’s, birthday at a martini bar in Bay City. We were joined by our other good friends, Dave and Marcelo, for what proved to be a fun – and late – evening.
The following morning we drove 2.5 hours west to Grand Rapids, Michigan (a town you may remember from our May adventures). Rather than stop in Grand Rapids, we kept on driving to the beautiful lake-side town of Saugatuck. A quaint little town that comes alive with the summer tourists, Saugatuck was full of gorgeous boutique stores, restaurants, and plenty of yachts in the harbor. Some of the specialty stores which we just could not resist stopping at included a store that specialized in olive oils and balsamic vinegars – it had its own tasting center set up with several urns filled with different kinds of infused olive oils and vinegars – and another that specialized in every imaginable dry spices from all over the world. Both stores seemed to be out of place in this tiny Michigan town, and we were very happy to stumble across them. That particular weekend was especially busy in Saugatuck because the town’s annual film festival was on. Somehow, the film festival in Saugatuck attracts crowds in the thousands each year, including the occasional indie movie star. Although we did not have time to catch a flick, we were impressed with the selection of movies on hand.
We spent the evening back in Grand Rapids where we re-visited our favorite tapas bar for dinner. We got to bed fairly early to build up some energy for the next day. On Sunday, we rode in the short version of the MS-150, a bike ride that raises money to fight against multiple sclerosis. The full ride is 150 miles (~250 kms) over two days. Having not exactly trained for the event (and each fighting some nagging injuries), we opted for the abridged version – a one-day, 30-mile ride (~50 kms).
We got to the registration desk at a local high school in Grand Rapids at 9 am to begin our journey. The ride was very well-coordinated and organized, with rest stops planned along the way and a cook-out at the finish line. The ride itself consisted of rolling hills (ouch) and some great scenery of the green lands and farm houses of mid-Michigan. Though we did not break any land speed records, Neal and I finished the ride in a personal-best time of 2 hours, 50 minutes (including rest and photo stops). At the finish line, we were welcomed by the organizing committee who loudly cheered us in, a Dow-sponsored masseuse, and a nice lunch. We came away from the weekend feeling proud of ourselves for completing the 30-mile race and looking forward to working up to the full 150 miles next year.
Upon returning to Midland, we got cleaned up and then headed back out to a colleague/friend’s house to attend his farewell party. He has decided to leave Dow and return to Switzerland to work for a new company. This was the same colleague who brought me to Switzerland from Australia to work for him, so I was quite sad to see him and his family leave. However, I am happy for him as he is off to head up HR at a very large private company, so we wish him all the best!
The next weekend we sought out some relief from the hot weather, taking a long-overdue trip to the beach. Yes, the beach. Michigan has the next best thing to the ocean: the great lakes, which offer amazing masses of fresh water that in some cases go as far as the horizon and feature white-sand beaches and their own tides. We drove to Tawas City with Dave, Marcelo, Patty, and a friend of Dave’s, Nicole. The Tawas beach was wonderful and clean, with sand that rivaled any beach in Victoria, Australia. I must admit that the water was a little cool, and I was not quite ready for the feeling of fresh water. We had a great day soaking up the sun, swimming, and enjoying a picnic lunch on the beach. We even found time to sneak in a few games of Yahtzee!
The next weekend was Neal’s birthday weekend. As a surprise for him, I arranged for a few of his friends from business school to come over and spend the weekend with us. They were not going to arrive at our house until later in the evening, so I had to keep Neal busy. After a day of work, Neal and I went to the golf course and snuck in a round at the par-3 course before going home and cooking dinner. To Neal’s surprise, the doorbell mysteriously rang at about 11 pm. The look on Neal’s face was priceless as he answered the door to see his friends that he had not seen in over two years. There was a lot of catching up to do, and we stayed up until 3 am chatting and hearing about what has been happening in each other’s lives.
The following morning, we went back to the golf course and met up with another friend, Paul, who drove up from Detroit that morning. Letty and I only played nine holes, while the boys played a full 18. That evening, we continued the festivities with a barbeque dinner at our house where more friends from Midland joined us. After great food, good company, and a marathon round of Texas Hold ‘Em poker, we got into bed in the wee hours of the Sunday morning.
On Sunday, after saying goodbye to Steve, Jorge and Letty, we welcomed two friends from Switzerland for lunch, Ulrika and Dan Thanh. Both of them happened to be in town for work reasons, and it was wonderful to see them and catch up on all our friends in Switzerland.
The final adventure of the month was the Taste of Chicago, a Chicago tradition in which local restaurants set up stalls in a park in the city and cook up all kinds of food. The event features cuisine from more than 70 restaurants in the city plus entertainment and other side attractions. We arrived in Chicago on Friday evening, and I had one more birthday surprise planned for Neal. For dinner that night, we went to Charlie Trotter’s, a famous restaurant (listed in our 1000-places-to-see-before-you-die book) and well renowned for its chef and his artistic culinary creations. The restaurant did not disappoint. The fun part of it was that we got a chance to don our party frocks, as the restaurant required formal attire. The restaurant itself was very discreet from the outside, looking more like a well-lit house than a famous restaurant. It was not until we got inside that Neal realized where we were and I got the full value of the surprise. The food – presented in a nine-course tasting menu – showcased the freshest and most unusual ingredients, presented in a way that resembled art more than dinner. It was a very memorable dinner experience.
The following day, we hit the Taste. We started by walking down Michigan Avenue for the obligatory stroll through some of our favorite stores. Eventually, we joined the crowds at the Taste. The set-up was fantastic. There were stalls everywhere for the different restaurants, which each shop offering four dishes to showcase their cuisine. Each restaurant prepared a “taste” portion which allowed us to taste small samples of many dishes. Besides the obligatory slice of Chicago pizza and a Chicago-style hot dog, we tried to stay away from the ordinary food that we could get everywhere. A few favorites of ours were Polish pierogies, Puerto Rican plantain sandwiches filled with steak, tenderloin and blue cheese sandwiches, Mexican tacos, and African goat with coconut rice. Delicious!
For me, the highlight of the Taste was the free concert put on by the one-and-only Kenny Rogers. Kenny continues to be a hot favorite of mine and my friend, Andrea, so there was quite the nostalgic factor associated with listening to him. It was great fun to sit in Grant Park under the sun and sing along with the crowd (and Kenny) to his hits!
That evening, we met up with Neal’s friends Jorge, Letty, and Steve for dinner. This time, we were joined by Steve’s wife, Tara, and daughter, Megan. It was another great evening.
On Sunday we treated ourselves to a boat tour along the Chicago River and Lake Michigan, which was a wonderful way to see what we think is one of the best cities in the world. From there, we visited the Taste again to stock up on more delicious food before heading to the airport for the flight home.
In addition to all these activities, we fit in two theatrical/cultural events this month. The first was a great circus performance by the troupe, 7 Fingers of the Hand. The performance was put on by five young adults who all met one another during their time at Cirque du Soleil and decided to go solo. It was a highly entertaining show! The second event was Midland’s celebration of the summer solstice on June 21 during which the town blocked off its downtown streets and opened them up to street parades, musicians, and performers.
And that ends our month of June. July looks to be another active month, with our summer vacation to Europe. Stay tuned!
