Getting attacked by cottage cheese is one of the job hazards of being a mop dog.

Pittsburgh

Alli and I flew to Pittsburgh this past weekend to visit Dan.

Pittsburgh has a beautiful skyline. It is an old city nestled in lush hills and located at the confluence of 3 rivers.

This is the Duquesne Incline. It is a funicular railway. Basically it is a cable car that goes up and down this really steep incline. The view from it is great!

Alli, who is now an official toddler, is headed toward her Daddy who is sitting on the bench.

It goes on like this.

Downward facing dog

Alli is practicing yoga. Centering her mind and heart.

She is exploring many eastern practices today. This is her first time using chopsticks.

The Round Barn Winery

Last weekend, while visiting Dan in South Bend, we went to the fall harvest at a nearby winery. There wasn't much harvesting going on, just a bunch of folks enjoying live music, good eats and wine. It was an absolutely gorgeous day. We heard there was some grape stomping going on, but we didn't actually find any. That is really what lead us there. Who could pass up a chance to jump around in a vat of grapes and squish them between your toes? It got us thinking...what kind of foot or nail fungus did the guy have who stomped the grapes in the wine we were drinking?

Summer Day

We spent a beautiful day on the beach on Lake Michigan last weekend. We didn't plan to actually go to the beach, so no swimsuits were packed. The water was too cold to swim anyway. We walked along the beach, got our feet wet, soaked up the sun and played in the sand. We finished it all off with some ice cream. It was a fantastic day.

Alli's favorite farm animal is the Holstein cow. "Mmmmmmmm" is her version of "Moo".

Really Cool Rest Stop?

This confirms that I am a complete nerd! I am posting pictures of a rest stop. Yes, the along the highway stopping places with bathrooms and picnic tables for weary travellers. But, this isn't just any rest stop. It is located along I-80 in Cedar County, Iowa. Alli and I discovered it a few road trips ago. I remembered to take pics on this visit.

For those of you who don't know exactly how nerdy I am, I enjoy quilting. The quilt theme of this rest stop immediately caught my attention. After doing a bit of research, I learned the theme of the rest stop is the Underground Railroad and the quilt blocks represented a secret language/code of the Underground Railroad. Learn something new everyday. Actually Iowa has many interesting themed rest stops. This link details them http://www.ctre.iastate.edu/PUBS/midcon2003/MastellerRest.pdf

Enjoy!