A visit to Illinois and northern Indiana

Thank you Anne and Natalie's family for your great hospitality and generosity. It was a pleasure and a honor to share into your daily life, to see you in your house and talk and learn from each other. Spending time together helps us appreciate each other more and, hopefully, help us think about each other when we are not together. Time, space and the busyness of life make us forget the beauty of the time spent together. We hope and pray we can bridge the gap and remain closer together in the months ahead.
We enjoyed the water park, the drive-in movie, playing at the beach, a great dinner at Tina's sharing with college friends, a breakfast treat in Gurnee, Italian gelato, the jelly belly factory tour, listening to James improvise on the base (what a  blast), wonderful vegetation, cool weather and cool lake Michigan waters, Dave's readings before meals, sleeping with cousins and almost-cousins, the hand-me-down clothes, bike rides in the woods and so many more great moments together...
We love you - The Contolinis

Yes, this is in Wisconsin

feet-ies by Lake Michigan (Lake Forest beach)

Norine's favorite car

(old) college friends

Norine and Anne

Norine and Mary

The Bean

cousins

Camp Wojtyla

The girls just came back from a week at Camp Wojtyla.

Watch the video- it says it all.

High School Girls from Keenan Fitzpatrick on Vimeo.

More photos of the Grand Canyon Trip

Better later than never. Here are a few more shots from our trip to Arches, The Grand Canyon and Mesa Verde.
Driving in the desert is a different experience. You have time to think. I feel free and relaxed. I marvel at the amount of space and beauty this nation has. I think about the people who moved west on covered wagon or horse back not too long ago and how much harder their life must have been. I learn to appreciate what I have.   It's strange to see people living in such poor conditions in the middle of nowhere. I think they may have lost their dignity and joy to be satisfied in living this way.  Most of the Native Americans we met did not seem happy. They surely have not been treated well.