Secret Midwest Staycation Jewel

In this season of graduations, I just enjoyed a wonderful high school reunion weekend in the Midwest. Even with fears of flooding from the Big Muddy, the people here are optimistic, enthusiastic and friendly. They invite you to come and spend time here. So this week, we've got some interesting, off the beaten path, Midwest sites to show you just in time for your family summer vacation planning.

Within a few hours drive from Chicago, Detroit, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Louisville, St. Louis and other Midwest cities lies an interesting town, Columbus, Indiana, full of significant modern architecture. If you're planning a staycation close to home, you may want to include this as a family day- or weekend trip.

One of our friends discovered it on a trip back from visiting their daughter at Indiana University in Bloomington. A city of less than 40,000 residents, it boasts a collection of beautiful public architecture - a library designed by I.M. Pei, a bank by Eero Saarinen (who also designed the St. Louis Arch,) Richard Meier, among many others. In the 1950's the townspeople had made a decision to live in attractive environment so they contracted with famous as well as up-and-coming architects to create an atmosphere of beauty. They even placed a stunning Rodin sculpture in front of the library.

Finding that their new schools, churches, corporate offices and other buildings would be enhanced by elegant landscaping, they also created lovely gardens and green areas around them. We were struck by the commitment of the townspeople to actively pursue a serene yet rewarding atmosphere for their daily lives.


If you take the kids with you and want to give them a real treat, you can stop for a sundae in a restored early 20th century ice cream parlor, filled with one hundred year old counters, syrup and ice cream machinery, and musical instruments. The vanilla malted milk was delicious!

As we drove out of town, over an impressive, architectural bridge, we thought about how we too could work to add beauty and grace to our daily lives. It may be a slow process but we can build on a strong foundation from the ground up and leave a legacy with our families to make everyone proud.

If you've discovered other secret vacation spots, perfect for family staycations, give us a shout out and share them here. With limited budgets and gasoline at over $4.00 a gallon, we need all the help we can get planning special times for our families this summer.

Croatia: the Thrill of Travel

I've just returned from a trip to Croatia and want to savor the experience, so I'll be sharing some of my photos and impressions with you this week. We would like you to click on 'Comments' at the bottom of this post and tell us your travel stories as well.

Croatia is a small country, not even as large as the state of West Virginia. And it is very homogeneous, with close to 90% of its four and one half million people identified as Croatian and Roman Catholic.
Interested in a little history? Although Croatia declared its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, it took four years of sporadic, but often bitter, fighting before occupying Serb armies left Croatian lands. Under UN supervision, the last Serb-held enclave in eastern Slavonia was returned to Croatia in 1998. In April 2009, Croatia joined NATO and it is now a candidate for eventual EU accession.

It's the kind of country I love to visit, where the scenery, culture and history are so different from what I know and the sights are a wakeup call to the senses. The country's history is traced through its museums, ruins, architecture and sculptures. And its picturesque charm is reflected in the multitude of islands and fishing villages that border the Adriatic Sea.










Do you want to know more about the captivating country of Croatia? Here's what wikipedia.org has to say. And if you're thinking about a trip yourself, you can read one woman's story of adventure in the Newsletter Library of our website, HerMentorCenter.com.

For some excellent support in the plannning stage, JourneyWoman.com is a valuable resource. It publishes an online newsletter, connecting women around the globe. And the site presents women's travel stories and offers information about tours, shopping and restaurants. Travel writer, Rick Steves, is also a great source of insight and tips.

The Architecture of Morocco

Morocco is shaded with a variety of colors yet cloaked with a blanket of mystery. The country proudly upholds its history, traditions and culture through its ancient monuments. And its charm is reflected in the distinctive and exotic mixture of Spanish, African and Islamic architecture.





Enchanting courtyards everywhere are adorned with sprawling gardens. Throughout the mosques, minarets and palaces, you'll find magnificent doors of engraved wood and bronze. Intricate geometrical patterns, crafted by hand from bright colored mosaics or inlaid mother of pearl, enhance the beauty of these settings.


Most of the buildings feature large, intimidating u-shaped archways and beautiful domes that complete them. And it is not uncommon to see the tops of these domes adorned with nests complete with an array of birds, as if direct from Hollywood's central casting.