Trip to Cantigny

On Sunday, we took a family trip to Cantigny Park in Wheaton, IL. I had never been there before, but my husband was when he was a kid. It's a 500 acre park with gardens, play areas, a military museum and much more. It was founded by Colonel Robert R McCormick, who was an editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune newspaper for 44 years (and a polo player).

The best part? The kids can play on tanks! Yes, tanks!
(click on any picture to enlarge it)

Two pics from inside the military museum (goes from WWI to Desert Storm):

The flag was captured in Germany and signed by Illinois servicemen.

This is the Exedra - the burial place of the Colonel and his first wife, Amy. She sounds like she led quite a life too. She served as a Red Cross nurse in WWI, raised Guernsey cattle, co-founded the DuPage County Hunt Club (foxhunting) and a no-kill animal shelter (in 1928 no less).

The exterior of their beautiful home: