The final post of the trip….

It’s our last weekend in Chicago, and since most of you have probably read posts from previous years’ travel through Montana and the Dakotas, I will spare you….no need for me to repeat those musings. We’re too early for the Testicle Festival, so that’s out, and nothing else would be too interesting. We’ll drive home over I-90, which kind of means we just point the car in the right direction and let it take us home.

So, for my last blog of the trip, I’m going to whine about driving in Chicago. Specifically, driving in Chicago in a large truck instead of a small car. It’s a royal pain. Folks here don’t much believe in traffic rules – even the cops ignore them. If you’re driving down the street and you maybe run through a stop sign, you might hear a “beepbeepbeepbeep” – that’s the cop on the corner. He’s not going to do anything about it, he’s just letting you know that he saw it and you should probably remember not to do that again (at least, not at the next corner). Chicago cops are ‘way too busy to worry about those steenkeen’ traffic laws. Hey! This is the most dangerous city in the country (at least that’s what the news tells us – not to mention the President of the country)….they’ve got gang-bangers to catch.

Drivers here think nothing of changing their minds. Going West on Diversey and realize you wanted to go East? No problem. It’s Rush Hour? Who cares? Make a U-turn in the middle of the block. Just ignore those people who are honking. What do they know? If you change your mind in the next block, just do it again. This happens daily – at least, whenever we are out and about. The other day, we were on Fullerton – a 4-lane street running East and West – (remember, street parking is allowed on both sides of the streets, so even though there are 4 lanes, there aren’t really FOUR lanes – but there ARE 4 lines of traffic, squeezing into the remaining space) and we were at a red light as we were heading for an overpass. An empty 18-wheel car truck (you know, those trucks that carry new cars) came down the ramp and decided to make a right turn….the ramp is on the left side of this highway – so this turn would be about 120 degrees. Narrow street, parking on both sides, two lanes of cars heading toward the truck. We are in the front. Ummmm, there is no way that this truck is going to make it, unless we back up about half a block. But there is a line of cars behind and next to us. All honking – at US. What they wanted from us was unclear. Finally, the guy behind us got out of his car and waved at all the cars behind him to back up. (He put it a hair coarser than I may have “BACK THE F*&% UP” is what I believe I heard.) So people backed up and the truck finally made it. Immediately after he passed, a young guy in a speedy little car roared past us on the right, honking and waving at us – and thoughtfully shared with us that he had a limited IQ of one digit  - at least, I’m pretty sure that’s what he was indicating…..It’s good to let people know your limitations. Otherwise, I might have been irritated by this. But. knowing that he had some mental disabilities made me much more patient. J

We’re leaving here on Monday or Tuesday, after babysitting over the weekend. Yesterday was Miles’ 11^th birthday and tomorrow is Trina’s 47^th birthday. Wow, both my grandkids and my kids are really getting old! The temps are dropping here, and we’ve had snow the past couple of days, so I’m ready to go home where the snow USUALLY stays in the mountains, where it belongs….

So, if you’re out driving around the West next week and you see us go by in Big Red, wave and honk…we’ll wave back, honest!

back in that "Toddlin' town"

Erie, PA, is just over half-way from Scarborough, Maine, to Chicago. We left Maine at 7:00am on Saturday, in about 21 degrees, with snow pretty much everywhere….a LOT of snow everywhere. We had a tough time making right turns, because the snow was piled so high at the corners, thanks to the snowplows, we couldn’t see if anything was coming. Made for some excitement when pulling out of Starbucks.

By midday, we were in New York state, where it looked as though there hadn’t been snow in years. Everything was pretty much dry….as we were driving past Herkimer, New York (like, of course we’ve all heard of Herkimer, right??) a little blue Subaru drove past. She gave us a honk and a big wave. We wondered if we had something hanging out of the truck or something, but as she passed, we saw she had a Washington license plate! So we honked and waved right back. First Washington license we’ve seen since Idaho!

I talked about the Mass Pike, Ohio and Indiana turnpikes before, but it bears repeating. Massachussetts has good highways and decent service areas – as long as you like McDonalds. Ohio has the prettiest service areas anywhere. Clean, spacious, absent McDonalds – instead they have a pizza place and Burger King. Okay, it’s still fast food, but no Big Macs to be found. The grounds around the Ohio Turnpike are beautifully groomed, as though they have a grounds staff that actually does the work – not a weed to be seen. Great job, Governor Kasich! You may not have been a super wonderful Presidential candidate, but you sure can govern the state of Ohio’s interstate highways!

We arrived in Chicago around 2:00pm on Sunday….while we were going over the Chicago Skyway (can I just say how much I hate that thing? It’s just so freaking H I G H) we got a text from Becky, asking us to pick her up downtown (saving her an uber ride). So we got off the expressway and drove Big Red (our name for the truck) through DOWNTOWN Chicago traffic on a 65-degree, sunny day. Everyone who lives in Chicago was walking downtown that day, I promise. Took three tries to get through one light, because of the pedestrian traffic. However, we made it through, picked up Becky and got back to her apartment around 3:30.

So here we are, back in town. Today we hit Costco for groceries and took some clothes that we will never wear again to the GoodWill box. Driving shock – after time in Maine, where EVERYBODY drives a big truck, we’re back in the land of tiny little parking spaces. (and we’re not going to mention the street parking where we get to parallel park Big Red among the little Smart cars) 

February 18...gotta be fit in Maine!

Okay, so you have to stay fit to live in Maine….

Down jacket…well, yeah, it’s 20 degrees outside

Boots – well, yeah, there’s 24 inches of snow…

Shorts??? Duh, Mom. I’m going to work out…………..

So, this morning at 6:30 we stamped the snow off our boots and took off for home (via Chicago)….the first thing we noticed was the size of the snow drifts…..for the last 3 weeks, we’ve pulled ‘waaaaayyyy out into the street, because you can’t see over the 6-foot snow piles at the corners of the streets. Well, obviously, Massachusetts didn’t get hit with the same snow storm, since their corners are about 12 inches high.

We drove south from Maine into New Hampshire, where we were greeted with my favorite (and scary) state motto: “LIVE FREE OR DIE” IN New Hampshire. Okay, I get the message, but they print it out in really scary letters, like it’s a threat…. Live Free , or D I E …..

Anyway,we entered the Massachusetts Turnpike, stopped and got coffee and breakfast from McDonalds (read a prior post about the Mass Pike and McDonalds)….Massachusetts looks like they took advantage of federal tax $$, because the turnpike is lovely – except for every overpass, which is ridden with tons of huge, tire-killing potholes. (See my issues with Mike Pense, prior post). On the bright side (for those of us who are readers – that’d be you, Virginia Wagner) – we went through Lowell, Mass, which is where one of Spenser’s  adversaries lives.  As we drove through the western suburbs of Boston (okay, the whole freaking state of Massachusetts is a suburb of Boston, let’s face it), we saw a bunch of folks ice fishing and otherwise skating, playing, etc., on the ponds. Kind of like a Currier and Ives picture, only a la 2017.

Traveling by car through New England is interesting, as regards to the highway/control pass system. In Maine, there is an EZ Pass lane, and you just drive through, at highway speed. No slow down, nothing. In Massachusetts, you have your own lane, but you have to slow down to 10 mph and creep through. In New York, you have to go through a booth, as if you were throwing coins into the basket, and then the light turns green and lets your through…..So, Maine gets the prize for easiest travel.

So we are getting used to having a BIG truck. While I’m having a difficult time learning how to turn, Bob’s having a hard time, too. Hmmm …..this is a first for him. He’s never NOT been able to see the right corner of his vehicle. Welcome to my world! (If I didn’t know better, I would think there IS no right corner of a vehicle – I’ve certainly never seen one.) While we were in Chicago, we’d go to Costco or Target – when we came out, we’d just look for the biggest vehicle in the lot – that’d be us. However, in Maine, EVERYONE drives a big truck. We’re just one of 20 F-150’s or larger. Made us feel right at home.

As we left Massachusetts and entered New York state, we entered the Erie Canal system. I guess I never realized just how long the Erie Canal is….we traveled alongside it most of this afternoon, finally leaving it at Buffalo, where it enters Lake Ontario. Really fun to see – we passed a number of locks, which are, of course, not in use this time of year. But still, it reminded me that I’d really like to cruise the great circle some day.

A fun thing happened while we were driving past Herkimer, New York. (Like anybody ever heard of Herkimer, New York)….we were driving along, and we heard a little “beep, beep.”  We looked over, and there was a little blue Subaru, with a lady waving at us….as she passed us, we saw that she had a Washington license plate. So we honked back and waved like crazy. This is the first Washington license we’ve seen since we left Idaho! Felt like home. (Well, kinda.)

So, tomorrow we’ll get back to Chicago. We left Maine a week early…..we had a “no snow” window, and Jocelyn came down with the stomach flu yesterday ….so, clearly, the time was right to leave New England! I will miss Ross and his family. It’s tough to say good bye…..

BUT….we will be in Chicago for Miles’ 11^th birthday on March 1 (and Happy Birthday to Sabien  on the same day)…..and then we’ll be home in the middle of March. I’m looking forward to cooking on my own stove and seeing everyone again. 

Snow here, snow there....snow everywhere!

Amid the blizzard of 2017…We have read the snow reports of the big snowstorm in Western Washington….up to 10 inches in some places. I was really impressed (but not all that sorry to miss it) until last night. Here, in Scarborough, Maine, we are under a blizzard watch. (I’m not at all sure what the difference is between a “Storm Watch” and a “Blizzard Watch.” I think it’s the wind speed.) So, just to make you feel better about your 6-8 inches, here are a few pictures of our morning so far…the second pic is of the patio. I guess we won't be sitting around the fire pit any time soon....that's the lump on the right. As you can see, the snow is up to the seats of the chairs, in a protected spot, so no drifting.

This picture is of the truck when we first got here….and the truck this morning.

I do like snowy Maine, but I’m happier when I am inside, taking the pictures. Taking a walk (2 times round the block is .8 of a mile) is more work in heavy boots, hats, two pairs of gloves and down….and freezing legs because I didn’t bring any long underwear. (Yes, a little cheese with my whine, please.)

We’ll be leaving Maine on the 22 or 23, providing the snowstorm has passed. Right now, they are predicting snow every day until Monday, which gives it 2 days to melt off the roads……….we’ll see. We must be in Chicago by March 3, since we are babysitting for 3 days while Rebecca goes through some more training classes (good to get a few more letters behind her name).

Hey, from Maine!

Hello from snowy Maine! 

We spent Saturday night in East Greenbush, New York. I do not recommend East Greenbush. For anything. Lousy motel (it was clean, but that’s about it) and the only food around was pretty awful. We left about 6:30 Sunday morning and within 15 minutes we were in Massachusetts on the Mass Pike – they have given/sold their traveling souls to Ray Kroc. Every single travel service station had McDonald’s – but no Starbucks. Sigh. Naturally, there was a Dunkin Donuts at each station, but I really, really dislike DD’s coffee.

The tollways in Massachusetts were nice, but not as good as Ohio’s. Maine’s turnpike is decent – very few potholes, but I think they learned signage from the Washington DOT….Their signs are almost as bad as the road signs in Seattle. Unless you already know how to get somewhere, good luck finding your way.

We arrived here in Scarborough about noon on Sunday, in time to watch the Pack get eaten alive by the Atlanta Falcons….but also in time to see the Steelers lose. Now we have a conundrum. Here we are, in New England, and we don’t really have a rooting interest in either team. I think I’m going to have to root for the Falcons – if for no other reason than everyone else around here will be flying No. 12 Brady flags….(they really don’t understand Ross’ No. 12 flag – wrong color blue). So, Go, Falcons!

Good thing I posted a picture of the Norwegian mittens – I was going to show them to you (all my knitting buddies) when we got home, but they have been appropriated by Laila. They fit her just fine….but now I am committed to making Jocelyn a pair. Fortunately, my daughter-in-law has discovered a new knit shop in Portland, so we’ll be going to town as soon as the kids are back in school (they are enjoying a “snow day” today).

On the Road Again...

Left Chicago via the Chicago Skyway (aka I-90) at 9:20 this morning.

This part of Indiana is uninspiring....although every time (Every. Single. Time.) I go across that bridge I feel compelled to sing, “Gary, Indiana"..from The Music Man.....so now it's in my head until something better occurs to me....

There is only one service station (Oasis, for those of you from the Midwest) on the Indiana turnpike. One. There are actually a lot of others, here in our new Vice-President’s state, but they are all closed. So, if you need to use the restroom while in Indiana, you'll need to wait until you get to Ohio. (Where the state of the highway is vastly better than Indiana, btw) We have been wondering what happens/who pays for interstate highways, such as these turnpikes. I’m assuming that the federal government gives the states money to pay for part and then the state does the work. If that is the case, then Mr. Pence has been using his state’s portion to do something other than pay for the roadwork. The potholes in the Indy Turnpike are the worst ever – even worse than the ones in Chicago!

While driving through western Ohio, we saw the exit for Gibsonberg, Ohio. Guess I've been exposed to bluegrass long enough that I started singing Gibsonberg....."Let me guess your birthday, just give me a couple dollars if I’m right.....if I keep on guessing I might get to Gibsonberg tonight." So “Gary, Indiana”  has been replaced by “Gibsonberg.” I guess it's a good think we aren't going through Allentown, PA, or I'd be crooning along with The Boss....

And we are now watching college wrestling in our motel room in Erie, PA. Tomorrow morning we’ll take off early and see how far we get. If we can’t go the whole way to Scarborough, ME, we’ll stop in Albany and finish with a short, 5-hour day on Sunday.

Pacific Madrona

We’re getting ready to hit the road again….we’ll probably leave Chicago on Friday, heading to Ross’ house in Scarborough, Maine. Should be a 2-day drive. Bob bought an  i-pass, which gets us half price tolls on the Tri-State tollway and on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Generally, the trip to the east coast via toll roads runs about $80 each way, and the i-pass costs about half that. So we now sport a little white box on the front windshield, like all the other Midwesterners and Right Coasters.

Last night we went with Becky to the Chicago Hootenanny, which takes place every week in Lincoln Park (a neighborhood right near the lake, not to be confused with Lincoln Square, which is not by the lake but is the “toniest” neighborhood in town).  People who love bluegrass and/or play bluegrass gather to just sing and play. Some are actual bands who come to practice new songs, but most are just individual musicians who come to share their love of bluegrass. Last night it was mostly individuals – but that doesn’t mean they didn’t play together.  

 This group of guys was simply amazing – the banjo player is a professional musician named Bob (who we met at last week’s jam session). What a great banjo picker – he had everyone tapping their toes and hollering. The fiddler is clearly a classically trained violinist – it shows in his posture while playing, the way he holds his instrument, the vibrato in his left wrist …. But, wow, he brought down the house every time. The other 2 guys were incredible, too – the mandolin player is a guy who drives up to Chicago from Nashville to play at the Hoot, and the guitar player was like every bluegrass/country singer you’ve ever heard – gravel-voiced with fingers that moved so fast you couldn’t really watch.

Then, there was Becky, with Chuck and friends – the mandolin player has played professionally for about 40 years, and he was just  A M A Z I N G.  A fiddler named Brandon came up and played with them, too…and pointed it out when Becky sang her first original song, “Pacific Madrona.” Becky wrote this song for me, and it was exciting for me to hear it played on a stage….she did great, and the song got a nice big cheer. 

Now I’ve got one more day to spend with my big sister, and then we’ll hit the road again…..

“Pacific Madrona is reaching out to you. Darlin’, come home from Chicago, I’m waiting there for you.”

Dead animals, bluegrass and cold.....

The Field Museum is one of this country’s premier museums – and could probably be one of the most expensive. Last Wednesday was “free day” – Illinois residents didn’t have to pay (Becky sneaked us in, so we didn’t pay, either). However, you still have to pay to see the exhibits. So, for about $54 we got in to the museum (on a regular day it would’ve cost us about $130 PLUS the $54 – this does not count the $19 we had to pay to park. I’m glad it was a FREE day.). I’m not sure how people take their children to these amazing things that are all over the place here….

Anyway, we went to the museum and saw the Tattoo exhibit. It was fascinating….and a little disturbing, if I’m being honest. I have nothing against tattoos – 3 of my kids are tattooed, and it doesn’t bother me (much).  It’s a personal expression of art….The Japanese mafia tattoos were pretty amazing, I have to say, not to mention the Russian gulag tats.

But while that was really interesting, what drew the kids’ interest the most was the animal exhibit. This is Miles’ favorite part of the museum. It’s a zoo – kind of – every animal you can think of, all in close-up glass cages. Just like a zoo, except they’re all dead. None of that annoying running around so you can’t see them stuff – they stand perfectly still and you can really look at them. Some of them are 100 years old. Dead animals. I thought it was a little creepy, but the blue whale skeleton up on the ceiling was cool.

When I was a kid, going to the museum was a free thing, like going to the zoo or window shopping. We didn’t have to pay for that….and St. Louis had, at the time, one of the finest art museums and zoos in the country (I think they’re still right up there).  At any rate, we didn’t think too much about going, because it didn’t cost anything.  St. Louis kids all knew who Marlin Perkins was (and if you don’t, then shame on you, you obviously didn’t watch Wild Kingdom), because he worked at “our” zoo. The thought of going to see dead stuffed animals never entered my mind. You want to see a tiger in the winter? Watch Wild Kingdom.

I have neglected this blog a bit – mostly because I’ve been knitting (well, duh) and watching Shameless. (Virginia Wagner, you must tell Jim about it – it’ll be his new “Justified.”) Shameless is a Netflix series that takes place in Chicago – it stars William H. Macy, and every one of you Seattleites knows he’s “our” actor. We saw him in many Seattle Rep plays in the 80’s and early 90’s. It’s funny, black humor – but only because we all know (or think we do) a family that is just THIS close to being like this………watch it, but start with Season 1, Episode 1, or you won’t figure out what’s going on.

We have been immersed in bluegrass with Becky and her musician buddies. Last night we went with her to a “bluegrass jam” where about 16 professional musicians hang out and play together. Kind of like if you had Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain and Eric Clapton all hanging out in a bar with their guitars….okay, this is bluegrass, not rock, but there were a fair number of Grammys represented there last night.  Becky was the only female picker there, but it didn’t matter – no gender issues in bluegrass. She sang out loud and proud and the guys all cheered and sang along with her. 

Next week we’ll probably take off for Maine….watching the weather. Right now the Chicago weather is warming up – after snow yesterday we’ve got freezing rain today. At least the temperature has gone above 20, which is the first time since Christmas. Brrrrrrr.

Day ONE of 2017!

Happy New Year!

While Bob had to stay home with a crumby cold, I went out with Becky and her friend, Chuck, to a party/concert. That got "slashed" because it was, technically, a concert, for which we had tickets (bought several weeks ago, as it has been sold out since mid-December), but because these performers are friends of Becky's, it was more like a really fun party. The band we saw were The Henhouse Prowlers - a really, really fun group. They have their own genre - great bluegrass, but with a Chicago twist. Normally, when you hear "bluegrass," you think of people sitting around on hay bales, blowing into empty bottles, drinking 'shine and chewing hay. Yeah. Not so much. These guys dress in black suits, dark shirts (think John Belushi and the Blues Brothers) and sing "Chicago bluegrass." They have a great shtick. (They have just returned from a European tour for the State Department.) Last year they played in Seattle and we didn't go down - Becky even reminded us to go and we didn't. Our loss. Anyway, we had a really great time. After the performance, Becky and Chuck (who is a talented guitarist and singer) dropped me off and they went to the "after party" with the band. A great time was had by all.

I took a video of Becky and Chuck sitting around picking and singing, but it wouldn't send to my computer - too big a file, I guess. Anyway, it's been fun being inundated with bluegrass. I can now identify different songs....we went out on Friday to hear The Wandering Boys, a traditional bluegrass band with guys I remembered from Becky's music classes (they were teachers). We got waves and "hi, Rebecca!!" from them, which was fun. Chuck had a song dedicated to "our buddy Chuck" which happened to be a song I remembered, so we could all sing along. One of the good things about bluegrass is that you are expected to sing along, and since most people do, they can't hear me (and that makes everyone feel better).

We have the kids home with us all week, so we'll be hitting museums (The Field Museum has an exhibit on the history of tattooing, which sounds pretty interesting...you can get a temporary tattoo...Naomi thinks that sounds super cool. I do not.) I believe that ice skating is in our future this week, also....I plan to sit on the sidelines and cheer. :)

We have found a bar in town - The Brownstone - that is a Seahawks bar. It shows every game and would like patrons to come in blue and green. Niner fans are discouraged. :) We stopped in on Friday and the bartender gave me a pair of Seahawk gloves - because we're "real" Seattle fans. Evidently, Seahawk fans who are NOT from Washington state do not count as "real" at The Brownstone.

Go Hawks.

Pictures next time.