Another Day: Travels of 2024 Part Two

 Now where was I.... Oh yeah, we had a very quiet Thanksgiving with just the two of us and the cats. 

Hunting season was a bust as the cold drove me crazy--as did the two doe that snuck up behind me on my off side on opening day. I spent most of the remainder of the day shivering and hoping to hear shots nearby. The same was true for day two. No activity within a mile I would guess. 

Terry mentioned my getting skunked and discouraged to one of her sewing friends who happens to live on a 250 acre farm where her husband, son and son-in-law have special permits to take as many deer as they want/need to remove. I got number 11 for this year. All I had to do was haul it to the processor in Cherry Flats and pay to have it butchered. Which I did the day before we were to hit the road to go west.

This trip was to visit Brian, Vicky and George: Terry's nephew, his wife and son. They live in Whitefish Bay just on the northern edge of Milwaukee. Normally they come to the Aerie for Thanksgiving but we were going to switch things around so we could see their newly renovated and expanded home--until I mentioned deer season starting the Saturday after Thanksgiving. So we were going to do an early Christmas. 

Terry and I were in the same vehicle this time but the first stage of our trip was the same. On the 18th of December west we went to stop in Elkland, Indiana and dinner at the Chubby Trout.

On Day 2, we traveled west of Chicago before turning north on I-355 toward Milwaukee. Best way to avoid the real heavy traffic of Chicago but still not of my liking as far as number of vehicles on the road. I like to tell Terry--or anyone that will listen--that I'm not just driving MY vehicle, I'm also trying to anticipate what the drivers around me might do. That gets more difficult as the number of drivers increases. That's why I really, really hate driving through cities and will go miles and miles out of my way to avoid doing so. And why I break out in a sweat when I must. 

We survived the ordeal that only got worse when snow started falling when we crosse the Illinois border into Wisconsin. Not much--yet--but enough to cause a few slips and slides and a few cars in the ditch. We got to Whitefish Bay with little no difficulty--except when I got off I-355 one exit too soon and we wandered around the backroads for a while before we got on a highway east bound toward Milwaukee.

We spent Days 3 and 4 (December 20th and 21st) just hanging around the house, shoveling snow, cooking, drinking and watching football. 

Day 5 (Sunday, December 22nd) Would have been more of the same but Brian had managed to score some tickets at the arena where his company had a box to see the Trans Siberian Orchestra. Terry went nuts! She is a huge fan and watches them every time they are on PBS. (Brian wasn't aware of this and cautiously brought up the topic. Brian also scored tickets to see the Celtic Women a few years back. Needless to say, he is her favorite nephew!) What a show! Classical music meets heavy metal accented with lasers and pyrotechnics. WOW!

Day 6 (Monday) We bid farewell and started our journey home. Retracing our way down I-355 to I-80 and then east bound. This time we stopped in the town of Elyria, Ohio just west of Akron. 

Day 7 (Tuesday, Christmas Eve) We were traveling in the tail end of a dusting of snow that was slightly deeper in the hills of western PA. My onboard computer kept telling me it had a shorter route home than the I-80 trail I was following so I finally gave up and agreed to veer off onto a two lane road, PA-66 just west of Clarion, PA. We had never been in this area of PA before so it was virgin territory to us. This eventually took me up to US-6 in Kane. From there it was east bound and down to home.

Since then, things have been pretty quiet around the Aerie. Except for the little bit of snow on the ground when we got home and the accumulation at the end of the driveway from the plow, I've not had to shovel anything--yet. Mostly I've been doing puzzles and tending the fireplace, while Terry has been doing Zoom meetings--and a few face-to-face ones as well.

We were supposed to go to NJ last weekend for a grand-niece's birthday--and a belated exchange of Christmas gifts--but illness in NJ prevented that and snow may prevent it this weekend. 

That's all for now. I'll try to be back sooner.

Two Months?

 Wow, I can't believe it's been two months since I wrote about going to Jess and Jack's wedding out in Lisle, IL. Time to make up for that, I guess.

TO Lisle, Illinois and Overland Park, Kansas in mid-November, 2024

On Monday, November 11th, Terry and I (driving different vehicles, remember?) headed west and met in Elkhart, Indiana the first night of our journey because it was fall and night comes too early for us old folks! And we were familiar with the area. We drove a couple of miles into the center of town and found a motel and a beautifully named restaurant, The Chubby Trout. Excellent food and beer in what is a sports bar/restaurant setting. A little loud and very crowded. Twas a good thing we were there early!

Next day we continued our journey to Lisle and the hotel Terry had reservations for. We were again a little early but had time to call the kids and see what was happening. Unfortunately, with both of them having tested positive for Covid (Jack's test came on that morning, Tuesday the 12th) they didn't want to take the chance of getting us sick too, so our interactions were going to be limited. 

Terry and I had dinner at The Bavarian Lodge in Lisle. It was Schnitzel for me and Sauer Braten for Terry who also had liver dumpling soup. Beer selection was eclectic, but I can never remember what I order.

We had plans for Wednesday but with the kids being ill, we just lounged around the hotel all day. (Should have packed my bathing suit!) Dinner that night was at Cooper's Hawk Winery just a short drive around the corner in Naperville. Excellent wine selection and food! (Shrimp and scallop risotto, and pretzel encrusted pork chop)

Finally, the big day arrived and we all drove over to the county courthouse for the nuptials. It turned out that there were about eight or so couples doing the same thing and it was like watching an episode of Night Court. Nearly all the brides were in wedding gowns of a variety of styles. Jess' was, perhaps, the most traditional minus the train and veil. And she wore purple sneakers to match her purple flowers. We four were the only ones wearing masks. Couples and their witnesses were called into chambers one at a time to exchange vows in front of the judge and his clerk. Jess and Jack were the last to be called because many of the others required a Spanish translator, and rather than having to call him for each couple, they did all of those one after the other. There was one Polish couple, but they needed no translator. 

One couple--yeah, the Polish couple--hadn't picked up their license the day before and the bride and groom had to hustle their butts downstairs to do so while the bridesmaid took care of the little one waiting to see his parents do the right thing.

Neither the judge nor his clerk were masked up but Terry and I played along with the kids and kept ours on. The ceremony was brief and without a sealing kiss. And the judge even took our picture afterwards.

We drove back to the kids' apartment, handed over to keys and title of the RAV4 to Jess. Terry and Jess (still in her wedding gown) then drove to the DMV to transfer the title. Jack and I stood around in the parking lot of the apartments chatting for half an hour. When Terry and Jess returned, we hugged and fist bumped, and bid adieu. Covid prevented them from enjoying a celebratory dinner at Fogo de Choa, a fantastic Brazilian style steakhouse. 

On the 15th, Terry and I departed for Lucille and Doug's home in Overland Park, Kansas. Lou had recently had brain surgery to remove a growth that impinging on her pituitary gland and Terry was naturally concerned. Laura and Joe (Lucille's daughter and husband) live nearby so we could visit everybody at once.

I had not been to either house, just as I had not seen Jess since she moved to Lisle. I think the last time I saw Laura and her kids was over eight years ago when her youngest boy, Matthew was still in a carry seat and Julia had yet to be born. That visit took place when I was on a solo journey around the country and they were still in the Napa Valley area. 

We arrived late in the afternoon at Lou's home and were given the grand tour. And "grand" it was! I thought our Aerie was more house than two people need, but Lou and Doug have double the size. Of course, they also have the three grandkids just a couple of blocks away and they can occupy lots of space when present as we found out at dinner and breakfast. 

After a very brief but happy visit, we were on our way home travelling I-70 north to I-71 north until we could get on I-80 east. Then it was PA Route 220 to Route 15 north and home with one overnight stop in Cloverdale just west of Terra Haute, Indiana

We retraced a good portion of this trip in late December but that's a tale for another day.