Downtown

From Millenium Park we walked to Lake Michigan then went back Downtown. We decided we were ready to go and hopped back on the el for Evanston.

Downtown

We walked to Millenium Park to take our pictures in the Bean.

Downtown

We got back on the el and continued Downtown. We walked and walked and stopped for lunch then walked again.

Downtown

Saturday after a hearty breakfast we walked to the el station and headed Downtown. We had to make a stop in Wrigleyville so Bobbie could exchange a t-shirt that Micheal bought when he was there. We thought it was VERY generous of us to do that, since the shirt was for his father.
Bobbie & Erin didn't seem to be the least bit embarrassed that they were in the Priority Seating reserved for the elderly and handicapped and there was a recorded announcement reminding people of that. I figured people would look at them and be able to tell which one was elderly and which was handicapped.

Sisters Visit the Windy City

Bobbie and I went to Chicago last weekend to visit with Erin. We had to change planes in Detroit and were supposed to be there for a few hours so we had time to do some important things: 1) Eat a coney 2) Fill our carry-ons with bags of Better Made chips 3) Buy a Detroit Free Press so we could catch up on the obituaries and do the crossword puzzle. Well, after sitting at the gate for awhile so smug with our bellies full of coneys, we found out our 1:33 flight was cancelled! We ran to customer service and the best they could do was get us on a flight at 7:00. It was only noon so we thought, "We could drive to Chicago faster!" But we didn't. We were wondering who we could call to pick us up and entertain us for the day and we thought of our dear, sweet little brother, John, since he lives the closest to Metro. Bobbie thought he just might be at work but then we thought we could threaten to (once again) beat him up and he'll come. We called Robert instead to see if his Platinum status could do anything for us. He tried, but it didn't work. He suggested we go to the gates of the earlier flights and see if we can get on stand-by, so we did. After we got on the list we chose seats where we could keep an eye on the gate and see who else was getting on the list. After awhile we figured anyone could get on the list and maybe we were just SOL. Just before they started boarding we moved closer to the gate in case they called our names. Everyone boarded and we were left sitting there with a few other losers. Bobbie went up to the desk to see if we could get on the list for the next flight (so we could leave the gate and spend our $10 food vouchers Northwest so generously gave us) when they announced my name! I grabbed my things and was ready to get on with or without Bobbie then they called her name, too! We were the last ones on and the plane took off right away. I sat with a nice woman who slept most of the way and Bobbie was stuck in the back with the screaming and puking kids. We were just glad to be on. We got to Erin's before she got home from work. She so very kindly had a bottle of wine chilling for us. Then we went to an Irish pub in Evanston for dinner. We came home and entertained ourselves by feeding Creamsicles to Pee Wee.

House Update

Friday morning we had a meeting at the house with the builder and architect. So many things are going on! The plumber, heating & cooling guy, exterior siding installers and stone masons were all there. Things are really starting to happen now. Saturday afternoon we went back for a picnic. We had leftover chicken, potato salad and salad. We set up a table & chairs in the living room and opened the windows to catch the view. (The windows are still covered with plastic to protect them and they don't remove it until the end. Unfortunately, it blocks the view.) These are some shots I took from the upstairs balcony and the living room. You can see things are greening up down here and in some of the pictures you can see the dogwood blooming in the woods. Also, one of our stone columns is finished.

Be It Ever So Humble

We have a roof! It went on this week. There is a skylight in the front just below the chimney and to the left. There are 2 skylights in the back, also. The pergola over the bridge to the house from the carport is complete, the stone columns are being done on the lower level in the back and the most important thing - the cat door from our bedroom to the screened porch is framed in!