Windy Windy City

 This past weekend I went in search of Bliss in Chicago.  I took Amtrak from Normal to Union Station early Saturday morning.  (Thanks to my oldest, J-Dude, for the ride!)  

By virtue of my incredible patience (ahem...) I was seated in a Business Class car!  Oh, the leg room!  Oh, the chargers for my phone everywhere I looked!  Oh, the peace and quiet!  I'm spoiled now, Amtrak!  Oh, the bliss of it all!

I love Union Station, so I took a few minutes to enjoy the Great Hall before heading over to Lou Mitchells for a fabulous breakfast with my friend Cindy.  

After breakfast we walked to the main branch of the Chicago Public Library, the Harold Washington Library.  The winter atrium there on the 9th floor is another great quiet space, but alas, it was closed for the day.  I did manage to sneak a peak and a photo from the doorway.

We browsed the art, including the Above and Beyond Exhibit:  58,000 hand-stamped dog tags representing all US soldiers who lost their lives in the Vietnam War, hanging above the escalators.

We also looked in at the Maker Space, 

 which is a great idea:   sewing machines, 3-D printers, and other cool equipment you can use for free or a minimal supply charge. 

We headed down to the first floor where we found the fabulous Kathleen Rooney and her crew of poets writing "Poems While You Wait!"

Usually there is a small charge but in celebration of National Poetry Month, the library had paid for the event!

I put down my requested poem's theme (in this case Female Friendships) and a poet, sitting at a manual typewriter, wrote me a short poem!  My poem has dancing, getting nails done, and taking to the streets to overthrow the patriarchy, all neatly woven into a few lines!  It's a gift for one of my best female friends.  Just to be transparent, we have danced but we have never had our nails done together.  We've taken to the streets, but never have we tried to overthrow anything.    Yet.

Eventually Cindy and I worked our way to the Cultural Center, then to Millenium Park where we sat drinking iced coffees and watching silly young female friends take ridiculously posed photos of each other.  If only I'd had on a pair of very high heels with rhinestones and a tight dress with a pushup bra, I might have been able to join in.  Alas, I did not have those items with me.

I bid my friend adieu until next time, and headed to The Sears Tower, or rather, the Willis Tower, or rather The Big Willie (my preferred name for the 111-story building) where I went to the observation floor and enjoyed the beautiful view.

I love being up in high places!  It makes me feel happy, free from usual responsibilities and worries.  Even...Blissful!

"Got Bliss" Hits the Road!

 

I am now semi-retired (working afternoons most days but with the option for generous time off!) and about to become fully retired in a few months, and travel is on my mind.  In the past year I started seeing someone who is also about to retire and travel is on his mind, too.    We just spent four days freezing our tushies off in Wisconsin, camping at Buckhorn State Park in his new tear-drop trailer, hiking, eating good food, enjoying campfires, and seeing some amazing birds.  

After we settled into our campsite the first night and decided it was too windy for a fire as well as too cold to cook outside. We took off looking for the omnipresent Wisconsin Friday Night Fish Fry.  We were not disappointed!  Just outside the state park we stopped in at the Buckhorn Bar and Grill which looked like the perfect fish fry location, which is to say it looked like a dive bar.  The fish was excellent, the service friendly, AND the wine list was two pages long!  5 Stars for the Buckhorn!!

Did I mention it was a little chilly?

Thank goodness for fire!

The first morning I woke up inside the camper and listened to a bird outside singing joyfully, well lustily really as it's spring and he was searching for a mate I'm sure.  He sang and sang, his tune a series of melodies that he seemed to vary in the order.  I began to think I was listening to a Brown Thrasher, one of my favorite birds, specifically because I love their song.  Once we were out of the camper, we saw him sitting in a little tree at the edge of our campsite, showing us his proud profile as he chirped the morning away.  It was indeed a Brown Thrasher.  He sang every day at dawn and again at dusk, but I'm sorry to say I don't think he found his perfect match that weekend.

The bird magic continued all weekend long.  Two bald eagles flew overhead our site, just above the tree tops.  We watched a turkey run down the path behind the campsite and take off on a very short flight into the trees.  The bluebird that perched in a small tree behind our campsite was the bluest blue I've seen.  And a group of black-capped chickadees flitting around the woods by our site were lured by my chickadee call to come closer and closer, until one landed on the armrest of my friend's chair.

The highlight of the weekend for me, though, was seeing my first Sandhill Crane.  Not just seeing one, but watching it fly across the open field, circle closer and closer, then drop down for a landing just behind some trees.  We walked quietly through the open field until we could see the crane walking through some tall grass, in all his beautiful rust-colored glory.  Before the weekend was over I saw 3 more of these elegant creatures.

photo credit Terski on Pixabay

One of the songs that my friend and I like to sing along to is "The Big Door Prize," by Iris Dement and John Prine.  "In spite of ourselves we'll end up sitting on a rainbow.  Against all odds baby we're the big door prize."  This weekend I was definitely sitting on a rainbow, and the chance to travel more is the big door prize.  More camping is planned for the summer and fall, so stay tuned for travels with Got Bliss as she goes on the road!

To hear the thrasher's song (and read another blog by someone who loves birds) click here

https://musicofnature.com/thrasher-cinema-success/