Chicago and Beyond

Leaving the Bay area, I was scheduled for two nights in Chicago. I wanted to hear some music, and I wanted to make sure that fog and snow did not keep me in the US too long. So I had an early flight to the Windy Apple, and slept most of the way. I woke up to find out we were circling the airport for a bit, and then when we landed, we never dropped out of the clouds. The fog in Chicago was so thick that, had it not been for the red light at the end of the wing, one would not know where the wing ended. The landing was smooth, and as we taxied to the gate, the pilot came on and let us know that the approach and landing had all been handled by computer, and that he had nothing to do with the smoothness of it. I wonder if the oohs and ahs I heard would have been the same had he announced that before we landed.

So I had a few days in Chicago, but it was a Monday and Tuesday night, not the best for jazz or folk. Besides, my rib cage was painful, so I did not take a lot of advantage of the city. However I did have dinner with Eric Unger, the son of a friend from Oswego. He is attending Columbia College in Chicago, majoring in poetry. He gave me a copy of his chap book of poetry. It is sparse, and wonderful, and beautiful. We had a lengthy dinner talking about poetry. What a wonderful evening. What a wonderful young man. He gives me hope.

On Tuesday afternoon, I was standing outside the hotel, deciding if I wanted to go for a walk through the rain, which seemed to want to turn to snow. I looked down the street, and saw a police car approaching with its blue lights flashing. Behind it were two huge American style cars, really big suckers, and behind them, was another of Chicago's finest's vehicles, also with blue lights flashing. I stared at them as they passed, and waved and clapped my hands as I recognized the next US President in the back of one of the huge vehicles. Barak was on his way to cast his vote in the Chicago Primary. I later saw him being interviewed on television at his poling place, but he did not mention seeing me. oh well.

The next day, leaving Chicago for Milan, and then Palermo, it started snowing in Earnest, which is just a few miles from O'Hare Airport. By the time we took off, there was about five inches of snow at the airport, and I was glad to get out of there, and glad to almost be heading home. Well, not exactly home, but close. I was headed to Palermo, and another adventure. And if I get these finished soon, you will have read about that adventure before you read about this one. Ah, the wonders.