Gayle Richardson and I left early Sunday morning with the Pittsfield seniors for a tour of the canyon country. The first stop was Chicago.

HOG Butcher for the World,
Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat,
Player with Railroads and the Nation’s Freight Handler;
Stormy, husky, brawling,
City of the Big Shoulders: (Carl Sandburg)

The first stop was Navy Pier. This was not the Navy Pier I remember from twenty some years ago. This was a bustling exciting destination with lots of little shops and restaurants along a beautiful Lake Michigan walkway. Gayle and I walked the entire length of the Pier and ate at The City Porch. We had wonderful fish tacos. I trust it was not the tilapia I saw raised in The Mekong river houses. On the return to the bus we saw the Fabulous Adams Collection of stained glass. Having just finished reading the book,Clara and Mr. Tiffany, I was thrilled to see one of the panels that the women’s shop designed .

We took the afternoon architectural boat tour. The guide was fantastic, full of history, more than I can remember. The most important fact was that the Chicago Fire burned down 3.3 sq miles and gave the city the opportunity to start over with a plan and excellent architecture. Twenty two years later the city had recovered enough to host the World’s Fair wash here they introduced the world to many modern inventions. If you have not read DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY, it is a a marvelous history of Chicago and it’s famous buildings.

A Tiffany Window

View from the Resturant

MONDAY

Today has been a ” hurry up and wait day”. Gayle and I are finally settled in a second story sleeper car for the next Thirty hours.

So far we are seeing first hand the devastation of the drought ( caused by the no such thing as global warming)

The impulse to travel is one of the hopeful symptoms of life.”
–Agnes Repplier,
American essayist