Sunday June 20

Another beautiful, sunny day. Yesterday was a nostalgia trip. Some of my visits in Chicago concern the here and now, but often they dip back into the fathomless past. I spent the night with Joan, Richard’s cousin. I’ve known her since I was 20, and even though I am no longer Richard’s wife, she remains my cousin. We deal with the here and now, but the past sits just behind an open door.  We talked non-stop, all through dinner and on to a visit to Linda and Tom, who live in a house filled with art. Tom is an amazing, highly productive artist. I ache for him, that he does not get more recognition.

I am sitting in Joan’s kitchen watching the birds at the feeders, the squirrel under the feeders cleaning up seeds the birds dropped and a chipmunk that steals seeds and darts away. 

We went to see more of Tom’s art: sculpture being installed on the Purdue campus; 

 

Linda, Joan, Ed and Tom 

a wonderful mosaic with 150,000 tiles at Andrean High School. 

 I am overwhelmed by this man.

More talk, then into Chicago with traffic as bad as I’ve ever seen it. If this happens on Sunday, what must Monday be? I made a quick, unsatisfying stop at Paper Source, then out to Arlington Heights to meet with Sandy and Jan over a wonderful dinner. We looked at the books from the workshop, which inspired Sandy to add more tools and materials to the supply we are carrying.  Tomorrow morning, after quick stops at Trader Joe’s for snacks and Office Depot for more paper, we’re off to Door County.

Monday

The drive to Door County was largely uneventful–only about 10 minutes of heavy rain as we left Illinois. We arrived about 3, unpacked the car visited over lemonade and then another show and tell for Anita and Kathy. We are now suitably inspired and ready to go to work tomorrow.