I awoke early on my day of departure in order to get to Chicago in one day. The moon shone through the open window in my shower as the birds swung into full dawn chorus. The sky slowly illuminated the world, and the beginnings of pink fuzz peaked from the buds on the mimosa tree in our back yard.
After a hasty breakfast, I packed my last gear in the car and plugged in the iPod. "You Can Get It If You Really Want" by Jimmy Cliff greeted me, and I took that as a sign of good things to come.
The rolling hills/mountains of Western Massachusetts are covered by woods, and the mist rising from the valleys created a very beautiful send-off from the East Coast. As I came down from the mountains and onto the plains of New York, I noticed that drivers suddenly understood the rules and customs of the road much better. The right lane was used for driving and the left for passing. Amazingly, with only two lanes, the same volume of traffic that had been snarled with three lanes in Mass was moving smoothly in New York. This trend continued throughout my trip except for in Chicago where people drive like maniacs. Friends who only know East Coast driving wonder why I like to drive for 17 hours in a day, but in the Midwest, it is a peaceful endeavor.
I arrived in Chicago late, dealt with the crazy traffic there, and ended up at Sarah's house. This is soon to not be her house anymore as she is moving to Philly where I will be able to visit her and her family much more often. We chatted about childhood memories til late, and in the morning, I headed to Wrigley Field for the first ballgame of the trip.
I did something I rarely do--I left the game early. The Cards were on their way to a poorly played loss, and I had hours of driving to get me to St. Louis. As the sun set, the farmland in Illinois was lit up and contrasted by the cloudy sky. I whizzed past silos and farm houses that each could be a postcard of the Heartland. I had forgotten how much sky there is out on the Plains.
I arrived in St. Louis and made my way, like the swallows of San Juan Capistrano, to the place of my childhood. The old street signs, lit from within, glowed their welcome as I turned onto my home street.
In the following days, I enjoyed the activities surrounding the All Star Game. This game was the impetus to schedule the trip home at this time. I left Boston without a ticket, but wanted to be around as the city filled with fans and possibly get a ticket for the main event as well.
The highly promoted Fan Fest was somewhat disappointing. I think if I was a kid and had one of the armbands that let one cut to the front of the line, it would have been marvelous. As a single adults, there were hour long lines for the few batting and pitching activities, a few exhibits from the Hall of Fame and the Negro Leagues, and lots of things to buy. I bought a pin. Hmm.
The thing that made my day worth it was meeting Jackie Robinson's daughter who was giving away free, advanced copies of her new book about her father's courage both as a baseball player integrating the majors and as a parent who overcame his fear of water to test a frozen pond for his childrens' safety. Really nice book, and she was gracious and friendly. Rose has another book waiting for her when she is a bit older.
On my way to the Metro Station, I passed many lions decorated in the manner of the Cow Project (which Seattle did in pigs). University City is decorated with lions, so this was a natural choice. This one, located in front of the library in which I spent much of my youth, is titled "Reading Between the Lions" and is covered with pages from books.
Many of the older building is St. Louis are decorated either with paingings that look like architecture or with ornate terra cotta tiles. I enjoyed walking around down town looking at buildings on the day of the game while I waited for the ticket prices to drop and for the parade to start.
I also discovered the new sculpture garden in the middle of the city. It is a neat space. The limestone wall represents the river bluffs on the Illinois side of the Mississippi which is represented by quite a few water features. Kids were running around in an area in which jets of water spurted from the ground at random and timed intervals.
My walk down town inevitably took me by the arch. Unique is an overused word, but is applies to this structure. There are several needle-like buildings, many tall buildings, but there are no other grand, man-made arches like this one. Pictures don't do it justice.
As I wandered downtown and back in the U. City Loop, I saw the many things that were familiar, but St. Louis is surging and much is being remade or newly made. I came across this statue of Lewis and Clark amongst the granite cobblestones at the foot of the Eads Bridge. The statue must get covered each time the water rises.
This is a view of the arch through one of the stone arches of Eads Bridge.
This arch celebrates the World Championships of the Cardinals through their history.
The parade finally happened. This car carried Albert Pujols who is a fan favorite in St. Louis.
These fine folks at Stub Hub helped me secure a ticket within my budget at the last moment. I rushed over to the stadium and got in to see the whole event. I am really grateful to them for their patience while I waited for a few hours and their quick work at the end. They really made the afternoon pleasant.
I was thrilled to see the President and the televized message from the living presidents about service to our country. Obama's first pitch looked good, and the game was a good one. However, the experience went way beyond being a baseball game.
My crazily expensive meal.
This is a bottle I used to play with as a child. Reena and Rose flew in the day after the All Star Game, and then it was about Rose and my parents spending time together. Mom pulled out many old toys, and Rose had a blast. She learned to put a cylindrical piece in a toy mailbox and sampled many new foods. Much joy was had by all.
I also was fortunate to hang out with many friends and even to go contra dancing. For some reason, I was not into taking pictures during the baby and friends times. Reena has some photos that she may put on her blog. Suffice to say, it was wonderful to catch up with friends and spend time in a community that is warm and welcoming.
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