Mary Louise Eklund

Tag: Chicago

Monday Marginala – We Visited The Kids

Here we are on the road and wondering if the little dark cloud up there near the Batman building in Nashville is following over someone.

Well hello there! I know, I know blog fade got me as RL intruded. But yet again I’m back just like a bad penny. So shall we carry on as if nothing happened. Yes why don’t we…

Over the 4th of July weekend we went to North Chicago and stayed in the Navy Lodge at the Great Lakes Naval Base to visit our son Aaron and his fiancee Sara. Aaron home at their apartment in Kenosha after a lay off at the civilian job and then injury during his Army National Guard drill weekend. So he was free to hang with us and Sara was free Sunday for a tour and Monday for dinner. (more…)

July 10, 2017
What I Did Over The Holidays by MLE

Drive up banking in the winter – when you make the passenger get out and knock the ice off the card slide

Let me first start by stating the obvious – IT IS COLD OUTSIDE! Yes it was -16F when I woke up. No that IS the actual TEMPERATURE you don’t wanna know the wind chill – somewhere in the -30sF. I don’t plan to go out until afternoon when we are supposed to warm up to about oF. Okay formalities taken care of I’ll start on my post now.

Due to work I didn’t go down to see the folks (mine and his) until after Christmas. It worked out just fine. Aaron and Sara came down later and stayed after us as they wanted to celebrate New Year’s with their friends here. Ahh I remember when we actually stayed up in dressy clothes and partied with others. Now just staying up is the challenge. Funny as I get older I get more like a baby routine keeps me from being grumpy.

Any way here are a few photos from the trip. Not much as I only had my phone.

We visited my parents for a few days. Here’s Mike and my folks outside a Mexican restaurant in their town. Yes we had to show our support for the Tennessee Volunteers – all graduates of the University of Tennessee ya know. Dad is a golden grad and got his 50 years since graduation pin.

Mom’s kitty Sylvester – I have two black cats, Mom has one, Aaron has one, and my bff Patricia has two – do you have a black kitty?

The house shoes my parents gave Mike – yes they are slippers!

That’s Greeneville Tennessee the town to where I grew up out in the county. I’m setting a novel (urban fantasy with a rural setting) centered right on the corner where that church is.

The view of the Smoky Mountains from my in-laws neighborhood. As you can see there was snow on the mountain but it was still nice enough in the valley to go golfing.

Jellico Mountain area of Kentucky on the drive home. The roads were clear the whole way just a long drive.

The snow just started as we hit downtown Chicago.

Back home to typical Wisconsin Winter views.

Okay tomorrow and Thursday I work so hopefully I’ll get another post in the pipeline for those days – maybe about the great YWriter and a postcard from the past… or maybe swamp tour or Colonial Williamsburg… or maybe not… Until next time!

January 7, 2014
Views From A Car

Here’s the trip south. Chicago doesn’t have traffic early on Sunday mornings. This was about 7:30 am. There’s the WIllis tower (formerly the Sears tower) in the center. It’s rare to see the interstate so empty.

Mike drove most of the 13 hours to my parents. I drove the 9 hours to Montgomery Alabama from my parents. Needless to say last week doing the trip there and back plus the driving about to cemeteries and peoples homes – I spent a lot of time in the car. No matter how great the audio books are or how many channels we got on Sirius, it gets boring being the passenger or driver. I must acknowledge as a passenger I did more than my share of sleeping. Still when I got bored I picked up my camera when a passenger and at stops to share the experience with you. Here’s the photo gallery of 44 hours on the road.

(more…)

October 3, 2012