After the week in Wisconsin, I went to work on Monday and Tuesday. The next day was July 4th. The weather was HOT! RAW went up to Crown Point before we did because he was going to leave earlier to go to his mom’s to deal with that broken AC. The only problem is that her power was still out. They promised to have it on by the 4th. Turns out that at 3:00 p.m., the electricity finally did come on.
The forecast for that day and the next couple after was for 102 and humid and pretty much unbearable. At mom’s we all sat in the dining room until we ate then off to the back yard for us. After dinner, us adults still sat in the yard while all the kids sat in the air conditioned family room.
Because 4th of July was on a Wednesday, Cindy had to work the next day. I took off Thursday and Friday like Pam but I wasn’t planning on staying over night especially because I had plans for the girls. Pam was doing the Mammie transfer.
Thursday was just as hot but I had reservations for a hotel in Chicago. It was going to be a horrendously hot day to be running around Chicago but plans were plans. We can take a late train in since we are staying over night.
The hotel called asking if we wanted to upgrade our room to a suite but I thought the room size was pretty nice the last time so I passed. The problem was this room wasn’t like thhe last time, it was small and blah. I should of upgraded.
While on the train Sarah, I and the lady behind us noticed a woman who was bundled in layers, wearing a winter coat and hat. And Sarah says goggles. Remember it was 102 degrees.
Once in Chicago we jumping the first cab in the line outside of Union Station. All 4 of us crammed in the back seat and told the elderly Korean man where we needed to go. He said we probably want AC and turned it on.
As we approached our hotel on Michigan Ave during rush hour the driver failed to go for awhile after the rest of the traffic already left. I think he fell asleep. No one honked so maybe it was worse then it seemed.
For dinner we went to Viand which is the restaurant in the hotel we usually go to (and one we will go to from now on). The only thing on the menu that sounded good to all of us was ravioli with red wine reduction.
I thought it was good but the red wine reduction was kind of grape jam like and the girls didn’t like the sweetness.
Back at the hotel the girls were getting goofy and I blamed the red wine reduction 😉
After goofiness, we walked around the city eventually ending up at the John Hancock building where we went to the top to see the city at night. Sarah didn’t like it much being so high so we didnt’ stay as long as we might of.
The temperature at 10 at night was 91 and the humidity was oppressive, ug.
The next morning I work up the girls in order to get the free breakfast buffet before they closed at 10:00 a.m.
By checkout time we were back on the hot streets of Chicago heading for the Art Institute. Because it was so hot I didn’t want to walk so we took a bus. i guess the hilight of the trip was that Sarah got to stand on a moving bus.
There was a long line outside of the Art Institute in the baking sun but as we approached it, the guy said we could go around the building to the other entrance where there was no line which we gladly did. This time I remembered my Abbott employment which meant we got in for free.
After walking around there for a couple hours, we went across the street to Bennigan’s for lunch/dinner. After that we got on the bus and headed back to the train.
While the officially high temperature that day was 103, there was a slight cooling on Michigan Ave like all the AC of the stores was leaking onto the street. When we got off the train back home at 5:15, we were nearly blown away with the heat.
Sarah picked up a small cactus, the non prickly kind while at Walgreen’s. It was unique and apparantly looked like hooves so she named it Hooves. Later after we were home investigating it on the internet to find out what it was, we found a blog entry by a woman who bought the same thing and named it Hooves. Too funny.
Saturday we hung around. Hollace had a rash on her neck that appeared while were camping right after her shower. I am thinking it is fungal and was going to take her to the immediate care but didn’t. I had some anti-fungal cream we put it on but we ran out of time to take her in before she headed out to Fort Wayne on Sunday. I told RAW to put the cream on and monitor it.
Saturday we went to Barnes and Noble (actually two of them) for Sarah and then to Steak and Shake because the girls have never been. We came home and Sarah made some Soda Bread since Hollace loves the bread.
Sunday I took the girls back up to Wisconsin at our half way meeting point while Hollace and RAW headed to Fort Wayne so she could go to Farm Camp.
I just got an update of Hollace’s first day and apparently the rash on her neck is LICE! They told her to go to Walgreens to get some stuff, put her hat on the dashboard of the hot car and see ya tomorrow. I don’t know. I hope it is as easy as this so she doesn’t miss camp this week. They didn’t seem to be concerned.