Saturday, November 23, 2002

We slept in a bit but grabbed a doughnut and hit the road shortly after 8. Snow decorated the landscape of eastern Ohio, but the roads were clear and dry so the driving was not a problem. The drive was long and boring, but not totally without artistic merit. I composed an alternative version to the old folk song “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” that seemed appropriate to the traffic on Interstate 80: Where have all the truckers gone?
Long time driving.
Where have all the truckers gone?
Driving so slow.
Where have al the truckers gone?
In the left lane every one.
When will they ever turn?
When will they ever turn?

Fortunately, the poetic muse did not strike again and the sun came out in the afternoon to brighten our world and send the temperature into the 40s, which was quite pleasant. After about 8 hours of driving, we arrived south of Chicago and found a motel near the Argonne Lab where Martin and Jen had stayed overnight. We called them and arranged to meet after they had looked at the last apartment, and then Monika took a hot bath while I took a nap.

When we finally got together, Martin described the apartment he had rented and we went off to have dinner. Dinner was at a place called “The Patio” a curious mix of good food done quickly with a cattle car like atmosphere. The menu consisted mainly of chicken and beef barbecued entrees but a large variety. You gave your order while waiting in line. That piece of paper was given to a cashier, you paid and got a number. Then you found someone with a headset to seat you. You displayed your number on the table and soon afterwards your food was brought to you. The food was good and plentiful, but the rush, especially when ordering, led Bob to order half a barbecue chicken instead of a barbecue chicken sandwich, and Martin got a barbecue ribs/chicken combo instead of just the ribs. But we all were very satisfied after finishing and drove over to Orland Park to amble around the Orland Mall looking for things Martin could use in the new apartment. Walking in the mall was pleasant, but it didn’t have any of the special kitchen-oriented shops, so we checked out Sears and Carson Pirie Scott. At Carson’s we finally found some mixer/blender things Martin could use, but still no furniture. We made plans to do the aquarium and art museum the next day and they dropped us off for the night back at the motel. Copyright 2002 by Robert W. Holt