Déjà Vu All Over Again

Evan and I made it through the snow in Illinois last Thursday. We elected to divert south to St. Louis, and then on to Kansas City, where the cold temperature and brutal wind were a reminder of the ferocity of the storm that closed our intended travel route through Iowa and Nebraska for a time, and played havoc with the same Amtrak train that we had such a good ride on from Chicago last year. Friday's drive was uneventful and on dry roads, so we pushed through all the way back to Grand Junction, about 850 miles in 13 hours.

The trip over the New Year's holiday was the second year we did this, albeit with a different destination. Our visit to the Pittsburgh area was quiet and uneventful. This isn't to say that there's a lot of thinking and emotion in the background. I did take Evan to a Pennsylvania ski resort for a day, but for most of the trip he stayed with his grandmother, and I with my fiancee. Whether the twain shall meet sometime before a wedding happens remains to be seen. I'm hopeful that we can all figure out a way to get along.

Leslie and I took her two girls to dinner and to see Avatar on New Years Eve, in a theater with a floor-to-ceiling screen that seriously enhanced the 3-D experience, especially when sitting about three rows from the front. I've got more to say later about the film and its message. We watched the fireworks in Downtown Pittsburgh at midnight. Later on in the week we took in the annual holiday festival of lights put on by Allegheny County at Hartwood Acres.
This was the first time any of us had seen it. It's quite elaborate and well done.

In the aftermath of our visit and the somewhat difficult drive back, I find that I've got similar upper respiratory issues as when I returned from Chicago last year. I detailed these in a post back then, especially when whatever I had migrated to both ears after a trip to the front range. As luck would have it, I have an appointment in Denver on Thursday, and am hoping that a repeat performance can be avoided.

As it happens, this has been a tough bug to shake, and it has kept me in the house for the last three days. While I've been able to do a lot of stuff that needed done, my sleep patterns are kind of haywire from afternoon naps that have lasted too long. Tonight, I'm just not tired. Leslie needs a wake-up call in a little bit anyway. She and her daughter Michaela are in Philadelphia for a week. I'll detail that over the next couple of days.

Over the next few weeks I'll be exploring some issues that I have visited here in the past. I'm finding some relevant use for some of the writing I've done before, and hope that what I have to offer serves to further illuminate the subjects and people for those of you who have been kind enough to consistently follow this site over the last three years.

Have a great rest of the week.