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What Was Selling At The Literature Festival

5/31/2018

Last Saturday, May 26, I was one of the featured authors at the Literature Festival at the Walls of Books bookstore in Newark, Ohio,

Besides myself there were nine other authors present at tables set up throughout the store,

...or outside.

Among the genres represented were fiction,

...Christian fiction,

...Children's books,

....Christian children's books,

...and hardcore porn.

Author Lasondra Burks, a friendly and gregarious grandmother who works with special needs children and adults, was representing this particular genre which she self-publishes under the pen name of Sonny Blaise.

Alongside her openly-displayed quadruple-X-rated wares Lasondra also offered her mainstream fiction and her publications on budgeting advice, herbal healing, and self-help.

But it was the Sonny Blaise that was selling, as I observed from the next table over where my book was, quite frankly, not.

There can be no doubt that the author's engaging style with the customers and spot-on salesmanship were helping her sales of Determined, which I'm guessing measured about six by eight inches, had maybe 50 pages and sold for $20.

    "Here, take a peek," she'd encourage, handing a potential customer a copy of the book.
    "Open to any page in the book except the first or the last," she'd say proudly, indicating that one could find what one sought in this genre on almost any page, precluding the annoyance of having to either read or flip through a number of pages to get to the, uh, goods.
    "That's really hardcore," commented one young guy who'd taken the challenge and flipped to the center of the book.
     Still, the author had a way of pitching her hardcore erotica that made it sound excellent and downright wholesome - which, for all I know, maybe it was, though I can't really say as I declined her repeated friendly offers to open to any page, any page except the first or the last. As I explained to her, I like my salsa mild.
     In truth the people, men and women, who were buying the book looked wholesome enough. One young woman who came in with her husband and four small children bought a copy of Determined and a couple of Christian books, too.

As for me, I sat at my table at the Literature Festival from 11 am until 5 pm, pitching my book to any occasional passer-by who showed the faintest ember of interest.

I sold not a book. At the end of the event I talked to several of the other authors who fared the same as myself.
Turned out the best-sellers of the day were the Christian novels and the Christian children's books. And the porn.

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Good-Bye Phoenix, Hello Columbus

5/30/2018

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"Equal and Opposite Reactions"
By Patti Liszkay
Only $3.99 on Amazon Kindle
http://amzn.to/2xvcgRa

"Equal and Opposite Reactions is a rollicking good yarn about complex relationships and emotions in middle-class American culture. The author has created an incredibly funny romantic comedy, which transcends the ubiquitous romantic triangle and expands it into a quadrangle, complicated by the interweaving of relationships between the children of the principal characters. Cleverly plotted, twists and turns, and exceptionally well written, this part drama and part slapstick comedy is a tour-de-force. Bravo Patti."
- R. Bruce Logan, "The Narrative Arc"

Good-Bye Phoenix, Hello Columbus

...Continued from yesterday:
It was mid-afternoon when our caravan reached Phoenix. Maria, Justin, and the girls caught their flight back to Los Angeles, while Tommy and Emily, hankering a hike, loaded up on water, defied Arizona convention and took a two-hour afternoon trek up Camelback Mountain.

...where the breath-taking views proved to be worth the effort.

A view of Camelback we caught driving into Phoenix

Meanwhile Callie, Theresa, Tom and I checked into our hotel, the Hilton near the Phoenix airport.

The lobby.

Tom's and my room.

We'd made a date to meet up with Emily and Tommy when they got back from their hike at Hula's Modern Tiki, a restaurant Tommy and Emily found in nearby Scottsdale.
So at the appointed time we drove to Scottsdale, where we were treated to some
sci-fiesque rock formations along the way,

...to Hula's Modern Tiki,

...where Emily and Tommy arrived, sweaty and craving ice water, but none the worse for wear after their hot climb up Camelback.

The food at Hula's was great. Tom had salmon,

...Theresa had Thai chicken,

...the others had burgers with plantains,

...or sweet potato fries,

...or fries,

...and I had the fish tacos with a side of rice in some kind of sauce, which was awesome.

As the restaurant was on a cute street full of shops, after dinner we took a stroll.

Then we drove back to our hotel.

The following morning we were in the Phoenix airport,

...and a few hours later we were back in "One of Us" Columbus,

...where we rounded off the the day with dinner at the Gahanna Old Bag of Nails,

It's lovely to travel, and then it's nice to return home.
(Photo outside the Old Bag of Nails)

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Another Day, Another Party

5/29/2018

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"Equal and Opposite Reactions"
By Patti Liszkay
Only $3.99 on Amazon Kindle
http://amzn.to/2xvcgRa

Another Day, Another Party

...Continued from yesterday:

Early Sunday morning, the morning following the Quinceañera (see previous post), Maria and Justin dropped off the girls at Tom's and my room at the Best Western (see post from 5/23/2018) so that we could babysit while they, Theresa and Callie went for a hike in the desert, it being prudent to leave very early in the morning if one wishes to hike in the Arizona desert at this time of year (see post from 5/22/2018).

I took the girls down to the hotel dining area for breakfast,

...then allowed a bit of educational video before their parents returned.

Most of us were leaving Wickenburg for Phoenix that day, except for Claire and Miguel, who would be staying a few more days to visit with Miguel's family.
However after those of us who were leaving checked out of the Best Western Rancho Grande,

...before heading out to Phoenix we first headed over to Miguel's family's house.

Behind the house is a courtyard,

...on the other side of which is an outdoor kitchen,

...that Miguel's mother Lolita uses to prepare food for big events,

...such as was this day's event, a birthday party for her two grandchildren, .Quino, who'll be turning five,

...and Memo - here with his cousin Brisa - who'll soon be three.

The yard was set up and decked out for the guests,

...some of whom had already arrived by the time we got there around 11:30 am,

...and some of whom were were dipping into Lolita's famous Menudo - also known as "Hangover Soup" - made from beef tripe (which is cow stomach) and hominy. (Mayhaps for some the soup was needed as a curative for the previous evening's revels).

We joined the guests,

...and though I bypassed the Menudo - all the more beef tripe for the hangover sufferers - I did have one of Lolita's delicious chiles rellenos,

...a poblano pepper stuffed with queso fresco - a creamy white cheese used in Mexican dishes - then dipped in egg yolks and pan fried.

The beans were muy tasty, too.

Miguel's brother Juan Carlos and his wife Dulce.

Claire, Miguel, and Dulce.

There showed up among the guests a king snake, which set me to shrieking (like Indiana Jones, I, too, hate snakes) until it was explained to me that the king snakes keep the rattle snakes away. "Make him stay!" I cried, but, alas, I guess all my squawking sent him slithering off in search of a quieter place.

Maria's family, Tommy, Emily, Callie, Theresa, Tom and I left the party around 1:30 pm, before which Dulce gave the girls their party favor bags, which they opted to break into immediately.

Before we left I was able to get a glimpse of one of the birthday cakes made by Lolita, upon which she was putting the finishing touches.

Later in the day, as we learned from Claire and the Facebook photos, the party revved up with the arrival of about 150 guests,

...a mariachi band,

...dancing,

...a piñata,

...and lots of food.

Meanwhile we were back on the road to Phoenix.

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La Quinceañera

5/26/2018

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...Continued from yesterday:
Saturday afternoon of May 19 we were among the celebrants of the Quinceañera of Kasandra Torres, the Quinceañera being the traditional Mexican "coming out" party celebrating a girl's 15th birthday. "La Quinceañera" also refers to the girl whose birthday is being celebrated.

Kasandra, La Quinceañera.

Kasy is the sister of my son-in-law's sister-in-law Dulce, center, here with her other sister Yucari and their Mom, Delia.

The celebration began at 4 pm with a mass at St. Anthony of Padua church in downtown Wickenburg, a lovely Old Spanish-style building.

We were able to walk to the church from our hotel.

The church was beautifully decorated for the occasion, Kasy's Quinceañera theme being "Under the Sea."

The men wore sea shell boutonnieres.

The mass began with a procession.

A beautiful traditional Mexican waltz played while the two attendants, Kasy's nephew José Luis, right, and family friend Luis, led the procession down the aisle to the music with a stylized step.

The attendants were followed by Kasy's mother Delia, accompanied by family member Francisco,

...Miguel's mom Lolita accompanied by one of her sons, Juan Carlos,

...and finally Kasandra, La Quinceañera,

...looking sweet and lovely as a princess.

The mass was in Spanish, but I could understand the prayers and the celebrant's wishes for Kasy for joy and good paths in life.

Kasy and her mother offering a prayer and Kasy's bouquet to the Blessed Virgin.

At the end of the mass Kasy and her attendants led the recessional to the same lovely waltz as was played during the procession.

Then it was time for pictures,

...and many good wishes.

From the church we walked to the Wickenburg Community Center,

...which had been festively decked out for the reception in the "Under the Sea" theme.

There was a table of traditional Mexican sweets,

...such as these tamarind sticks dipped in chili powder.

The table of La Quinceañera.

At Kasy's table were a pair of high heels, as the Quinceañera signifies a girl's transition to adulthood and, symbolically at least, the first time she will wear high heels.

After most of the guests had arrived,

...Kasy was honored on stage,

...then dinner was served.

The meal was delicious, chicken in a chipotle sauce with a side of seasoned rice casserole and vegetables.

Miguel’s mother Lolita cooked all the food, though Theresa and Callie popped back to help her serve (That's Lolita next to Theresa but hidden behind the server) .

After dinner there was socializing,

...and playing,

...and photo ops.

Dulce, sister of La Quinceañera

Miguel's grandmother Nina.

…and fun at the photo booth,

…and a box into which we could drop our good wishes written on a sea shell,

…and many wonderful and beautifully arranged snacks, also prepared by Lolita.

Lolita also made the beautiful cake,

...as well as a cake for every table to share.

After Kasy and her attendants danced the Quinceañera waltz,

...the guests joined in the dancing,

...and were joined by some entertaining folks,

...including a giant glowing robot man,

...who was the hit of the dance floor.

It was a magical evening.

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El Ranchero

5/24/2018

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"Equal and Opposite Reactions"
By Patti Liszkay
Only $3.99 on Amazon Kindle
http://amzn.to/2xvcgRa

"It's Hallmark meets the Sopranos in this fun and engaging read."
"The characters are well developed with lots of sass, drama and wicked humor."
"The characters were hilariously and perfectly flawed."
"Cleverly plotted and exceptionally well written... part drama and part slapstick comedy."
Funny and thought provoking and entertaining!"
"A rollicking good yarn."
-Amazon reviews

El Ranchero

...Continued from yesterday:
We started off Saturday morning by meeting up with Claire and Miguel, who'd arrived from Chicago the day before and had spent Friday evening helping with preparations for the Quinceañera (see yesterday's post), for brunch at El Ranchero, Miguel's Uncle Chuy's restaurant.

Uncle Chuy

Claire and Miguel outside El Ranchero.

All of us (except me, the photographer) outside El Ranchero,

...and inside El Ranchero.

...in one of the dining rooms, this one beautifully decorated in traditional Mexican motif.

On one of the walls hangs a portrait of Miguel's father, who passed away several years before Miguel and Claire were married.

The main dining room.

El Ranchero advertises the best margaritas in the Southwest; and even though we weren't drinking at 10 am and so couldn't in truth vouch for the margaritas, the food certainly has to be among the best Mexican not only in the Southwest but on the planet.

We started off with chips and three salsas: mild, hot, and whoa!
Being a spice wimp, I stuck with the mild - so
tasty! - in the white ramekin.

We then went on to sample among us some of Uncle Chuy's delicious burritos,

...huevos,

...tacos,

...and enchiladas.
Tom and I split this massive plate of Enchiladas Tricolor: a red enchilada stuffed with chicken, a white enchilada stuffed with cheese and a green enchilada stuffed beef - soooo good!

After brunch we all drove out to Maria and Justin's Airbnb (see yesterday's post) for a dip in the pool,

...and to relax a bit before the big event, the Quinceañera, which would begin later that afternoon.

     Then it was time to go back to our hotel and get ready for the Quinceañera.
    The enjoyment of the anticipation would be exceeded only by the enjoyment of the event itself.
     To be continued...

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Howdy, Wickenburg

5/23/2018

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"Equal and Opposite Reactions"
By Patti Liszkay
Only $3.99 on Amazon Kindle
http://amzn.to/2xvcgRa

"It's Hallmark meets the Sopranos in this fun and engaging read."
"The characters are well developed with lots of sass, drama and wicked humor."
"Cleverly plotted and exceptionally well written... part drama and part slapstick comedy."
"Funny and thought -provoking and entertaining!"
"The characters were hilariously and perfectly flawed."
"A rollicking good yarn."
-Amazon reviews

Howdy, Wickenburg

...Continued from yesterday:

Wickenburg, Arizona is one hour northwest of and generally about half-a-dozen degrees cooler than Phoenix, thanks to its higher elevation.

Whatever the reason, we were thankful for those half-a-dozen degrees cooler when we arrived in Wickenburg on Friday afternoon,

...and Callie, Theresa, Tommy, Emily and I checked into our rooms at the Best Western Rancho Grande,

,...which may not be Best, but definitely rocks the Western, with pretty red-tilled adobe buildings,

...architectural style,

...tile murals on the exterior walls,

...and those sweet Arizona palms.

The lobby

Our room

Maria and Justin had rented another Airbnb outside of town for themselves and the kids.

We'd stayed at this Best Western in May of 2014 when we came to Wickenburg for Claire and Miguel's wedding (See posts from 5/1/2014-5/9/2014),

...during which Tom and I had such a delightful time that we always said we'd return to Wickenburg again some day.
And we finally did last week to attend the Quinceañera* of Miguel's sister-in-law's sister.
Wickenburg is a pretty little mountain desert town - popular with snowbirds and as a stop-over for tourists heading west to Las Vegas - that almost looks as if it could be out of the old West, if not for the contemporary accoutrements.

Soon after checking into the Best Western Callie, Theresa, Tom and myself went for a walk to seek out some lunch, which we found at a cute bar called Mecca,

...where we requested a seat in the courtyard,

...which was lined with charming little shops.

The food was yummy. We shared a basket of fried pickles,

...and split two mushroom and Swiss burgers among the four of us.

As Callie - who is a phenomenal cook - had offered to fix Mexican for us all that evening at Maria and Justin's Airbnb, after lunch we drove to the local Safeway to pick up the necessary provisions,

...then we headed out to the Airbnb, which was about 15 minutes outside of Wickenburg in a rural area,

...on a 6-acre ranch down an unpaved road.

Upon our arrival we were greeted by one of the locals.

The house was beautiful and quite spacious inside, and with its cool stone floors and earth shades evoked a Spanish-style hacienda .

There was a beautiful back porch and yard,

...with a pool.

When the time approached Callie began the dinner preparations while I assisted,

...and the others set up,

...or watched the children.

Dinner was over-the-top awesome fajitas with mango citrus slaw.

...which we all greatly enjoyed,

...as we likewise did the dessert I picked up at Safeway,

...topped with whipped cream.

After dinner Tom, ever the good sport, offered to wash the dishes and clean the kitchen, .while the rest of us went out back to watch the sunset.

...which really rounded off the day nicely.

*In Mexican culture the Quinceañera is the traditional coming out celebration in honor of a girl's 15th birthday.

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Good-Bye Columbus, Hello Phoenix

5/22/2018

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On Thursday, May 17, Tom and I were back in the Columbus airport, (see posts from 4/29/2018 and 4/30/2018),

...with Tommy, Emily, and Callie, here at the airport Bob Evans,

...eating breakfast,

...then catching a nap,

...before catching our flight to Phoenix, Arizona.
Our ultimate destination was Wickenburg, Arizona for the Quinceañera* of Claire's husband Miguel's sister-in-law's younger sister.
Miguel and Claire.

     Our whole family was invited by Miguel's family, so we all decided to go.
     Our plan was to meet up with Maria, Justin, and our grand daughters, who were flying in from Los Angeles, in Phoenix in an Airbnb that Maria had reserved for us, spend the night, then the following day drive to Wickenburg and meet up there with Claire and Miguel.
    Which is, in fact, what came to pass.

After we arrived in Phoenix and had picked up a rental car we decided that the first order of things would be to seek out some lunch,

…which we found at a place we came upon called Uncle Bear's located in a pretty strip mall,

...pretty, thanks to the palm trees that adorned the parking lot.

For some reason Arizona has particularly pretty palm trees and lots of them.

Uncle Bear's was a dog-themed pub,

...with long, bone-shaped tables,

...and walls lined with pictures of pups.

And though, as everybody knows, I am not a dog person (see post from 7/28/2017), still I had to give the place snaps for the food if not the doggie decor.

The garlic Parmesan fries we shared as an appetizer were hot, crispy, and awesome,

...as was Emily's better-than-usual pizza,

...my fajita salad,

...with the grilled steak and onions served on the side,

...and everyone else's sandwiches.

After lunch Tommy and Emily headed for their hotel in downtown Phoenix while the rest of us headed for our Airbnb.
We drove along brown desert hills,

…down highways and streets lined with palm trees,

…and cactuses.

…until we reached our Airbnb, a big, desert- hued house,

...in a neighborhood in which the all the houses and yards were shades of desert,

…on a street that dead-ended in a mountain,

…that took on a surreal glow at sunset,

…as did all the mountains in the area.

     As it turned out the keypad lock on the front door of our Airbnb denied us access. We contacted the owner of the house who admitted that she’d been having problems with the keypad and would need a few minutes to figure out how to get it functioning, but asked us to stand by.
     However, it being 1:30 in the afternoon, 98 degrees, and the Phoenix sun beating down on us Ohio folk like a demon, we opted to seek refuge and air conditioning in a nearby Target until the owner got the door issue squared away.
      Our trip to Target in fact turned out to be an auspicious one, as while wandering the toy department I discovered that LOL dolls, now so wildly popular that they are virtually unattainable in Los Angeles and Columbus, Ohio, both cities where I’d recently sought them out (see post from 4/26/2018 ), have not yet found a following in Phoenix:

…there was at that Target not only a finity of LOL dolls,

…but also of the even rarer LOL L’il Sisters.

And the LOLs here were several dollars cheaper than in either L.A. or Columbus. I grabbed a couple of each for my (very lucky) granddaughters.
By the time we returned to our Airbnb the owner had apparently ironed out the kinks in the door’s keypad lock as Maria and family had already arrived, and were happy to see us, as we were them.

The house was beautiful and spacious,

…with four bedrooms,

…and a lovely yard,

…provided one (unlike myself) has no aversion to potential visits from scorpions and other desert critters.

The house had a welcoming feel (once the keypad was repaired), was well-equipped for one’s comfort and convenience, and we quickly settled in,

…and began enjoying the house’s amenities,

…including the house toys.

The LOL dolls I'd bought at Target were a phenomenal hit,

…and fortunately lifeguard Auntie Theresa was patient about periodically rescuing the tiny dolls and their infinitesimal accessories from the bottom of the pool as required.

When dinner time rolled around Maria and Justin went out for a date night at a nearby resort, Callie and Theresa opted to stay home, watch TV and forage among the house snacks we’d acquired from Target, and Tom and I took the children out for dinner. Other than fast-food, the restaurant pickings in these particular environs were slim; however we did come upon an IHOP, which we figured the girls would enjoy.
And perhaps they would have, had it not taken over an hour for our orders to arrive, piecemeal and incomplete – the tired-looking, harried-looking waitress informed us that that our grand daughter’s egg had fallen onto the floor and advised us not to even attempt ordering another one. In exchange she wouldn’t charge us for the children’s meals, also in gratitude for the girls not having morphed into wild things during the wait for their food, such as it was by the time it arrived.
We made a mental note not to attempt to go out for breakfast around here.

Rather, the next morning, Friday morning, Tom and I made an early expedition to Fry’s, the local Kroger’s affiliate,

…but with a much more beautiful view than I’d ever seen from any other Kroger’s parking lot,

…where we purchased fresh-from-the-oven bagels, pastries, fruit and cheese, which was greatly appreciated by our housemates, much more, we assumed, than would have been a foray to the local IHOP.

After breakfast Maria, Justin, Tom, the girls and I drove to nearby South Mountain,

...for a hike in the desert hills.
In this part of Arizona at this time of year hikers should start out early - ideally no later than 6 am, though we didn't quite meet that deadline - because the heat becomes so intense so quickly that by late morning heat stroke becomes a danger.

There was a sign at the beginning of the trail warning hikers to hydrate well before starting out and to turn back before their water supply was half depleted.
All of which we did.

At times the steep, rocky trail reminded me of the trails Tom and I hiked along the Camino de Santiago de Compostela in Spain (see my Camino blogs: https://pattiliszkay.weebly.com/ and https://www.andlightenyourpack.com/),

The climb was worth the spectacular views,

...including distant panoramas of Phoenix.

We also saw many glorious saguaro cactuses,

...all in bloom.

After a while some of us got a little tired,

But a little rest was all we needed.

We hiked for a little over an hour, then headed back to our Airbnb, catching a great view of downtown Phoenix in the distance.

We spent some time resting,

...working,

...playing,

...and, of course, cleaning up so as to snag a good review from our Airbnb host, which we did,

Then we said good-bye to Phoenix and our delightful Airbnb,

...and we were on the road to Wickenburg.

*In Mexican culture the Quinceañera is the traditional coming out celebration in honor of a girl's 15th birthday.

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Non-occurrence At Dunkin' Donuts

5/16/2018

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"EQUAL AND OPPOSITE REACTIONS"
By Patti Liszkay
is FREE on AMAZON KINDLE until May 17
http://amzn.to/2xvcgRa

Non-occurrence At Dunkin' Donuts

As I recounted in my 5/13/2018 post, on the evening that Tom and I arrived in Chicago for our recent visit, while strolling around the Wicker Park neighborhood after dinner,

we came upon a Dunkin Donuts,

....and so we decided to go in and have some coffee, tea, and donuts.
But this I didn't tell:
Behind the counter was a young African American woman who looked to be in her twenties. We and she were the only people in the store.

After the young woman waited on us Tom and I took a seat at the bar so as to be able to look out the window.

     After we'd been sitting for a little while another customer entered the store, also a young African American woman who appeared to be about the same age as the woman working behind the counter. The young woman took a seat at the end of the bar where we were sitting and, elbow on the table and chin resting in her hand, she, too, began looking out the window.
     After she'd been sitting looking out the window for a couple minutes the young woman behind the counter called to her, "Can I help you?"
     The woman sitting at the bar turned around to the server. "I'm waiting for my friend," she said. "Do I have to buy something to sit here?"
     "No," server replied, "I just wanted to know if you wanted anything."
      "Oh, no thanks," the woman said with a smile, "I'm just waiting."
      "You can wait," said the woman behind the counter, also with a smile.
      And so the young woman, Tom and I all went back to looking out the window while the server continued standing behind the counter.
      And that's the end of the story.

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Walking, Eating, And Napping Around Chicago

5/15/2018

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Some like it FREE
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by Patti Liszkay
is FREE on AMAZON KINDLE http://amzn.to/2xvcgRa
May 15 through May 17
GET IT WHILE IT'S HOT - AND FREE!
"A rollicking good yarn." - Amazon review

Walking, Eating, And Napping Around Chicago

...Continued from yesterday:

After the Heroes Breakfast (see yesterday's post), Claire and Miguel had some work to do, so we made a plan to meet up later for dinner. Then Miguel and Claire went their way and Tom and I went ours.

Tom's and my way consisted of a stroll along beautiful Michigan Avenue to take in the sights,

...and also to take in a couple of donuts at a Dunkin' Donuts we happened upon. Tom and I love us some Dunkin' Donuts.

Then we continued walking,

...until we reached the corner of Michigan Avenue and Washington Street where is located the Chicago Cultural Center, which we entered.

The Chicago Cultural Center is a wonderful free museum,

..famous for its Tiffany-domed ceiling,

...and its variety of changing exhibitions.

On this day the works of several artists were on display.

This guy was my favorite,.

In one room there were a number of foreign students working on a group project.

There was also an exhibit on the the music scene in Bronzeville, the historically African American area of Chicago.

And while I found the old photos and artifacts interesting, it occurred to me that I'd much rather be able to listen to the music of the times rather than just look at records and pictures of the people who made the music.

But then I came upon this phone booth,

...inside of which was an old-fashioned rotary phone and a list of numbers one could dial to hear recordings of the music covered in the exhibit.

So I dialed and listened. It was great.

After we finished our tour of the Chicago Cultural Center it was time for lunch.
We decided to walk to Union Station, about a mile away, to have a Chicago dog from our favorite hot dog stand, Gold Coast Dogs, located in the basement of Union Station.

Now, I hadn't slept much the night before but, veteran insomniac that I am, a night with little sleep usually doesn't affect me much the following day.
But today, for some reason, soon after we started our walk to Union Station I started feeling tired and slightly nauseous. The more we walked the more tired and nauseous I felt, until by the time we reached Gold Coast Dogs my desire for a Chicago dog was 'way less than zero.

So Tom had a gorgeous-looking Chicago dog,

...while I - sitting in a molded plastic chair at a table we shared with another diner in crowded, noisy Union Station - took a nap.

    I'll never understand why I have so much trouble sleeping at night in a clean, comfortable bed in a dark, quiet room but can fall into a great sleep mid-afternoon sitting in a plastic or even a folding metal chair. I've fallen into many's the fine nap sitting in a folding chair while supposedly listening in on my children's cello, violin or piano lessons.
     Anyway, my brief nap in Union Station was of such high quality that when I awoke I was almost in the mood for a Chicago dog.
     However, as we were to meet Claire and Miguel for dinner, I decided not to press my luck, and we opted to just take the subway back to the Holiday Jones,

...our Wicker Park hostel (see post from 5/13/2018).

At dinner time we met up again with Claire and Miguel.

I'd thrown down the challenge to Miguel that the burgers Tom and I had had the night before at Mac's Wood Grilled were the best on the planet, and he was willing to take the challenge. (Claire, being a good-natured vegetarian, was amenable to checking out the pub's vegetarian fare).

Miguel had the Bacon and Eggs burger,

...Claire had the Grilled Cheese with a tomato bisque which she thought was really good,

...and Tom and I shared the burger I'd found so exquisite the day before, the 'Shroomin,

...and the delicious salad.

Miguel's judgement was that his was not the best burger he'd ever had. In truth, though I still found my burger very good the second time around, and I'd gladly go back again, the thrill of flavor I'd experienced upon tasting it the first time was absent the second time.
I guess thrills never do last.

We finished the evening with a walk,

...and a visit to Stan's, a popular Wicker Park donutery.

After we said good night to Miguel and Claire Tom and I walked to a local supermarket to buy provisions to make my cherry almond streusel pie - everybody's favorite - the following day.

The following morning, Friday morning, Tom and I partook of the Holiday Jones's complementary breakfast,

A little later we hopped back onto the subway, ..which we rode to the Western stop in Logan Square.

...which offered a cool view from the platform:

We walked from the train to Claire and Miguel's house,

...where we were greeted by one of their kitties, Rosie,

...their other kitties, Sassy and Siri, being busy with the naps they enjoy taking on their kitty hammocks.

Claire, Tom, and I then walked from their house to the 606,

...the former subway line that has been re-purposed as a walking and biking path.

View from the 606:

We exited near our destination,

...the Yolk test kitchen,

...which is where this local restaurant chain tests recipes for use in its other Yolk restaurants,

...and where met up with Miguel for brunch.

We all thought the food was delicious. Tom had blueberry pancakes,

...Miguel had the Short Rib Benedict,

...Claire had scrambled eggs,

...we ordered some pancakes to share,

...and I see that I forgot to snap a picture of my avocado toast, but as I recall it, too, was very photogenic and tasty.
After brunch we walked through Wicker Park and Bucktown,

...stopping at the landmark Bucktown Walgreens that used to be a bank,

...with a vitamin vault where the bank vault used to be.

We also passed by the building that used to house our formerly favorite hostel, the IHSP (see post from 11/19/2015).

Then we walked back to the 606,

...back to Miguel and Claire's house,

...where we spent a pleasant rest of the afternoon.

The kitty house.

The boxes of artificial flowers and garden statues Claire set up for the little neighbor preschooler to play with:

...instead of picking her flowers.

I baked a cherry almond streusel pie, the recipe for which I will once again share:

Cherry Almond Streusel Pie
The Pie:
2 cans of tart red cherries.
2 tablespoons of quick-cooking tapioca
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 9-inch unbaked refrigerated roll-out pie crust

The Streusel:
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup slivered almonds
Mix the cherries and their juice with the tapioca, sugar, and cinnamon. Let stand for 15 minutes.
    Mix the flour and brown sugar then cut the butter into the flour and sugar until the mixture is crumbly. Mix in the almonds.
    Roll out the pie crust, place it in a 9-inch pie pan and spread the cherry mixture into the pie crust. Spoon the streusel mixture over the cherries.
    Bake at 375 degrees for 45-50 minutes, until the filling is bubbly and topping well-browned.

When dinner time rolled around we set off for the bus stop,

...from where we hopped a bus to Miguel and Claire's favorite Mexican restaurant, Las Palmas.

The food was fantastic.

Claire had tofu tacos,

...Tom had salmon,

...Miguel had the Enchayotadas: "Corn tortillas stuffed with grilled chayote, carrots, portabella mushrooms and crispy corn chips, in creamy jalapeño-tomatillo salsa, topped with melted Chihuahua, crema, queso añejo, & garlic vinaigrette salad."

...and I had the Enchayotadas with the jalapeño-tomatillo salsa on the side. It was great.

After dinner we decided to walk the couple miles back to Claire and Miguel's.

When we arrived home we had the cherry almond streusel pie with ice cream.

Then we said our good-byes,

Then Tom and I headed back to our hostel.

On Saturday morning we were up early, out of the Holiday Jones, back out on the street,

...and headed to the subway which would take us to the Greyhound station and the bus ride that will live in infamy (see post from 5/13/2018).

...but which we nonetheless survived.

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The Heroes Breakfast

5/14/2018

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The Heroes Breakfast

...Continued from yesterday:

As the Red Cross Heroes Breakfast was on Thursday morning at the downtown Chicago Hilton at 7:30 am, we were up early and on our way to join the morning commuters. And their phones.

...on the subway.
We detrained at the the La Salle station then walked through the city,

...to Michigan Avenue,

...and the Hilton Chicago.

...a pretty place on the inside,

...and crowded with people there for the event.

We found Claire and Miguel amidst the crowd, and of course I made them pose for a couple of ops.

(For those who don't recognize Miguel in the above pictures, the above is his new look since he shaved his beard and donated 16 inches of his gorgeous hair to Children With Hair Loss).

We entered the dining room, now filling up with the guests, many of whom appeared to be representatives of the businesses sponsoring the event.

We sat at a table with some of Claire's fellow nurses from Northwestern Hospital.

Besides Claire there were a dozen other inspiring American Red Cross Heroes honored,

...including a nine-year-old who saved her 8-month-old brother, 4-year-old sister and mother from a house fire.

As with the other heroes, the Red Cross made and showed a video about Claire's work around the world,

...in which Claire talked about, her yearly medical mission to Haiti,

...here in a make-shift pharmacy which she and Miguel ran,

...her work in Texas after Hurricane Harvey,

...in Florida after Hurricane Maria,

...in Sierra Leone during the Ebola plague,

...and most recently in Bangladesh in the Rohingya refugee camp at Cox's Bazar .

Here's the link to the Red Cross video about Claire's work:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHZ176WDbxA

...and the link to the video of Claire's award acceptance speech:
https://www.facebook.com/mjimenez82/videos/10107473470831442/

And here's a little clip the Chicago affiliate CBS did on Claire:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wi1a0T-hqUA

After the ceremony there were a few more photo ops,

...and finally, the dilemma of what to do with the big poster of Claire, which she was allowed to keep.

But that was a nice dilemma.

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