It was with great intentions

I started posting about traveling to the Lions Convention at Chicago and our adventures [sic] before and after.
Somehow the daily routines [yeah, I'm working on that, too] have managed to insert themselves in such a manner as to preempt daily posts.

What I guess I am saying is there are more important things than writing a daily blog post.
Of course there are . . .   always have been.
The pace was just slower before.

We had watched the parade and availed ourselves of the convenient registration scene.
What was next?
I've totally forgotten the timeline of those five days.
Please bear with me.
There was a Beach Boys concert one evening we chose to miss, considering dinner to be more important.
I may have mentioned that we walked a lot.
We actually almost became obsessed with walking . . .   to the point of actually checking to see how many steps we had taken each day.
Thanks to our smartphones that option is available.
The option to take photos is also available . . .   and we did.

We'll recap a little.

Day One: Our shuttle driver exited at W. Ohio St., a neighborhood with which we were already a little familiar, rather than deal with the issues of freeway traffic.

Because surface streets are mush less congested.

 The ONE thing MB and I couldn't get used to was seeing drivers turn left from the right hand lane.

Did I mention we walked.

The building on the right is part of the Chicago Art Institute, only about a block from our hotel.

never went inside

We're slow because

I shall refrain from posting the actual predicted temps predicted for locations because the whiners will handle that chore.

we'll survive

Friday cat

Baseball

So yesterday was spent dealing with the logistics of traveling (about 99 miles, one way) to AT&T Park with 14 people to watch the Giants play the Pirates.

the Group

the Couple

It was a long day, and into the next.

fun, though

Invasion family visit

Chaos, or something like it, reigns in the household this week.
The previously planned blog posts are now on hold.

Some of the people in the preceding picture are staying for the next week [they've been here since Saturday evening].
Some of the others live nearby [read - walking distance].
The fun's begun.

yeah, we love it.

Synchronicity

Well . . .   sort of . . .   it's Saturday.

What I am posting today happened on a Saturday.
Lions always kick off the International Convention with a parade.
It's huge yuuuge!
It has lots and lots of entries . . .   mostly folks walking in clumps, withn little effort to remain in step or any formation.
There are all manner of national costume.
There are also bands and floats.
Sometimes the parade covers a pretty good distance, sometimes not, depending upon the municipality.

Eleven years ago Chicago relegated the Lions parade to the grounds of McCormick Place.
The participants marched an access road from a parking lot on one side of center, across and overpass, up another access road to the other side of the center.
It was a long walk past a few other Lions who chose not to walk in the parade.
This year the Parade was on State Street, in The Loop.
(it did not help with traffic flow in Downtown Chicago   . . . what does?)

But I digress . . .
I know you're here to see photos, which. until now, have been lacking.

they're from India

Iceland

Korea

self-explanatory

Middle Earth  China

British Isles & Ireland

Ontario (but they could've been Caribbean)

We even saw someone we knew
. . . and she saw us
(Canada)

Some groups were quite entertaining
(Canada)

There are more pictures, but most are flawed [in that some folks watching the parade had difficulty remaining behind the barriers and insisted upon ignoring pleas to remove themselves from our line of sight   . . . or for that matter obeying law enforcement for more than a few moments at a time].

Here's one example of  how appreciative the City of Chicago was.

The banners were all up and down the streets.

I should also probably mention that MB and I only had to go out the door of the hotel to view the parade.

walkabout tomorrow

Friday cat

My sister's cat

More buses . . . and shank's mare

Friday was the first full convention day.
It consisted mostly of familiarization.
(almost said orientation, but there was none of that  . . . we were on our own)
There weren't ant particular activities on the Friday agenda, but participation in all others and the use of shuttles precipitated the need to complete the registration process at McCormick Place.
We opted to have breakfast in the hotel restaurant.
It was pricey, but we were well served and the food was good.

Then we went to find the shuttle.
That wasn't difficult.
There was a queue of about 200 winding it's way in a double "s" on the pavement at one of the three hotel entrances.
The buses carried 50 passengers at most and, unlike on public transportation, standing on them was not allowed.
The wait was not too long.
We made the third bus because others decided to forego the trip at that time.

We arrived at the ground level of the center and ascended about four levels to the auditorium level to find that we needed to return back the same direction we'd come and descend two levels in a different part of the center.
There we found another queue, with hundreds in it, for completing registration.
Only there was one minor hiccup.
It was not the queue for those who'd preregistered.
That line was further along in the building.
Someone had just failed to provide that information and the was nobody to tell us that.
The line was moving really, really slow.

Eventually, someone came along and told us there was another queue for folks who already had their registration packets.
That was when we found out just how long the line in which we'd been standing really was.
We'd have really been upset had we waited until we got to the front and found we'd been waiting in the wrong line.

As it was, the line we were supposed to join was really long, as well, with about 400 people waiting, it snaked around inside the building.
Then MB and I heard a rumor there was a room where groups could send one person to pick up the materials necessary to complete the process.
So I continued to wait in line while MB contacted other we knew and then went and got our goodies.
It probably saved us about fifteen minutes and the other even more time.

(after 100 years you'd think they'd know how to plan these things better, huh?)

Now we could ascend to the auditorium level and check out the exhibits and the paraphernalia for sale in the "store".
Somebody doesn't go to a Lions convention without buying at least one souvenir, right?
So, two shirts, a couple of patches, and Chicago convention pins later we found our way into the rest of the exhibit hall.

We pretty much killed the rest of the day there, talking to folks we seldom see except when attending such events.
We found our way back to another queue.
This time for the return bus trip to the hotel and dinner at Miller's Pub, next door to the hotel entrance.

One thing MB and I determined whilst riding the shuttles at Chicago is that we are quite happy we don't have to drive in downtown Chicago.
Walking, while labor intensive, is a lot less nerve wracking than dealing with vehicle traffic.
We did a lot of walking.

sometimes all of it 

in the same building

 

So it's buses then

We slipped back into Chicago via the back way [did not drive anywhere near downtown] in our rental car.
After all we were attending a convention where transportation was being provided.
The convention venue was the McCormick Place, which is not exactly walking distance from our downtown Chicago hotel.

Okay, if you must know, we were at the Palmer House.
Really a splendid location for everything but getting to the convention site.
Then again all of the other attendees were in the same situation.

I would love to tell you how many folks attended, but the only information we were given is that it was the largest Lions International Convention to date.
It was certainly the largest I have attended.

Anyhow, there were buses provided for transport between the hotels and McCormick Place, which is pretty darn big [it dwarfs Soldier Field].
There was no transportation once inside the convention.
That was too bad.
It was many flights up (or escalators or elevators) and then back down again for those attending seminars.
Only up for the plenary and entertainment sessions of the convention or wishing to peruse the multitude of exhibits.
MB and I got in lots of exercise [as those who follow us on koobecaf can attest] without even trying.

How's that?
Well . . .    11 years ago there was another Lions Convention at Chicago.
Only that time I missed out on the sightseeing aspect because I was in training classes all day exery day along with a number of other newly elected District Governors, including MB's husband.
The spouses got to sight see whilst we spent hours at lectures and training sessions.
They let us out to eat.
Chicago has no shortage of fine restaurants and other opportunities to indulge in gustatory delights.
So I was making up for what was missed the first time around.

But I digress.
I mentioned shuttlebus follies.
That was at the airport.
We returned the rental car to the car lot.
They provide a shuttle, but only as far as the airline terminals.
We had found it necessary to book an airport shuttle into downtown.
However, in order to do so, we had to lie about how we'd arrived at O'Hare.
It seems shuttles cannot be booked without a flight number and arrival time.
(I won't bore you with the details of shuttle hopping we did when we first arrived other than to say it involved walking while dragging luggage and three shuttles)

Our ride was in a really nice SUV [looked like one of those black ones the tv shows think government uses] driven by a man whose English was suspect but whose skills at maneuvering through rush hour on I-90.
He was brilliant.

We arrived at the Palmer House, checked in, stashed our luggage, and went looking for sustenance.
We found it at Heaven on Seven, we'd eaten at another, now closed location, in 2007.
I'd explain the name, but they do it better over on their website [go read it now   . . .I'm done here for today].

. . . and that was Thursday.

good eats

No Boats . . . (cont'd again)

It isn't that there was an opportunity to avail ourselves of boat travels.
We just ran out of time.

Speaking of time:
I have found myself on the short end of time ever since Saturday.
I will spare you the sordid details for now.

On Woodward Avenue in Royal Oak is a restaurant, Pasquales.
It was a favorite of GS because she could get a big, big beer with her pepperoni pizza.
It is also a favorite of her brothers.
It was not too far out of anyone's way and really convenient for one sister in law who works nearby.
So the "family" met MB.
It's all good.

Wednesday morning we headed south to Ohio, near Toledo, for an overnight visit with MB's nephew and to deliver some salami[some things folks from the west coast get accustomed to just aren't available or come at a heavy premium].
Not that you can't get salami in Ohio.

Then it was back to Chicago and a little "shuttle bus follies."

needs lotsa splainin'

No boats . . . (Cont'd)

It's be a real chore staying on track, what with the squirrels running along the fence and so many activities.
Activities, you ask.
Why, yes.
There are morning walks now that we became accustomed to walking whilst in Chicago [which is another activity I may eventually get around to relating].
We walk early for two reasons:

• MB has to go to work
• It is uncomfortably warm until late in the evening

Anywho!
After I sorted out the Interstate 69/96 thing and found the hotel/motel/inn in DeWitt . . .   on the eastern outskirts (Old U.S. 27), Craig   . . . we checked in, stowed our bags, and were off to gather the PHG from work.
We were running late.
I had never seen her workplace before.
We found it despite the sign in front of the property facing the same direction we were driving.

It was late enough for us to seek another meal.
Two stops where the kitchen was closed before finding something besides fast food.
We spent lots of time catching up.

here's your picture, Valory

Monday, we spent the day running errands, mostly.
PHG has no car.
Then we went to the Potter Park Zoo.
Though it may actually be a peafowl sanctuary.
At least peafowl don't leave droppings like geese [ugh!].

It got to be about dinner time.
We went back to PHG's neighborhood to find a dining spot.
Finally establishing where to eat, we went, only to find that the kitchen was closed because of an underground gas leak.
The consensus of the folks at the bar was, "Charlie's is pretty good."
They were right.
They just forgot to tell us there's only a small scrolling sign.
So the place is easy to miss unless you have good timing.

So were some of the intersections where we were supposed to turn on the way back to PHG's place.
In parts of Michigan they let the trees grow right to the edge of the road so that a driver, who is unfamiliar with the area, doesn't see the side road until it is almost too late to turn.
Of course, if the speed limit wasn't 50mph that probably wouldn't be as much of an issue.

Tuesday presented more time to visit.
We had lunch and then drove PHG to work and headed east to meet up with my brother's in law at Royal Oak on Woodward Avenue, near where Buck once lived, as he put it, in happier times.

couldn't be happier here

What with all the busyness and activity, which includes family gatherings and Lions stuff on the same day in two different cities not our own, we may have to forego a post tomorrow.

Friday Cat

Still no Boats . . . (more continuation)

So, I mentioned MB and I went east to the Midwest.
I do not, to this day, understand the term Midwest.
It sure looks a lot like east from here.
It's 2000 some odd miles and much of it is three time zones away.
Somebody should explain that to me . . .   after they explain the logic behind daylight savings.

So there I was* we were, back on the road from Kalamazoo to Lansing.
Well, not exactly Lansing, we were staying at a hotel in DeWitt while visiting PHG.
The first thing I did upon reaching the vicinity of Lansing is make a wrong turn and end up on I-96 instead of I-69.
It was the sign for Capitol Region International Airport that confused me.
I turned too soon.
I realized my error before long and reversed course.
It was later that I realized I had already been on I-69.

"Doh!"

Gotta break it off here today.

maybe we'll skip the cat this week

*SJC

No boats (con'td)

I forgot to mention, yesterday, the first bus, a shuttle from the airport to the hotel; the second bus, from the hotel back to the airport to get a third bus to the car rental lot.

Anyhow, interruptions abound.
Monday, this week, involved lotsa cleanup and a shopping trip to Costco . . .   hence, not much time for a blog post.
We had a dinner meeting to attend involving a drive through Sacramento during the evening drive time (aka, rush hour)

Tuesday was a little better.
We took a morning walk, another story entirely.
Then MB went to work and I began prepping for a Lions event here at the house.
That involved another shopping trip to a store I am still learning.
It was in the midst of re-stocking, creating traffic problems as well as empty shelves.
Then the real fun was finding space in refrigerators when I returned home.

Yesterday, Wednesday, was the main event.
Dinner for the Lions at our house.
It's the officer installation.
MB is the President Elect.
As a Past International Officer I got to do the honor of installing the new board.  
Started again with the morning walk.
Then out came the slow cookers and food prep began in earnest.

We'll get back to Central America the Midwest tomorrow.

unless there's a good cat video

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.....and Boats Buses!

There's not been much of interest here recently.
I suppose reruns may have been appropriate, but they didn't occur to me.
Part of the challenge is we've been busy with combining households   . . . a work still in progress at five months.
We've also had visitors stay and more are on the way.
And the two of us have not exactly remained at home ourselves.
Even this may take more than a day to get posted.

In fact we just returned from a trip to the Midwest.
My friend, Royal, calls it Central America.
I'm just gonna say Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio [not necessarily in that order].

I'm only including Indiana because we had to pay money.

The primary reason for our trip east was to attend the Centennial Celebration of The International Association of Lions Clubs.

They were founded in 1917 at Chicago.
I should mention here that anyone 18 or older may join a Lions Club.
Membership is by invitation, but, in most cases, if you ask to join you will be invited.
But I digress.

MB and I flew out of Sacramento International early on June 24 (Saturday) and had an overnight stay in Chicago.
We picked up the rental car Sunday morning and set out for Michigan by way of Indiana via the ubiquitous toll roads [it seems they're almost unavoidable in the Chicago region].

Indiana is nearby and it is only a short run to the Michigan line.
Our first stop was Kalamazoo.
MB has a friend there.
After a brief visit and dinner we were back on the road to Lansing, where it suddenly dawned  on me that I had again failed to tell Craig I would be in his neighborhood visiting the PHG.

 to be continued

Soon . . . on a blog near you

I am actually working on a real blog post.
With any luck it will be here tomorrow.
Meanwhile there is much to do.

like grocery shopping

Brief travelog

We left Milwaukee yesterday afternoon on the shuttle to O'Hare.
We stayed at the airport hotel . . .   a pretty nice place . . .   because we had an early flight (5am).
One stop, with a plane change, in Phoenix and we were home by 10:20 Pacific.
It's a comfortable 97 degrees on the way to 106.

it's a dry heat

Friday cat

Done and dusted

The convention is over for another year.
We're off to Milwaukee for a brief family visit, then home on Saturday ...and reality.
There's more to see here in Chicago.
But then, there's more to see e everywhere.

food's good, too

Happy July 4

I could, and probablyshould, have written this before we left.
Now I'm relegated to posting the link to my annual July 4 post as a link.

Three more days

We're at Chicago, where it all started in 1917.

At 76 Trombones

The Parade of Nations at this year's LCI Convention is yuge.