Saturday September 1, 2012

It has been over a week since I wrote a blog. My excuse is that I have been too busy. You may ask how can a retired person be too busy. My answer: I don't know. Anyway it has been a busy week and here is a fast recap. Friday August 24: Nancy and I sleep in because today we are going to Chicago. The purpose of the trip is to celebrate Nancy's 70th birthday. We left home about 0900. We left Ms P because Kim is cleaning the house today and she will pick up Ms P and take her home until Tuesday. The drive to Chicago was uneventful. We arrived at the Courtyard Hotel at 1200 and surprise! our room was ready. After unpacking Nancy headed out to do some serious shopping. I head out for a nice walk and to visit some shops. The first shop I visited was the Orvis Shop. I buy a lot of clothes on-line from Orvis. The Chicago store is very upscale. I did not purchase anything. I also stopped at Brook Brothers and the Garmin store. I like a big city because I enjoy People Watching and visiting stores to see what I am missing out on. Chicago was very crowded. I did go through the Watertower Mall. I thought it was showing its age. Nancy and I got back to the hotel about 1600. Courtyard provided free wi fi so we each got our our itouch and made dinner reservations for 1830. I went downstairs and sat outside and drank a beer and watched folks walk by. Our reservations were at the Weber Grill. Yes the same folks the make the grills. We both had the barbeque. We sat outside and watched the Friday night crowd hustle by. It was a pleasant evening. Saturday and Nancy did not want breakfast so I headed downstairs and had coffee and donuts at a nearby Duncan Donuts. I also read the WSJ and DFP. Nancy did not visit the Watertower yesterday so she headed to the Mall. I took a long walk. I walked to the Chicago River and watched all the tour boats. It was a very hot day. During my walk I found a neat bakery/restaurant call the Corner Bakery. I walked back to the hotel and told Nancy about my find. We had lunch at the Corner Bakery. In the late PM we took a walk to Navy Pier. The Pier was jammed but it was fun being in the crowd. The entire water front was jammed with walkers, runner and bicyclists. Chicago is a great city because of its waterfront. For dinner we walked around and found a place called "Epic Burger". We sat outside and ate our burger. On our way back to the hotel we stopped at Freshberry and got a dish of frozen yogurt. Sunday and we took our time getting up. We had breakfast at the Corner Bakery. After checking out we headed to the discount mall in Michigan City, In. I bought a backpack and some running gear. We got home about 1800. It was a nice weekend. Monday August 27, 2012, Nancy Patton Scott's birthday. We both resumed our normal Monday routine. For dinner Nancy's birthday dinner we ate at Rose's. Again we sat outside and enjoyed the nice August evening. Tuesday and Ms P returns. I did my row/run/swim routine. I also had my coffee at the Kava House. I spent the afternoon checking bridge plans. Wednesday and it is my easy day. I pedaled to Bill's and had eggs and pancakes for breakfast. As soon as I got home I got out the lawnmower and started cutting. Ms P was very active today and I got tired throwing the ball. I was so tired when I finished the yard work that I took a nap. Nancy worked at the Gardens in the afternoon. We spent a quiet evening at home. Thursday and today is a busy day for Bob and Nancy. I have a 1330 skin doctor appointment and a 1430 Dentist appointment. I did not go to the Kava House. I had my coffee and paper at Breton Village. I just made it to the skin doctor on time. She had to freeze several spots and also peeled a section of my nose off to run a biopsy. The Dentist gave me a good report. We had dinner at Great Lakes Shipping. It was too warm to sit outside. Ms P over did it yesterday chasing the ball. Today she was hobbling around. We gave her some joint medicine. Friday after my at home calisthenics I load up the bike and head to Millennium Park. The park has opened several new paved trails. I rode 17 miles in 1h30'. We ate dinner at Russ'. I watched some of the US Open and the MSU/Boise State game before going to bed. Saturday the first day of September and I really slept in until 0730. Nancy had already taken Ms P out. I pedaled to Bill's and had oatmeal for breakfast. This afternoon I loaded up the kayak and headed to Lowell and the Flat River. I spent 2 hours on the river. We ate at Olga's for dinner. Tonight I will watch the UM/Al game before heading upstairs.