Solo trip

Maybe it was inspiration after my trip to Cleveland that motivated me to visit my oldest friend, who  now lives in the suburbs of Chicago, as does her sister's family and her parents.  They weren't all in town when I was, but I got to see most of them and see a small slice of their lives.

Highlights from the first day included visiting the Highland Park library.

View from the parking area!

Looking toward the main entrance.

The periodical room

Kids can put their name on a waiting list in order to display their collections.
The child is also in charge of making the sign with information about the display.

We drove down the main drag and I wish I could have captured the amazing decorations.

It wasn't a heat wave, but I might have gone in Lake Michigan if I had my swimsuit on.

Instead we walked along the shore and I found sea/lake glass.  Every rock was beautiful and I could have spent ages examining each one. 

Another highlight was going to work with my friend and seeing her in the role of teacher.  My heart melted when one of her students came up to me and told me I had a great friend!

small town+high taxes = fifteen kids in a fourth grade class

and world languages with a visiting scholar.

More treasures were found outside the school.

One mystery of the day hasn't been solved.  Why does every (almost every?) stoplight have a folded stop sign underneath?  In case of a power outage?

That was a lot for the first day.  The best part was getting a hug from my oldest and dearest friend!