Chicago at Shaw's Crab House

Here we are, happy girls, enjoying our Cosmo's and our discussion of life! On our last day, we woke up and it was snowing and sleeting and windy. So, we had a wonderful breakfast in the hotel restaurant and then walked to an art store near the art museum, so I could purchase wood carving equipment. As I told Winnie, I am pretty sure I can make art at least as nice as Edvard's! Anyway, it was beyond great to see my friend and to feel our connection! I am hoping that the three old girls, Winnie, Lori and me, can get together for a reunion this summer!

Chicago and a Giant American Gothic!

Here is Winnie and me as we walked home from the art exhibit. We took some time to get a photo by the river near this giant statue. A young woman from New Orleans took our photo and she knew that I had been a New Orleanian because of my Mignon Faget earrings. On this day, Saturday, Winnie and I shopped. She got some excellent clothes deals and I ate insanely delicious chocolate. Then we dined at Shaw's Crab House where they had wonderful wild berry cosmopolitan's! And then, of course, we returned to the hotel to continue our talk, talk, talk, talk.

Chicago and Edvard Munch

As part of our reunion trip to Chicago, Winnie and I went to the art museum to view an exhibition of Edvard Munch entitled Influence, Anxiety, and Myth. The exhibit was very interesting and showed that while he struggled with alcoholism and anxiety in his life, he also based his work on the art and technical skills of his artistic peers and on his commitment to contributing to his Norwegian culture by painting their myths. I enjoyed this exhibit and think the art museum does a beautiful job of showing us the life of the artists -- they had done a spectacular job with the Toulouse Lautrec exhibit, for example.

My Winnie in Chicago!

Here is a photo of my best friend from high school, Winnie. She and I knew each other from 9th grade on, including living in the dorms together, joining the same sorority, sharing an apartment in our later university years, and, on the odd occasion, being able to compare the kisses of the various boys in our social networks!

We went to Chicago this past weekend for a reunion and it was just wonderful. On our first day, on Friday, I arrived late in the afternoon and Winnie had made reservations in The Drake Hotel, a beautiful hotel right off Michigan Avenue by the lake. We walked to Il Mucino, this absolutely fantastic restaurant where we had just the perfect dinner for catching up. My dessert was without doubt the best I've ever had, with a mix of different sorts of berries in this wonderful wine sort of froth. Loved it.