The Good Lives

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We all need an escape from our regular routine. Visiting the east coast is a dramatic reset from my everyday routine. Of course, I get spoiled by the generosity and hilarity of my dear friends, Dirty Pat and Mrs. Pat (Renae). The coastal air is clean and cool. The leaves are every shade of brown to orange to red. The ground is moist and soft. The roads in the "village" of Annapolis have no sidewalks, the trees are tall and green. The town is as historic and quaint as possible. Why is the east coast so different than California? Yes, the weather, the landscape, the people? I would say it is the richer, and much longer traditions.Care to argue or discuss? Food is always a big deal here, particularly seafood. Food is always a big deal here, particularly seafood. Can you believe several places had Fanny Bay oysters from the Pacific NW? The tailgate yesterday before the game was a different experience for me. Lots of Ravens fans, just 2 or 3 Seahens fans. The food was mostly seafood, with things like crab nachos, oysters, salmon sliders, crab egg rolls. Of course, we had some meat, a cute pulled beef over mashed potatoes, and some bacon skewers. Add lots of alcohol, with premium beer, and top shelf booze, a DJ, and a decent band. We even met a former player, and the assistant Baltimore fire chief. But it was a long day. We left Annapolis at 745am and got back about 5pm. Add the time change, and I passed out about 930 last night. Headed to Chicago Monday, as part of my family history sojourn. Long story for a different email. Chicago is bustling, not quite like previously, but the Mag Mile area is thriving, very few homeless and not many boarded up shops. But I see help wanted signs everywhere! I will be back in March with my Atlanta friends, Kenbob and Nelly. Certainly east coast travel has clear advantages, everything is an hour or 2 flight away. But California will always be my home. News flash: Dirty Pat is going to do a 9-month visiting professorship at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, starting July 1. I love DP and Mrs. Pat's sense of adventure! What a great wat to see the country. Meanwhile back home, I miss the doodles, and my quiet space. I just love all the city people walking their dogs here. Both seem happy, though the dogs must get lonely waiting for its parents to come home. Chicago is more manageable than most large cities. It has ethnic neighborhoods. The people I met are friendly. I found the bars and restaurants to be just a bit too "standard" for my liking. Sometimes a trip, even one filled with food and good food, reinforces how mice it is to be home. "Ain't it good to be back home again" said Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr.

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