Heading out from Chicago this morning, and back to Los Angeles later today.  I may write something this evening -- or I may have too much to catch up.  We'll see. 

The elves taking care of the homestead have been given advance warning, so my assumption is that they'll clean up the place and leave it in the same state they found it.  As we said from my days in the park service, "Leave only footprints, take only memories."  Though I don't expect to see any footprints.  Ahem...

The trip has been excellent.  I got to see some favorite spots -- the Chicago Art Institute and Chicago Botanic Garden (actually in Glencoe, long-walking distance from where I grew up) -- the Disneyland of Botanic Gardens.  And I stuffed myself at my favorite spots:  Charlie Beinlich's Food & Tap, Del Rio's, Walker Bros., and Chicago pizza (this time at Lou Malnati's).  And of course, the Cubs at Wrigley Field.  All a joy to get back to after five years away, because of the pandemic.

I also spent a wonderful Mother's Day with my 96-year-old Aunt Joan (who I'm staying with) and cousin, up at the 96-year-old Deerpath Inn for their excellent buffet.

​Be back soon...

Well, the day has finally come.  I finally made it back to Wrigley Field after over five years.  There is not the slightest doubt in my mind that this occasion doesn’t thrill others like it does me, but then – well, that’s why God created the concept of “tomorrow,” when those uninterested can check back for other folderol.  For anyone else (and “anyone” might be a particularly appropriate word), here are a few ponderings about the day.
 
One of the great (and perhaps unique) things about going to a Cubs game is that the El train stops literally a block-and-a-half from Wrigley Field.  (It’s in the middle of a brownstone neighborhood after all – something I love.  You’re walking through a old world neighborhood, turn a corner…and then there a baseball park looming up in front of you.)  So, getting to a game is profoundly easy.  There’s an El station only an eight-minute walk from where I’m staying with my aunt.  They come by about every 15 minutes, and on a Cubs game day, every El stops at Addison, where Wrigley Field is.
 
I went with my cousin Susie, which gave me more trepidation than it might seem – that’s because she’s a big White Sox fan.  She said she thought about wearing her White Sox cap, but after some consideration she decided against it.
 
It’s a glorious ballpark, built in 1914, the second oldest in the U.S, after Fenway Park in Boston.  And it still has the only scoreboard in baseball that’s hand operated, looming over center field

It's not just that the day was great -- sunny, around 70 degrees, a light breeze -- but we lucked out, catching a doughnut hole.  It was supposed to rain Tuesday, yesterday and Thursday.  And it did rain on Tuesday...and is still expected to today -- but when we were at the game yesterday?  It cleared up perfectly for some reason known to a greater power.

Everything was wonderful about the game, except the game.  The Cubs only manage one lousy single -- and it was a scratch, infield dribbler that Cubs catcher beat out by half a step.  And that was it.  And they lost 3-0.  Pretty good pitching by the Cubs, but that carries the "positive side" only so far.

Making things worst, the San Diego Padres pitcher, Dylan Cease, is a former pitcher on the Chicago White Sox.  And a favorite of my cousin.  So, she kept enthusing about how great he was doing.  The best I could muster was, "I'm so happy for you..."

Still, the day was a joy.  It was wonderful being back at Wrigley after far too long, and it was a treat watching the Cubs in person there.

​The elves taking care of the homestead back in Los Angeles say they are very jealous.
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Alas, no, we 30,000 in attendance didn't get to sing Steve Goodman's "Go, Cubs, Go" after a victory.  But there are about 125 games to go. 

Or to put it better -- about 125 games to go, Cubs, go.

We now return you to our regularly scheduled website.

On today's jaunt for my first trip back to Chicago in five years, I went to the Art Institute.  What was great about this trip is I took advantage of Members Get in One Hour Early, which I didn't know existed on previously visits.  And that meant, since the place was empty, I could walk up close to Georges Seurat’s famous painting "A Sunday on La Grande Jatte" (the basis for Stephen Sondheim's musical, Sunday in the Park with George).  As a result, I could check out his pointillism extremely up close.  This hasn't been possible before, since to room is always jammed, specifically to see that painting, and doing so would blocking everyone else’s view.  Today, no one else was in the room.  And Seurat's work was AMAZING.  What he did was almost unearthly.
 
Here's the best I can do to show what I mean –
 
This is the painting in full:

And here’s a section up very close.  (It's the man wearing a top hat in the lower left.)  The minute detail and tiny shifts in color from one "dot" to the next is remarkable.  The entire painting is made up of this dots.  And as you can see, it's a huge painting.  Further, to do that up close while having to imagine what it all will look like from afar.  What a stunning achievement!!!  It took him two years to complete, and still continued with some touch-ups. 

Know, too, that this small-section photo doesn't do it justice, peering at the expansive painting from inches away.​

Here's another fun painting to have come across.  Most people know the painting "Whistler's Mother" by James Whistler.  But have you ever seen Whistler's brother?  Here he is --

And it's a treat every time to see "American Gothic."  It's so iconic, almost a cliche as a piece of folklore.  But then, there the real thing is in front of you.

Finally -- and I'm going to make it "finally," because I could go on and on.  Edward Hopper's "Nighthawks," great works by Picasso, Monet (including my favorite, "Sandvicka, Norway"), Renoir, Chagall -- especially his great "American Windows" montage that he did on commission for the City of Chicago, Dali, Magritte, Georgia O'Keefe, John Singer Sargent, it's tremendous.  But making it even better is how thoughtfully and superbly it's all laid out and presented.  I spent five hours wandering around.

​But finally, I'll offer this painting that I've grown to love, not just because it's so wonderful, but even more because it's nothing like what you expect from this artist.  If I asked people who they thought painted this, I suspect most would say someone like, perhaps, Winslow Homer.  Though it's not.  Here's the painting --

As I said, no, it's not Winslow Homer.  But as you can see, it appears to be a very nice, rich New England ocean scene, filled with warmth.  So...give it some thought.  Who do you think painted this.

I'll just note that, no, it's also not a New England ocean scene.

​This was painted by Vincent van Gogh.

Yes, really.

Even the elves taking care of the homestead can't believe it.  They think I'm lying.  But I'm not.  More to come...

Well, I made it to Chicago.  Finally.  After no traveling for five years.  That's bad enough, but not getting to Chicago in that long?  Ack.

It's a fine art, getting back into the swing of things.  I almost blew my taxi ride to the airport.  There's a small mom-and-pop company I think, and I made my reservation about 10 days ahead of time.  About four days later, I was checking a note I'd left for myself about the trip that didn't concern the cab ride at all -- but in reading the note, I saw my flight time...and realized that I'd been considering two times, and gave the cab company the wrong time for my pickup, using the other flight that'd decided not to take!   Fortunately, I caught it, and was able to switch the taxi time.

There's a lot of construction at LAX, so we left with plenty of time to deal with it.  But when we got there, the driver suggested dropping me at "Arrivals" which would save at least a half-hour, since the construction was on the "Departures" level.  Very smart, and I said absolutely.  (I also thought, why didn't you suggest that when I made the taxi reservation? -- since he's the one I spoke with.  Not a problem at all, just a bit surprising.)  And a good thing ultimately, since the logistics at the airport were a bit flummoxed.  I was dropped off at the American terminal, got my gate number (151) and when I eventually started walking to it, I noticed that the gates were starting at #48.  Well, that doesn't seem right, I thought.  What happened is that gate #151 was not only not in that terminal -- or even the next terminal...but in the International terminal!  So, it was a looooong walk.  But happily, I didn't have to go through check-in again (which was easy anyway, since I have a "Known Travel Number" pass, and the terminals connect without having to go outside.  And also...I had two hours to get there.  I took my time, and all was well.

The flight was crowded, but it left on time, was fine and arrived 20 minutes early.

And now I've finally made it back to Chicago and...huzzah!

The elves taking care of my place say everything is good, nothing is broken, and for now I have to take their word for it...

More to come.

Yes, it's true.  After five years, for the first time since the pandemic, I am actually going out of town on a vacation.  (I did go on a trip that I wrote about four years ago, in the early days of COVID, but that was only spending the night in another room of my home which I set up like a trip away, so it doesn't really count as "out of town.") 

The main reason for the delay is a wariness of traveling during COVID.  And while I know a great many people have been traveling for a long time, I just haven't felt comfortable doing so.  And still don't completely.  But enough that I made the reservations and head off today.

It turns out that traveling is somewhat like a muscle.  You have to use it to keep in shape.  I'm out of shape with traveling, and all the little things you have to do to get ready, but I think I'm all set.  I did have one screw-up, though -- I made a taxi reservation with a mom-and-pop company I like a lot that happily are still around.  A few days later, I was checking my notes about something else entirely...when I saw I'm made a stupid mistake, and ordered my taxi for another time I had considered leaving, later than the flight I settled on.  Oh-so fortunately, I caught this, called the cab company the next morning, and they were able to move up my ride.  So, all's well.

I'll be going to Chicago, which I always love, but all the more since I have always gone there once (or sometimes twice) a year, and five years away is much, much too long.  I'll be visiting some favorite locales, like the Arti Institute and Chicago Botanic Garden, visiting with family and friends I haven't seen in too many years (though have stayed in touch with, of course), a Cubs game needless-to-say, and eating at some of my favorite restaurants that I dearly miss.  I can't wait.

Happily, the elves will be able to come here and take over the place while I'm gone.  (One had been nagging me for a couple years about when in the world I'd be going somewhere, so they could move in.  Temporarily, of course.  Oh, yes, he said, though I think I caught a laugh and knowing wink to his friend.)

I won't likely be writing as much here while I'm away -- and the timing of posts will likely be different, considering the time zones.  But I'll do my best to check in every day.  If you have any problems, take it up with the elves.

I thought we'd end our Opening Day celebration with a graphic that might give at least a small sense of why the day was All Baseball / All Day.

I subscribe to MLB.TV, which allows members to watch every baseball game live, but also offers archives of the games if you miss them, and "shortened" versions of the games that edit out all the down-time and only show the pitches.  It will not shock anyone here to know that I pretty much just watch the Cubs games (on the service, I'll watch other games on TV), though occasionally I'll put on different teams.

As it turns out, MLB.TV keeps a record of who watches what and for how long.  And a few weeks back, as Spring Training began, I got an email from MLB.TV with information they hadn't ever sent in the past.

I have to admit, it surprised even me.  A lot.
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Wait, seriously?  I was in the "Top 1%" of Cubs fans???!  And the "Top 9%" of ALL viewers in the United States???!  I don't know which of those two is weirder.

Still, in semi-defense of myself, I have a theory for this:

I work at home, and spend most of my time at my desk in front of my computer, typing away.  And while most baseball teams play their games at night, the Cubs play the majority of their games during the day -- when most people (including Cubs fans) are, y'know, at work.  Or school.  So, they can't put MLB.TV on to watch even an inning of a Cubs game, let alone the full game.  But I can.  And...well, I do.

(Okay, not every game, and not every inning.  I do have a life, within speaking.  And it's generally on in the background as I work.  Generally. And we're talking home games only for day games, because most of the Cubs away games are at night.)

And since most baseball games for every other team are at night, most people have a great many choices of things they want or need to do at night when games are on.  Watch TV.  Stream movies.  Study.  Read.  Have dinner.  Get together with friends.  Actually deal with your family.  And yes, of course, watching a baseball game falls in there, as well, but probably not every night for 162 games.  For three hours each game.

But for half the season, 81 games, there I am working at my desk at home, and putting the Cubs games on.  Not all of them (many are at night), and not the full games, but for at least part of all of them.  And even when the Cubs are playing at night, I might put the game on for a while, or check the best innings of an archived game.

And the end result of that is --

So be it.

What can I say?  That's what the statistics show.  I can only accept the reality, explain it the best I can, understand that's it's a bit weird even with a reasonable explanation, and have a fine old time watching baseball and following the Cubs.  While working!!!  (Yes, I'm really, actually working when the games are on.  Most of the time.)

Play ball!
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