We stop by to see Nancy and Doc Wallace at their home in Oak Lawn right next door to EP. Nancy and Jan have been closest friends since they were born (probably before), we had flown here last November for a wonderful surprise 40th wedding anniversary party that their kids had organized. Nancy and Doc were completely taken in!
Jan and Nancy...laughing as always!
As a special treat, another of the old gang, Gail Starr, drops by, followed shortly later by her daughter Megan and ten-month old grandson Finn.
Finn & Meggie.
Whenever we have any spare time on a visit to EP we make a beeline for the Field Museum of Natural History up in the city, so that’s where we head the next day. In the parking lot, George stalls the car maneuvering into a spot – not so shocking, he hasn’t driven a manual shift car in a few years. But the car won’t start again for ten or fifteen seconds…then it starts up and all seems well (but see later).
Everyone's a Bull's fan
In the museum Jan gets reacquainted with a few of her old friends, and we meet some new ones wearing Chicago Bulls uniforms.
It wouldn’t be a trip to Chicago without a Chicago dog, which we buy at a cart in the parking lot. Meanwhile it’s the last week in May, it’s 40 degrees and we’re freezing! But on the drive home we notice something disturbing, a bunch of trouble lights are lit up on the Subaru’s dashboard and they won’t go off. So Jan uses her ability to surf the web with her new toy, she finds the nearest Subaru dealership and makes an appointment for early the next morning.
Then for dinner we meet another high school friend of Jan’s, Ken Jorgensen, and his girlfriend Cindy, at Barraco’s Pizza, just minutes away from Maria’s.
Cindy, Ken & Jan
Jan was fortuitously re-connected with Ken through a mutual friend on Facebook after many years with no contact, we saw him on our visit here last November and are glad to be back in touch.