Texas Loop – Cross Lanes

Peter and Audrey’s condo has become to me a House Above the World.  A unique place in 3-space that is safe but, before we left, there was a moment of strangeness.  Every previous time I’d been to Peter’s and stayed over, I had brought someone new but this time, standing by the door of the kitchen getting ready to leave, I knew all 8 people and 2 cats in the 31st floor condo in Hyde Park, Chicago.  The Terry of 5 years ago would not have seen this coming.

Our day rolled out before us as the day after a Friday night party where we recognized the bolus of fun was behind us yet no one had work the next day making departure equal parts indeterminate but still imminent.  Audrey ordered pizza, and three people attempted to pay her; an act in such stark contrast to my last visit that my lacrimal glands started to fire.  Another sharp contrast were the expressions of human togetherness that Peter and Audrey allowed me to capture.

Thief of Moments

"On the first page of the book that is my memory..."

Suzie was the last to wake.  She’s a deep sleeper able to march through the standard battery of methods Peter uses to wake people such as waving a feather through the air, tapping on the wall of an adjoining condo, staring at the door while thinking “RISE!” and shouting someone’s name in the underground parking lot.  I fear one day such sound slumbers will cause Suzie to be thought dead.

When she did wake, we had pizza (again), which I think was an excuse to capture Mike’s neck muscles in action.

Neck chomp

Look at those... neck guns.

 

Gratuitious Shot of Finger Waves

Glaring or Thinking?

Finger Waves: Do it.

John, Mike, Suzie, and I left some time between later than we should have and sooner than we wanted to but I have faith that Wanda and I would return sometime.

We had three more stops for the day, the first of which was a friend of Suzie’s in Toledo, Oh.  The drive, again, was unremarkable and I spent much time staring at the setting sun and the $3.199 gas prices.  The person we visited had Spartan quarters in which he appeared to play video games, watch Asian import media, do recreational costume design, and pronounce coup de grâce as coup de gras.  Our social event there was going to an IHOP whose motto should be “Unremarkable Food at Unremarkable Prices, and a lot of Coffee”.  One can also save time and instead of requesting the spicy Santa Fe scramble just ask for an omelet swimming in barbeque sauce.

The unwinding process for this trip was longer than most as it would span two days and 14 hours of driving.  Suzie was dropped back off in Kentucky at around 3 AM and we kept driving to Cross Lanes, WV to visit Chris and Christine who were gracious to allow us to check in a little before 7 AM.  After dropping off Suzie, the car seemed unbalanced but the presence of so much testosterone seemed to help power Wanda over West Appalachia.