JerJourneys: arlington heights, illinois

just north of chicago i visited a few friends whom i had known for over a decade, but hadn't seen much of for many years. first i visited dan and vanessa and their kids aidan and charlotte - though i didn't actually see dan who was out of town. we got to go out to breakfast at one of their favorite places - walker bros pancake house. i understood why they loved it when i saw the yummy menu. with a short but sure visit i said fare well. they were leaving on a very long car ride for a family reunion in st louise.

then i spent some of the day at a park

i had been at that park about nine years earlier when my friend margaret got married there. she still lived in the area, so i met up with her and ben and their kids alexa, deborah, and david. it's the first time i'd met any of their children, all of whom welcomed me readily. i got to play hand shadows and other imagination games with the twin girls and learned some solo exploration strategies from david. margaret and i shared memories and caught up. ben and i discussed communication skills, as he is an effective salesman. it was a very fun and enjoyable visit.

then i got to see margie. she had visited philly a few years before, so i suppose it was my turn to visit her. we conversed for an hour during a drive up into wisconsin - state number 41 of my trip! our destination was lake geneva where a group from her church was taking a boat tour and mingling in the little town for the day. so i got to meet some other people too, and re-meet stephanie who i'd met through margie a way way long time before.

various multi-million dollar lake view houses.