Monday, December 15, 2008

Fly Girl Home ...

Well, I just completed my last trip to New Orleans for the year and am home for the winter.  And just in time, it snowed in New Orleans the other day -- finished by the afternoon, just as I remember from my childhood and other years.

Since I now live in Chicago, I can pretty much expect snow anytime and am always excited just like I was when I was a kid and it snowed in New Orleans.  People here who have grown up with the white flakes think I'm crazy when I get giddy as the snow falls -- but like flying, snow just seems like such a miracle.

It was only a few weeks ago, I met some friends down on the Magnificent Mile to go to a play and when we came out, the first big flakes of snow were just coming down. Michigan Avenue was twinkling with holiday lights and here they were -- these big white flakes, the sky a dark blue, not quite black yet -- lake effect snow not a storm.  The crowds were still small -- no holiday frenzy yet -- but that has changed as has the depth of snow -- the Arctic blasts have begun and it's the wind and ice that make it truly Arctic.

I cannot help it -- I always love Chicago blanketed in white before it turns slushy and people have tramped all over it -- but there are plenty of areas of the City that rarely see a footprint in the snow for all of winter and those remain so pristine and fairy tale like.

You may choose to be warm for winter -- but I invite you to come north even for only a few days and bask in the city's snowfall.  It is a child's delight and I am always happy to report Fly Girl's child is intact!

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

I'm Back ...

Hi All --

I'm back but not Down Under though I think about this magical place all the time. It's been almost a year since my last trip to Oz and who knows when I'll have the time or opportunity to go again. I keep up with the many people I met while there and even with the extreme time difference there is an overlap that makes phone calls possible.

I'm blessed to have friends and colleagues all over the world -- today I spent an hour on the phone with a friend and business associate in Istanbul -- I hope that my travels will take me there one day soon to this mysterious crossroad of East and West.

This year my travel has been all domestic and I have been to New Orleans a few times, to Washington DC and to Boston -- all cities which I've been to many times. Of course, New Orleans is my birthplace and it's hard not to be connected there though visiting is often difficult as it is not the same since Katrina. Though the tourist areas look fine -- so much of the city where I played and lived is still in disarray and it will be decades before a full sense of normalcy returns, if ever.

My travel partner, Annie just returned from Florence and had a glorious time -- she's still recovering and when I have the chance to talk with her -- I'll let you know the details.

Be well -- FlyGirl