Friends, Bikes, Pierogies - a 3-state weekend

I gave J, G's 7-year-old son, my camera during the reception after the memorial service. Here's one of his brilliant shots - with step-grandmother P, the brave mom who lost her eldest daughter, and behind her, widowed son-in-law J and the miracle girl E on his shoulders, E is 4 and probably misses her mom more than anyone...
Thursday night I dropped Lois off at my parents' place and came home, went to see Dark Knight with a friend, and then Friday morning got up very early to ride to S's house, get on the bus, the el, then the O'Hare courtesy bus to get to the rent-a-car office by 8:45am, where S and I hitched a ride to Kalamazoo, MI for a memorial service for friend A's sister, who died at age 37 of breast cancer contracted in her 7th month of pregnancy with her first (only) daughter 5 years ago. It was an amazingly beautiful service, and the family was brave and articulate and wonderful, and the reception was warm and full of love. Her life, and her family's ongoing courage facing her tragic, untimely death was inspiring.

After the reception, A and G take a load off. S is on the left, with J (the photographer) behind her, and in the center is G's awesome mom, M, who drove us to and from Kzoo. She is wonderful.

When I got home I was too tired to go see a friend and a band I like play at the Hideout, and I went right to sleep.

This is also what you get when you give the camera to a 7-year-old. Actually, his pics are brilliant. I need to flickr all of them.
I was glad Lois was still with her "grandparents," because I woke up without the alarm the next morning just in time to ride out to the North Branch Trail (about a 35-minute, fast ride north and west) to do my biggest "brick" workout with the tri group so far. We biked 70 minutes on the trail, fast - and then (leaving our bikes with a coach) immediately ran for 20 minutes off the bike. Whew!

J and T with the World's Largest Pierogi

Then I rode home (another 45 minutes), quickly showered and got in an iGo car to visit with the parents, eat an amazing breakfast of waffles, eggs, bacon, and fruit salad, and get me and pooch home in time to be picked up by friends in a minivan and drive to nearby Whiting, Indiana for Pierogi Fest.

Welcome to Whiting, IN.
Which was crazy. It's a really small, depressed-economy town totally duded up for the weekend, and the food, mostly eastern European style, was rich and delicious, and the homemade signs were wonderful, and the craft row was hideously great.

This is the best craft booth, with shellacked fish hanging in various ways. Two in our group got these to take home. Note googlie (sp?) eyes.
I rode there with friends with two boys - J, 11 and T, 6 - and they were very funny. T didn't want to go at all on the way there, and was very grouchy and vocal about it, but in the way home he said wistfully, between slurps of a blue slushy drink, "I wish I didn't have to wait a whole year to go back to Pierogi Fest again..."

Ponies waiting to be ridden by the kiddos.
When I got home I realized I was out of dog food and raced on bike to the pet store to get some before they closed, got home, fed Lois, and put in some brownies for Sunday's picnic dinner. That was around 8pm. When I woke up in darkness, with the house reeking of burned oven, I realized I'd completely passed out from exhaustion and it was 1am. Those poor brownies never had a chance.

Under a tree for some shade and mental rest after we looked through the craft area.
Sunday I slept in til after 8 and walked with Lois, then took her to my parents place again for a leisurely walk around the Lincoln Park pond. It was a gorgeous day. We also had her nails trimmed, and she was bitten by a ferocious Golden Retriever tied to a tree outside of a Starbucks on the way to the iGo car. I couldn't find the owners - don't know what I'd do if I did - but it was scary. Lois totally cried out and rolled onto her side, squealing when I touched where the dog bit her. I couldn't find a break in the skin, though, so I haven't done anything. She is OK now.

Czech dancers at Pierogi Fest.
Then I hustled to make strawberry shortcake for a trip to a SW suburb to see an outdoor community theatre production of Oklahoma! with a friend of A's in it, and we ate a fabulous picnic dinner on the hill. A brought amazing fried chicken with honey dijon sauce, S made a black bean and corn salad and her delicious peanut noodle salad, and I made strawberry shortcake with blueberries and whipped cream. We drank wine, we had a candle, we supported a friend, we saw the weirdest "classic" musical. It was super great.

The ladies on our picnic, with Rodgers and Hammerstein's sorta creepy-plot debut musical in the background.
I didn't talk to any new guy Sunday. I sorta suck at that habit attempt. But I have been way more boy-crazy lately, wishing I had even a crush to think about or someone to talk to/flirt with/fantasize about ... maybe it'll work itself into some sort of action on my part. Who knows?

I just hope something happens sooner rather than later. Ahem.

God Bless The U.S. indeed. Pierogi fest, ladies and gentlemen.