Friday, August 28, 2015

Tea and Rye Bread Toast at 3 AM and Other Ramblings


I believe that I have told you before that sometimes I suffer from insomnia.
I have a list of remedies that I try which are often effective, but last night
nothing seemed to work.  I listened to Art Bell via my "tune-in" app on
my iPhone.  His guest was an anti-aging doctor and the show was quite
fascinating, but was finished at 2 am.  

I don't know how many of you are familiar with Art Bell.  I used to 
listen to his shows on the radio some years back.  I was addicted to 
his show.   It always came on in the wee hours of the morning and he
had all these fantastical topics ~ ghosts, ET's, Big Foot, Mel's Hole
and more.  Mel's hole was this supposed pit somewhere in Washington
state that seemed to have no bottom.  Mel claimed he tried to go 
down into the hole once.  He said you could toss an old broken
refrigerator down that hole and never hear it hit the bottom.  After
a few years, Art never heard from Mel anymore and that was the
end of that story.  However, David and I continued to tune in and fall
asleep in our darkened bedroom while listening to these fun topics.
But Art made the mistake of joining up with a big conglomerate
radio network and soon they were dictating what he could and 
could not air over the radio so he quit because it just was not
fun anymore.  But now he is back with a new show that is
streamed over the internet.  It's called Midnight in the Desert.


When Art's show was over, I started to think about my childhood growing up
in Chicago's North Shore suburbs.  My very first home was in Wilmette, Illinois.
I was blessed to live there.  It's consistently rated one of the best towns in 
the US for kids.  Bill Murray the comic is from Wilmette and so is Ann
Margret.  But of course in the wee hours of the morning my mind has a 
tendency to ramble from topic to topic and early this morning was no
exception.   Notice that Wilmette is right on Lake Michigan.  I love
that lake.  So many happy memories of it's waters, it's beaches and the
nearby ravines.  For me it is a magical place.  So I started looking at
pictures of the beach.  



Gilson Beach and Wilmette harbor.  In the fore front of this photo is the Bahai
Temple completed in 1953.  Such an imposingly beautiful landmark.  Of
course there is the beach and the harbor.  While I was thinking about the
beach and my youth, I also started thinking about my beloved lake.  It's
enormous size and how to me it always seemed like an ocean.  But, before
I move on, notice the city of Chicago off in the distance at the top of the
picture.  Looming ahead like an Oz.

So, because I was thinking about the size of the lake I found myself 
visiting a Facebook Group Page …. You Lived on Chicago's North
Shore if You Remember …. when I came to a wonderful article posted
that was written by Rich Cohen for the New York Times Travel
section.  Rich grew up in Glencoe, a neighboring suburb and loves
the lake as I do.  Here is a link to the article which you may enjoy
even if you have never been to Chicago or have seen Lake Michigan.
A Tour of Lake Michigan, My Inland Sea.  I will warn you, its a long
article, so grab a cup of tea or coffee before you dive in.  Oops, 
a pun just jumped out ;-)



In this wonderful article, Rich (who now lives back east) takes his young sons
on a long road trip circumnavigating the lake, beginning in Chicago and ending
in his childhood home of Glencoe (just up the road from Wilmette).  This was 
a lengthy trip because they drove from Chicago south, through the Indiana 
Sand Dunes, up the coast of Michigan and across the lake to Mackinac Island,
across another ferry to the Wisconsin side and all the way south to Rich's 
hometown of Glencoe.   




Rich was talking about a restaurant where he and his boys had dinner, and
that started me thinking of famous restaurants in the Chicagoland area and
that's how I landed here at Klas Restaurant.  I have never been here, but now 
I wish I had because the place is steeped in history and has been in business
since 1922.  If you want to read more about it's history you can read this
article.   Here is a link to the Klas Restaurant website so you can look 
at their menu, which is of course what I did.  Very heavy Czech cuisine,
but doesn't it all look so delicious!  Leave your bathroom scale outside the 
door and enjoy ;-)  I could not help but notice the Chicken Paprika on
the menu.  Suddenly my stomach was registering empty and I really
wanted to have some of that tasty dish.  However, at 3 am I was not
about to hunt for ingredients to make this tasty dish.  So I settled for a
cup of tea and a slice of rye bread toast.  

I warned you that my mind wanders all over the place in the early
morning hours.  

Bentley ~ now that it's mid day, lets see if we have all the
fixin's to cook up a pot of Chicken Paprika!

Big Texas Hugs,
Susan and Bentley








3 comments:

  1. My husband and I listened to Art Bell from the beginning of his Coast to Coast show, up until he retired. Nice to know he has a new show, Midnight in the Desert. Does the title mean he is back in his remote home and able to bring his wife and child to the USA?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, Art is back home in Nevada with his wife and daughter. His daughter is seven years old now and is adorable.

      Delete
  2. Oh my Gosh! I started listening to Art Bell in 1991, with sleeping problems too. I didn't know he was on anywhere again! I do not like coast to coast nearly as much. Is he at his old compound in Nevada? I just love his voice. Thanks for the update. It will be interesting to see how many readers mention they know of him. Good post!

    ReplyDelete

Oliver and I LOVE and read every comment.

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