The Mobile Observatory survives Chicago, and the week ahead...

After the navigational nightmare in Philadelphia, Ben had turned to me and said "No more big cities. None. We can be outside of the city; close enough where people in the city can make it out. But NO MORE BIG CITIES!"

Fast forward a few weeks later. It is a week before our event in Chicago...

Me: "Chicago is coming up in a couple of days. By the way, I scheduled an event at the Planetarium. In the big city. Also, we have TWO events!"

Ben: "Don't you remember what I said about not being in big cities? We have two events?!"

Me: "Vaguely...did I mention that Lollapalooza is happening the very same weekend? About a mile from where we'll be."

Ben: "...You want me to have a heart attack and die, don't you? I'm not going to make it past 50..."

...We survived! Our event on August 2nd took place with Joe Guzman (Chicago Astronomer) just outside the Adler Planetarium - it was a beautiful day; there were several weddings and events going on, and the lakefront location provided gorgeous views as we looked at sunspots and Ben shared the news regarding his research paper. Happy times.

Navigating through the city that night was not easy. Every road we needed to turn on was closed. People were everywhere... and only half followed road signals. Highways = heavy fast moving traffic, and directions were not kind (take ramp right, and in .2 miles, get all the way to the other side for the left ramp, etc) - we both breathed sighs of relief upon making it to our evening destination.  On the 3rd, we brought The Mobile Observatory to Abbey Pub. We all had brunch (delicious Irish breakfast with rashers and black and white pudding) as conversations were shared... Thanks Tom for inviting us! Even though it was the first time we had met many of these folks, it didn't seem like it at all- more like old friends reconnecting again.

The next few days were spent at a farm in Wisconsin, thank you Ted and Autumn for your amazing hospitality! We had a great time exploring their farm; bits will be shared in the documentary that Ben is diligently working on.
Up next was our meet and greet in Madison, WI. The KOA stay was pleasant (thank you kindly to those that came out!), and gave us time to catch up on much needed work. We've accepted that we will always be in a perpetual state of being behind on tasks, no matter the time management tactic we employ. Our last official stop in WI was Cole Watch Tower. Much admiration goes to Billy and Nyoka as it is a tremendous undertaking to restore seven stories of this tower. They've made a TON of progress on this historical landmark and prevented it from being torn down. We can't wait to reconnect with them in the future and see how things are!

Next up: Minneapolis! Thanks to those that came out to meet and share words of support. Catherine made AMAZING chocolate oatmeal cookies that we just gobbled up. Feelings of shame looking at the empty plate that evening. On the healthier side, friends brought fresh veggies from the garden, yum! Currently tucked away in St. Clair, MN preparing for the next few weeks. Canada pushed our buttons last time as finding internet to access was not easy, and we hope to have a better time during our second leg up there. The schedule has been grueling, it has not been easy... we surely miss the comforts of home and seeing our family and friends, but the journey must go on! Should there be anything you'd like to see on the site, please contact us!