Charlene

Not sure if we would be rebuffed if we tried to make friendly acquaintances. Not willing to try since we’re only staying a week.

Still, we love Chicago!

We’re in Chicago! We’re learning stuff! Our starboard engine doesn’t work anymore!

We’re off to Chicago to take lessons on how to dock and how to anchor.

First, though, we have to get there.

We’re on the boat! We’re starting off from Spring Brook Marina in Seneca, Illinois.

When we touched the ground at Chicago O’Hare, we thought we were in the clear. Getting to the hotel would be a piece of cake.

A piece of cake is a piece of cake. A trip to the hotel is sweaty and painful with a side of f—, I lost my phone.

Armrest hogs are just one of my many, many personal pet peeves. I’ve only ever made it through one flight in my life without one. This was not that flight.

Heavy bags and hot weather made getting from the bus station to the apartment an adventure. So was getting rid of the last of our belongings.

If you’re going to ship something to the States, it’s a good idea to have an itemized list of everything you’re shipping.

It’s not that things have gone bad, exactly. It’s just that there are so many little obstacles on the way, each one a little bigger than the one before.