I feel like dancing – in the rain,
All I need is a volunteer
Dancing – what a damn jolly good idea
It’s such a jollification – as a matter of fact, so tres charmant my dear
-queen

When I was a kid Chicago was one of those far off quasi-exotic places. In Chicago there was a big blue ocean, an aquarium, planetarium, museums, giant buildings and all sorts of cool crazy stuff that sparks a small town Wisconsin kids imagination. Of course my parents weren’t the “family vacation” types so it all remained sort of a fantasy destination. Sure, we drove through Chicago,  or around Chicago, got lost in Chicago, cursed Chicago traffic but never actually saw any of the cool stuff. Well, that’s not quite accurate. I can remember having my face plastered to the car window as we drove by the Sears tower on the interstate. . .

I did finally get to see a bit of Chicago when I was a young teenager. My father lived in Zion which is a town north of the city. When I was 13 or 14 I was finally allowed to go down and stay with him for a time. One weekend we took a trip down to the Natural History Museum (which was showing the “King Tut” Exhibition)  & the Planetarium. I was in heaven. Well, I would have been if we’d actually gotten IN the museum.  It was booked to capacity so we stood on the steps and watched the golden “Tut” banners fly in the breeze for a few minutes!  The Planetarium was spectacular to a teenager though. I always remember that sense of my father thinking I was way over-excited and he was essentially board. But hey, you take what you can get. Since then I’ve been to the Windy City quite a few times. I’m not bothered by city traffic and frankly it’s not a complicated task to get around the city. Slow sometimes, but not difficult.

This afternoon we are heading back to the big city. Well, not exactly. We’re heading to a western suburb called St. Charles which is home to Geneva Kayaks and the location of tonight’s premiere of This Is The Sea 4 by Justine Curgenven. At this point I’m beginning to lose count on how many times I’ve actually watched the movie, so I have a feeling I’ll be sitting in the back corner making faces at anyone who happens to look my way. I watched T4 in Israel just last week in fact. Of course there we were sitting outside under star filled skies and caressed by a warm Mediterranean breeze. So you can guess that I’m not really going to  Chicago to see the DVD.

What has me booking a hotel and driving 3 hours each way is simply the opportunity to see distant friends. Justine & Barry of course, Ryan Rushton who owns Geneva Kayaks, the whole crazy Bloyd-Peshkin family, and many others as well. This is why you end up traveling to so many symposiums each year. Paddling is great of course, teaching is a joy as well, but at symposiums you tend to be stuck in one spot and not really seeing much new.  That crosses my mind each year when I think of the cost of attending.  Heck, even as instructors we do end up paying to attend.  The cost of travel, food, lodging, lost work, and such far out weigh the occasional stipend we receive. Yet each time I think I’ll cut down, I think about those people I wouldn’t see for another year or more if I didn’t go. In the end it’s almost impossible to shorten the list. In a way, that’s what is best about Justine’s videos. We get to see new places and share new adventures, but we also get to re-acquaint ourselves with some familiar smiles. It’s a bit like a Christmas family newsletter. . only wetter.