January 11, 2009. Mexico. Sunday Afternoon.

Suzanne is walking on the beach. Ken is napping while watching the football game between Pittsburgh and San Diego. I was reading "The Power and the Glory" by Graham Greene, but decided as the network server here is often out of business late at night, I would do my little web log. Several times during this visit I have been unable to get on the Internet late at night, so I have taken to write early in the day. You might have thought that I was lazy, but that would not have been true. I was foiled by the Server. This morning we three rode the trolley. The last time Suzanne was here it was not running, nor was Ken able to ride it, so today we rode around twice, before walking around on the other side of the canal. An artist lives and has a studio over there. He is very good too so the next time we are over there we will speak to him. Today an older couple were deep in conversation with him, so we were not able to find out any information, such as his prices. I am a little tired of the art in the apartment here. Every unit has the same prints of typical Mexican scenes. Our lunch over there was delicious. Red Snapper for Suzanne and Ken and Mussels for me, along with an exotic salad. When arriving home we ate ice cream and drank a cup of tea. Life is good.

It seems that Chicago has a long history of corruption. I have just finished "The Devil in the White City", by Eric Larson. Dave and Irene included it in my Christmas books, even though their book club read it a few months ago. I was delighted to read it, as I have read a lot about the 1893 Exposition in Chicago, but had not written this particular book. It is a good read, especially is you like Chicago. I did skip over the evil character, Dr. Holmes, but I was fascinated with the people who put the whole Fair together, especially when you realize that they did it all in just over two years. Those nineteen Century people took on those big projects and did not think anything about it. They just did them. In this day and age, trying to get anything done at all is difficult, but trying to get the big projects approved and implemented and completed is almost impossible. But one thing that has not changed is that even all those years ago, an under current of crime and corruption existed in Chicago. Somethings just never change.

Now, this book belongs to Irene, so I am taking this book with me to Nova Scotia and will lend it to Mary M., who has not read it and who was born in Chicago, Then I will return the book to Irene this summer when they come to visit us in Nova Scotia. That is a good plan.