Saturday, December 23, 2006

Visiting my Parents -- Cheshirekitty Speaks

Today's post is brought to you from Jeremiah Joe's Coffee in Ottawa, Illinois, where we are hanging out drinking coffee and seeing the sights of Ottawa. Ottawa, a city of about 18,000 people, exists about 70 miles from Chicago. My parents live 8 miles away in Marseilles.

Ottawa would have made a wonderful college town, but local folklore (uncorroborated) suggests that they blew their chance years ago, when the city chose the Appellate Court over the University of Illinois. Maybe that's just as well, because Ottawa has retained a certain charming character while getting some culture from its location on the I-80 corridor. For example, Jeremiah Joe's Coffee. And the Court Street Cabaret, where my niece Robyn helps with technical production. We'll be watching Holidazzle (a Vegas-style revue) there this evening.

Of course, for more down-home experiences, there's always hanging at the local Wal-Mart with my mom:Everyone but me thinks I look like my mom.