Different Worlds, all within 12 hours...

Woke up this morning in Rutherfordton, in a twin bed (which I don't think I had done intentionally in a very long time) and enjoyed a few minutes with Eric, his mom and his son over breakfast. Then I packed it up and drove home so I could watch a little soccer before heading off to Chicago.

The first picture today is from Shelby, a great sign, with even better type, on a 'cue restaurant right off US 74. It was so good I turned around to get the picture because I feared I would forget if I "waited until next time." So I didn't...

My drive home was full of music -- I listened a lot to the mix of stuff on my iPod in the car — and thoughts. I cannot drive anywhere without her on my mind. But today, the memories were of the first time we met, then really met and then finally had a discussion. About going to the lake the first time, and how distant it all seemed today...

The second picture was from the Orange Line ride into Chicago. It seemed so different from where I had started my day. I sat across from two younger German women -- both in their early 20's, when two very young teenage African American girls hopped on for only a few stops. The women in the back were Indian, and the cultural diversity of the 10 foot radius around me was shifting constantly as I had my 30 minute ride from Midway into the loop.

It was a long way from the 9th green in Rutherfordton to the high-rise hotels on Wacker Drive in Chicago. None of it was unfamiliar or uncomfortable, but the change of scenery is doing me good.