Kerry from Derry

Well I last left you in the land of 10,000 lakes, now time to move on to the Windy City - Chicago.

As I had become accustomed to my own personal chaffeur service I again was collected from the airport and whisked off to the Diamond B&B in Palatine - thanks Ed! So a week in Chicago.....what´s a girl to do?

Started off by popping into the diner of course for a slap up lunch and then retired to the patio at the B&B to catch some rays and fulfill the requirements for my daily homage to Bacchaus....who was most pleased by my devout attentions! Fully sated there was then the opportunity to watch thee video - of Scott ad Amy´s wedding of course and what a video and consequently wedding it appeared to be!

The next day Ed and myself headed into town to be tourists where we took a architectural boat tour around the city - very interesting and highly recommended. Made for a better trip actually knowing what you´re looking at, also gives you a sense of the size of the city and gives you a idea of how to get your bearings once you´re back on terra firma.

So talking of solid ground...... back on land we went wandering around in order to find Andy´s - a world famous jazz club, and find it we did and not too be disappointed there we found some live music and a most hospitable innkeeper. The actual place itself has a lot of character and a nice atmosphere - as it wasn´t exactly busy I can´t say what it would be like if it was but I´d imagine that it would be excellent....maybe next time I´ll have to go back and check! After that out to Navy pier to take a stroll and feed the old bellies - if you haven´t been basically its a really long pier with a lot of shops, bars, etc along its whole length and is the usual venue for corporate events, award shows, expos, etc - that should give you an idea as to size. Not a bad place to while away a couple of hours and indulge in a cheezborger or 2!

That evening we went to Scott and Amy´s for dinner where I had the opportunity to catch up on a few of the last 13 years since I last visited and very pleasant it was too!

Over the next few days I took myself into the city and had a good look around, taking in some sightseeing tours and visiting a couple of galleries and the like and of course patronising only the finest drinking holes and shooting the breeze wih the random people you find yourself sitting beside - most memorable of which were 2 pilots who were supposed to fly in 8 hours and were in fact flying 3 sheets to the wind.....isn´t there supposed to be some kind of law against that?!? Funny boys though - as I wasn´t flying the next day I wasn´t that concerned and I never did hear of any accidents so I guess they were fine after all!

On the Saturday Scott took me to Wrigley Field to watch the Chicago Cubs who were being soundly beaten so we left to find some entertainment elsewhere only to find out later that they had made a miraculous comeback and we had missed the action - ah well we had some fun bar hopping before ending up in a blues club where a woman with an amazing voice was warbling away and plucking at her guitar strings like a genius - thanks to Scott for keeping me entertained, I had a great day! Next time the beer is on me!

Sunday we went up to Scott and Amy´s lake house and only got lost once - nice navigation Ed! Took a little spin around the lake on the speed boat admiring the houses on the front - some nice piles I have to say.....maybe someday when I settle down....(now I´ve got the Littlest Hobo in my head and I´m sure it will stick for the rest of the day!). On our way back we popped in to see Patrick and Kathy and the boys and watched a little football and attempted to again catch up on some of the last 13 years. All to soon it was time to leave and go back and pack the bags ready for a 5.00 start the next morning. Thanks Ed for being my taxi driver and host with the most!

This next bit is becoming far too common.....storm rolled in at the airport meaning a 1 hour delay while sitting on the tarmac - this then rolled on to my connecting flight in Detroit which I just missed and this resulted in a 6 hour delay before I got back to New York.....great no?

Back in New York for a couple of days Shelly very kindly put me up and fed and watered me. I also had the opportunity to meet up with Greg and Katy who I had met last year in New Zealand - good catching up with you guys, cheers for making the effort to come out even though you´re both very busy people! So that was North America - time to move on to Argentina and find the latin in me (after a 14hr delay at JFK of course - bloody american airlines, no explanation - nada! They didn´t even announce the delay, they just waited until it spread by word of mouth and they then had three or four hundred angry, pissed off, tired people on their hands - excellent customer service!) Moan over - next time news from Buenos Aires! x

So time to leave New York and the Dallat cousins behind and go visit the other side in Minnesota.

13 years and a few grey hairs later back to stay with the lovely Clevelands - thanks again guys for putting me up and keeping me entertained! And have to say I´m liking the new house!

So what did I get up to then? Well let´s see....Sam brought me along to watch the mighty Wild (think I got that right - ice hockey to the uninitiated....), my first game and hopefully not the last - its so fast, but was disappointed no fisticuffs or handbags at ten paces - next time! Mary treated me to a day out which included lunch, the cinema and dinner at home with Sam Senior. Thanks Mary, I enjoyed it. Ann took me out into the country to visit her babies (that´s horses to the sane amongst us) and then on to the birthplace of waterskiing where we tried to spot some falcons (I think.....birds of prey anyway) but then turned around and went for a drink instead - my kinda girl! Kathy took me walking and generally chaffeured me around to get a few little essentials for South America...and then with John we had a private viewing of a little art gallery and then went on to see the Bodyworks exhibition - you know the one with the dead people, had wanted to see it when I was in London but hadn´t got around to it so to see it there was great. If it comes to a city near you suggest you go and see it......its pretty fascinating the way our bodies work.

At the weekend the younger Clevelands came back from college for a quick visit - hit the pub on Friday night with Sam and Tony and proceeded to get my ass kicked on the Deerhunter game, I kept shooting the lady deer.....oops! On Saturday went out on the lake and attempted to go sailing but the wind didn´t want to co-operate so back in again and stuffed our faces with the food Kathy had got that morning for more visiting cousins - The Diamonds. So they came round in the afternoon and was good to meet the new additions! Saturday night involved crashing out, alternatively napping and watching films and Sunday after a spin around the lake on the speedboat went with Sam to drop Jenny back to college and have a go at frisbee golf which I have to say I was pretty rubbish at....but good fun all the same! Then we hightailed it back to meet John, Kathy, Sam and Mary for dinner - very nice it was too! Ummmmmmm steak, just can´t get enough of the stuff.

So in a nutshell that was my visit to Minnesota - had a great time! Thanks for the hospitality and for the camera - it has been used and I´ll send you the proof when I get round to downloading my pictures.

Ah the city that never sleeps.....at least not for very long over the next 5 days anyway! As my cousin Ronan put it ´an endurance test´!

The main event for this trip was to be Shelly´s wedding - another one who´s gone and got all grown up! I tell you - I´m starting to get an immaturity complex here.....

So arrive at the airport after another tense journey - getting upgraded is very stressful (although to be fair it was the least I deserved after the security nazis at the airport, just because I didn´t have a return flight to the UK I was forced to go and collect my bags in London then hike it around to Terminal 4 and check in again - all the time hoping I wasn´t going to miss my flight. What the hell difference does it make if I don´t have a return flight - either the contents of my bag pose a risk or they don´t!). But the upgrade was a nice little extra I have to say - may there be many more to come!

Anyway moan over....got met of the plane by Shelly, Ciaran and Sue, I like this personal service - could get used to it! Thanks again guys x Quickly dumped the bags and hit the pub where the party had started long before I got there - time to find my father and play catch up....and catch up I did! Good seeing all the rellies and meeting the once removed in-laws and other reprobates.

Anyway next day feeling a touch jaded (was from the flight of course - nothing to do with the beer.....) a few of us headed into the city and proceeded to walk our little legs off taking in the sights and sounds of New York. I´ve been there a few times before but I still love this city - its like a big living throbbing (easy!) machine - it has an energy all of its own that is uniquely New York. This time of course there was something missing - the WTC. Ground Zero is a pretty sombre place, only by actually seeing the big empty space can you appreciate how horrifying it must have been some 5 years ago.

So moving on from the morbid the next day was D-Day (queue peeling bells or should that be horror film music.....just kidding Shelly....or am I?!?) Unfortunately the weather didn´t keep up its end of the bargain and decided to rain all day but have to say it didn´t put a dampener on the wedding at all. Who can complain when you get picked up in a limo, get driven to the church door and then get picked up after the service and get delivered to the reception???? And speaking of the service and the reception both were great. A special mention has to go to the organ player......just in case anyone was thinking of dropping of during the service he made sure they didn´t by regularly blasting our eardrums with his pipes!

Now the reception....this place is so well set up its incredible - how much food???? And delicious it was too. Especially liked the dry ice, loud music entrance for the wedding party - you all looked great! I think it can be safely said that a good time was had by all. Thanks again for the invite!

Saturday evening a large group of us went on an evening dinner cruise around the city - this is definitely a great way to see the lights of Manhatten, don´t know about anyone else but I much prefer cities by night - they look so much better! The trip took us from Long Island all the way into Lady Liberty and then back out - a great way to spend a few hours. Again thanks to the cus for organising.

Sunday - well the All Ireland Final was on so what´s a group of 60 odd hungover people supposed to do the next morning? Get up at the ungodly hour of 8.00 and head to the pub of course and stay there until mid-afternoon naturally!

So that was my trip to NY - thoroughly good time had by all. Thanks to Tommy for forking out for the hotel xx