Home again

The Chicago Fire Kite Team performs at the 20th annual Family Kite Festival in Milwaukee over the weekend.


Lola's was closed this weekend for the first time since we opened in January. For a lot of years Elaine and I performed our pairs kite routines at this and other festivals in the Midwest. Many of our best friends are kite flyers and performers. The festivals are always great times to spend with friends and to meet and make new friends. We knew we were going to miss going to and performing at these festivals when we moved to PR.

Our good friend Scott Fisher, who owns of Gift of Wings kite stores in Milwaukee and organizes six or seven kite festivals in the Milwaukee area, was so determined to have us back performing, he found a sponsor to fly us back for the weekend. WOO-HOO!!!!

Elaine was still in Michigan, finishing cleaning out the house. She rented a car, packed bags full of last of the stuff to bring to Puerto Rico, and picked me up at the airport in Chicago Friday night. It was the first time we'd seen each other since early March, since before her surgery. It was an amazing, awesome, wonderful reunion.

I didn't have a camera ready when I first saw her so you'll have to share the photos and the slow-motion video I have in my head.

She was waiting at the bottom of the escalator in a beautiful, cling-y red dress she bought here in March. It was a total surprise! I saw her try on the dress but I had no idea she'd gone back to get it. She would have been a healing sight for very sore eyes in dirty jeans and a ragged t-shirt. In that dress and her matching ruby shoes, she was stunning, a totally intoxicating vision. Since she almost never wears a dress, I did a double-take and almost stumbled getting off the escalator. But I stumbled into the most incredible embrace.

I'll write more about the festival itself later.

Last night - or rather very early this morning - we got back to Puerto Rico. Elaine was greeted at the door by two very excited dogs. While I unloaded the car (she still has post-surgery lifting restrictions), she and the dogs grabbed some early hammock time. Now we're heading to the ocean for her first "spa" soak.

You can see more festival pictures on the Flickr site, www.flickr.com/photos/ola-lolas.

Welcome home, Elaine!!!!