whaddya know - we circumvented Lake Michigan

Leaving Michelle’s, we decided to hit Trader Joe’s and stock up on organics before we left Illinois.  It was raining and it should have occurred to me that going to TJ’s in a 5000ft rig was probably an idea best forgotten.  Course, it did occurr to me, but only much later in hindsight.

I didn’t have too much trouble going down the narrow two lane streets.  I did 25mph but didn’t hold up traffic.  I didn’t have too much trouble making turns left and right.  I didn’t have too much trouble making a 3 point turn (instead of a U-turn).  I DID, however, have a LOT of trouble when I made the mistake of entering the TJ’s parking lot. 

I knew it; driving forward, I was thinking, "there is NO WAY I can back out of here" but onward I went, as I really had no other choice.  I had NO idea HOW I was going to get out of there until Jamie spied what looked like a back entrance to the store.  I figured we were in for a penny/ in for a pound, and getting out of where I was headed seemed no less possible than getting out of where I was…  I double parked along the back of TJ’s completely blocking the road.  I POWER shopped and ran out in less than 10 minutes.  Jamie ran the kids into the store (to pee; he didn’t want to leave the rig idling in the middle of the road (back of the store or not)).  He said that there was no way that HE was going to drive it out if someone appeared, but simply to tell them that his wife was shopping and SHE would drive it out. 

I got out (I honestly don’t know how, because I had to back up blind to avoid the damn Hummer) and heart pounding, decided to wait at a mortuary for Jamie and the kids.  I figured it would have a larger turn-around area as hearses are long vehicles…

As soon as I approached the covered entrance, I knew I was in trouble.  Two black cloaked men ran out and said, "you’ve got to get OUT of here - we have someone coming (course, if it was a hearse, the dead guy isn’t going to be complaining, is he?)".  I almost cried.  I had no choice other than to back up around a pile of construction in a "S" to the back lot.  I really thought that there was no way I could do it, but little by little (with the black cloaks hurrying me along) with Jamie walking around and giving me distances, I made the backwards "S" and we got the hell out of dodge.

Back to Neenah and completed the circumvention of Lake Michigan.  Weesh!

This will be really boring to anyone but family; pictures of the kids in the snow.