Labor Day Aught-Nine

It was a good long weekend, though it included some work. But how bad can things be on a weekend you see The Guns of Navarone? Running gun battles, explosions, a high German body count, suspense, music by Dimitri Tiomkin, and of course Gregory Peck, Anthony Quinn and David Niven, among others. Niven, as usual, delivered his lines with his trademark aplomb. Coming from lesser talents, lines like this wouldn't be as wry, but from him, pure Niven.

Miller (Niven): Captain, I'm concerned about this vessel. It's taking on water.

Mallory (Peck): Why does that concern you?

Miller (Niven): I can't swim.

Mostly, though, we weren't entertaining ourselves with video over the weekend, since it was so warm, almost hot, summer-like in the way that September can be, and generally pleasant outside. On Saturday, I decided that the wood had dried out enough to be fuel for a grill fire, and it worked out. Various meats were shown to the fire, and became better for it, at least as far as my family was concerned.

On Sunday we went to Chicago's Chinatown by train and then boat. That's only possible, or at least easy, on weekends in the warm months, and only recently. At some point the Chicago Water Taxi, a boat run by tour-boat operator Wendella, started making runs from a dock between Union Station and Northwestern Station to a smaller dock at Ping Tom Memorial Park, which is just south of the 18th Street Bridge over the South Branch of the Chicago River. From there it's a short walk to Chinatown.

On Monday early we fortified ourselves with pancakes and then went over to Schaumburg's Septemberfest. In the morning and into early afternoon, all-you-can-ride wristbands are sold, and that was the only way I would take Lilly and Ann to a municipal entertainment like this, since paying with tickets is a quick way to either spend more than you want, or catch flak for not buying any more tickets.

Despite the name, and for that matter Schaumburg's origins, there's nothing German about the event, not even any standard cliches. No oom, no pah-pah. You can buy beer, but not at a Biergarten. Still, it was good to get there by about 9:30. By noon, the crowds and the heat had both arrived. Lilly especially had had enough fast rides, was ready to leave by then too.