Rain, Rain Go Away

Like explorers staking their claim in the new world, John and I swerved our two cars across three lanes of Chicago traffic to unload our Blues Fest gear.  After a quick flick of the hazard lights, all six of us jumped out of the car and started to unload while screaming, “this is not a drill…this is not a drill!”  Piles of chairs, tarps, coolers and even a gigantic pop-up tent piled high on the curb as the sky began to tease us with the drizzling of rain.

I’ve attended Blues Fest with the same group of friends for the last five years all while living in Chicago, and now traveling there from my home in Pittsburgh.  What I love most about Blues Fest is that each year is a totally different experience.  Admittedly, my first year was what I consider a “learning experience” as I was not prepared for the six hours of 90 degree heat and no sun block.  Even last year was a treat when it poured rain the entire time, forcing us to hunker down under bright blue tarps and sip our rain soaked adult beverages.  This year, I mentally begged there would be a break in the clouds for our planned afternoon festivities.

Of course, staying dry was not in our cards as we hiked across the spongy Grant Park grass to our final destination with a perfect view for hordes of people watching.  A constant stream of rain droplets fell from the sky and trickled down my face.  All the while, we worked feverously to get the tent erected and our chairs positioned under its shelter.  Finally, after about 20 minutes, the clouds began to part and the rain stopped for the rest of the evening.  Go figure, right? Had we arrived just a little later, all would have been dry.

Sadly, the Chicago Police had to dampen our spirits by requiring all tents in the park to be taken down.  Thankfully, the rains didn’t even come close to returning, and we were still perfectly comfortable in the clustering of folding chairs.

The six hours of blues music, people watching, adult beverages, and great conversation saw a full bounty of laughter from my collection of friends.  One of my most favorite moments was having a huge leftover slice of Heaven and Hell Cake shoved into my face about every hour.  I can still taste the richness of the peanut butter mousse as I licked it from my fork.  It was a wonderful day and a great experience under the precipitous towers of the Chicago skyline.

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