Ashes to ashes

I managed to get to and from Chicago today all by myself without getting lost. Granted, I took the train, but still, no problems. It's so nice to be near a city that has such a great transportation system. My entire trip today cost $7 -- $5 for the Metra ride, $2 for parking my car at the station and a free trolley ride to the Field Museum. I'm sure the price of gas alone would have topped that. I met Alison at the museum to check out the Pompeii exhibit, where they have a collection of artifacts found from the volcano eruption that killed hundreds in the Italian city in 79 A.D. My favorite part, but also one of the most disturbing, was a series of casts made from the body imprints left in the hardened ash. They show women and children covering each other, men shielding their faces and skeletons huddled on top of one another. Pretty gruesome, but they tell the story. The downside of the exhibit was the huge crowd of people. It was difficult to see some of the displays without tip-toeing and weaving between elbows and lots of little kids. People crowded the streets outside as well. The lights parade was held on State Street tonight, when the Christmas lights strung on the city's lampposts are turned on as the procession passes. I didn't watch, but I can tell you that the turnout was huge.