Thursday, January 23, 2014

Evanston: War Letters


        Most of television is drivel, but on rare occasions television is sublime.  
        The American Experience “War Letters”, which aired here two nights, ago is as profoundly moving as anything I have seen, read or heard lately.
        This is not just American experience, but the human experience.
        If you missed “War Letters”, you can view it online here for a while. 

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        Suffering from both acute and chronic condo fever, I bundled up and walked down in 8°F/-13.3°C to see how far out the lake is frozen.  
        I wore my Omni-Heat reflective fleece and pants under a parka and over Levis and corduroy shirt and was, except for my exposed face, comfortable.   At sea, less the parka but adding foul weather gear and I’ll be good.
        I have a ski cap here.  I’m not sure if I have a watch cap on GANNET and will check.

        A wall of ice about 5’/1.5 meters high and growing with spray from each wave rises from South Beach.  Beyond it the water is open, until on the horizon there is another white line of ice.