We had friends in Ann Arbor who lived over on the west side of town, not far from the Michigan Stadium (aka The Big House). Her baby was due during football season, and they made intricate plans for what to do if she went into labor on game day, when the roads were jammed. She would need to get to the University Hospital over on our side of town, and access to and from their neighborhood depended on the streets around the stadium. (She gave birth on a game-free day. Whew.)
For us, the trip to the hospital was a seven-minute drive down the hill from North Campus to the Medical Campus. We were pretty relaxed about the idea of getting to the hospital.
May 13, 1997: Four days post due, but who was counting? I recall the cool weather hanging on well into May that year. The trees kept their fists tight around their buds. We were all waiting for that moment things loosen up and start to flow.
May 13, 2015: A routine blood draw. Sessions with two language clients, then on the road for a meeting in Frankfurt. Tomorrow is a holiday in this part of Germany (Christ's Ascension). Because it's a Thursday, schools are closed on Friday, too. They call that a "bridge day." So, a four day weekend. That meant I had a lot of company on the road to Frankfurt. A lot. And a sprinkling of rain--just enough to keep me busy turning the wipers off and on, adjusting the delay. I drove the Würzburg route, hoping to avoid the worst of the traffic. Meh. My consolation: valleys pillow-topped with neon yellow rapeseed in flower against deep green fields.
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| Stop and go traffic with streetcar, Frankfurt rush hour |
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| Crossing the bridge, slow enough for photos |
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