Matando Saudades

Matando saudades is a good Portuguese expression to describe what you do when you go back to places that hold special prominence in your memory and you want to dwell on them a bit.

Today was a day to go back to old haunts. Joe’s childhood friend met us in town and we did a lot. First stop, the pedestrian bridge with great views of downtown. Next, the Ulmlauf Sculpture Garden. Turns out that Austin’s premier sculptor studied under Lorado Taft, and any careful observor of the Taft sculptures in Champaign will recognize the similarities.

Then to the Emma Long Metropolitan Park, where Joe and his buddy had gone swimming on Christmas Day, 1956. And then the obligatory stop at Mount Bonnell, with a hundred steps to climb but good views over the river.

A good pizza in Marye’s Pizza, and then a wheelchair handoff and back to the hotel. Back to Champaign tomorrow.Read more