I went up to the flatlands again for work, mostly for site inspections but also to drop by and check on a well on my last site there and make sure we hadn't broken it when sampling this past summer. The investigation involved pulling the well, an operation that I hadn't seen before. They get a truck with an extendable boom that reaches up high and drops a hook to pull out the PVC pipe that the water comes up through in 20 foot sections. The hook attaches to a clamp with rings that slips below the threaded joints that hold the sections together. At the bottom is a motorized pump. In this instance, there was a power line that descended down taped to the site of the PVC. Turns out, the motor was blown.
This and another site were located close to the airport. On our way to look into some old records, we got to have a escorted drive inside the fenced-in runway area, complete with a Maverick-style race against a Southwest passenger jet landing across the way. Weather-wise, it was the complete opposite of the last time I was in the true "windy city." Even though it didn't snow until Thursday, it actually felt much colder on Tuesday. Overcast and very blustery, 20-30 F, 20-30 mph gusts. The next two days were also cold and windy but the sun warmed everything up a bit and I had picked up a sock hat and gloves from Walmart that helped tremendously.
We ate at a place called el Tejavan ("the shed"), which featured jalisco interior style Mexican food. For starters, the red table sauce was very tasty, a little thin, plenty of bite. I ordered the chilaquiles with red chile beef stew, which were served in large proportions and with a great red chile sauce. The beef was decent but the fried tortilla pieces were too chewy to really enjoy, and I regretted not going after the Pastor plate. I'll have to get that next time I go up. I also tried the ceviche, tasted very fresh, outstanding.
