25 April 2008

Waking Up... to Construction

Twice this week we have awoken to some serious construction taking place right across the square from us as one more blessed condo building goes up in Chicago. Wednesday morning: 6:30am. This morning: 5:15am. And I'm not talking about sweet little construction noises like hammering or biscuit joining. I'm talking about taking a crane and dropping steel beams onto concrete. We've called to report violations of the noise ordinance and now we need to figure out if they have a special permit to start construction work before the break of dawn.

So, this morning, after abandoning any attempt to return to sleep, we decided to get up and make the most of it. And I must say, it wasn't long before the annoyance and frustration turned into laughter and silliness. We got ready for work and went out for breakfast. The city seems to come alive between the hours of 7:00 and 8:00am. We watched the empty, quiet restaurant fill up with people and conversation. The streets, seemingly wide and available only moments before, became crowded with vehicles and pedestrians. And before we knew it, we were off to work, having savored those few peaceful moments between construction and traffic. Not a bad way to start the weekend.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I bet the nesting birds that woke you up a year ago this time would be a more welcomed alarm clock! But it does have it's advantages to getting a head start on the day!
Love from your sleepy head Mom